Readings:

Acts 4:32-35; Ps. 118; 1 Jn. 5:1-6; Jn. 20:19-31

This Second Sunday of Easter, we celebrate the conclusion of the Easter Octave. It is also Divine Mercy Sunday by order of Pope Saint John Paul II, who was inspired by the visions of St. Faustina, a Polish nun who saw apparitions of both Mary and Jesus. Such visions would have been similar to what we heard about in today’s Gospel as Jesus appears in the midst of the disciples.

As followers of Christ and people of faith, we see the Resurrection of Jesus as the ultimate outpouring of God’s Mercy, where he rescues his Only Begotten Son from the clutches of death and glorifies him by raising him to new life. Once raised, Jesus then went to his disciples and remained with them for fifty days before his ascended into heaven to take his place at the right hand of the Father.

As one might imagine, part of going to his disciples was allowing them to come to the realization of what had happened to Jesus. They had to overcome their own grief and disbelief. But, as the saying goes, “Seeing is believing,” and in today’s Gospel we hear of Thomas, who does not accept the testimony of the other disciples, but instead demands that unless he touch the Lord, he will not believe. And so, Jesus appears once again. This time Thomas was there, and Jesus invites him to touch his wounds. If seeing is believing, then to touch Christ was more than eye opening. That is why Thomas says, “My Lord and my God!”

I would imagine many of us are like Thomas in the sense that we believe what we see. But, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” This is the key takeaway from this passage. But, I want to remind us that while we have not seen Christ in his human form, we continue to see him under the appearances of bread and wine in the Eucharist. We, like Thomas, are invited to touch him and to receive him into our own bodies, so that we may become bearers of Christ and sharers in his divine nature.

This Sunday, as we celebrate the Mercy of God and the glorious resurrection of our Blessed Lord, let us be mindful of our own connection to him through the Eucharist. And may this holy meal be a sign of our faith in the promise of Christ, “I am with you always, until the end of time.” Lord Jesus, I trust in you.

Given during the COVID-19 pandemic.