My Lord and My God: Homily for Sunday, April 12, 2026

For Thomas, Jesus turns doubt into belief. For the Christian community in the the Acts of the Apostles, Jesus turns individuals into a community. And for both, Jesus enables them, and us, to say “My Lord and my God.” Readings for Today.

My Lord and My God

In today’s first reading, we get an appropriate and accurate summary of how the early church understood what it meant to follow Jesus. St. Luke, in his work, “The Acts of the Apostles,” lists four elements that constitute what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.

We heard, “They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.” Perhaps it might be helpful to explore some of these key words to help us to recognize what it might mean for us to be disciples of Jesus.

“They devoted themselves.” When we consider the word in Greek for devoted, we get an idea that for a disciple, the connection to Jesus is not merely a superficial connection. It is something much, much more. We need to remember just how significant an event the resurrection was. It changed everything. The entire world looked completely different.

The followers of Jesus found in him total fulfillment. They found what they never thought possible. The resurrection of Jesus meant that whatever was required to be a disciple, they were all in to commit to doing and being. The devotion required of a disciple meant they were all in, facing all sorts of difficulties, but doing so because they fully recognized that Jesus meant everything for them. So just what did these new disciples devote themselves to?

First, they gave themselves completely to the teaching of the apostles. Why did they do this? Because the apostles had the most intimate connection to Jesus. They had journeyed with him for three years. They received through the Holy Spirit what Jesus wanted to pass on to them. The apostles were chosen by Jesus to exercise a special role of leadership in the church founded by Jesus.

From the early days of the new church, the apostles, having received the powerful gift of the Holy Spirit, were able to articulate what it meant to be a disciple of Jesus. When there was a conflict about what would be required of the Gentile non-Jewish followers of Jesus, the issue was decided by seeking the wisdom of the apostles and calling a council under their leadership. Through the leadership of the apostles, the followers of Jesus learned they could not go it alone.

Jesus called them to community. Jesus helped them to see that a key aspect of their leadership was to form a community of believers. Giving one’s life to a community was a key aspect of being a disciple of Jesus. The companionship of community led to a more formal prayer. Companionship is a word that comes from two words in Latin, which really means breaking bread with someone.

Devotion to the Eucharist was important in the earliest days of the church. The disciples broke bread together. They celebrated the Eucharist together as a way to remain connected to Jesus because Jesus, in giving himself, remained connected to them. To be really devoted also means to continually be open to a relationship with Jesus that is ongoing.

Prayers were important and being committed to prayer was an important part of true devotion. All of this leads to a question. Are we devoted disciples of Jesus? Are we devoted to the teaching of the apostles, the common life, the breaking of bread, and to the prayers? What does this devotion help us to realize?

First, it has reason, we have reason rather to hope. The Christian virtue of hope is about knowing that we can be saved. That despite those ways we fail or fall short, there is still a reason for us to trust in Jesus. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.

Today we celebrate the absolute reason why we can have this hope. It is the mercy of Jesus. The love of Jesus for each one of us is more powerful than we can ever understand. As St. Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans, nothing can separate us from God’s love. This is because God never ever gives up on us.

This was the important lesson that St. Thomas needed to learn. The crisis of faith of St. Thomas was not about doubting Jesus. It was about a struggle to actually believe that Jesus could give him a second chance.

Thomas abandoned Jesus at a time of great need. So he needed to see that the Jesus whom he abandoned was the same Jesus who could forgive him. Thomas needed to see that the love of Jesus was powerful enough to give Thomas a mission to proclaim the name of Jesus. What Thomas needed to learn was that there was no simply breaking the love of Jesus. And when Thomas experiences the mercy of Jesus, he makes a statement of faith, “My Lord and my God.”

Where is it that you need to know the mercy of God? Where is it that you need to believe in the mercy that Jesus comes to give you? Where do you need to experience in your life the love that God has for you? For just as Thomas needed to experience the love of Jesus for him, so too do we. Just as Jesus had a special mission for Thomas, so too does Jesus have a special mission for us. That is a reason that we too can say to Jesus, “My Lord and my God.”

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