Divine Mercy Sunday Easter Season The Gospel according to John: 20:19-31
On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, "Peace be with you."
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you."
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
"Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained."
Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord."
But he said to them,
"Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nail marks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."
Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you."
Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe."
Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples
that are not written in this book.
But these are written that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that through this belief you may have life in his name.
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REFLECTION
What does it mean to touch the wounds of Christ?
What did it mean to St Thomas?
There are two ways in which we can touch the wounds of another; to make worse, or to heal.
For the places that are wounded are the places of weakness.
The enemy in battle finds the weakness of their opponents to invade, to take over and to destroy. The physician finds the weakness in a wound to bring together, to heal.
In a similar way, in our lives, we can choose to deepen the wounds of another by our words, actions and inaction, or we can choose to touch the wounds of another and speak words of healing and perform deeds of mercy.
Through His revelation to St Faustina, we know that the wounds of Jesus Christ are the doors to God’s mercy. His Divine Mercy is His “weakness” and the infinite wisdom of God. His weakness has become our strength and salvation.
May we be ever mindful and sensitive to the wounds of others, and if the Lord allows us to encounter them, may we act with mercy in imitation of His Divine Mercy.
Let us pray that God’s Church and His priests will continue to be the instruments of Mercy and healing in our time just as in the times of the Apostles.
