Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection July 03, 2026
Friday – 13th Week in Ordinary Time
Saint Thomas, Apostle
03rd June 2026 (Friday)
Psalter: Week 1
Here are the Catholic Mass readings and a daily reflection for Friday, July 3, 2026, the Feast of Saint Thomas the Apostle. Today Paul says we are built into one temple on the apostles, and in the Gospel Thomas moves from hard doubt to the highest confession of faith in all the Gospels.
Readings of the Day
First Reading: Ephesians 2:19-22
Brethren: You are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
Psalm 116:12-13, 15 and 16bc, 17-18 (R. 9)
R/. I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.
Gospel Acclamation
V/. Alleluia
R/. Alleluia
V/. Have you believed, Thomas because you have seen me? says the Lord; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.
R/. Alleluia
Gospel: John 20:24-29
Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Daily Gospel Reflection
Friday – 13th Week in Ordinary Time
Main Point: Thomas swore he would not believe until he put his finger in the wounds. Jesus offered him exactly that. But read it again, because Thomas never reaches out. The sight of Christ was enough, and he fell straight to his knees.
1. We call him Doubting Thomas. The name has stuck for two thousand years. But it tells only half the story, and not the better half.
2. Start with where he was. The other disciples saw the risen Jesus, and Thomas was not in the room. He missed it. So he is told the news secondhand, and he refuses to take it on someone else’s word.
3. His demand is blunt. Unless he sees the nail marks, and puts his finger where the nails were, and his hand into the wounded side, he will not believe. He wants proof he can touch. Nothing less will move him.
4. Eight days later Jesus comes back. He walks through a locked door and stands among them. Then He turns straight to Thomas. He does not scold him. He offers him the very thing he asked for. “Put your finger here. Reach out your hand.”
5. Now read the next line slowly, because everyone misses it. Thomas does not touch Him. He demanded to feel the wounds, and the wounds are right there in front of him. But he never reaches out. Seeing Jesus alive was enough. The proof he swore he needed, he no longer wants.
6. Instead he says five words. “My Lord and my God.” Stop and weigh them. This is the first time in the whole Gospel that anyone calls Jesus God to His face. The loudest doubter becomes the one who says it most clearly. From the back of the room to the front, in a single breath.
7. Then Jesus speaks past Thomas to us. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” That is everyone reading this. We will not get the locked room or the visible wounds. And Jesus calls that blessed, not second best. Faith without sight is the road He marks out for us.
8. Here is the thread to Ephesians. Paul says we are built on the foundation of the apostles, with Christ as the cornerstone. Thomas is part of that foundation. His doubt, turned to faith, became a stone we still stand on. The man who needed proof helps hold up the Church of those who believe without it.
9. And there is comfort in his struggle. Thomas shows that honest doubt is not the enemy of faith. He did not walk away. He stayed with the others. He brought his doubt into the room, and that is exactly where Jesus met him. Doubt that keeps showing up is already half on its way to faith.
My Practice: You will not get to touch the wounds. Like us, Thomas was told to believe without that, and he found he did not need it after all. So stop waiting for the proof you think would settle everything. It is not coming, and it was never the real key. Bring your doubt where Thomas brought his, into the room, among believers, near the altar. That is where He still shows up. Say the five words slowly until they are yours. My Lord and my God.
Read tomorrow’s Catholic Mass readings and reflection for July 4, 2026, or revisit yesterday’s reflection for Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time.
Thank You 🙏🙏🙏
