SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER (DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY)
Acts 2:42-47; Ps 118;
1st Pt 1:3-9; Jn 20:19-31
THE RISEN LORD AND HIS GIFTS OF MERCY
“There is nothing more man needs than Divine Mercy – that love which is benevolent, which is compassionate, which raises man above his weakness to the infinite heights to the holiness of God” (St. John Paul II)
The text for our gospel reading today, John 20:19-31, recounts the appearance of the resurrected Jesus to his fearful disciples. He appears to them, on the evening of the first day of the week, calming them with the declaration of peace upon their troubled spirits. May the Lord calm every troubled soul reading at this moment.
This is about the second time that John speaks of the appearance of the resurrected Christ and he stresses that it happed on the first day of the week. The expression “first day of the week” brings our minds to creation. It means it’s after the seventh day and a new day, first day, of creation. This is no coincidence but seems to be deliberate. He wants his readers to see the resurrection as the beginning of a whole new creation. It’s a new world filled with God’s Mercy: a new dispensation of Mercy. Would you like to be part of it?
Christ risen is the message of Easter, a Christian triumph led by the Messiah. Is that not enough for us? But Jesus comes to us with just more than the resurrection. He brings Mercy which flows from the scars of the cross. With that, he declared peace to them. Peace which causes joy in the midst of troubles. True peace that only he can give. May this peace penetrate you heart today.
We read that the disciples had locked themselves up for fear of the Jews. The Divine Mercy of the risen Lord comes to free us from any kind of fear. It breaks the charm of fear and anxiety upon our lives. Many factors contribute to fear and anxiety in our lives. In our time, the whole world is shaken by the scourge of the corona virus. To all troubled hearts Jesus stretches out his hands and feet, may you receive the consoling Mercy of the risen Lord. May anything that causes you to fear and be anxious vanish at the rays of Mercy and the words of Jesus: Peace Be With You.
He showed the disciples mercy by bringing reconciliation and restoration. The disciples had deserted him when he needed them most. They all betrayed the trust of the friendship he had with them. There is therefore need for forgiveness, reconciliation and restoration. Appearing and offering them peace, is an act of forgiveness and a healing or restoration of friendship. All of us like the disciples have broken the trust of our relationship with the Lord. We have preferred to do what pleases us than do what he has commanded. The resurrected Lord comes with forgiveness. He forgives all our sins just like that, that we may begin afresh. Are you ready to receive the forgiveness of the Lord? No sin or burden is too much for God’s Mercy. That is what Mercy does. Marcy rewrites our story so that we find favour once more before God. All you need to do is to just acknowledge your need for his mercy and you will have it.
Divine Mercy gives us responsibility of mercy. When he appeared to them, he said “as the Father has sent me, so do I send you” (Jn 20:20). This is the responsibility of all those who have experienced and received the Mercy of Forgiveness and salvation. We too must work towards healing friendships and relationships through forgiveness of one another. We are to lead others to the merciful Jesus. We must assure people of the world, especially sinners, that Jesus desires to pour out the graces of his mercy upon them. Apart from telling others and bringing them to experience God’s mercy, we must also pray and entrust sinners to the incomprehensible mercy of God. We can do that by praying the chaplet of Divine Mercy. We must never be tired in talking to others about the Divine mercy and entrusting souls to the Divine Mercy. Jesus told St. Faustina “Mankind will not find peace until it turns to the font of my mercy”. May the Lord flood the whole world with his Mercy.
Lord, we are helpless but we thank you for your Mercy. That, over and over again, you fill us with joy, giving us a new beginning. That you embrace our wretchedness in order to make us whole. Fill us with the confidence of the Children of God and products of your mercy. Amen
May God’s Mercy flood you soul.
God bless you.
By Fr. Delight Arnold Carbonu
