Divine Mercy Sunday 11-04-2010 : Belief in the Divine

Divine Mercy Sunday 11-04-20
Belief in the Divine!!!!
2nd Sunday after Easter
1st Reading Acts 5:12-16 Situation of the church in its' early days.
Apocalypse 1:9-11a 12-13, 17-19 vision to write of the things that would occur
to the churches
Gospel John 20:19-31 Jesus appears to the disciples in a closed room!!!
When Pope John Paul dedicated the 2nd Sunday after Easter to the Divine Mercy,
he was sure it would bring in a renovation in the lives of the people of God.
We know sin is a reality and it requires constant acceptance and seeking
forgiveness and in His mercy God enters into the of seeker.
Surely we require God's merciful love.
The whole of the bible is full of Divine Mercy demonstrated in various
narrations.
We find how Mercy has been shown to people who came to Jesus, i.e.; Zachaeus,
the sinful woman who was brought to him in the very act of committing sin, the
prodigal son, the woman at the well, Peter when he seeks mercy after the
betrayal of refusing to acknowledge Jesus as his master, the lost sheep, the
lost coin, the man living in the tomb questioning Jesus entry into his life. The
blind people seeking Jesus intervension saying have pity on us etc.
In today's Gospel we find Thomas the doubter when encountered for his disbelief
proclaims Jesus as My lord and my God.
What a profession of faith.?????
We know the whole of the bible is a witness of the faith of the early
Christians.
We can be grateful for all this witnessing.
We find how they were courageous after the descending of the Holy Spirit on the
first believers and the disciples their courage became contagious!!!
We know the Gospel of St. John where we find two narrations of Jesus appearing
to the disciples shows how they were afraid.
When frightened man's spontaneous reaction is closing of doors and windows.
Jesus breaks all those closed areas and appears to them and gives them the
comfort of a risen savior.
He imparts Peace.
He came to bring peace.
When he appeared on Christmas the angels had sung Peace to men of good will.
Rather than accepting the Lord's presence they still doubt.
One of them who was not present would even have the audacity to say that he
would not believe unless he stuck his finger into his wounds in the hands feet
and side.
But when Jesus invites to do so he utters the profession of faith "my Lord and
My God"!!!
We so easily repeat this prayer.
Now when we have to be constantly present to the Lord in our lives, we find it
very difficult.
These are difficult days for us Christians here in our own country, where our
ancestors used to profess the faith so fearlessly now we have to prove our
identity. Often many of us hide our identity.
Even to get some of the government perks we will even write in our certificates
that we belong to the majority religious community.
The fundamentals are trying to rule this country by militants means by imposing
concepts and ideals useful to them.
When such groups are trying enforce their ideology and many of us are falling to
their machinations unknowingly.
Let us today when we celebrate the divine mercy Sunday once again become aware
of our responsibility to proclaim the Lord boldly and loudly. We surely have to
meet the Lord and find him in the prayer, Eucharist, areas of our work where He
is touching our hearts and minds.
This becomes empowering of his disciples.
We are His disciples aren't we?????
In union with the divine word,
Fr. Joe Vaz svd