MERCY SUNDAY
First Reading
A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles 4:32-35
The group of believers were of one heart and one soul.
Psalm
Ps. 117:2-4,16ab-18,22-24 R: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever.
Second Reading
A reading from the first letter of the Apostle John 5:1-6
Who is he who overcomes the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John 20:19-31
Blessed are those who believe without seeing!
First Reading – Acts of the Apostles 4:32-35: In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we will hear that the early Christian communities were characterized by a spirit of communion and the practice of helping one another. The believers shared what they had, attended to the needs of the most vulnerable and lived in fraternal union, thus reflecting the values of the Kingdom of God proclaimed by Jesus, highlighting the importance of this community life as a testimony of the love of Christ in the midst of a society marked by inequality and injustice, we must take advantage of these strong gestures by which, more than by words, an authentic Christian is recognized.
The life of the first Christian communities was centered on the person of Jesus, on his message of love, mercy and the hope of his return. These fundamental aspects gave cohesion and meaning to community life, strengthening the faith and commitment of the first Christians.
Psalm – Psalm 117:2-4,16ab-18,22-24: In today’s Psalm, we are invited to give thanks to the Lord for his goodness and everlasting mercy. Let us remember that the Lord is good and his love endures forever. May this Psalm motivate us to praise the Lord with gratitude and joy in our hearts.
Second Reading – First Letter of John 5:1-6: In this passage, the Apostle John speaks to us about the importance of faith and love in the life of the believer. He begins by affirming that he who believes that Jesus is the Christ is the son of God. This belief in Jesus Christ as the Messiah is fundamental to Christian identity and to the relationship with God as Father.
John goes on to explain that loving God implies keeping his commandments, and that these commandments are not a heavy burden, but are the way to live in communion with God and with one’s brothers and sisters. Love for God is manifested in obedience to his commandments and in love for one’s neighbor, thus reflecting the relationship of sonship with God.
Gospel – John 20:19-31: In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us: «Blessed are those who believe without having seen.»
In the Gospel of this Second Sunday of Easter, Mercy Sunday, the appearance of the risen Jesus to his disciples is recounted. This passage shows us different aspects of the experience of faith of the disciples after the resurrection of Jesus. But even more we will highlight the experience of Thomas in the encounter with Jesus who in the face of his uncertainties and distrust will respond with a merciful look that allows him to verify for himself the resurrection, Jesus, not without confronting his unbelief allows Thomas to touch, feel, see and feel to make the experience he needed in the encounter with Him, to purify his experience of faith.
LISTEN
In the first part of the passage, we see the disciples gathered in a place with the doors closed for fear of the Jews. Jesus appears in their midst and shows them his hands and his side, displaying the wounds of the crucifixion as signs of identification. This experience fills them with joy and infuses them with the Holy Spirit, sending them on a mission to forgive sins.
Thomas, one of the disciples, was not present at Jesus’ first appearance and expresses skepticism about the resurrection. Jesus appears again and invites him to touch his wounds, which leads Thomas to a profound confession of faith: «My Lord and my God!».
CONTEMPLATES
The name «Thomas» is a shortened form of the Aramaic name «Ta’oma,» meaning «twin.» In the Gospel of John, Thomas is also known as «Didymus», which is the Greek form of «twin».
From a biblical point of view the fact that Thomas is called «Didymus» or «twin» may have a symbolic or representative meaning in the context of the Gospel narrative. Some scholars suggest that this nickname may reflect the duality of Thomas’ faith: on the one hand, his unbelief and skepticism in the face of Jesus’ resurrection, as shown in John 20:24-25; and on the other hand, his profound confession of faith when he finally acknowledges Jesus as his Lord and his God, as recorded in John 20:28.
In any case, the designation «Didymus» or «twin» could also allude to the dual or ambivalent nature of Thomas’ personality, which oscillates between doubt and faith, between unbelief and confession of faith. This duality in the figure of Thomas can serve as a reminder for us believers to feel in some way identified with him in terms of our experience of faith that is sometimes so changeable and in need of certainties, but above all always understood by Jesus and lends itself to a personal experience of encounter with Him that transforms our gaze and allows us to confess Him as the Lord of our life.
ASK YOURSELF
- How do I identify with Thomas and how does his experience of encountering the Risen Jesus help me?
- Does the resurrection have the transforming power it had in the lives of the disciples in my own life?
INVITATION
Let us allow ourselves to be invited by Pope Francis to concretize our believing experience like Thomas: «In the saving contact with the wounds of the Risen One, Thomas manifests his own wounds, his own wounds, his own lacerations, his own humiliation; in the mark of the nails he finds the decisive proof that he was loved, awaited, understood. He finds himself before a Messiah full of gentleness, mercy and tenderness. That was the Lord he was looking for, he, in the secret depths of his own being, because he had always known that he was like that. How many of us seek in the depths of our hearts to find Jesus, just as he is: sweet, merciful, tender! Because we know, deep down, that He is like that. Having rediscovered personal contact with the kindness and merciful patience of Christ, Thomas understands the profound meaning of his Resurrection and, intimately transformed, declares his full and total faith in him, exclaiming: «My Lord and my God» (v. 28). Beautiful, beautiful expression, this of Thomas! (Regina Coeli, April 12, 2015).
Sr. Sandra M. Velásquez Bedoya, tc