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Message from the desk of the Pastor:

SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER or

SUNDAY OF DIVINE MERCY

Sunday, April 12, 2026

Gospel Reading 

John 20:19-31

Thomas believes because he sees Jesus.

Background on the Gospel Reading

The Gospels tell us that Jesus appeared to the disciples on several occasions      after they discovered that his tomb was empty. Part of the mystery of Jesus’ Resurrection is that he appeared to his disciples not as a spirit but in bodily form.  The bodily form was not one that the disciples recognized though. In John’s Gospel, Mary of Magdala does not recognize that the figure standing before her is Jesus  until he speaks to her. In Luke’s Gospel the disciples who meet Jesus on the road      to Emmaus do not recognize him until he breaks bread with them. The resurrected Jesus had a physical presence, but the disciples couldn’t recognize Jesus unless      he allowed them to. His resurrected body, nonetheless, showed the marks of his crucifixion.

From readings such as today’s Gospel, we also see that in his resurrected body, Jesus seems to be free of physical constraints. He appears to the disciples despite the fact that the doors were locked.

Jesus greets his disciples with the gift of peace and the gift of the Holy Spirit. In doing so, Jesus commissions his disciples to continue the work that he has begun: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” During the meeting, Jesus also shows    the integral connection between forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The story of Thomas illustrates our Christian experience today: We are called to believe without seeing. In fact, all Christians after the first witnesses have been  called to believe without seeing. Thomas’s doubt is hardly surprising; the news          of Jesus’ appearance was incredible to the disciples who had seen him crucified    and buried. Thomas’s human nature compelled him to want hard evidence that the Jesus who appeared to the disciples after his death was indeed the same Jesus    who had been crucified. Thomas is given the opportunity to act on that desire.          He is our witness that Jesus is really risen.

Our faith is based on the witness of the Church that has preceded us, beginning    with Thomas and the first disciples. Through Baptism we receive the same Holy  Spirit that Jesus brought to the first disciples. We are among those who are  “blessed” because we believe without having seen.

The Second Sunday of Easter is celebrated as Divine Mercy Sunday.

Family Connection

Many of us can relate to Thomas’s response to the news that the disciples had      seen Jesus. We want to see for ourselves too, but we grow in faith, trusting the experience and knowledge of others.

Many of us have heard the saying “Seeing is believing.” As your family gathers, take some time to consider what that saying means. What are some things we believe because we see them? Is there anything we believe without seeing? Today’s Gospel reminds us that faith sometimes asks us to believe things we cannot see with our eyes. Read today’s Gospel, John 20:19-31, with your family. Think about Thomas’s response to the reports about the risen Lord. Is Thomas’s doubt reasonable? How does Jesus respond to Thomas? Jesus grants Thomas the evidence that Thomas needs to believe, but Jesus also affirms the faith of those who will be called upon      to believe without first-hand experience. We are among those whom Jesus calls blessed. Discuss with your family the basis of each member’s faith in Jesus—the witness of the first disciples, the Gospels, the continuing activity of the Holy Spirit,  the community of the Church.

Pray together that your faith in Jesus will be strong. Pray an act of faith together.