In the 1930s, the world was recovering from the devastation of the first world war, events were starting that would lead to the second world war, and the world was suffering through a terrible economic depression. In the midst of this pain and agony, Jesus appeared in visions to a humble Polish nun, Sister Faustina Kowalska. In this vision, Jesus’ right hand was raised in a blessing and his left hand was touching his garment just above his heart. A red ray and a pale ray emanated from Jesus’ heart, symbolizing the blood and water that poured out of him for our salvation and our sanctification. The Lord requested that “Jesus, I trust in You” be inscribed under his image. Jesus asked that his image be painted and venerated throughout the world: “I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish” and “by means of this image I will grant many graces to souls.” This is how the familiar image of Christ’s divine mercy came to be.
In the spring of 2000, Sister Faustina Kowalska was canonized by Pope John Paul II. John Paul II was very familiar with the spirituality and visions of Sister Faustina, as they were both from the devout Catholic country of Poland. Right after Sister Faustina’s canonization, the Vatican decreed that the Second Sunday of Easter would henceforth be known as Divine Mercy Sunday.
Christ’s mercy has been an important message emphasized by our last three Popes, with Pope Francis declaring a Year of Mercy back in 2016. I love this quote from Pope Benedict XVI about how mercy is integral to our message of faith: “Mercy is the central nucleus of the Gospel message; it is the very name of God, the face with which he revealed himself in the Old Covenant and fully in Jesus Christ, the incarnation of creative and redemptive Love. May this merciful love also shine on the face of the Church and show itself through the sacraments, in particular (the sacrament) of Reconciliation, and in works of charity, both communitarian and individual. May all that the Church says and does manifest the mercy God feels for man.”
In our Gospel today, we do not know if Thomas actually reached out and touched the marks of Jesus’ wounds in response to Thomas struggling with his belief in the risen Christ. However, we can say that in this encounter between them, the heart of Jesus touched Thomas’ wounded in love and divine mercy. The heart of Christ spoke the word of resurrection to Thomas’ heart. Just as Sister Faustina’s vision was a revelation of the heart of Christ pouring forth love and mercy, we see Thomas receiving this divine mercy in abundance as he stands before the resurrected Christ, Thomas’ unbelief evaporates in the light of Christ’s mercy’s.
We as human beings can be overwhelmed by our sins, our temptations, our addictions, our self-centeredness, our selfishness, and our fears. In response to humanity’s fallen state, the risen Christ offers us a love and mercy that pardons us, that reconciles us, and that opens up our hearts. Christ’s divine mercy that is offered to us can covert our hearts and can give us peace. Our modern world badly needs to understand and accept Christ’s divine mercy.
The world is deeply wounded by sin and its effects. There is hurt. There is violence. There are massive injustice. We all experience hurt in our lives. We ourselves may have even been the cause of hurt in another person’s life. In the experience of sin, our temptation is to turn in on ourselves and to shut the doors and to not let God or anyone else in. Turning inward can lead us further fear, distrust, even into violence or self-destruction. We should take notice that when our Lord appears to the disciples, including the time he appears to Thomas and the other disciples in the Gospel today, he passes through locked and shut doors and says to them, “Peace be with you.” Through the resurrection there is now another way: the way of peace, reconciliation, and healing. We do not have to live focused inward, behind locked and shut doors in fear and uncertainty! We can know new life. We can know peace.
In our Gospel, Jesus does not correct Thomas with a logical argument or a theological lesson. In the showing of his wounds, Jesus responds to Thomas’ unbelief. Our risen Savior shows Thomas the marks of violence on his own person which he still bears even in his resurrected glory. By doing so, Jesus invites Thomas to turn away from himself and from all that is holding him back. Christ’s wounds in turn will allow Thomas to reach out to his wounded brothers and sisters in the world. Thomas’ heart is opened is Christ’s love and mercy. Allowing Thomas to make his remarkably simple profession of faith, “My Lord and my God!”
What are some simple ways we can live out God’s mercy? One way to begin is to go to the sacrament of reconciliation. Pope Francis stated in the year of mercy: “Let us place the Sacrament of Reconciliation at the centre once more in such a way that it will enable people to touch the grandeur of God’s mercy with their own hands.” Another way is to encourage and support each other to go to the sacrament of reconciliation. I remember having some students in confirmation class, high school juniors and seniors, tell me that they did not need to go the sacrament of reconciliation because they already did so when they were in 2nd grade preparing for first communion. I would guess they think that because they are not encouraged to go regularly and they don’t see their parents and other adults going to the sacrament. Another way to live out God’s mercy is to engage in the works of mercy in our daily lives. Some might ask why I have to make time in my busy schedule to go out to the state prison to visit the Catholic inmates there. Visiting the prisoner is a corporal work of mercy to which we are called.
As we reflect upon the risen Christ and on Divine Mercy Sunday today, let us not forget the message of our Savior’s divine mercy: “Jesus, I trust in you.” May we always trust in Jesus. May we always be merciful like the Father.
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