2nd Sunday of Easter: is Divine Mercy Sunday. Jn 20:19-31
Today, on the second Sunday of Easter, the church celebrates the Feast of Saint Faustina of Poland, the well-known apostle of Divine Mercy. On this Divine Mercy Sunday, St. Faustina invites us to keep our faith, hope, and love fixed on God. Pope Francis asks each of us to be a sign of forgiveness and healing instruments of the Father’s Mercy and channels of Christ’s Peace!
In today’s gospel, we heard that after the death of Jesus, the disciples were living through a crisis. They were confused, disappointed, lost their hopes and expectations, and they were living with fear in the locked room. Jesus understood their humanness and weakness and Jesus came and stood in their midst and offered them, “Peace be with you.” Jesus knew that in the absence of Jesus, they were living in the real world this is not a peaceful world; that is why Jesus offered them “PEACE!” Jesus doesn’t come with any answers; Jesus doesn’t come with any explanations. Jesus did not offer them any Financial Support, economic stimulus tax relief, unemployment checks, postponing payments for credit cards and loans, help for seniors and retirees, and many economic assistance. Jesus greeted the disciples “Peace be with you”.
Let me share with you a meaningful story: One day, the Buddha was walking from one town to another town with his few disciples. While they were traveling, they happened to pass a lake. They stopped there and Buddha told one of his disciples, “I am thirsty, please get me some water from that lake.” One of the disciples walked up to the lake and he noticed that some people were washing clothes in the water, some children were playing in the water, and as a result, the water became very muddy and dark. The disciple thought, “How can I give this muddy water to Buddha to drink? Therefore, he came back and told the Buddha, “The water in the lake is very muddy. I don’t think it is good to drink.”
So, the Buddha said,“Let us take a little rest here; then after about half an hour, again the Buddha asked the same disciple to go back to the lake and get some water to drink. The disciple went back to the lake. This time, he found the mud had settled down, and the water was clean and clear. So, he collected some water in a pot and brought it back to the Buddha. The Buddha looked at the water, looked at the disciples, and told them, “See; now the water is clean and clear, the mud settled down on its own without anyone’s effort.”
The moral message of the story is: Our minds are also like that lake water. When we get disturbed and stressed, we should just try to let it go. Give it a little time and stay calm and peaceful; it will settle down in its own way. We do not have to put in any effort to calm it down like the muddy water cleaned itself without anyone’s effort. We can make the best decision in our lives when we stay calm and peaceful. Our lives can be sometimes muddy, dirty, messy, and distracted with noises and we have to accept that these are all the realities of our lives. Peace does not mean we’re a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still, we can experience peacefulness in our hearts. This is the real meaning of peace.”
In the second part of the Gospel, we see that Jesus told the doubting Thomas put your finger into my wounds and not be unbelieving, but believe. When Jesus was on the cross, Jesus’ wounds were signs of failure, but now after the resurrection of Jesus’ wounds are signs of victory and signs of hope. By showing His wounds, Jesus wants to teach the disciples that they will be going to face suffering and crosses, which will lead them to victory. Also, Jesus’ wounds remind us that when we face suffering, confusion, fear, doubts, and disappointments, we don’t want to run away from these, but there will be victory and new life.
The doubting Thomas in each of us must be touched. We are asked to respond to this wound in others and ourselves. Even in our own weaknesses, we are called to touch the wounds of others, so that their wounds and ours may be healed, and we may overcome our fears.
As a community of believers, we are here in this church with our own perfections and imperfections, beliefs and unbelief, wholeness, and brokenness. Thomas — When he put his finger into Christ’s wounds, he personally experienced the Lord’s peace and presence. Let us see the Risen Jesus walking by with His sanctifying wounds. Let us see The Mercy of God incarnate in our own lives and communities. May this Divine Mercy Sunday help us to know God’s mercy in our lives, and let us share this mercy with our brothers and sisters. Jesus is truly Risen…. Alleluia! Alleluia!
Peace begins with a smile. St. Mother Teresa!