Divine Mercy Sunday 2023

Today’s Sunday – Divine Mercy Sunday – is a feast celebrated at the command of the Lord Jesus himself. He said to St Faustina: “My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy.”      In today’s gospel, Jesus shows his wounds and allows Thomas to touch them, who found it hard to believe. He could not fully trust that what others were saying was true. He only trusted when he experienced, when he touched. In the painting ‘Jesus I trust in you’, the source of mercy is beautifully depicted.   These two rays emanating from the heart of Christ symbolise the most important sacraments: the red ray is the symbol of the life-giving Eucharist, just as blood is the symbol of life, while the blue ray is the water that cleanses souls – such cleansing is done in baptism and confession.

Christ’s wounds are the gate through which God reaches out to us and we enter into Him – a sure image of God’s love and mercy. Just as Thomas was able to touch Christ, so we can touch Him, unite with Him in communion. Thomas replied:    ” My Lord and my God “, this is his personal profession of faith. It is worth asking myself whether I recognise in Jesus my Lord and God. Thomas is like us, called to believe through the witness of others, through the word. To bear witness, one must believe. Faith also flows from the witness of others. Seeing and touching is only meaningful when one clings to Jesus, when one trusts Him. After all, He was also seen and touched by those who crucified Him.                                                                                   We today see Jesus in the word, in the brothers, and touch Him under the form of bread – in Holy Communion. The Gospel does not end with the departure of Jesus, for He remains. He stays among the disciples and stays among us.   He is present above all in the gift of the Eucharist.    Only by believing can we have fullness of life, living in God.

Let us want to take advantage of this great grace that Jesus wants to offer us today. Let us want to avail ourselves of the fountain of His mercy. We have the tools for this, which are the sacraments of Confession and Holy Communion. Let us use them for our salvation.