Christ Comes to Us


Gospel Reflection: Second Sunday of Easter - Divine Mercy Sunday

by Teresa R. Albright, Pastoral Associate

John 20:19-31

In Sunday’s Gospel message we heard the story of “doubting” Thomas and what led him to believe that Jesus was the Christ and is risen from death. As I meditated on this story I wondered, why wasn’t Thomas with the other disciples who were sheltering-in-place behind locked doors? Was he out making a run for bread and toilet paper? While the others remained closed off from the world, Thomas had ventured out into the thick of things...perhaps even risking his own life. Did Thomas volunteer to gather supplies and food on behalf of the others because he was getting a little stir crazy cooped up in a single, upper room?

I have always drawn comfort from theologian Paul Tillich’s words, “the opposite of faith is not doubt – it’s certainty.” I like to think of Thomas, not as someone to pity for his disbelief, but as someone to admire for his self-awareness. Thomas knows himself well enough to know that it will take something other than the word of his brothers and sisters – who had not seen what he had seen outside their protective walls – to believe in the Resurrection.

Are those who believe without seeing happier, as Jesus promises? Yes, quite likely! Haven’t we all witnessed the belief of another and thought to ourselves, “I wish I could believe as easily as they do.” But the truth is, belief does come easily to us all. This is Divine Mercy. Because God wants so badly to be in union with us, God shows himself by whatever means necessary for each unique individual to believe. For Thomas, he needed the physical presence of Jesus, wounded and standing before him. Or maybe it ended up that he only needed to hear the sound of Jesus’ voice in order to proclaim, “my Lord and my God!” with any sincerity of heart. We will never know because these things were not written down and recorded in the book of John.

Q:  This week, I invite you to reflect on times in your life when belief in Christ seemed effortless. What circumstances have elicited moments of awe and wonder in you? Where have you witnessed selfless goodness? Which people have nourished and sustained your belief? Then, be intentional about seeking out those experiences, those moments, those people. Fill your days with them and surely Christ will manifest himself before your very eyes!

Portal to Prayer:  “Jesus I trust in you, Jesus I trust in you, Jesus I trust in you!”
·       Learn how to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy usingrosary beads.

An Ecumenical Moment…
Did you know that there is a community of Christians called the Saint Thomas Christians, also called Syrian Christians of India, Nasrani or Malankara Nasrani or Nasrani Mappila? They are an ethnoreligious community of Indian (Malayali) Syriac Christians from Kerala, India, who trace their origins to the evangelistic activity of Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century. The majority of Saint Thomas Christians are in full communion with the Holy See, while maintaining the ancient rites of their Eastern tradition. Their culture is largely derived from East Syriac, Hindu, Jewish, and West Syriac influences, blended with local customs and later elements derived from indigenous Indian and European colonial contacts. Their language is Malayalam, the language of Kerala, and Syriac is used for liturgical purposes. (source: Wikipedia)
·       Learn about the current dialogue with Eastern Rite Christians.



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