II Sunday Easter[C]:Divine Mercy Sunday:Acts5:12-16;Rev:1:9-11,12-13,17-19;Jn20:19-31
It is surely an understatement to say that the disciples were filled with joy as Jesus appeared to them, alive and well, on that first Easter day. It will take years for them to draw out all the wonderful implications of this dramatic moment in their lives but for now it is sheer joy. Jesus then gives them a mandate to bring peace to the world by translating their happiness into the difficult but rewarding gift of forgiveness.
The story of "doubting Thomas" is presented as a warning to those of us who have trouble trusting the spiritual side of life. Thomas is called the "twin," possibly because he had a striking physical resemblance to Jesus, but he discovers that this does not give him any advantage at all. What counts now is a spiritual relationship. We often assume that those who knew Jesus in the flesh had a great advantage over the rest of us and we may even envy them. In fact, however, the risen Lord is far more present to us now in the Spirit than he ever was in the flesh.
A young man made up his mind to attend Easter vigil midnight service. The service was to begin at 9:00 pm, so he decided to watch some Saturday night movie on television to occupy himself before time for service. While watching the movie he fell asleep and woke up much later in the night. It occurred to him that he must be late for church service so he got up and ran all the way to the church. When he got to the church, there was no one in sight. The service was over. All that he saw was a big banner in front of the church which reads: “He is not here, he has risen!” Without meaning to do so, the banner was announcing the important truth that the risen Lord is not confined to church buildings, he is everywhere. The resurrection marks an important shift in the way Jesus makes himself present to his followers. In his earthly life Jesus was in one place at a time. After the resurrection there is no such limitation. Before the resurrection the usual way to encounter Jesus was in the body. After the resurrection the way to encounter Jesus is in the spirit.
The author of the gospel reminds us that everything he has written is intended, not primarily to give us information about Jesus, but rather to bring us to faith in him and thereby to lead us to real "life in his name."
Joke: There was a congregation that was struggling to build a new church. Almost all the members had stepped forward generously with their pledges. But there was one major holdout, the town banker, and he hadn't given a penny. So, very reluctantly, the minister decided to make a personal call on the banker to plead his case. The banker responded candidly. "I know you must think I'm a cheapskate, Reverend, but I'm really under terrible financial pressures at the moment. My son's at an Ivy League school at a cost of $25,000 a year. My mother's bedridden in a rest home at $60,000 a year. My daughter's husband abandoned her and the nine kids and she needs $40,000 a year. Now you gotta understand, Reverend. If I've said 'no' to them, how can I say 'yes' to you?"
St. Faustina and the Image of the Divine Mercy: St. Faustina of Poland : 00 a.m., His Holiness Pope John Paul II celebrated the Eucharist in Saint Peter’s Square and proceeded to the canonization of Blessed Sister Faustina. The new Saint invites us by the witness of her life to keep our faith and hope fixed on God the Father, rich in mercy, who saved us by the precious Blood of His Son. During her short life, the Lord Jesus assigned to St. Faustina three basic tasks: 1. to pray for souls, entrusting them to God's incomprehensible Mercy; 2. to tell the world about God's Generous Mercy; 3. to start a new movement in the Church focusing on God's Mercy. At the canonization of St. Faustina, Pope John Paul II said: “The cross, even after the Resurrection of the Son of God, speaks, and never ceases to speak, of God the Father, Who is absolutely faithful to His eternal love for man. ... Believing in this love means believing in mercy." “The Lord of Divine Mercy,” a drawing of Jesus based on the vision given to St. Faustina, shows Jesus raising his right hand in a gesture of blessing, with his left hand on his heart from which gush forth two rays, one red and one white. The picture contains the message, "Jesus, I trust in You!" (Jezu ufam Tobie). The rays streaming out have symbolic meaning: red for the blood of Jesus, which is the life of souls and white for the Baptismal water which justifies souls. The whole image is symbolic of the mercy, forgiveness and love of God.
Practical Applications: 1) We are told that the whole gospel of John is intended to bring us to "believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God." To believe in Jesus means also that we accept the message, found in his words and in his example, of total self-giving for the sake of others. When we truly accept this message, we pledge ourselves to live and love as much as possible Jesus did.
2) One way the Church celebrates God’s mercy throughout the year is through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Finding time for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is another good way to receive Divine Mercy. The Gospel command, "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful," demands that we show mercy to our fellow human beings always and everywhere.
Introduction: II Sunday of Easter: Divine Mercy Sunday
Message: As Thomas believed because he saw the risen Jesus, so too were many brought to faith through the various signs and wonders wrought by the apostles. They proclaimed as Lord “the stone rejected by the builders”, “the First and the Last of the One who lives”
Saints and events in this week: 8-Monday-The Annunciation of the Lord; 11-Thursday-Saint Stanislaus, bishop, martyr; 13-Saturday-Saint Martin I pope, martyr.
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