2nd Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy)                                                                John 20:19-31

What is mercy we may ask, here is a story that explains it well: General George Patton was moved by a mother’s plea for a pardon for her son. However, the General said, “it was his second offense and therefore, justice demands punishment.” “I do not ask for justice, implored the mother, “ I plead for mercy.” “But,” said the general, “he does not deserve mercy.” “Sir” cried the mother, “it would not be mercy if he deserved it, and mercy is all I ask for.” the compassion and clarity of the mother’s logic prompted the general to respond, “Well then, I will have mercy.” 

The readings for this Sunday are all about mercy, trust and the forgiveness of sins. These words explain how God reveals his great mercy? He does so first and foremost, by sending his only-begotten Son, to become our Savior and Lord by suffering death and resurrection. Divine mercy is given to us in each celebration of the sacraments. Today we remember Jesus’ appearance to the Apostles on that first Easter evening, we hear plainly of the sacrament of reconciliation, a sacrament that is Divine Mercy. Our merciful Lord gives to his apostles the power to forgive sins — or not. he said, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (Jn 23).

The first reading from Acts of the Apostles tells us about one of the early communities of Christians before the Jews and Romans began their persecutions. They practiced the love, compassion and mercy as Jesus had taught. They gained their strength from the community ‘breaking of the bread,’ these newly converted learned by listening to the apostles and the prayers, especially the Lord’s Prayer, which they all prayed together. They shared all things in common which is the ideal form of Christian life. But as the Church grew in numbers it became impossible.

The second reading is from the first letter of Peter. He tells these early Christians that Jesus Christ has shown them great mercy by giving them a victory over death and a new birth to a living hope of heavenly inheritance through his resurrection. to them and us heaven may seem something we can worry about later. The joys and pleasures of this life are attractive because they surround us. Because of this the thought of true unending joy and happiness innately satisfies our human nature but it can easily be pushed into the background by the hustle and bustle of all our present attractions.

Does it shock you that the apostles were so reluctant to accept that Christ had risen from the dead, in order to live forever in glory with his Father. Remember that in their two or three years with him they saw nothing but an every day man, a man with divine powers, but yet a man; they recall some of the prophets had similar powers. Christ had “emptied himself” of his divine nature, and he told them about his death and resurrection many times. The fact that he could be God, as well as a man was something beyond their comprehension and belief, they could not grasp the mission of Christ and if he was a mere man death had to be the end. But their slowness of faith had its value for the future Church and for all of us. If they had been expecting the resurrection, and anxiously looking forward to it, people would have said they imagined the whole thing. That they persuaded themselves it had happened. Their belief that it could not happen could not be removed from their minds except by the overpowering evidence that, in fact, it had. It couldn’t be Hallucination because that is born in a mind expecting and hoping for the imagined fact.

The second part of the gospel presents to us the fearless apostle St. Thomas in his uncompromising honesty, he demands physical proof as a condition for his belief in the Master’s resurrection. We can thank the Apostles and especially Thomas, the last to give in, that our faith in the resurrection and divine glorification is much stronger. For then Thomas gives us the strongest climatic confession of faith in the gospels: “My Lord and my God”

How prophetic were the words of Gamaliel at the meeting of the Sanhedrin when they tried to prevent the preaching the new Christian faith: he said, “I tell you keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or undertaking is of men, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God” (Acts 5:38-39). This Resurrection is not only a proof of the divinity of the Christ but also the proof to us of the great love and mercy God grants to us as he reconciles us with God and gives the gift that no one else could ever give, forgiveness of our sins and Eternal Life with Him. This is the true mercy of Almighty God.

 © JOSEPH MEILINGER 2026