Unless I See - I Will Not Believe
Introduction: Divine Mercy Sunday: May you continue to grow in the faith that God has given you by means of those who have shared their faith with you.
Faith is very traditional. “Tradition” comes from the Latin word traditio which means “a handing across” or “handing down.” What we believe has been handed across the ages. It originates with the Lord Jesus, has been proclaimed by the apostles, and shared by people who have believed in the Good News. Faith is not just an intellectual agreement with certain truths. It is a lifestyle that gives witness to what Jesus has done and continues to do. We are part of this faith tradition. We, in turn, must pass it on to others.
Faith is a theme that runs through our readings today. In our First Reading we hear what were the results of the faith of the first Christians (those who came to believe in Jesus immediately following the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost). Our psalm reminds us that we need to give thanks to God for the gifts (including faith) that God has bestowed upon us. In the Second Reading, St. Peter speaks about the importance of faith, especially in times of trial and testing. In today’s Gospel, the Risen Lord Jesus appears to the apostles to strengthen their faith in His being with them. He also shares with them a gift of faith – the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Shalom (peace and reconciliation).
First Reading: Acts 2:42-47: ‘All who believed were together and had all things in common.’
Commentary: The first readings throughout Eastertime are about the earliest community of the followers of Jesus (they had not yet acquired the name ‘Christians’) at Jerusalem. From time to time Luke, the author of that history of the earliest spread of the Christian message, called ‘The Acts of the Apostles’, gives a summary of their lifestyle. This passage is the first of these summaries, placed just after the birth of the Church at Pentecost. It is a picture of peace, generosity and devotion, summed up in grateful praise of God. Luke is showing us the quality of a community where the Spirit of God is given free play; he is giving us an ideal to strive for. It is a community to which anyone would wish to belong, a community where love prevails, where each member is attentive to the needs of others. It is not surprising that their number was constantly on the increase. Are the pillars on which it stands the two types of prayer, in the Temple and in the Eucharist, or the resultant human goodness of generosity and joy? Perhaps, as in any community we experience, there were tensions beneath the surface, but the warmth of trust in the Lord breathes through the account and promises a solution to every problem.
Responsorial Psalm: 118(117):2-4. 13-15b. 22-24: Give praise to the LORD, for he is good, his mercy endures for ever.
Psalm 118:2–4 calls all Israel, the house of Aaron, and those who fear the Lord to proclaim His steadfast love, emphasizing that divine mercy is the foundation of communal faith. Verses 13–15b highlight God’s saving power in the midst of adversity, turning defeat into victory and filling the tents of the righteous with joy. The imagery of the rejected stone becoming the cornerstone (vv. 22–23) points to God’s surprising reversal, where what was dismissed becomes essential, foreshadowing Christ as the cornerstone of salvation. Finally, verse 24 celebrates the day of God’s triumph as a gift to rejoice in, reminding believers that each moment of grace is cause for thanksgiving and communal joy.
Second Reading: 1 Peter 1:3-9: ‘He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.’
Commentary: Whether the First Letter of Peter was actually written by the fisherman, the enthusiastic and impetuous leader of the Twelve, or simply attributed to him, is still discussed by scholars. The answer makes little difference to the positive message of the Letter, which is full of the optimism of the new Christian movement, the love, confidence and joy of looking forward to the promised inheritance. Traditionally, the Easter Vigil is the time for new baptisms, and so new births into the Church. Even if we were baptised long ago, we can still benefit from the occasion to refresh our newness in Christ. New birth into Christ brings with it a promise of an inheritance. Just as an earthly inheritance can change a whole situation and way of life, even a change of personality, so does our entry into Christ. Of course, it brings with it responsibilities and duties, and the reading mentions the trials which test us like gold. I know that I, for one, still have a lot of dross which needs to be purged away before I can confidently stand before the Lord and claim my inheritance as a son of God.
Gospel: John 20:19-31: Eight days later, Jesus came.
Commentary: This passage from John’s Gospel has all the more significance because it brings the Gospel to a close. The story of the breakfast-party with the Risen Christ on the shore of the Lake of Galilee is a sort of appendix. The story-line of the main Gospel ends with Thomas blurting out ‘My Lord and my God’. The Gospel therefore ends, as it began with the only two unmistakable declarations in the New Testament of the divinity of Jesus. ‘The Word was God’ and ‘My Lord and my God’ bracket the Gospel, showing the purpose and angle of the whole, to show that Jesus is God. It complements the other Gospels: they show a man who is also God, whereas this Gospel shows a God who is also man. It is with the divine authority that Jesus confers on his Church the divine power to forgive. Real forgiveness is indeed Godlike. It is not simply ‘forgive-and-forget’, but forgiveness in the knowledge that a hurt has occurred. Just as a bone, broken and merged together again, can be stronger than it was before it was broken, so forgiveness can create a real link of love on both sides, a treasured secret of divine graciousness between forgiver and forgiven.
Reflection: Do you know the joy of the resurrection? The Risen Lord Jesus revealed the glory of his resurrection to his disciples gradually and over a period of time. Even after the apostles saw the empty tomb and heard the reports of Jesus' appearance to the women, they were still weak in faith and fearful of being arrested by the Jewish authorities. When Jesus appeared to them he offered proofs of his resurrection by showing them the wounds of his passion, his pierced hands and side. He calmed their fears and brought them peace, the peace which reconciles sinners and makes us friends of God.
Live and proclaim the Gospel of mercy in the power of the Holy Spirit
Jesus did something which only love and trust can do. He commissioned his weak and timid apostles to bring the good news of the Gospel to the ends of the earth. This sending out of the disciples is parallel to the sending out of Jesus by his heavenly Father. Jesus fulfilled his mission through his perfect love and obedience to the will of his Father. He called his first disciples and he now calls each one of us to do the same. Just as he gave his first disciples the gift of the Holy Spirit, so he breathes on each of us the same Holy Spirit who equips us with new life, power, joy, and courage to live each day as followers of the Risen Lord.
The last apostle to meet the resurrected Lord was the first to go with him to Jerusalem at Passover time. The apostle Thomas was a natural pessimist. When Jesus proposed that they visit Lazarus after receiving news of his illness, Thomas said to the disciples: "Let us also go, that we may die with him" (John 11:16). While Thomas deeply loved the Lord, he lacked the courage to stand with Jesus in his passion and crucifixion. After Jesus' death, Thomas made the mistake of withdrawing from the other apostles. He sought loneliness rather than fellowship in his time of trial and adversity. He doubted the women who saw the resurrected Jesus and he doubted his own fellow apostles.
Through the gift of faith we recognize the Risen Lord and receive new life
When Thomas finally had the courage to rejoin the other apostles, the Lord Jesus made his presence known to him and reassured him that he had indeed overcome death and risen again. When Thomas recognized his Master, he believed and exclaimed that Jesus was truly Lord and truly God! Through the gift of faith we, too, proclaim that Jesus is our personal Lord and our God. He died and rose that we, too, might have new life in him. The Lord offers each of us new life in his Holy Spirit that we may know him personally and walk in this new way of life through the power of his resurrection. Do you believe in the good news of the Gospel and in the power of the Holy Spirit to bring you new life, hope, and joy?
Lord Jesus Christ, through your victory over sin and death you have overcome all the powers of sin and darkness. Help me to draw near to you and to trust in your life-giving word. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and strengthen my faith in your promises and my hope in the power of your resurrection.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Touching the Flesh, He Invokes the Word, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"But when Jesus showed Thomas the very places where he had his doubts, Thomas exclaimed, "My Lord and my God." He touched his flesh, he proclaimed his divinity. What did he touch? The body of Christ. Was the body of Christ the divinity of Christ? The divinity of Christ was the Word; the humanity of Christ was soul and flesh. Thomas could not touch the soul, but he could perceive it, because the body that had been dead was moving about alive. But that Word is subject neither to change nor to contact, it neither regresses nor progresses, neither fails nor flourishes, because in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. That is what Thomas proclaimed. He touched the flesh, he invoked the Word, because the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." (excerpt from Sermon 145A)
“his great mercy” (1 pt 1:3)
“...Who in His great mercy gave us new birth; a birth unto hope which draws its life from the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…” —1 Peter 1:3
Three times Jesus said to His apostles, “Peace be with you” (Jn 20:19, 21, 26). This literally means “shalom,” a peace which is complete and harmonious. Jesus forgave the sins of the apostles and poured out divine mercy upon them.
“God is rich in mercy” (Eph 2:4). He gives so many chances to us who are slow to grasp and believe in His mercy. He wants very much to have us believe in His merciful love, in His unlimited compassion. “His mercy endures forever” (Ps 118:1).
St. Thomas the Apostle came to belief because he encountered Divine Mercy Incarnate, Jesus, his Lord and his God (Jn 20:28). Some day we will come face to face with Mercy Incarnate (1 Cor 13:12). Will this encounter be on the Day of Judgment? Hopefully that’s not the first time you meet Divine Mercy.
Now is the time (see 2 Cor 6:2). Now is the season of mercy. Jesus of Mercy is constantly trying to tell you: “Peace be with you, mercy be with you.” Do not doubt His mercy. Receive His mercy. Do the spiritual and corporal works of mercy, and live a life of complete trust in the mercy of God.
Prayer: “My Lord and my God!” (Jn 20:28). They devoted themselves to the apostles’ instruction and the communal life, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” —Acts 2:42. “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever” (Ps 118:1).
The personal action for today: How is my faith relationship with God on this Second Sunday of Easter? How has my faith been tested by trials? How have I experienced the gift of faith by others’ sharing their faith with me? In what ways have I built up the community of faith by my sharing my faith with others and celebrating with them the presence of the Risen Lord Jesus and “traditionize” this faith? What further steps can I take to live out my call to be an ambassador of Shalom to others today? This week? Always?
Divine Mercy Sunday: In a series of revelations to St. Maria Faustina Kowalska in the 1930s, our Lord called for a special feast day to be celebrated on the Sunday after Easter. Today, we know that feast as Divine Mercy Sunday, named by Pope St. John Paul II at the canonization of St. Faustina on April 30, 2000.
The Lord expressed His will with regard to this feast in His very first revelation to St. Faustina. The most comprehensive revelation can be found in her Diary entry 699:
My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and a 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. On that day are opened all the divine floodgates through which graces flow. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My mercy.
In all, St. Faustina recorded 14 revelations from Jesus concerning His desire for this feast.
Nevertheless, Divine Mercy Sunday is NOT a feast based solely on St. Faustina's revelations. Indeed, it is not primarily about St. Faustina — nor is it altogether a new feast. The Second Sunday of Easter was already a solemnity as the Octave Day of Easter[1]. The title "Divine Mercy Sunday" does, however, highlight the meaning of the day.
[1]Liturgically the Easter Octave has always been centered on the theme of Divine Mercy and forgiveness. Divine Mercy Sunday, therefore, point us to the merciful love of God that lies behind the whole Paschal Mystery — the whole mystery of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ — made present for us in the Eucharist. In this way, it also sums up the whole Easter Octave. As Pope John Paul II pointed out in his Regina Caeli address on Divine Mercy Sunday, 1995: "the whole octave of Easter is like a single day," and the Octave Sunday is meant to be the day of "thanksgiving for the goodness God has shown to man in the whole Easter mystery."
Given the liturgical appropriateness of the title "Divine Mercy Sunday" for the Octave Day of Easter, therefore, the Holy See did not give this title to the Second Sunday of Easter merely as an "option," for those dioceses who happen to like that sort of thing! Rather, the decree issued on May 5, 2000, by the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship and The Discipline of the Sacraments clearly states: "the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II has graciously determined that in the Roman Missal, after the title Second Sunday of Easter, there shall henceforth be added the appellation ‘or [that is] Divine Mercy Sunday'…".
Divine Mercy Sunday, therefore, is not an optional title for this solemnity; rather, Divine Mercy is the integral name for this Feast Day. In a similar way, the Octave Day of the Nativity of Our Lord was named by the Church "The Feast of the Mother of God."