01/05/2011 - 2nd Sunday in Easter Season
- Year A
Divine Mercy Sunday
1Reading Act 2,42-47 Psalm 117 2Reading 1Pt 1,3-9 Gospel Jn 20,19-31
This year, Divine Mercy Sunday is particularly significant: today, Pope John Paul
II is to be beatified: he was the one who wanted this feast to be celebrated by
the whole Church. He followed the suggestions of a humble Polish nun, M. Faustina
Kowalska: died at 33 in 1938 and was beatified and canonized by him in 2000, she
received messages from Jesus concerning all His infinite mercy. Just those messages
suggested this feast to be celebrated on the Sunday after Easter. St. Peter speaks
of mercy in his letter, that we hear today. What is or how does God's mercy manifests
itself, as the apostle says it in a "big" way? It is fulfilled and manifests
itself as a fruit of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, which is our
rebirth in baptism. During the Easter vigil we renewed the baptismal promises, and
the Lord has renewed in us the grace of his life, eternal life, the life that none
of us could have known because access was denied to us. With his death and resurrection,
Jesus opened the way for us. United with him in dying to the things of the world
and in living with him and for him, he makes us taste the joy of a new life that
is nourished not by the things that pass and don't look to reach the illusions that
the world offers us . Our goal now is beyond this world, beyond what one sees. And
of this goal we are sure, because it was promised and reached by Jesus. The afflictions
that are still present in our lives are only trials that once they are overcome,
they show precious and powerful is our faith. It is a faith that makes us love the
Lord with a great and beautiful love, beautiful because it is offered to those whom
we do not see. This same faith, that makes us love the unseen Jesus keeps us together:
"All the believers were together," says St. Luke in the Acts of the Apostles.
Faith enables them to love and to be generous, in listening to the apostles, in
prayer, in serving one another and in the participation of the celebrations of the
mysteries of the Lord, to make happy with their presence there.
Have you ever thought that your presence is required at Mass on Sunday because the
Lord can give grace and joy to all gathered there? You are necessary for the Church,
your faith is necessary! Look what Jesus does on the eighth day. He makes himself
present to his own gathered together, but before he opened his mouth to say something,
he goes straight towards Thomas to meet him at a moment of lack of faith, and does
everything to bring him to the communion of faith with others. With the faith of
Thomas Jesus himself could not give joy to the others and even send them His Holy
Spirit. With the stubborn and proud Thomas, Jesus uses his great mercy. He could
have said to his disciple: There are ten men here who can testify to my resurrection,
why would you, Thomas, not believe the change you see in your friends? But, with
meekness and humility Jesus calls: come and see for yourself, come and touch with
your finger and with your hand! As Jesus is merciful with Thomas, so is he with
me and you. Are we not all a bit unbelievers despite the many proofs that he has
given us of being with us? In words we believe, but then we hold on to fear and
mistrust, as if we don't believe at all. We claim to be believers, but then we do
what we like rather than embrace the teachings of the Lord, or remain unite us to
his Church, where he is present and active. We are worse than Thomas, who felled
on his knees to confess his new born faith, like when we refuse to gather with others
in the Lord's day, because we do not believe that he is there waiting for us.
On the day of the Lord "he gives his" Peace "and his "Spirit
". Why many who call themselves Christians, are more interested in having fun,
to travel and to laze or to sleep? Even for them and precisely for them, great mercy
is the mercy shown by Jesus! He waits, he waits all, he is ready to greet me and
to welcome you with the light of his face that will shine on yours, to make you
a witness and joyful disciple of the new life that baptism has sown in your life!