Feast of the Divine Mercy
Intro: In today's Gospel, Jesus appears yet again to His apostles to help them dispel their doubts and disbelief. Thomas's faith helps strengthen our own belief in the risen Lord, Whom we have not yet seen.
Readings: Luke provides a little snapshot of the early church: based on the teachings of the apostles, and centred round prayer and the Eucharist, the model community continues to grow, holding everything in common.
Peter encourages his brethren to remain hopeful in spite of all the hardships they may have to endure, suggesting that they look beyond their present life to the life of glory which awaits them.
Acts 2: 42-47;
1st Peter 1: 3-9;
John 20, 19-31;
In today's Gospel, we find the disciples grieved and frightened, huddled behind locked doors. "Doubting Thomas" as he's been known ever since, represents all
those who can't believe the testimony of others. When we read the Gospel, we see that he can't even believe his closest friends, his fellow apostles. The apostles themselves hadn't believed the story of those "gullible" women whom angels had told Jesus had risen either. They all wanted - needed - proof; and it took not only the experience of the empty tomb, but the actual appearance of the Master to convince them.
Thomas's questioning faith is invaluable to us too. It helps us to believe - his struggle is our struggle; his road towards faith is our road too. And it's precisely because he doubted, saw and finally believed, that we too can doubt and turn to belief. There are times when our faith will be shaken - and St. Peter hints at that when he writes, "for a short time you may have to bear with being plagued with all sorts of trials" - but our faith will bring us through those shaky times, whether they're personal or global.
Did you query God's love for His children and His world when earthquakes and tsunamis struck; as the fighting continues in Syria, Ukraine, Africa; when parents tortured and murdered their child. And of course, today: what are your feelings when God "gives" a relative, a friend, or even yourself the Covid virus, cancer, or takes away a husband, a wife, a child, a close friend?
Those are our real testing times. Where does that leave us? God doesn't take away the suffering and evil in our world - to do so, strangely, would also take away our dangerous freedom to choose evil instead of good - but in His passion and resurrection, Christ confronts sin and evil and overcomes them with the supremacy of His love. His very wounds demonstrate His love of humanity, and it's through those very wounds that we are healed.
Our faith tells us that love is stronger than death, and we know that goodness will ultimately triumph. Perhaps we won't see that day, but we have the faith to trust in
the truth of that statement. And we ourselves witness to the fact by the way we live, by remaining faithful to the teaching of the apostles, to our own community and family, to our prayers, to the breaking of bread in our Eucharist which, sadly, many are sorely missing at present.
Most of all, we believe in the constant, everlasting love God has for us, and we try to live in the light of that love, accepting everything that life - or God! - throws at us, much as His own Son accepted His will in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Just as the Easter candle lit up a darkened church at the Easter Vigil, just as our sun lights up our present days, so too God's love will illumine our hearts and minds as we overcome our present hard times. "Our good God, how good is He" (St.Julie Billiart). Have faith, and keep praying!
Intercessions
Jesus bequeathed the gift of peace to His friends. Let us now pray for the gift of peace for ourselves, and for our broken world:-
1. For the Church throughout the world. May She remain faithful to the teaching of the apostles, to the breaking of bread and to the mission entrusted to Her by our Lord - Lord, hear us.
2. For national and international governments and leaders. May they work for global peace, so that all people may enjoy justice, peace and freedom - Lord, hear us.
3. For those racked and troubled by doubt or disbelief; for those who have fallen away from the faith, or find it too hard to keep that faith because of something which has happened in their lives. May they find a new source of hope and peace through Thomas Your apostle - Lord, hear us.
4. For ourselves, Your holy people. May Your pilgrim Church grow in faith. Keep it strong, so that we may pass it on to our young people through our personal example - Lord, hear us.
5. For Rita Murray who died recently; and for Joyce McGeoch, Johm Dunne and Ruby Lafferty who have gone before us in the ways of faith and whose anniversaries occur about this time. May they live in the joy and the glory of the Kingdom prepared for them before the foundation of the world - Lord, hear us.
Loving Father, even although we have yet to see Your Son physically, we believe in Him. Keep us ever faithful to His teaching, and bring us to share in His promise of eternal life for all who love Him.