SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER ( SUNDAY OF DIVINE MERCY)
Reading 1 Acts 2:42-2:47
They devoted themselves
to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life,
to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.
Awe came upon everyone,
and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.
All who believed were together and had all things in common;
they would sell their property and possessions
and divide them among all according to each one’s need.
Every day they devoted themselves
to meeting together in the temple area
and to breaking bread in their homes.
They ate their meals with exultation and sincerity of heart,
praising God and enjoying favor with all the people.
And every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.
Responsorial Psalm118:2-4, 13-15,22-24
R. (1) Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the house of Israel say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
Let the house of Aaron say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
Let those who fear the LORD say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
R. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I was hard pressed and was falling,
but the LORD helped me.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
The joyful shout of victory
in the tents of the just:
R. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.
R. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Reading 2 1 peter 1:3-9
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading,
kept in heaven for you
who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith,
to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time.
In this you rejoice, although now for a little while
you may have to suffer through various trials,
so that the genuineness of your faith,
more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire,
may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor
at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Although you have not seen him you love him;
even though you do not see him now yet believe in him,
you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,
as you attain the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Alleluia jn 20:29
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You believe in me, Thomas, because you have seen me, says the Lord;
blessed are they who have not seen me, but still believe!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel jn 20:19-31
On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”
Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”
But he said to them,
“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nailmarks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”
Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples
that are not written in this book.
But these are written that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that through this belief you may have life in his name.
(Emil Nolde, “Christ and the children’, 1910 )
We Are One by Fr. Justin Belitz, OFM.
We are one! So says quantum physics as well as the mystical traditions of all major religions on the planet. But just what does that mean? In my estimation, understanding this truth is the challenge of the 21st Century. Let me explain.
From a scientific point of view, 13.7 billion years ago an Energy created the “Big Bang.” From that gigantic explosion came all of creation, inanimate matter, plant life, animal life and finally human life. Everything in the cosmos comes from that one source. The conclusion from this history is clear: we all come from the same Source – we are all connected – we are all ONE.
From a theological point of view, all major religions on the planet, at their mystical tradition, teach that there is only ONE reality – an Energy that we call Love. This Energy is the essence of every human being. Love is who we are. Every person who ever existed, or will ever exist, is a powerful spiritual being!
The reality of this Oneness has been known and celebrated by indigenous people for millennia. The mystics of all religions experienced this oneness first hand, wrote about it and tried to get others to understand the meaning and power of this experience.
Historically, human beings made the choice to concentrate on the material side of their humanness and in that process limit their awareness and connection to the power of the Spirit.
Once human beings lost awareness of their spiritual oneness, they believed that they were separate from one another. They concentrated on their own individual needs and wants. This thought process brought about not only separation but conflict.
Now in the 21st Century, we are being faced with these choices: Will human beings concentrate on their spiritual oneness – or will we destroy ourselves defending the illusion of our separateness?
Those of you who are reading this page and are parents – recall the moment that your first child was put into your arms. That must be one of those experiences when you “know” oneness with Love Energy. That event is so transformative that you can never be the same again. It is an experience that you would like to live in forever!
If you are not a parent, recall a time when you experienced Love; either with another human being, or with a pet, or even with an experience of nature (like the setting of the sun). “Knowing” Love in these circumstances can be just as powerful.
Human experiences like these are like peep holes that offer only a glimpse of the power of Spirit. However, the mystics learned to immerse themselves in these experiences for long periods of time. These are the human beings that modeled for us, how to touch the true meaning of life.
In my estimation this is what we are all called to be and to do in the 21stCentury.
When we have such a unitive experience, we know that we are connected to everyone and everything. We find ourselves in a Love embrace with the entire cosmos. With this understanding, we KNOW we cannot attach other human beings because we would then be attacking ourselves.
How foolish it would be for anyone to cut off an arm because it is producing pain. If you understand that the pain in is a signal that something is wrong and you love your body, you find out what is wrong and do something to help the arm heal.
In the same way, with spiritual awareness, when someone attacks you and you have love for the other person, you do what you can to help the other person. When you become an instrument of love, you feel the transformative power of Love AND so does the other person.
If you are a Democrat and dislike or resent Republicans (or vice-versa), you are not in the Energy of Love. You are deliberately tuning Love Energy off and you will create limit in your life. If you resent people of a different race or religion, you are deliberately turning off Love Energy and creating limit in your life.
Why would any human being want to create such limit and bring pain and suffering into their lives?
There is a hymn that comes to mind that may summarize what I have said above:
“They will know we are humans by our love, by our love – yes they’ll know we are human by our love!”