Divine Mercy Sunday, Saint Thomas Sunday,Whit Sunday

Divine Mercy Image of Jesus

In the West, the Sunday after Easter has been designated "Divine Mercy Sunday." In the East, it is called Saint Thomas Sunday. And for those old enough to remember, it had been called “Whit Sunday." This older title associated today with the Christian Initiation Rites of Holy Saturday. The newer name associates today with on-going conversion effected by the sacrament of penance. Through Baptism, we are called to newness of life in Christ. Through Penance we are enabled to reaffirm our union with Christ after personal sin and weaknesses have weakened that bond. Before proceeding, it might be helpful to recall Jesus’ comment to Peter at the Last Supper: "Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers" (Lk. 22:31-32). The mystery of divine love is that the Lord does not abandon us if we fall. It is at these moments that He prays for us and grants us the grace to turn back. In Christ, God stretches out a loving hand and if we grasp it, we can be forgiven and reconciled with the Body of Christ.

Through the mystery of the Incarnation Jesus (like the prodigal son) wandered far from His heavenly home to search out and find those who had strayed from the path of righteousness. Not only did He look for the lost, but he also befriended them. Not only did He befriend them, but He also was numbered among them. He identified with the lost so totally that He was condemned to the shameful death of crucifixion. It was by being lifted up on the cross that He conquered sin and death for ever. After the Resurrectionl, Jesus tells His disciples “As the Father has sent Me, so I also send you.” Jesus commissioned His followers to share with all the members of the human race the good news that all can be enjoy the newness of life that the resurrection brings.

Modern society has lost its moral compass. For this reason, people are confused about life and values. Because our value system is disordered, we have become blind and deaf to the needs of the poor and marginalized. People have become like the people of Nineveh, not knowing their left hand from their right (CF. Jon 4:11). Whether we like it or not, this is the world into which the Risen Lord has sent us. He has sent us into this confused and conflicted world, not to condemn it but to bring it peace, pardon, righteousness and reconciliation. We are called to be ministers of Light and Life, inviting people to enter into communion with the Bread of Life and the Living Word. This communion in the Body of Christ requires a public demonstration of fidelity to the Risen Lord. As Christ came out of the tomb, believers must come out of hiding. As Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, believers must speak the Gospel of Life in a culture trapped in death. As Jesus showed the apostles His wounds, believers must be willing to endure persecution so as to make manifest Christ's victory over sin and death.

Christ rose from the dead to show the victory of mercy over condemnation. Christ stands in our midst today as a sign of the Father's love. God so loved the world that He allowed His Beloved Son to be rejected as a sinner so that we sinners might come to know election as the children of God. The First Letter of Peter states it well. "Although you have not seen him you love him; even though you do not see him now yet believe in him, you rejoice with an indescribable joy that has been touched with glory, as you attain the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls." The boundless mercy that God offers us in Christ is the cause of our joy. In a world that condemns us for being confused and irresponsible, God offers forgiveness and re-creation. God offers us newness of life in Christ. In the resurrection of Christ, God is glorified because the glory of God consists in the renewal of all creation in the Son. God made us “to be His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace,”(Eph. 1:5-6) for as St Irenaeus states; “the glory of God is man fully alive; moreover man’s life is the vision of god: if God’s revelation through creation has already obtained life for all the beings that dwell on earth, how much more will the Word’s manifestation of the Father obtain life for those who see God.”

The glory of God is man fully alive and free from the bondage of sin. By the power of the resurrection, Christ has given each and every one of us grace to repent of our sins and to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect (CF. Mat. 5:48). The celebration of Divine Mercy is very closely related to the reception of the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. I found this reflection of Fr. Pat Malone, S.J. of Creighton University rather helpful. “The sacrament of Reconciliation is not to wipe away our faults. It is to make us more loving . . . It is to show we believe that the wrongs we have done can bury us in shame, but we choose another option; they will make us more honest to ourselves and more humble to those around us.” No one need die in their sin. Everyone is given the chance to start afresh in Christ. Forgiveness is given to us freely for the asking. That which we have received as a gift we should give as a gift, also.

Jesus guides Thomas as he puts his finger into the side of the risen Christ.

The author of Genesis tells us that it was on the first day of creation that God called forth light to give meaning and form to the cosmic chaos. Similarly, it was on the first day of the re-creation that Christ shined the light of life on people who dwelt in the land of darkness and gloom. Discouraged and disillusioned by the death of the Master, Thomas chose to separate himself from the community of the apostles. Having been confined to the domain of death, Jesus understood the apostle's darkness and doubt. Jesus was willing to accommodate Himself to Thomas rather than leave him in his doubt and confusion. As a sojourner and companion on the journey, Jesus addressed Thomas by name and spoke to him man-to-man. He who had been ridiculed by sinners spoke honestly and lovingly to this wayward disciple. This humble recognition of his sin allowed Thomas to find himself in the sacred wounds of Christ. Soon we shall enter into a most sacred encounter with the risen Lord. As we gaze upon the body and blood of Christ, it is my prayer that each of us discover our true selves in His sacred wounds.

--Father Jerome Machar, OSCO

Blocking Jesus

1 And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 And they were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?" 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back; -- it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were amazed. 6 And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here; see the place where they  laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you." 

8 And they went out and fled from the tomb; for trembling and astonishment had come upon them; and they said nothing to any one, for they were afraid. 9 Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. 12 After this he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. 13 And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. (Mark 16: 1-13)

Mary Magdalene at the tomb of Christ hears Jesus call her by name.

Saint Mark summarizes the events of Easter Sunday. He reports how the grieving apostles refused to believe the eyewitness accounts of those who encountered the risen Lord. Evidently, Thomas was not the only doubter in the crowd. According to Saint Mark’s account, they not only rejected the report of Mary Magdalene but also that of the disciples who returned from Emmaus. Their grief and disappointment at the death of Jesus blocked their ability to receive the message of hope. Theirs was not a simple and passive lack of faith. Rather, theirs was an outright denial of the good news announced by the witnesses the risen Lord had sent them. Their sentiments will be verbalized by Thomas, “Unless I see the marks of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (Jn. 20:25). They chose to remain in their grief rather than accept the possibility that Jesus actually did rise from His tomb.

We are not that different from that group of fearful and confused apostles. Like them, we are locked within the walls of our defense mechanisms. We don't trust ourselves. We don't trust other people. We are not sure if we can trust God. It is easier for us to remain in our anxiety and doubt than to allow the risen Christ to be part of our lives. By trying to stay within what we have grown accustomed to we actually impede our ability to be the men and women God created us to be. The more we try to justify our choices, the deeper we sink into the abyss, an abyss that Christ overcame by His resurrection from the dead. As in the case of Saint Peter, the Lord is ready and willing to grab hold of us as soon as we cry for help. Remember the account of Jesus walking on the water. As the waters rise over Peter's head, Jesus stretches out His arm and says, "Don’t panic. I'm here!"

This Gospel account tells the story of how the apostles were called out of their darkness into the light of resurrection joy. The sealed and guarded tomb could not confine the Risen Lord. Having risen from the dead, Jesus would not permit locked doors to confine His disciples. Because they saw fit to reject the messengers He had sent them, Jesus saw fit to rebuke them for refusing to trust in His word.

We may be more like the disciples than we would like to admit. We tend to be selective when it comes to listening to the messengers God sends us. We shut out any challenge to enter more deeply into the mysteries of faith. Like the disciples we want to keep our expressions of faith closeted away so as to be polite and nice in the midst of a society that has lost its moral compass. Christ exposed Himself to the torment inflicted upon him by the culture of death. Upon the altar of the cross He conquered sin and death. With His dying breath He gave the victory shout of the Kingdom of Life. The tomb burst open because death no longer had any hold on Him. Now, He calls us to throw off the chains that once bound us and to come forth from our captivity so as to walk in the Light. Christ is risen from the dead. By death He trampled death and to those in the grave He granted life.

--Fr. Jerome Machar, OSCO

Prayer for Easter by Saint Anthony of Padua

O eyes of our loved one,

closed in the sleep of death!

O face,

on whom the angels longed to gaze,

now become pale.

O lips,

which like a honeycomb exuded words of eternal life,

now become livid.

O head,

before which the angels trembled,

now hanging limp.

Of those hands and whose touch

leprosy was cured,

life was restored,

eyesight was recovered,

devils were put to flight,

bread was multiplied –

are now pierced with nails and

stained with the precious blood!

O, the compassion of divine clemency!

O, the patience of the Father’s goodness!

O, the profound and inscrutable mystery of the divine will!

Father, you have seen your only son, equal to you,

bound like a criminal to a pillar

and scourged like a murderer.

How could you have borne this?

We thank you, Holy Father,

because the sufferings and scourges of

your beloved Son

have freed us from the shackles of sin

and from the power of evil. To you be glory for all ages. Amen.

   Saint Anthony of Padua (taken from two of his sermons)