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Message from the desk of the Pastor:

SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER

DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY

Sunday, April 27, 2025

Gospel Reading 

John 20:19-31

Thomas believes because he sees Jesus.

Background on the Gospel Reading

Today's reading, from the Gospel of John, is proclaimed on the Second Sunday of Easter in each of the three Sunday Lectionary cycles. This should alert us to the significance of the encounters with the resurrected Jesus described in this reading. This Gospel combines two scenes: Jesus' appearance to his disciples after his Resurrection and Jesus' dialogue with Thomas, the disciple who doubted.

Part of the mystery of Jesus' Resurrection is that he appeared to his disciples          not as a spirit but in bodily form. We do not know exactly what this form was like. Earlier in John's Gospel, when Mary of Magdala first encountered the risen Jesus,  she did not recognize the figure standing before her until Jesus spoke her. In      Luke's Gospel, the disciples walking on the road to Emmaus did not recognize    Jesus until he broke bread with them. We know from readings such as today's        that in his resurrected body, Jesus was no longer bound by space; he appeared          to the disciples in spite of the locked door. And yet, on this resurrected body, the disciples could still observe the marks of his Crucifixion.

In today's Gospel, Jesus greets his disciples with the gift of peace and the gift of    the Holy Spirit. Jesus also commissions his disciples to continue the work that he has begun. As Jesus was sent by God, so too does Jesus send his disciples. This continuity with Jesus' own mission is an essential element of the Church. Jesus grants the means to accomplish this mission when he gives his disciples the gift      of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit binds us together as a community of faith and strengthens us to bear witness to Jesus' Resurrection.

Jesus' words to his disciples also highlight the integral connection between the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Forgiveness and reconciliation      are gifts to us from Jesus. With the grace of the Holy Spirit, we can share these      with others. This is another essential aspect of what it means to be Christ's Church. The Church continues Jesus' ministry of forgiveness and reconciliation.

Thomas, the disciple who doubts, represents the reality of the Church that comes after this first community of disciples. All but the first disciples of Jesus must  believe without seeing. Like Thomas, we may doubt the news that Jesus, who        was crucified and buried, appeared to his disciples. It is part of our human nature      to seek hard evidence that the Jesus who appeared to the disciples after his death    is, indeed, the same Jesus who was crucified. Thomas is given the opportunity to be our representative who obtains this evidence. He gives witness to us that the Jesus who was raised is the same Jesus who had died. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, we are among those who are blessed for we have not seen and yet have believed.

Family Connection

Our family life would no doubt be enhanced if we were able to transform Jesus' greeting into a central feature in our family's interactions. After his Resurrection, “Peace be with you” is the first thing that Jesus says to his disciples. This could be our daily family prayer for one another. In today's Gospel, we also hear that Jesus next breathed on his disciples and gave them the gift of the Holy Spirit. In Baptism, each of us has received the gift of the Holy Spirit as well as the forgiveness of sins. Peace is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Our Baptism, then, invites us to share in the peace that Christ gave to his disciples and commissions us to share that peace of Christ    by generously forgiving others as Jesus taught.

As you gather as a family, think about gifts that you might receive together such        as a coloring book and crayons, a book and bookmark, or an electronic item and batteries. Observe that Jesus also paired two gifts together in today's Gospel.      Read aloud this Sunday's Gospel, John 20:19-31. Discuss the two gifts Jesus gave    to his disciples: peace and the Holy Spirit. Ask: What were the disciples to do with these gifts? (They were sent as Jesus was sent by the Father to forgive sins.)    Recall that we have each received Jesus' gift of the Holy Spirit at our Baptism and that peace is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Observe that since we also have received  these gifts from Christ, we are also sent to be people who forgive others as Jesus taught. Determine an action that your family can do to share peace and forgiveness with one another. Pray together the Prayer to the Holy Spirit or the Peace Prayer of  St. Francis.