Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday
First reading Acts of the Apostles 4:32-35
Second reading 1 John 5:1-6
Gospel John 20:19-31
On this Second Sunday of Easter, we continue to read the resurrection account, from the 20th chapter of St John’s gospel. In the evening of that same day, the ‘First day of the week’; it’s Easter Sunday, its resurrection day. When St John says it’s the first day of the week, he is implying, the day of new creation because in the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. Now is the new beginning, everything has been re-made by Jesus, risen from the dead.
So on that evening of the first day, even though the disciples, had locked the doors of the place, where they were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood before them. The upper room was where they were locked in - ‘in fear.’ It is a great, theological and spiritual symbol. Sin closes us in. We lock ourselves in fear. It is a symbol of the frightened, sinful soul. But despite the locked doors Jesus came and stood before them. The risen Jesus who transcends space and time, now living this divine life, can break through any obstacle. Can overcome any block that we set up. Can come bursting in to the confines of our sinful, fearful soul.
We may happily remember that wonderful scene – Peter’s boat is there by the lake shore and Jesus gets in his boat. Without having been asked, without having been invited. He just gets in the boat and from that moment on changes Peter’s life forever. In the same way, spiritual life is all about grace, not so much of my accomplishments, but what God accomplishes through me despite my life’s locked doors.
The wounds of Jesus – that’s the full expression of our rejection of Christ. As Peter says, when the Son of God came and we hung him on a tree. Having shown his hands and side, he says to them, Shalom – which means peace! It means, God’s forgiveness, made available, in Jesus Christ. We are sinners, yes. But much more importantly, we are forgiven sinners. We killed him, but he returns to us in forgiving love. Every appearance of the risen Jesus is a proof of God’s mercy. He appears to us because he loves us.
And so Jesus breathed on them and said ‘receive the Holy Spirit.’ ‘If you forgive the sins of any they are forgiven them.’ Through t forgiveness of sins that we received from him, we now become the channels of forgiveness to others. The gathered disciples are a symbol of the Church, empowered to mediate the forgiveness of sins. So the Church’ mission is to offer forgiveness and become mediators.
Linked to this, we have the wonderful story of doubting Thomas. When Jesus appeared to the disciples, the disciple Thomas was absent. Where is Jesus seen? Jesus is seen in the Church. The basic lesson of the Gospels, Jesus is seen in the Church. The two disciples on the road to Emmaus they recognise him, in the breaking of the bread, and then they race back to Jerusalem to be with the Church. It is in the ecclesial life, in the communal life, that’s where, we see Jesus.
Where do we encounter the risen Lord? We encounter him in the life of the community. Not just the community to which we belong, but in the community, across space and time, stretching over 2000 years. It is in the midst of the gathered community, we will find the Lord.
A week later, the disciples were once more in the room and this time Thomas was with them. And Jesus turns to Thomas, it’s one of the most devastating scenes, in the whole Bible. Notice how, Jesus respects Thomas’ space. Jesus begins with people, ‘where they are at’. Having done the probing, Thomas says, ‘My Lord and My God’. There is no greater affirmation of faith anywhere in the Bible. He makes the greatest act of faith. Yes, God respects our space, but finally we must surrender to the Lord’s loving invitation.
