Responsorial Psalm
Let Israel say,
"His loving kindness endures forever."
Let the house of Aaron say,
"His loving kindness endures forever."
Let those who fear the Lord say,
"His loving kindness endures forever."
I was pushed hard and about to fall,
but the Lord came to my help.
The Lord is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
Joyful shouts of victory
are heard in the tents of the just:
"The right hand of the Lord strikes mightily,
The stone rejected by the builders
has become the keystone.
This was the Lord's doing and we marvel at it.
This is the day the Lord has made;
so let us rejoice and be glad.
2nd. READING (1 P 1, 3-9)
Let us praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for his great mercy. In raising
Jesus Christ from the dead he has given us new life and the hope of sharing life
beyond death, sin and all fleeting things. This inheritance is kept in the heavens for
you, since God's power shall keep you faithful until salvation is revealed in the last
days. There is cause for joy, then, even though you may, for a time, have to suffer
many trials. Thus will your faith be tested, like gold in a furnace. Gold, however,
passes away but faith, worth so much more, will bring you in the end praise, glory and
honor when Jesus Christ appears. You have not yet seen him and yet you love him;
even without seeing him, you believe in him and experience a heavenly joy beyond all
words, for you are reaching the goal of your faith: the salvation of your souls.
GOSPEL (Jn 20,19-31)
In the evening of that day, the first day after the sabbath, the doors were locked where
the disciples were, because of their fear of the Jews, but Jesus came and stood in their
midst. He said to them, "Peace be with you"; then he showed them his hands and his
side. The disciples kept looking at the Lord and were full of joy. Again Jesus said to
them, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." After saying
this he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit; for those whose
sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained."
Thomas, the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other
disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he replied, "Until I have seen in his
hands the print of the nails, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in
his side, I will not believe." Eight days later, the disciples were inside again and
Thomas was with them. Despite the locked doors Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see
my hands; stretch out your hand and put it into my side. Resist no longer and be a
believer." Thomas then said, "You are my Lord and my God." Jesus replied, "You
believe because you see me, don't you? Happy are those who have not seen and
believe." There were many other signs that Jesus gave in the presence of his disciples,
but they are not recorded in this book. These are recorded so that you may believe that
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; believe and you will have life through his Name.