Daily Gospel Reflection
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April 12, 2026
On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”
Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”
But he said to them,
“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nailmarks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”
Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples
that are not written in this book.
But these are written that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that through this belief you may have life in his name.
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. The full readings of the day from the Lectionary are available here.
“Help me to journey beyond the familiar and into the unknown.” When this prayer attributed to Saint Brendan the Navigator entered my life, I had just committed to joining the Alliance for Catholic Education through the ACE internship program. I was initially quite excited at the idea, and then, like Thomas, doubt started to enter my heart. I doubted why God had put ACE into my life. Through this prayer, however, I was reminded that I didn’t need to know everything; just the next step would suffice. Through the grace of God, I had the next step—a reminder that faith must overcome doubt.
As my two years in this program have gone on, I started doubting that I was making a difference. I started doubting why I was teaching 4th grade in Phoenix, Arizona, far away from all things that I had known in my life. Through this doubt, God revealed a little glimmer on my horizon. He reminded me to look around and comprehend that through these choices put in front of me, I have become surrounded by the most incredible people. God put these people in my life, but I doubted and feared because I could not see the end.
For us all, we doubt, and we fear. We are on a boat heading somewhere, but like with Thomas not seeing Christ, we do not see land ahead. In these moments, God shares with us a glimpse out of the periscope of life of the lands ahead. He has the plan and knows the way, and I can confidently say, with examples like St. Thomas or St. Brendan, the voyage might be scary, but the destination is God’s gift to us.
Prayer
O Risen Christ, you shattered the fear of your followers and offered your expression of peace. May we listen with genuine love to your voice when we are afraid. May your resurrection claim our hearts with the peace you whisper. May we peer into your redeemed wounds so we may serve the wounded ones on earth today. May we feed the hungry, comfort the ill, serve the anguished, and offer your concord in every broken relationship. May our hearts proclaim you as Lord and God. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Saint Teresa of Los Andes was one of the Young Witnesses selected by the 2018 Synod of Bishops to serve as a patron for their meeting on young people in the Church, which took place in Rome in October 2018. Like another of the great saints with whom she shares a name, Thérèse of Lisieux, Teresa entered a Carmelite convent at a very young age, when she was just eighteen.
Teresa was born Juana Fernandez Solar in Santiago, Chile on July 13, 1900. She was the fourth of six children and was known for her choleric and passionate temperament. One anecdote about this fiery young saint-in-the making tells the story of a time when Juana was pestering her younger sister Rebecca. Annoyed with Juana's antics, Rebecca slapped her in the face. Juana grabbed her to retaliate the slap, but mid-gesture repented, and kissed her sister on the cheek. Rebecca, understandably, was confused and accused Juana of kissing her with the "kiss of Judas."
Throughout her adolescence, Juana continued to slowly convert her passionate outbursts into a single-minded aspiration for union with God. She encountered a kindred soul and spiritual mentor in Thérèse, whose spiritual autobiography, Story of a Soul, she read as a child. Juana was profoundly moved by the sensitive, self-aware Thérèse who was so keenly aware of her own self-absorption and pride, yet who transformed this natural disposition into total dedication to God.
Inspired by Thérèse, Juana sought to become a Carmelite. When she was seventeen, she sent a letter to the prioress of the Discalced Carmelite convent in Los Andes, expressing her desire to join the order. Juana was frustrated by the lack of response and the nagging unfulfillment of her one desire. Juana spoke to her mother, who advised her to speak to her father. Juana wrote her father a letter about her desire to join Carmel while she was away at boarding school. He never answered. Intimidated, but determined, Juana approached her father in March of 1919 when she was home from school, and he granted her permission. On May 7, 1919, Juana entered the Carmelite novitiate and took the name Teresa of Jesus. While still in her first year of religious life, Teresa contracted typhus and her health steadily declined.
As she approached death, the Carmelites allowed her to profess religious vows early, even though she had not completed her novitiate year. On April 7, 1920, Teresa took her first vows, and five days later, on April 12, Teresa died.
Devotion to Teresa of Los Andes spread quickly due to the publication of letters that she wrote to a wide number of people during her year in Carmel, offering spiritual advice and insight. Teresa is an example of the purity of heart cited in the Beatitudes—her life was fueled by love and love alone. Over the course of her short nineteen years, Teresa learned to channel the deep passion inherent in her personality towards the pursuit of God. Her letters attest to this wild love, and firm-minded devotion. When she was beatified on April 3, 1987, Teresa became Chile's first citizen to be beatified, and when she was canonized in 1993 by Pope John Paul II, she became Chile's first canonized saint. She is a patron saint of Santiago, Chile, where she was born and a patron of young people.
Santa Teresa de Los Andes, powerful witness to the great fruit of quiet faith—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Teresa of the Andes is in the public domain. Last accessed February 21, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
