Fr Antonio Pineda
he second Sunday of Easter is also Divine Mercy Sunday. At first glance, the Gospel this Sunday, well known though it is, doesn’t have mercy as its theme. But read it more closely and you’ll soon realise that the famous story of the Doubting Thomas has mercy at its core.
You might expect Jesus to be disappointed in Thomas when he didn’t believe the other apostles that Jesus was risen from the dead. But Jesus wasn’t upset. Instead, he was compassionate and appeared again when Thomas was present. He was patient with Thomas’ weakness, and went up to him, offering his hands for Thomas to probe the nail marks. This astonishing mercy drew forth from Thomas a profound profession of faith: “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28).
That’s what mercy does: it leads us from unbelief to belief. It draws us to a deeper faith in the Lord. Why? Because, like Thomas, it surprises us. It undercuts our defences and sweeps us off our feet. We come face-to-face with a God who doesn’t simply forgive our sins from afar but who comes close to us. Confronted by our weakness, he doesn’t get annoyed or angry. When he sees our failings, he is full of compassion. He shows us the mercy that “endures forever” (Psalm 118:2).
St Faustina, called the “Apostle of Divine Mercy”, heard Jesus tell her, “I do not want to punish aching mankind, but I desire to heal it, pressing it to My Merciful Heart” (Diary, 1588). This is just what Jesus did for Thomas and it is just what he wants to do for us.
This Divine Mercy Sunday today, let us think about the ways in which we’ve experienced mercy from God. Let the memory of these experiences fill us with a greater love for Jesus—who is Mercy incarnate—and draw us to a deeper faith.