Divine Mercy Sunday

04-12-2026Weekly ReflectionFr. Albert

Today we celebrated the Divine Mercy Sunday and the Gospel is centered on the appearance of the Risen Christ to His disciples and to Thomas. The hearts of the disciples are more tightly closed than the room itself. They had seen their teacher arrested, tortured and crucified. everything they believed in seemed shattered. They were not waiting in hope - they were hiding in fear. And into that fear, Jesus comes, not with anger, not with accusation, not with disappointment but with peace.

"Peace be with you." This is the first gift of the Resurrection; Peace that enters looked doors. Jesus does not wait for the disciples to open up before He comes in. He enters anyway. That means no fear, no failure, no sin can ultimately keep Him out. even when we shut Him out, He finds a way in. Jesus shows them His hands and His side. The wounds are still there. This is striking. The resurrection did not erase the wounds - it transformed them. because the wounds are now signs of love, not defeat. They are proof that suffering and death do not have the final word. and for the disciples, these wounds are not just evidence - it is recognition. they know it is truly Him. This tells us something profound. God does not discard our wounds. He redeems them. your wounds, your past, your regrets, your grief are not meaningless. In Christ, they can become places where grace enters and even flows outward to others.

Jesus then breathes on them and says,"Receive the Holy Spirit. whose sins you forgive are forgiven them." This moment is deeply powerful. The same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is now given to the disciples. they are no longer just followers - they are sent. from fear to mission. from hiding to proclaiming. from brokenness to healing others. and what is their mission? at its heart, it is mercy. Thomas gets a bad reputation - "Doubting Thomas" - but in many ways, he is the most relatable disciple in the Gospel. He was not there for the first time. He missed the moment. and when the others tell him, he struggles to believe. unless I see, Unless I touch, I will not believe." Thomas is not rejecting faith, he is longing for certainty. He wants a real encounter, not secondhand testimony. and here is the beauty of the Gospel. Jesus meets Thomas exactly where he is. Jesus does not shame Thomas. He invites him.

Thomas responds with one of the most powerful declarations in all Scripture. "My Lord and my God." In that moment, doubt turns into the deepest faith. Thomas does not believe that Jesus is alive- he recognises who Jesus truly is. and this is important : honest doubt, when brought to Christ, can lead to deeper faith then easy belief.

Jesus then speaks to all future generations - including us ; "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." we have not touched the wounds. we have not stood in that room, and yet, we are invited into the same faith. We see through the witness of the Church, the testimony of Scripture, the presence of Christ in the sacraments and the quiet but real movement of grace in our lives.

The Gospel ends by saying these things are written "so that you may come to believe and through believing you may have life in His name." This is not just about understanding something. It is about receiving life. The Resurrection is not just an event to remember - it is a reality to live. So today, Hear Christ say to you; "Peace be with you." Let that peace enter whatever doors you have locked. let His Mercy meet your wounds and like Thomas, let your heart respond: "My Lord and my God."