Divine Mercy Sunday 

 

 

 

Most Rev. Jose H. Gomez
Archbishop of San Antonio 
 Homily 2nd Sunday of Easter  -  SFC, 2006
My sisters and brothers in Christ,
 
We are still celebrating the Resurrection of Our Lord, today is the
last day of the Easter Octave. The Church rejoices so much in the
Risen Christ that the liturgical celebrations last until today. 
 
Pope Benedict XVI reminded us this past week that “The Paschal
Mystery is the core of our faith! Our yearly celebration of Easter is
a foretaste of the eternal joy of heaven” (4/19/06).
 
Today we are asked to make a new act of faith just as St.
Thomas the Apostle did: “You believe in me, Thomas, because
you have seen me, says the Lord; blessed are those who have not
seen me, but sill believe” (Alleluia verse).
 
We all can relate to St. Thomas in today’s Gospel. He wasn’t
present for Jesus’ first apparition and when the other apostles were
telling him about what happened on Sunday evening, he was very
skeptical. 
 
He was not easy to be convinced. He was probably really down
and disappointed that Jesus had died. He is the Apostles who had
said on one occasion: ‘Let us go too and die with him’. Now he’s
not going to believe that easily. 
 
Then the following week, to Thomas’ surprise, Jesus appears to
them again. “Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and
see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do
not be unbelieving but believe’. Thomas answered and said to him,
“My Lord and my God!’
 
 2
What a beautiful act of faith: My Lord and my God! Because St.
Thomas reply ‘is not simply an exclamation: it is an assertion, an
admirable act of faith in the divinity of Christ” (NB, note St. Jn.
20, 24-28).
 
The Resurrection of the Lord is a call for all of us to renew our
faith. We are called, like the Apostles, to go from fear and
unbelief, to certainty and commitment.
 
Our faith in the risen Christ means that we believe that Christ is
alive, that we unite ourselves to Christ by faith and love every day,
that he guides and gives meaning to our life” (Cf. In Conv. 2.54.1).
 
Our times call for a strong faith. As I said the other day at the
Chrism Mass, we are sent to bear fruit in a secularized culture that
every day makes it easier to forget God, to live as if he doesn’t
exist. And we see the truths of our religion trivialized and
undermined by aggressive forces that want to “de–Christianize”
our society. 
 
Perhaps it’s not out of place here to mention a novel, soon to be
out as a movie, that millions have read, including many of our
Catholic people. At the center of this book is a famous painting of
the last supper. The book contains many errors about our faith, and
has caused a lot of doubt and confusion, even among good people. 
 
This is a generation that seeks a sign; that is looking for truth, love,
and meaning. A generation that senses there’s something more to
life, but no longer knows how or where to find it. 
 
There is no secret code. Everything hidden has been revealed.
Christ’ Resurrection is the proof of the truth of His life and
teachings. God has shown us his face. He has shared our life so
that we might share His. 
 3
It is interesting to see how in the other two readings of today’s
Mass we are given practical ways of living our faith. 
 
The 1st reading presents to us the reality of the first
‘community of believers’ “The community o believers was of one
heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was
his own, but they had everything in common ... There were no
needy person among them...”
 
It sounds like an unreal world, but this is what we are call to live
and recreate. The ‘Civilization of love’ that Pope John Paul II
talked about and that Pope Benedict XVI set as the goal of his
Pontificate with his first encyclical letter: God is love! 
 
Then, the 2nd reading, reminds us that if we have faith, we have
to fulfill the Commandments, ‘In this way we know that we love
the children of God when we love God and obey his
commandments. For the love of God is this, that we keep his
commandments’ 
 
The first step in taking back our society to God is to know and
fulfill God’s law. The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds
us that “God has loved us first. the love of the One God is recalled
in the first of the "ten words." the commandments then make
explicit the response of love that man is called to give to his God”
(CCC 2083). 
 
It sounds simple, but in our society we are challenge every day,
from the existence of God, to the dignity of the human person from
conception to natural death. Instead of looking for answers in
human law or in economic or marketing reasons, we have to
answer the challenges of our times, knowing and following God’s
law: “And his commandments are not burdensome, for whoever is
begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers
the world is our faith”
 4
 
Today is also Divine Mercy Sunday. A day to consider the Mercy
of God and a day to try to imitate God’s mercy through forgiveness
of others. It is an old devotion in the Church that has been renewed
in the last years through the life and writings of St. Faustina
Kowalska who was canonized by Pope John Paul II on April 30,
2002.
 
It seems to me that this devotion is more needed that ever because
through it, we will receive in great abundance the gift of the
consolation of the Holy Spirit. In this way, we can foster a growing
love for God and for our neighbor; especially we will be persuaded
to show a prompt pardon to our brothers and sisters’ (Cf. The
Apostolic Penitentiary).
 
In today’s Gospel Jesus give his peace to the Apostles: “Peace be
with you” and he gives them the power of forgiving sins: “Receive
the Holy Spirit. Whose sins your forgive are forgiven them, and
whose sins you retain are retained”
 
Peace flows from forgiveness. First of all through the Sacrament
of Reconciliation: by the priest's sacramental absolution God
grants the penitent "pardon and peace” (CCC, 1424). 
 
But also by living the words of the Our Father: “Forgive us our
trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”. It is said
that Jesus told Saint Faustina: “Humanity will never find peace
until it turns with trust to Divine Mercy”.
 
Let’s try to increase our devotion to God’s Mercy. Let’s ask God’s
mercy for our Country, for the Church and for each one of us and
our families.
 
 
 
 5
Real faith is challenging but gives us real peace and real life as St.
John says in today’s Gospel: “These (signs) are written that you
may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and
that through this belief you may have life in his name” 
 
Let’s never forget Jesus’ words to St. Thomas, ‘Blessed are those
who have not seen and have believed’ that we can say many times
every day, My Lord and My God! Amen.