First reading: Acts 2: 42-47
“They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and
to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, and many wonders and
signs were done through the apostles.
All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would
sell their property and possessions and divide them among all according to each
one’s need. Every day they devoted
themselves to meeting together in the temple area and to breaking bread in
their homes. They ate their meals with
exultation and sincerity of heart, praising God and enjoying favor with all the
people. And every day the Lord added to
their number those who were being saved.”
Second reading: 1 Pt. 1: 3-9
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is
imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you who by the power
of God are safeguarded through faith, to a salvation that is ready to be
revealed in the final time. In this you
rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various
trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is
perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and
honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Although you have not seen him you love him; even though you do not see
him now yet believe in him, you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,
as you attain the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
Gospel reading: Jn. 20: 19-31
“On the evening of that first day of the week, when the
doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came
and stood in their midst and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his
hands and his side. The disciples
rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus
said to them again, ‘Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on
them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and
whose sins you retain are retained.’
“Thomas, called Didymus, one of the twelve, was not with
them when Jesus came. So the other
disciples said to him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’
But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not
believe.’
“Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas
was with them. Jesus came, although the
doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ 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!’
Jesus said to him, ‘Have you come to believe because you have seen
me? Blessed are those who have not seen
and have believed.’
“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his
disciples that are not written in this book.
But these 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.”
Introductory theme summary:
This being the Feast day for ‘The Divine Mercy,’ today’s
readings need to be reflected on in light of that devotion; therefore the theme
for today’s reflection will be the Mercy of God.
Reflection:
In the first reading we have a description of how the early
Christians lived in response to God’s great mercy when they first entered into
the new life of Salvation. There are
many remarkable qualities described in that reading: they shared all things in
common, they sold their worldly possessions for the benefit of the community, the
devoted themselves to the teachings of the apostles, they devoted themselves to
prayer and the breaking of the bread.
From this it is reasonable to deduce, the first response to the
reception of God’s great mercy is one of holy devotion to all things
heavenly. Moreover, without such a
response it is questionable whether God’s mercy has yet been received by that
soul.
The second reading describes a second feature: the faith we receive,
that will lead us to that promised salvation, is able to withstand the trials
of this life. More important than
withstanding, those trials are actually an integral part of our formation for
the eternal life that awaits us. Rather
than be discouraged by difficulty, we should recognize the refining benefits of
suffering through faith remembering, the same merciful God who gave us
salvation will be there for us every step of the way.
Finally, the gospel reading gives us the very familiar story
of “Doubting Thomas.” If ever there is a
situation that reminds us of our dependence on God’s mercy it is falling into
doubt. If we examine the Lord’s
instruction to Thomas we can gather that doubt is as much a choice as belief is. Yet, the Lord was merciful with Thomas and forgave
his unwillingness to believe. How many of
us reject the teachings of the Holy Spirit as they have come down to us through
“tradition” due to our own unwillingness to believe? Rather than conform ourselves to God’s will
as it is communicated to us through legitimate authority, we prefer instead to conjure
an understanding of God to a likeness that suits our sensibilities by our own authority. Isn’t that just another form of idolatry? When such is the case, is a good outcome even
possible???
There is no substitute for humility, and no greater tool for
developing it than subjecting one’s self to the rule of legitimate authority. Remember, the proud will be humbled, and the
humble will be exalted!!!
O Mercy of God! Were
we to return to the dignity you intended for us from the beginning there would still
remain an abyss separating us from your dignity. Woefully, rather than make such an attempt in
appreciation for your salvation, we stoop to even greater depths by our
unwillingness to repent as if to increase the abyss your mercy must descend to
bring us back to you. O Lord, thank you
for giving us Sister M. Faustina to be a vessel of “Divine Mercy” for lessening
the vastness of that abyss.
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