Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God!”Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
4 sermons cite this verse
… Because Jesus said so. In John chapter 21, Jesus is making those men the first priests and saying, no, you actually have my power. You have my ability to bring mercy to the world, to forgive sins. If you don't, they're retained. If you do, they're gone. That's why I'm going to say that today, your next confession is the exercise that your soul and my soul needs. that your next confession is the exercise that your soul and my soul needs. And I mean this for everyone. From the person who is convinced that they're beyond God's reach to the person who is absolutely convinced they're a genuinely, quote unquote, good person. Because that's maybe a lot of us. We're like, no, but I'm okay. Like, why would I have to go to confession? Like, I go to mass. Like, I help. Like, if you're back at your parish. Like, at Easter, I was back home for Easter and like, they knew I was there. So like, hey, get back up, you know. …
Jump up to your feet. We're going to the Word of God, the Gospel of St. John, chapter 20, verse 25 through 28. There you will find my assignment for this morning. The text is brief and simple, but the message behind it is profound and prolific. it comes at a moment in history that Jesus has gone to the cross. Jerusalem is in total chaos and confusion. The Romans are trying to manage it. The temple is trying to diminish it. The disciples are trying to dodge it. because their leader is gone. Or so they thought. A lot of things that look gone on Friday. resurrect on Sunday morning. The devil will try to talk you into thinking it's over and this is somebody that the enemy in some area of your life has convinced you that it's over, but it's not over. Just because it's hard doesn't mean it's not over. Just because it's difficult doesn't mean it's not over. One of the disciples in particular had a hard time with it, and I'm going to focus on him today. …
… provider for us. You cannot depend on signs. Matter of fact, Jesus said on one occasion in John chapter 20, just jot down this verse, John 20 verses 26 through 29, he says, a wicked and An adulterous generation seeks a sign. Now, some of y'all are following after signs, and if you need a sign, God is saying that's a problem. And here's what I tell people. Stop. Don't be talking to me about your horoscope. thank all five of y'all for that clap right there don't clap now because some of y'all you base who you marry on a child he's a Sagittarius and I'm a Virgo shut up you're supposed to be a child of God the only sign we're under is the sign of the cross we're not following horoscopes that's what they are horror scopes. H-O-R-O-R-O-R-Scope. Don't be asking me what my sign is. Do y'all hear what I'm saying? Do y'all understand what I'm saying? Y'all tell me I won't do anything to you. …
… reach out your hand and put it in my side do not doubt but believe thomas answered him my lord and my god jesus said to thomas have you believed because you have seen me blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book but these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah the son of God and that through believing you may have life in Jesus's name this is the word of God for the people of God thanks be to God Lately, my friends, I've been trying to get around this giant city without a map. No map, no Google Maps either. I've lived here less than two years, so this is a daunting task, but there are some transit lines and some pockets of neighborhoods that I know well enough that I can go with no map for a little while. …