But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, 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 the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, 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. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt 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 come to believe.”

Queries:

What energizing possibilities are rising in me and in my communities?

Where am I noticing the reparative work of Love in our world and in my life?

How am I being invited “back to the land” and to the “soil”?

What voices are guiding us toward wholeness and peace? What are they saying?

Why are people low on hope? How are people finding hope?

In what ways is Jesus a model of reparative love?

Where is the loving work of repair most needed right now?

Where am I finding new life?

Queries:

How and why do people choose violence?

Where am I being nudged toward nonviolent action or stopping others’ violence?

Is my theology violent? Is my spirituality violent? How am I moving away from violent theology and spirituality?

How can we repent from violence and repair harms done?

Queries:

What am I rushing through that I need to savor?

Who needs my presence, connection, or touch? Do I need these things?

What does “taking a breath” mean in the context of my important commitments and relationships?

What strikes me about Jesus, Judas, or Mary in this scene? Do I identify with any of them?

Julie is a member of West Hills Friends in Portland, Oregon. She and her husband (David) came to Quakers in the mid-1990s, and quickly found a spiritual home among Friends. Julie's professional life was spent mostly teaching basic chemistry at the college level. Her favorite Quaker is Isaac Penington, whom she reads daily. Well, almost daily. Close enough, anyway. Penington is a great help to her as a "recovering Evangelical." Also helpful has been distance running, and she will tell you that she can draw a direct line between becoming a runner and becoming a Quaker; feel free to ask her about that.

The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, with the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”