Today in 10 Seconds
Gospel: Doubt becomes faith through wounded hands Rosary: Sorrowful Mysteries Pope: Every life unrepeatable, invaluable, irreplaceable The Verge: Water wins the hydration battle Fox News: Country stars reunite for redemption anthem Saint: Apostle's footprints traced to ancient India
— † —
John 20:24-29
"Thomas, called the Twin, who was one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. When the disciples said, ‘We have seen the Lord’, he answered, ‘Unless I see the holes that the nails made in his hands and can put my finger into the holes they made, and unless I can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe. ’ Eight days later the disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with them."
| ? |
Test Your Faith IQ |
Church History |
|
|
According to ancient tradition, St. Thomas the Apostle evangelized which country, where a community of Christians bearing his name still exists today?
- A) Ethiopia
- B) India
- C) China
- D) Persia
Answer at the bottom of this newsletter.
|
| Rosary Mystery of the Day | |
| † |
Today's Mysteries |
Friday: Sorrowful Mysteries |
|
|
Sorrowful Mysteries
- 1. The Agony in the Garden
- 2. The Scourging at the Pillar
- 3. The Crowning with Thorns
- 4. The Carrying of the Cross
- 5. The Crucifixion and Death of Our Lord
|
|
|
|
The Objection
"Catholics worship Mary. That's idolatry. The Bible says to worship God alone."
The Catholic Response
Catholics absolutely agree that worship belongs to God alone (CCC 2110). What we give Mary is veneration (called 'hyperdulia'), which is profound honor, not worship ('latria'). The distinction is ancient: even the angel Gabriel honored Mary with 'Hail, full of grace' (Luke 1:28), and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, called her 'blessed among women' (Luke 1:42). St. Epiphanius in the 4th century already clarified this: 'Mary is to be honored, but the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are to be worshipped. Let no one worship Mary.'
CCC 971 | CCC 2110 | Luke 1:28 | Luke 1:42-43
|
 Photo: Vatican News
VATICAN NEWS
Pope Leo XIV releases his prayer intention for July, calling Catholics to pray for respect for human life and to recognize the unique, unrepeatable value of every person. This is the Pope speaking directly in his own words on a fundamental moral issue.
 Photo: The Verge
The Verge
A tech newsletter pushes back on the booming electrolyte and supplement industry, arguing that plain water is all most people need to stay hydrated.
| † |
FAITH & THE WORLD |
John 4:13-14 |
|
|
"Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
CCC 2547 (Detachment from Riches)
The wellness industry sells complexity because simplicity doesn't generate revenue. Jesus offered living water freely at a well, and the Catechism warns that the hunger to optimize and accumulate can blind us to the gifts already given (CCC 2547).
Reflect → What simple, free gift from God are you overcomplicating or overlooking because someone convinced you it wasn't enough?
|
 Photo: Fox News
Fox News
Country artists Riley Green and Hannah McFarland released a collaborative single called 'Go Again,' drawing early praise from fans for its theme of perseverance.
| † |
FAITH & THE WORLD |
Lamentations 3:22-23 |
|
|
"The LORD's acts of mercy are not exhausted, his compassion is not spent; they are renewed each morning. Great is your faithfulness!"
CCC 2011 (Grace and Perseverance)
The instinct to "go again" after failure isn't just grit. It's a faint echo of the mercy that meets us every morning, what the Catechism calls the grace that "precedes, prepares, and elicits" our free response (CCC 2011).
Reflect → Where in your life do you need the courage to go again, and have you asked God for the grace to start?
|
 Photo: Good News Network
Good News Network
A review of global studies shows that emulsifying water into diesel fuel can slash harmful emissions by up to 67% without sacrificing engine performance.
| † |
FAITH & GOOD NEWS |
Genesis 1:31 |
|
|
"God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good. Evening came, and morning followed,the sixth day."
Laudato Si' 211 (Ecological Conversion)
Sometimes the solution to harming creation is as humble as the creation itself. Water, the same element God uses for baptism and blessing, turns out to clean the air too. Pope Francis calls this kind of discovery a sign that ecological conversion doesn't always demand sacrifice; sometimes it just demands attention (LS 211).
Reflect → What simple, overlooked resource in your own life might be the answer to a problem you've been overengineering?
|
|
DAILY WORD GAME
Test your Catholic vocabulary
|
 |
| † |
Saint of the Day |
July 3 |
|
|
St. Thomas the Apostle
Thomas is believed to have traveled farther than any other apostle, reaching the Malabar Coast of India around 52 AD. The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church traces its origins directly to his preaching. He was allegedly martyred by spear near modern-day Chennai, and Indian Christians called 'St. Thomas Christians' have maintained an unbroken tradition for nearly 2,000 years.
Today is the Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle, whose encounter with the risen Christ in today's Gospel gave us one of Scripture's most powerful professions of faith: 'My Lord and my God.'
|
Trivia Answer
B . St. Thomas is traditionally believed to have reached India's Malabar Coast around 52 AD. The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, one of the largest Eastern Catholic churches in full communion with Rome, traces its founding directly to his mission.
|
|
