2ND SUNDAY IN EASTER: 3rd April, 2016
Acts 5:22-16; Rev 1:9-13,17-19; Jn 20: 19-31
The Risen Christ is the face of the Mercy of God; the Risen Lord appears to strengthen the Faith of his disciples. They see and they believe. Thus we have the three key terms of the day: Mercy, Faith and Seeing!
Mercy of God: Thanks to Pope St. John Paul II, we have a great feast to celebrate today! The Mercy of God is essentially that aspect of God accepting us as God's children without any conditions. 'If you should see our guilt O Lord , who can stand before you', exclaims the Psalmist. God chooses not to see our limitations and our failures. The blood and water that flowed from the heart of Jesus is the proof that Jesus is the face of the mercy of God.
Faith in Christ: You believe because you have seen, blessed are those who haven't seen yet believe. Faith is not having to see, not having to look for proofs, not having to rely on evidences but accepting in the depths of our beings the merciful presence of the Risen Lord with us, all our life. The fundamental message of resurrection consists in the hope of the presence of the Lord with us.
Seeing the hand of the Lord: Relying on the Mercy of God and basing ourselves on the faith we have in Christ, we are called to live a life of trust and mercy. We are called to grow more and more merciful, like the Father Himself. Today we have the call and the way to live it, both outlined in the readings. It is a special gift to grow in that sensitivity with which we readily notice the hand of God in the developments that surround us.
Experience the immensity of God's mercy, grow in your faith in Christ and See the way God raises you as witnesses of God's merciful love!