HOMILY FOR DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY YEAR A. (6)

HOMILY FOR DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY YEAR A.

THEME: The Benefit of Doubt.

BY: Fr. Uchenna Onyejiuwa

(First reading, Acts 2:42-47; second reading, 1 Pet 1:3-9; gospel, Jn 20:19-31).

On this octave of Easter, also known as Low Sunday in comparison with Easter Sunday, the Holy Mother Church celebrates the Divine Mercy, a celebration that invites us to meditate and ponder more deeply on the unfathomable mercy of God revealed in our Lord Jesus Christ, in His death and resurrection. This mercy is at the heart of the economy of salvation without which the world ceases to be. So this celebration reminds all of us, the Church of our critical mission to work for the absolute victory and reign of God’s merciful love on earth. This victory has already begun with the resurrection of Christ and must be accomplished by the combined efforts of the Children of the resurrection. That is why belief in the resurrection is principal to the success of this mission.

This importance can be seen in the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. And one may ask, what if Christ went straight to heaven after His resurrection, would the Apostles have been able to continue their mission as they did? The reaction of Thomas in today’s Gospel reading provides an answer. The Gospel tells us that the first time when the risen Christ came to see His disciples, Thomas was not there and when the other disciples told him about it he refused to believe and demanded that he must see and touch and feel before he believes, and Christ obliged him. Who would blame him for not believing without seeing, even the two disciples on the way to Emmaus expressed the same doubt until the breaking of the bread. If it was hard for them to believe then how much more latter-day Christians like you and me? So the doubt of Thomas gives Christ the wonderful opportunity to resolve this problem from the very beginning, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (20:29). There is now blessedness for all of us who did not see but believed, thanks to Thomas. It is a healing blessing, it heals us of every tendency to doubt matters of faith and opens the way for other blessings.

The first reading of today is an account of the life of the early Christians, the life of those who believe in the resurrection. It says: “The faithful all lived together and owned everything in common; they sold their goods and possessions and shared out the proceeds among themselves according to what each one needed. They went as a body to the Temple every day but met in their houses for the breaking of bread; they shared their food gladly and generously; they praised God and were looked up to by everyone.” What a beautiful life! No wonder they recorded huge success in their time, the power of the resurrection was very active in them, for such a selfless life will give no room for evil to breed and thrive among Christ’s faithful. They were content with the joy of the resurrection and the eternal life it brings. This is what St. Peter, in today’s second reading, is telling the newly baptised who were facing some challenges in his exhortation, charging them to be strong in faith.

Beloved friends, it is very clear from the foregoing that those who believe in the resurrection lead a life that is defined by mercy and love, for the kingdom Christ came to establish is a kingdom of mercy and all who are part of that kingdom, through their belief in the resurrection, must practice love and mercy. The fact that our world is still saturated with violence, injustice, greed, selfishness and evil is proof that our belief in the resurrection has not taken root in our hearts, it’s still skin-deep. As today’s disciples of Christ, we must ensure that this mission does not fail. We must work for the reign of divine mercy on our planet by practising and promoting acts of love and mercy and doing away with everything that works against the mission. We should also avoid straying away from the community of Christ’s faithful into places that could plant in our hearts the dangerous seed of calling our faith into question. It is by maintaining contact with our Christian communities that we can preserve our faith. Peace be with you.

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