Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday) - Cycle B

Acts 4:32-35
1 Jn 5:1-6
Jn 20:19-31

It is one thing to doubt the fact that Jesus is risen, as Thomas did. We, however, are more likely to doubt the power flowing from that Resurrection, -- a power that can keep us from sin. The mercy of God is evident as Jesus shows his wounds to the apostles. But mercy is not to be confused with presumption or permission to sin. In fact, it is precisely in giving us commandments that, as the second reading tells us, “are not burdensome,” that God shows his mercy. It is not simply our weakness that “God understands.” He understands, first of all, our need of him, and the fact that we flourish only by living a life in union with his will. Therefore, his mercy provides us with every ounce of strength we need to actually fulfill the commandments, which is the same as to fulfill the demands of love.

Love has concrete demands, beginning with a reverence and absolute respect for one another’s lives, and the lives of the weakest and most vulnerable in our midst. Actions that deliberately take innocent human life are always contrary to love. Yet “his commandments are not burdensome,” because by our faith in his Resurrection, we have the power to love as he loves, even to the point of sacrificing ourselves as he sacrificed himself.
 
Thomas found the strength to believe when he returned to the community of believers. Perhaps when Thomas was missing on Easter night, he was out looking for Jesus on his own. After all, he was the kind of person who wanted to see for himself. But it was in the fellowship of other believers that he actually met the Risen Lord. The power of the Resurrection brings us together, to be inspired by one another's example, encouragement, and prayers, and indeed to foster the unity of all God's children.