Sermon on “Thomas and Jesus” (John 20:19–31)
There is a beautiful story told about the great spiritual master, Rabia.
One day, she was seen searching for something on the ground outside her house. People gathered and asked, “What are you looking for?” She said, “My needle—I have lost my needle.”
They began helping her search, but after some time, someone asked, “Where did you lose it?”
She replied, “Inside my house.”
They were puzzled and said, “Then why are you looking for it out here?”
Rabia answered, “Because there is more light out here.”
And then she said something striking:
“This is what you are all doing. You are looking outside for what is lost within you, because that is where it is easier to see.”
This story brings us very close to the heart of today’s Gospel.
In today’s Gospel passage, we hear about the risen Saviour meeting with his dedicated followers.
Although the disciples have heard from Mary Magdalene that she has seen the risen Lord, they are still confused and afraid. On that same evening, the followers gathered together behind locked doors. But in spite of all this, their fear and confusion are about to be replaced with peace and joy.
Belief in Jesus’ resurrection and presence grows in the disciples when the Risen Lord appears to them and with words of peace, shows them his wounded hands and side. Thomas, not present at this time, also needs evident proof that Jesus is indeed active with a new quality.
Thomas is not rejecting Christ.
Thomas is not even truly doubting the resurrection. Thomas is struggling with something deeper:
The other disciples say, “We have seen the Lord.” The light, it seems, is in their experience.
But Thomas longs for something more: “Can I see Him? Can I encounter Him? Is this experience also for me?”
Thomas refuses to live only in the light of others’ experience. He seeks his own encounter with the risen Christ.
And Jesus’ response is not to silence him, nor to correct him harshly, but to invite him, saying: “Come. The encounter is also for you.”
Thomas’ so-called doubt is very famous. But is it really fair to call this wonderful apostle “Doubting Thomas”? Would anybody else act differently in Thomas’ situation?
For the first time in human history, a unique and wonderful leader—after suffering, trial, torture, betrayal, and a tragic death—has come back to his followers. Who would not want to witness this? And Thomas is determined to encounter the risen Saviour. Thomas needs assurance.
But perhaps we need to go deeper. Thomas is not simply asking for proof. Thomas is longing for personal experience. And here is something very important for us:
When Jesus says, “Do not doubt, but believe,”
He is not simply saying, “Do not question.”
He is saying something deeper:
Do not doubt that you are capable of encountering Me.
Do not doubt that My presence can become real in your life.
Especially when you are in the midst of the Church—among your brothers and sisters—you shall experience My presence: clearly, transformingly, and amazingly.
Thomas is a very brave, intelligent, and devoted disciple. When Jesus said that he was going back to Jerusalem, and the disciples knew the danger, it was Thomas who said,
“Let us go too and die with him” (John 11:16).
This is not a weak man. This is a courageous and faithful follower.
Thomas does not doubt—he seeks.
He does not reject—he longs.
He does not turn away—he reaches out.
And here is the beauty of the Gospel.
When Jesus returns, He does not rebuke Thomas. He does not shame him. Instead, He comes close and says:
“Put your finger here… reach out your hand…”
The hands of Thomas are not merely searching for proof. They are hands of openness—hands ready to receive Christ into his life, his heart, his soul, and his body.
And in that moment, everything changes.
No longer: “Unless I see…”
Now: “My Lord and my God!”
This is not only Thomas’ story.
This is the story of the Church.
We gather together. We hear: “Christ is risen.” We listen to the testimony of others.
But each one of us is also invited to say: “I have encountered Him.”
We come with different questions, different backgrounds, different journeys. And yet, within the one Body of Christ, each of us is invited into a living, personal encounter with the risen Lord.
How can we forgive endlessly? How can we live with peace, love, and hope? We cannot do it alone.
It is the Living God who acts within us.
It is the Holy Spirit who empowers us.
It is the presence of Christ among us—and within us—that transforms us.
Thomas understands this deeply. He knows that the world cannot be changed without the living presence of Christ. He knows that faith cannot grow without encounter.
He knows that love cannot endure without divine strength. And so he seeks, until he finds.
Dear brothers and sisters, Christ does not reject those who seek Him deeply. He meets them. And He says to each one of us:
“Do not doubt that you can experience My presence.
Come closer.
Reach out.
And you will find Me.”
Thomas needs to visit the victorious Saviour.
He looks for Him until he finds Him.
And this is the beginning of a new era.
Amen.
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Sunday, April 12th
How to make the Anglican Rosary
Anglican Prayer Beads
A Form of Contemplative Prayer
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Anglican Prayer Beads are a relatively new form of prayer, blending the Orthodox Jesus Prayer Rope and the Roman Catholic Rosary. The thirty-three bead design was created by the Rev. Lynn Bauman in the mid-1980s, through the prayerful exploration and discovery of a contemplative prayer group.
The use of the rosary or prayer beads helps to bring us into contemplative of meditative prayer—really thinking about and being mindful of praying, of being in the presence of God—by use of mind, body, and spirit. The touching of the fingers on each successive bead is an aid in keeping our mind from wandering, and the rhythm of the prayers leads us more readily into stillness.
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Symbolism of the Beads
The configuration of the Anglican Prayer Beads relate contemplative prayer using the Rosary to many levels of traditional Christian symbolism. Contemplative prayer is enriched by these symbols whose purpose is always to focus and concentrate attention, allowing the one who prays to move more swiftly into the Presence of God.
The prayer beads are made up of twenty-eight beads divided into four groups of seven called weeks. In the Judeo-Christian tradition the number seven represents spiritual perfection and completion. Between each week is a single bead, called a cruciform bead as the four beads form a cross. The invitatory bead between the cross and the wheel of beads brings the total to thirty-three, the number of years in Jesus’ earthly life.
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Praying with the beads
To begin, hold the Cross and say the prayer you have assigned to it, then move to the Invitatory Bead. Then enter the circle of the prayer with the first Cruciform Bead, moving to the right,
go through the first set of seven beads to the next Cruciform bead, continuing around the circle,
saying the prayers for each bead.
It is suggested that you pray around the circle of the beads three times (which signifies the Trinity)
in an unhurried pace, allowing the repetition to become a sort of lullaby of love and praise that enables your mind to rest and your heart to become quiet and still.
Praying through the beads three times and adding the crucifix at the beginning or the end, brings the total to one hundred, which is the total of the Orthodox Rosary. A period of silence should follow the prayer, for a time of reflection and listening. Listening is an important part of all prayer.
Begin praying the Anglican Prayer Beads by selecting the prayers you wish to use for the cross and each bead. Practice them until it is clear which prayer goes with which bead, and as far as possible commit the prayers to memory.
Find a quiet spot and allow your body and mind to become restful and still. After a time of silence, begin praying the prayer beads at an unhurried, intentional pace. Complete the circle of the beads three times.
When you have completed the round of the prayer beads, you should end with a period of silence. This silence allows you to center your being in an extended period of silence. It also invites reflection and listening after you have invoked the Name and Presence of God.
Closing your Prayers
The following ending can be used with any of the prayers in this booklet. After three circuits around the prayer beads, you may finish as follows:
Last time through:
Invitatory Bead
The Lord’s Prayer
The Cross
I bless the Lord.
Or, in a group setting:
Let us bless the Lord
Thanks be to God.
Prayers
You may mix and match or put together your own.
Bless the Lord
The Cross
Blessed be the one, holy, and living God.
Glory to God for ever and ever. Amen.
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The Invitatory
O God make speed to save me (us),
O Lord make haste to help me (us),
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
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The Cruciforms
Behold now, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord. You that stand in the house of the Lord, lift up your hands in the holy place and bless the Lord.
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The Weeks
I lift up my eyes to the hills;
From where is my help to come?
My help comes from the Lord,
The maker of heaven and earth.
The Cross
In the Name of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
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The Invitatory
O God make speed to save me (us),
O Lord make haste to help me (us),
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
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The Cruciforms
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon me (us).
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The Weeks
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,
Have mercy on me, a sinner.
Or, in a group setting:
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have mercy upon us.
*Trisagion means "thrice Holy"
Agnus Dei Prayer
The Cross
The Lord’s Prayer
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The Invitatory
"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer."—Psalm 19:14
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The Cruciforms
Oh, Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world
have mercy upon us,
Oh, Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world
have mercy upon us,
Oh, Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world
give us Thy Peace.
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The Weeks
Almighty and merciful Lord,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
bless us and keep us.
Amen.
*Agnus Dei means "Lamb of God"
Julian of Norwich Prayer
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The Cross
In the Name of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Invitatory
O God make speed to save me (us),
O Lord make haste to help me (us),
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
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The Cruciforms
God of your goodness, give me yourself,
For you are enough to me.
And I can ask for nothing less that is to your glory.
And if I ask for anything less, I shall still be in want, for only in you have I all.
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The Weeks
All shall be well, and all shall be well,
And all manner of things shall be well.
Or
In His love He has done His works, and in His love He has made all things beneficial to us.
This prayer was created by Sister Brigit-Carol, S.D.
www.solitariesofdekoven.org
A Celtic Prayer
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The Cross
In the Name of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Invitatory
O God make speed to save me (us),
O Lord make haste to help me (us),
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
The Cruciforms
Be the eye of God dwelling with me,
The foot of Christ in guidance with me,
The shower of the Spirit pouring on me,
Richly and generously
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The Weeks
Pray each phrase on a separate bead.
I bow before the Father who made me,
I bow before the Son who saved me,
I bow before the Spirit who guides me,
In love and adoration.
I praise the Name of the one on high.
I bow before thee Sacred Three,
The ever One, the Trinity.
This prayer was created by Sister Brigit-Carol, S.D.
www.solitariesofdekoven.org
Come Lord Jesus Prayer
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The Cross
"Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen."—Revelation 7:12
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The invitatory
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble."—Psalm 46:1
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The Cruciforms
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless God’s Holy Name."—Psalm 103:1
The Weeks
"Come Lord Jesus, draw us to yourself."—John 12:32
Saint Patrick's Breastplate
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The Cross
I bind unto myself today the strong Name of the Trinity,
by invocation of the same, the Three in One, and One in Three.
Of whom all nature hath creation, eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
praise to the Lord of my salvation, salvation is of Christ the Lord.
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The Invitatory
Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
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The Cruciforms
I bind unto myself today
the strong Name of the Trinity,
by invocation of the same,
the Three in One, and One in Three.
The Weeks
1. I bind this day to me for ever, by power of faith, Christ’s Incarnation;
2. his baptism in Jordan river;
3. his death on cross for my salvation;
4. his bursting from the spicèd tomb;
5. his riding up the heavenly way;
6. his coming at the day of doom:
7. I bind unto myself today.
1. I bind unto myself the power of the great love of cherubim;
2. the sweet "Well done" in judgment hour;
3. the service of the seraphim;
4. confessors’ faith, apostles’ word,
5. the patriarchs’ prayers, the prophets’ scrolls;
6. all good deeds done unto the Lord,
7. and purity of virgin souls.
1. I bind unto myself today the virtues of the starlit heaven,
2. the glorious sun’s life-giving ray,
3. the whiteness of the moon at even,
4. the flashing of the lightning free,
5. the whirling of the wind’s tempestuous shocks,
6. the stable earth, the deep salt sea,
7. around the old eternal rocks.
1. I bind unto myself today the power of God to hold and lead,
2. his eye to watch, his might to stay,
3. his ear to hearken, to my need;
4. the wisdom of my God to teach,
5. his hand to guide, his shield to ward;
6. the word of God to give me speech,
7. his heavenly host to be my guard.
Words: attributed to St. Patrick (372-466)
translated by Cecil Frances Alexander, 1889
Adapted for use with Anglican Prayer Beads by Laura Kelly Campbell
An Evening Prayer
The Cross
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
The Invitatory
Open my lips, O Lord,
and my mouth shall proclaim
Your praise.
The Cruciforms
Guide us waking, O Lord,
and guard us sleeping;
that awake we may watch
with Christ, and asleep
we may rest in peace.
The Weeks
Jesus, lamb of God, have mercy on us.
Jesus, bearer of our sins, have mercy on us.
Jesus, redeemer of the world, give us your peace.
