Happy Easter! Yes, I realize that Easter Sunday was last week and I hope you had a wonderful Easter, even under these unusual and stressful circumstances. But, since the Resurrection of our Lord is such an important event, the Church calls us to celebrate it for an entire octave and today we come to the end of those eight days. Just as cinematographers slow down the action of a particularly important moment of a movie or television show to give the viewer time to catch every detail of the event, so we have had this entire week to slow down the most important event of all time – our Lord’s Resurrection – so that we can examine all of the important details of the Paschal mystery – Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection – that have brought us our salvation and, in fact, given new meaning to our lives. I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that the whole world has slowed down as we continue with our social distancing, postponing all of our family get-togethers and so many other events. We usually complain about how busy life is and how fast the weeks and months fly by. Now, we are complaining because it feels like we’re walking through molasses. So, I invite you to take advantage of this unusual time to do something very important as we continue to celebrate this joyous season of Easter – and that is, to look, once again, and closely, at your life plan.
In the midst of a very unclear, complicated plan presented last week to try to reopen our nation until the time when life returns to normal, I invite you to reflect on how Easter gives us all a clear plan for the rest of our lives, even into eternity. As we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord, we are called to live our everyday lives in preparation for the time when we are invited to share in the eternal life our Lord has made possible for us through his death and resurrection. And, since the year 2000, the Church has added to this last day of the Easter octave a special recognition of the mercy of God that restored our right relationship with him and allowed us entry into everlasting life.
As you know, the Second Sunday of the Easter Octave is now also celebrated throughout the Church as the Sunday of Divine Mercy. We recall when our Lord appeared to St. Marie Faustina early in the last century and instructed her to have his image painted with two rays emanating from his pierced heart, one pale and the other red. As our Lord explained to Sr. Faustina, the pale ray stands for water, reminding us of the birth of the Church from the side of Christ and of our baptism, when we died and rose with Christ.
The red ray symbolizes the blood which flowed from his side, the precious blood we receive in Holy Communion. And, beneath his image, Jesus instructed Sr. Faustina to write, “Jesus, I trust in you,” an admonition to all who look upon this image to put their trust in our Lord, who, in his divine mercy, has saved us. And, remember what we mean when we speak of God’s mercy. The English word “mercy” comes from the Latin word “misericordia” which speaks of God, from the depth of his being – from his heart (remember, “cordia” is the root for cardiac) – sharing in our misery, as he – who made us for himself, accompanies, in fact, leads us back to himself. We suffer a separation from God due to our sins – represented by the original sin of Adam and Eve. All of our suffering – including the suffering we are experiencing from the current coronavirus pandemic – is the result of our sinfulness. We live in an imperfect world. But, we can use our suffering to draw closer to God, recognizing that he, alone, can lead us through it to eternal joy, just as he did with his son, our Lord, Jesus!
Today’s readings present both themes – the promise of eternal life and the assurance of God’s mercy – rather powerfully. Both the first and second readings tell how people lived peaceful and blessed lives as they rejoiced in the Lord, awaiting his return in glory to take them to heaven. In our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we hear how the early Christians spent their days – worshiping, sharing meals and, in fact, everything they had – as they lived together in community. It reminds me of the wonderful community we have here, with so many of you reaching out and caring for each other, especially during these very trying times.
Our second reading from the First Letter of St. Peter also speaks of the blessings that the early Christians experienced. St. Peter speaks of an indescribable and glorious joy that the early believers experienced, even in the face of the trials they were suffering. And, Peter names the source of this joy when he writes, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” It is God’s mercy that Peter celebrates and acknowledges as the source of our true joy.
Today’s Gospel shows God’s mercy in action. Jesus appears to the disciples for the first time after his resurrection. Rather than scolding them for their disbelief – I would have been tempted to say, “I told you so!” – Jesus wishes them peace – not just once but twice – and assures them he has truly died – as he shows them his hands and his side – and now is truly alive – as he stands in their midst. He has fulfilled his promises to them, and his presence among them confirms all that he had taught them.
Then, Jesus breathes on them, passing on to the Apostles the Holy Spirit, granting them – mere mortals – the divine ability to forgive sins. In this way, he commissions them to take an active role in imparting God’s mercy on those they serve in God’s name.
Finally, we hear the story of Thomas. This gives us a true example of divine mercy. Thomas could not believe in the Resurrection until he had evidence. Jesus accepts his weakness of faith, and accommodates Thomas’ unbelief. This loving acceptance is a clear sign of divine mercy. Thomas represents all of us and our various weaknesses. As he did with Thomas, Jesus strengthens us when we have doubts, and raises each of us above our human frailties and, through his mercy, brings us into communion with the Father.
What love this is – what mercy he showers on us! As we contemplate the wonder of such mercy, let us show our gratitude by living as Jesus taught us, loving one another and showing mercy to everyone we encounter each day – especially in these stressful times – embracing everyone from the depth of our being – from our hearts – and raising them up as we journey together back to our living God. That’s the true meaning of our lives and the eternal plan God has for all of us!