HOMILY FOR 2ND SUNDAY OF EASTER - DINE MERCY SUNDAY (Year B)

HOMILY FOR 2ND SUNDAY OF EASTER – DINE MERCY SUNDAY (Year B)

THEME: The Wounded Ministers of Divine Mercy

BY: Fr. Anthony O. Ezeaputa

In our gospel reading (John 20:19–31), Jesus appears to his disciples behind closed doors in Jerusalem. He greets them with “Peace be with you” (John 20:19) and subsequently reveals his wounded hands and sides. After a second greeting, Jesus commissions them, declaring, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (John 20:21). He then breathes the Holy Spirit upon them, instructing, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained” (John 20:22–23).

To fully understand the significance of Jesus’ resurrection appearance to His disciples, His gift of the Holy Spirit, His commission to forgive sins, and the revelation of His wounded hands and sides, one must understand the purpose of the Gospel of John. In other words, the purpose of the Gospel of John serves as the key to unlocking Jesus’ post-resurrection actions with his disciples.

John’s Gospel begins with the phrase “In the beginning,” which resonates with the opening of the Book of Genesis. Genesis tells the story of God’s initial creation of the world (Genesis 1:1–31), while John’s Gospel presents an account of God’s redemptive work through Jesus Christ, who re-creates and restores the world to its original purpose and divine plan (2 Corinthians 5:17).

In Genesis 2:7, God forms man from dust and breathes life into them, creating living beings. In the Gospel of John, Jesus similarly breathes life-giving breath into His disciples (John 20:22), inaugurating a new era of redemption and restoration. Through this parallel, Jesus actively connects the initial creation to the re-creation, demonstrating His role in restoring humanity to its original purpose.

The key concepts that help us understand the Gospel of John and Jesus’ actions, especially after His resurrection, are indeed “creation,” “re-creation,” and “restoration.” St. Athanasius affirms that the Word, as the Creator of all things, actively re-creates and restores humanity to its original purpose through His Passion and Resurrection (Against the Arians, 2.32). Through His Paschal mystery, Jesus Himself reconciles humanity to God, mirroring the original creation and inaugurating a new era of redemption and restoration.

After accomplishing the work of reconciliation with God, Jesus declares, “It is finished” and actively gives up his spirit (John 19:30). This act prefigures what He does in today’s gospel passage, where He breathes on His disciples (John 20:22–23), imparting the Holy Spirit to them.

By giving His Spirit to His disciples, Jesus entrusts them with the mandate to continue His work of redemption. He commands, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained” (John 20:22–23).

God actively forgives through Jesus’ death on the cross, re-creating and restoring the world to its original state of holiness and justice. Conversely, Jesus’ disciples actively participate in God’s reconciling work by forgiving those who have hurt them, contributing to the transformation of the world into a holy and just place.

In 2000, Saint John Paul II instituted the Feast of Divine Mercy Sunday, deliberately scheduling it on the Second Sunday of Easter (Decree of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 2000). He aimed to highlight the redemptive power of Christ’s sacrifice, which reconciled us to God (2 Corinthians 5:21; Catechism of the Catholic Church 433), and remind us of our call to participate in Christ’s work of re-creation through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy (Matthew 25:31–46; Catechism of the Catholic Church 2449).

God calls us to participate in His plan to restore the world to its original purpose and harmony with Him (2 Corinthians 5:17–21). Saint John Paul II wrote, “Mercy is the force that reawakens us to new life and instills in us the courage to look to the future with hope” (Dives in Misericordia, 1980, n. 15). Now, we must ask ourselves: how can we become ministers of God’s mercy, participating in His plan to restore the world to its original purpose and harmony with Him (2 Corinthians 5:17–21)?

We must acknowledge our shared human weakness and imperfection, as Saint Paul reminds us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). This recognition should lead us to extend forgiveness and mercy to others, just as God does (Matthew 6:14–15; Ephesians 4:32). As Jesus taught, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Matthew 6:14–15). By doing so, we embody the mercy and compassion of God, who desires the salvation of all (1 Timothy 2:3–4) and is “rich in mercy” (Ephesians 2:4).

After his resurrection and while the apostolic mission was about to begin, and before entrusting the authority to forgive and reconcile repentant sinners (John 20:22–23) to them, Jesus shows them the wounds of the Passion. For from these wounds comes the divine mercy that heals our wounded and fallen human nature.

As we celebrate the Feast of Divine Mercy, let us remember that we are all called to be wounded ministers of divine mercy. We do this by recognizing our shared human weakness and imperfection and extending forgiveness and mercy to others. In doing so, we imitate Christ’s merciful heart and become vessels of God’s boundless love.

May we continue to breathe in the life-giving breath of the Holy Spirit. May we serve as instruments of God’s divine mercy in the world, restoring it to its original purpose and harmony with you. May Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska and Saint John Paul II, champions of divine mercy, pray for us. Amen.

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