THE MERCY OF GOD HEALS EVERY WOUND OF SIN AND UNBELIEF

 

 A Reflection for the Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday), Year B

Fr. Ugochukwu Ugwoke, ISch

Readings: Acts 4:32-35, 1 John 5:1-6, John 20:19-21

 

Today is the second Sunday of Easter also known as the Divine Mercy Sunday. Today’s feast was instituted by Pope John Paul II in the year 2000 on the occasion of the canonization of the Polish nun, Sr. (saint) Maria Faustina, the messenger of Divine Mercy. The gospel reading of this Sunday is the same each year. It is called the gospel of the Doubting Thomas (John 20:19-31).

We will recall that when Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, his disciples fled in fear. The gospel according to Mark even records that one of the disciples of Jesus who was only wearing a linen cloth at the scene of the arrest, did not bother about his nakedness but left his cloth in the hands of the soldiers and ran away naked, when the soldiers got hold of him in an attempt to arrest him (Mark 14:51-52). After Jesus had been crucified, Jerusalem became an unsafe place for all the followers of Jesus. Those who stayed back were in hiding. That is why the gospel reading of this Sunday tells us that on the evening of the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace with you” and he showed them his hands and his side (John 20:19-20).

On that very day, all the disciples were present in the room but one. Thomas was missing. Dear friend, God always comes to visit us but like Thomas, we are usually not at home. When Thomas came back, he refused to believe the story of the Lord’s appearance. “Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my hand in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, said Thomas, I will not believe” (John 20:25). Eight days later, Jesus came back again and this time around, Thomas was present. Jesus did not simply leave Thomas out. He came back and invited Thomas to touch his wounds and his side. He came to offer Thomas a second chance and the gift of faith.

Dear friend, on this Divine Sunday, Jesus wants to offer us this same second chance- the gift of his mercy. Jesus invited Thomas to touch his wounds not in an attempt to proof himself to him but for him to share his wounds with Thomas. Jesus is indeed the wounded healer. The mercy of Jesus heals every wound. The first wound he wants to heal in us today is the gaping wound of our sins. Mercy is said to be the greatest attribute of God. Everything God does for us, He does out of his merciful love. Mercy is not something that God has; mercy is what God is. Mercy and love are related in the same way as Divine Mercy and Sacred Heart are related. Mercy is the shape that love takes when confronted by a sinner. When we ask and receive God’s mercy, we in a way, receive part of God’s very self.

The first command that Jesus gave to his disciples after his resurrection is the command to forgive and retain sins. Remember the ABC of Divine mercy- Ask for God’s mercy, Be merciful to others and Completely trust in God’s mercy. God’s Divine Mercy is always available in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Approach it as often as you are conscious of sin bearing in mind that no sin is greater than the mercy of God. Since you have been shown mercy, you also have to show mercy to those who hurt you. We are all invited today to be messengers of Divine Mercy. Let us ask God to strengthen our faith like that of Thomas, and to bless us with hope so that we may live a life of love and mercy. Amen.