SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER YEAR B (Divine Mercy Sunday)

Today we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday and our readings take us to the heart of what God’s mercy means for us.  It’s also reflected in the way that the early church lived described in the first reading from Acts of the Apostles (which we hear proclaimed during the Easter Season).  The whole group was united, heart and soul. (Acts 4:32)

The example of the fledgling Christian community, on fire with the love of Christ, living together in unity of heart and soul, inspires us to strive for unity and to work for peace as we accompany each other on our Christian journey.  The vision of unity described in the Acts lies at the heart of what it means to be a synodal Church. Pope Francis is tireless in his reassurance that this way of walking with each other as one Body in Christ, welcoming and caring for others, will lead us to a transformed way of living in the Risen Christ. The triumph of the Resurrection is reiterated in the First Letter of John where those begotten by God, believing in the Risen Christ, have already overcome the world through his Death and Resurrection.

This week’s Gospel begins with the portrayal of a group of frightened disciples, with their world turned upside down, not knowing where to go and what to do next. Jesus appears in

their midst with his blessing of peace, easing the anxiety of their troubled hearts. He endows these timid and fearful apostles with extraordinary authority, through the agency of the Holy Spirit, to be agents of God’s mercy in forgiving sins.  

The Gospel account then describes the doubt of Thomas, afraid to trust and not daring to hope that the Lord is truly risen and gloriously alive. How well we can identify with Thomas, in his doubting and his fear – those very human traits that are part of who we are. We so often want to see the physical evidence of things with our own eyes before we give something credence. Jesus tells us “Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.”

The Gospel does not make any mention of Thomas actually placing his hands in the Risen Lord’s wounds but instead, describes his spontaneous response “My Lord and My God!” Deep within his heart, Thomas knew that it was the Lord who was standing before him, inviting him closer, to be gifted with hope, mercy, peace and joy. We can identify with Thomas, knowing all too well our own searching for certainty and definitive answers to the big questions of life. We may sometimes wonder where our lives are leading and what the future holds for us. However uncertain these moments are for us, we can turn our doubting and questioning into hopeful trust, asking for renewed courage and faith as we place ourselves in prayer at the feet of Christ.

We carry the marks of the risen Lord’s cross and resurrection in our daily lives as we try to follow him more closely, spending ourselves for others, showing mercy and care towards those who are most vulnerable, or showing kindness towards those who have hurt us. With the eyes of faith, we see that the Risen Lord is always with us, reflected in those around us, and especially in the poor and vulnerable.

As Thomas sees the wounds in the risen Lord’s side, we realise that the pain and death that Christ endured is not blanked out and magically erased, but is intrinsically part of the Christ we adore and love, and also an intrinsic part of our daily living in him. If this wounded, risen Christ is the One who we truly believe in and follow, it means that we believe that our whole selves are taken up into Christ and transformed by his Death and Resurrection.

Our glad response to Christ’s gift of mercy, peace and new life echoes Thomas’ incredible statement of faith: “My Lord and my God!”