Today is the 2nd Sunday of Easter, and the Feast of the Divine Mercy. We heard from St. Faustina’s Diary that Jesus made private revelations to her. Our Lord Jesus asked her on many occasions that a feast be dedicated to the Divine Mercy and that this feast be celebrated on the Sunday after Easter.
Why did Jesus ask the Church to institute the Feast of Mercy? As recorded in Diary entry 965, Jesus said to Faustina: “Souls perish in spite of My bitter Passion. I am giving them … the Feast of My mercy. If they will not adore My mercy, they will perish for all eternity. Secretary of My mercy, write, tell souls about this great mercy of Mine, because the awful day, the day of My justice is near.” This feast day is a special refuge and shelter for the consolation of souls.
In order to discover “who” is invited to this great Feast, let us confer the Diary number 699, for the Lord has given comforting words of promise to St. Faustina, “My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment.”
It is fitting to glorify God because of His mercy, we are redeemed. Hence, we must also be merciful, forgiving, and willing to help others for we act on behalf of God, and our acts of love and kindness manifest God being alive.
We hear the epistle from the first letter of St. John confessing that Jesus is the Son of God which means believing that Jesus is the one who came through water and blood (1 John 5:6). It refers to the blood and water that came out of Jesus’ pierced side after his crucifixion or to the water in which Jesus was baptized and the blood that flowed from him during his crucifixion. However, we believe that Jesus did not simply appear to be human. He was truly flesh and blood for He shared the whole human experience of living and dying. He remained God’s Son even in his agonizing death by torture on the cross. Jesus was born, baptized, and crucified to empower all of us to become God’s children, cleansed by his blood. This is not some inessential doctrinal point. 1 John insists that this is the heart of our faith. This is the faith that overcomes the world: God’s love brings life even out of brokenness and death. This is the victory to which we are called: loving God’s children, and thus living our faith in the crucified, risen Son of God.
The gospel that we heard today is a gathering of terrified apostles of Jesus. They locked themselves in with the fear that they would also be the next to be killed. What are the important scenes in the story that we need to reflect on:
First, Jesus comes into their midst of shame and doubt. There is a greeting of “peace”. There is a proclamation of the “Good News”, that the Father has sent Him into their midst. “Peace be with you.” Perhaps this is the medicine the Risen Lord wanted to impart to His fearful disciples. They want to be given the strength and hope in order for them to be courageous witnesses of His gospel and Christ’s Resurrection. I’m always amazed how certain words or phrases or images immediately capture my attention when I read Scripture. I often feel like God knows just what I need to hear and when… it was Jesus’ multiple greetings of “Peace be with you” that inspired me in today’s Gospel. I don’t know about you, but I’m yearning for more peace during this Easter season.
Second, Jesus says to Thomas, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” Thomas is a man with deep faith in Jesus, yet he struggles to believe that Jesus has risen. Even the testimony of all who had seen Jesus was not enough for Thomas, who had not been with the others that first night. Thomas needed tangible proof of the resurrected Jesus, and reassuring words from his colleagues was not enough! Thomas needed to see Jesus, to experience his presence, before he could believe. Thomas embodies the paradox of faith and doubt. We all doubt especially about our ability to love and be faithful. Many times, we don’t feel confident in what we believe because we feel abandoned. This is exactly what Thomas felt.
Third, Thomas’ unforgettable and courageous response was “My Lord and My God.” We often say seeing is believing, but perhaps today seeing is simply a total resignation and confession of faith. Thomas did not dare to put his finger and touch the wounds of Jesus’ side; he simply believes. This is the Goodnews, that even if we can’t touch the nail marks or the scourges in Jesus’ side, we can believe in the presence of Jesus in our lives, and if we believe in that presence, we have to erase the doubt about ourselves and others.
Reading today’s gospel, I have so much admiration for Thomas. He is not to be called “a doubting disciple” but rather a “courageous disciple” who can help you and me in our moments of doubts. He helped us to be courageous to speak about our doubts and to learn from him to confidently love Jesus, and he taught us to believe Jesus had risen.
As we come to celebrate this second Sunday of Easter and the Feast of the Divine Mercy, I believe that we are filled with moments of needed reassurance of His mercy and the tangible presence of reconnection between His followers and the re-emergence of our mission to be faithful witnesses by the power of Christ’s Resurrection.
God bless you.
Fr. Arlon, osa
