Divine Mercy Sunday-C
The Sunday after Easter is the last day of the Octave and is known for the significant event of Thomas’ doubt, and more recently, for God’s Divine Mercy. The Gospel passage from St. John reveals how incredulous Jesus’s disciples were about the news that he rose from the dead, specifically about Thomas’s response. Because he did not believe initially, he has the moniker of ‘doubting Thomas’.
On the first day of the week, without Thomas present, Jesus appeared to the disciples behind closed doors and greeted them with his peace. Few of us have noticed that Jesus showed them his hands and feet resplendent with the signs of the nail marks of his crucifixion. Jesus had to reassure the other disciples that it was truly him, so Thomas’ skepticism was not as startling as first thought.
When the other disciples told Thomas about meeting the risen Lord, Thomas said, “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.” When Jesus appeared to Thomas, he told him to touch his hands and feet to avoid confusion. Thomas immediately believed, but Jesus told him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
The blessed Jesus refers to the countless generations who have come to believe only through grace and the eyewitness accounts. Jesus is very charitable with those who believe in him without seeing his glorified body, which is all Christians. I call it charitable because although a present disciple is confident that the Son of Man died and rose, there are times when this event doesn’t engross and determine the way of life a true believer should live.
Every sin we commit is a lapse in our belief in the resurrection. Like Thomas, we momentarily doubt all that was said and attested to by the first to see Jesus after his resurrection. During those times of sinful activity, we choose to forget what Jesus’ death and resurrection are all about. His selfless act of giving up his life for our sins opened a channel by which graces flowed and reconciliation with God was achieved. Humanity once again was in communion with God. How easily can we prefer the old life of isolation over the emancipation of the resurrection?
Because everyone sins, even though they believe in Jesus, they seek His Divine Mercy. Divine Mercy Sunday invites the faithful to reflect on the boundless mercy offered through the heart of the risen Savior, first introduced by St. John Paul II in 2000. Divine Mercy Sunday is rooted in the revelations of St. Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun who recorded Jesus’s visions urging the world to trust in his mercy and be merciful to others.
St. John Paul II beautifully describes Divine Mercy. “As a gift to humanity, which sometimes seems bewildered and overwhelmed by the power of evil, selfishness, and fear, the Risen Lord offers His love that pardons, reconciles, and reopens hearts to love. It is a love that converts hearts and gives peace. How much the world needs to understand and accept Divine Mercy! Lord, who reveals the Father’s love by Your death and Resurrection, we believe in You and confidently repeat to You today: Jesus, I trust in You, have mercy upon us and upon the whole world.”
When we trust in Jesus, who pardons and reconciles us, we experience a similarity to Thomas. Upon experiencing his love, our temporary skepticism will be replaced by our exclamation, “My Lord and my God.”