April 11, 2021

2nd Sunday of Easter [Divine Mercy Sunday]

There’s No Doubting His Mercy

Msgr. Thomas Gervasio

On this 2nd Sunday, this Octave day of Easter, the Gospel places a spotlight, as it always does, on St. Thomas’ encounter with the Risen Lord. St. Thomas appears three times in the Gospel of St. John.

The first is when Jesus resolves to return to Judea and speaks about his impending passion and death. Thomas reacts by saying to the other apostles, “Let us also go to die with him.” This is not so much an expression of loyalty as it is of despair. Evidently, Thomas was one who was resigned to the worst, who looked on the dark side of events. Bishop Sheen saw Thomas as a “skeptical and gloomy man.”

The second time we meet St. Thomas is at the Last Supper. As Our Lord is speaks of his departure and that he would prepare a place for his disciples, Thomas interjects, “Master, we do not know where you are going, how can we know the way?” I think we can presume that Thomas liked clarity. He did not hesitate to question or seek explanations. However awkward, we have to appreciate this, after all, he had the courage to voice what the others were surely thinking.

We then find Thomas in the scene in today’s Gospel. It is the event that has made his name synonymous with doubt. Thomas was not easily persuaded. He is a model for those who struggle in faith, those who question, who seek greater understanding, who make progress slowly, step by step.

These three appearances not only reveal a bit of Thomas’ character but also tell us something about Our Lord. On each occasion, Jesus never reprimanded Thomas. He did not give up on him. The Lord knew Thomas’s heart. He had chosen him and kept him close despite his gloomy outlook, his penchant to despair, his awkwardness, his doubts, and questions. The Lord knew his gifts and potential and was willing to use him as an instrument of grace and as one of the foundation stones of the Church.

This was not only true for Thomas. It is true for each of us. The Lord knows us intimately; better than we know ourselves. He knows our sins, our foibles, our limitations and struggles and yet he never gives up on us for he also knows our potential and our gifts.

Isn’t this good news on this Divine Mercy Sunday? Our Lord said to St. Faustina: “‘My child, life on earth is a struggle indeed…But fear not, because you are not alone. I am always supporting you, so lean on Me as you struggle, fearing nothing.” (Diary # 1488)

Today, our Easter joy is intensified by the assurance of the Lord’s mercy. The Lord’s Easter gift to his apostles was his mercy. He did not give up on those who had abandoned him but imparted to them his peace and entrusted them with the ministry of reconciliation. Those who would be ministers of divine mercy would have to experience for themselves divine mercy. How comforting is Pope Francis’ description of divine mercy:            

“There are no situations we cannot get out of, we are not condemned to sink into quicksand, in which the more we move, the deeper we sink. Jesus is there, his hand extended, ready to reach out to us and pull us out of the mud, out of sin, out of the abyss of evil, into which we have fallen. The more that we acknowledge we are in need…the sooner we will feel his embrace of grace. Jesus waits for us, he goes ahead of us, he extends his hand to us, he is patient with us. God is faithful. The name of God is mercy.” [The Name of God is Mercy, pp.85-86]

Today’s consoling message is addressed to all those who are burdened by harsh trials, the weight of their sins or those tempted to give in to despair. Today let us rejoice in the Risen Lord’s Easter gift to his Church which is found especially in the Sacrament of Penance. With humility and courage may we rediscover and appreciate its riches—the lavish mercy of God!