Eight days after the resurrection of the Lord, at the end of the Easter octave, we celebrate the Sunday of Divine Mercy, a precious opportunity to rediscover, contemplate, and savor God’s infinite mercy. The Gospel says that on this day Jesus breathed his spirit on the apostles. This is what God did when he created man out of dust, in order to bring him to life. But, are not these apostles alive?
When everything seems over and nothing seems to make sense anymore, when darkness falls around us, then inevitably the tendency is to lock the door and withdraw into our own world. That evening, at the end of turbulent days in which the Master, who spoke of the Kingdom and had instilled joy in many and raised hopes for an imminent liberation from the Roman oppressors, is seen hanging on the Cross like a criminal among criminals, and the apostles are overcome with sadness and hide away for fear of the Jews.
Once again, however, it is Jesus himself who surprises us by instilling courage in us. Do not be afraid, says Christ to the apostles. It is always moving to know that it is Jesus himself who seeks us out and passes through our closed doors. The Messiah seeks us out even before we seek him, and therefore we can do nothing but let ourselves be found. It is also striking that Christ himself seeks out those who betrayed him.
On this Sunday when we contemplate the Divine Mercy, this Gospel passage allows us to experience firsthand how Jesus himself made it a reality and rekindled the hope of the distraught apostles. We always think of the traitor par excellence, Judas Iscariot, but the Good Friday icon highlights that in the end, only John and Mary remain at the foot of the Cross. Peter denies him while the others flee. Yet they are sought out and the journey is resumed. Jesus searches for them all, and Thomas, who was not present, is reached a few days later. That apostle is also comforted, and faced with that initial mistrust, he is urged to entrust himself too, and to do so, he is invited to place his hands in the pierced side and touch the wounds.
From this Sunday, mercy and joyful witness become the path we must follow to attract people to Jesus. With mercy, we show the world that God is love; with joyful witness, we show the people of our time the source of true happiness.
–Fr. Deepak Tauro, OCD