2nd Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy, Year C – Homily

2^nd Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy, Year C
Acts 5:12-16
Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24 (1)
Revelation 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19
John 20:19-31
April 27, 2025

After the Crucifixion of Jesus, his disciples gathered in a locked room “for fear of the Jews.”   

Knowing their fear, in his mercy, “Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.””

He did not want them to fear.  He wanted them to understand.  Why?  Because He loved them.  His love leads him to act with mercy.

Thomas, one of Twelve, was not there that evening.  Thomas could not believe what they said.  This shouldn’t surprise us.  Nothing like this had happened before.

Jesus knows this.  So, He came to the disciples again a week later.  They were once again gathered in a locked room.  He said to all of them, “Peace be with you.”  Then, He turned to Thomas and invited him to touch him so that Thomas would believe.  Jesus shows mercy to Thomas.

From Jesus’ mercy, Thomas immediately came to believe and cries out, “My Lord and my God.”

1 John 4:16 tells us “God is love.”  His love is everlasting.  In his everlasting love, “His mercy endures forever.”

In his mercy, Jesus lays down his life for us on the Cross.

From Jesus’ Crucifixion, the most well-known expression of God’s mercy is his forgiveness but it is not the only way He shows his mercy.

Throughout the ages, in his mercy, God had sent prophets to his people to lead them back to him.  In his mercy, God sends his Son to die for us. 

In Revelation, John begins, “I, John,…found myself on the island called Patmos, because I proclaimed God’s word and gave testimony to Jesus.” 

Proclaiming God’s Word does not come easily.  John found himself in distress, exiled to Patmos for sharing God’s Word.  God did not leave John alone in his distress.  He provided John with a vision to strengthen his faith.  Even then, God knew we would face distress for our faith.  So, He told John, “Write on a scroll what you see,” so we too would know of the vision. 

The Lord helps us in various ways.  When the crowds were hungry, He fed them.  He calls us to do Corporal Works of Mercy to feed the hungry.  God shows mercy to the sick. He calls us to care for the sick and the dying. It is not true mercy to rush the end of a person’s life.

This past Monday Pope Francis died.  I think perhaps the way Pope Francis best expressed our faith is in the way he showed mercy to all.  God doesn’t want us to sin, but He is always ready to forgive.  It is a Spiritual Work of Mercy to “forgive others willingly.”  It is another Spiritual Work of Mercy to “bear wrongs patiently.”  This does not mean we hide the truth.  We are called to share the truth (another Spiritual Work of Mercy) and to admonish sinners, not with judgement but with mercy as Jesus did for the woman caught in adultery (see John 8:1-11).

Pope Francis knew the importance of mercy.  That’s why He called for an extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy ten years ago (see this page for my presentations given for this jubilee). 

Pope Francis was also a man of hope.  We know this because the theme of our present jubilee year is hope (see the first in a series of articles I wrote on this jubilee). 

Pope Francis died the day after Easter.  Jesus’ Crucifixion and Resurrection stands at the center of our reason for hope.  Pope Francis’ funeral was yesterday.  Today we celebrate the Sunday of Divine Mercy.

God loves you.  Trust in his mercy and share that mercy with others.