Today bears a striking resemblance to the situation of the disciples, as described in the Gospel of John. We too in these days gather behind closed doors, not for fear of people, but for fear of a virus.
The doors of churches and other places of worship, the doors of community centers and Legion halls, the doors to many businesses, homes and private residences, are closed. We, like the disciples, are gathered in our households, with much anxiety, hoping and praying that the future will bring better days.
Jesus, in spite of the closed doors, in spite of what might be called a “quarantine”, comes and says, “peace be with you”. Those are the first words of the God-Man to the disciples. He repeats it again, this time with a commission, telling the disciples that He is now sending them out, like the Father had sent Him.
Thomas the Apostle was not there the first time that Jesus had appeared to His disciples. He refuses to believe, until he has placed his fingers in the mark of the nails, and his hand in the wound of Jesus. You might be asking, why were the scars necessary, why did Jesus Christ resurrect with a glorified body that saved the marks of the wounds? St. Augustine, a great Father of the Church, has an answer for us: “For He is our Salvation Who was wounded for us, and fastened with nails to the Wood, and taken down from the Wood, and laid in the sepulchre. But He rose from the sepulchre; and though His wounds were healed, the scars remained. For this He judged expedient for His Disciples: that He should keep His scars to heal the wounds of their soul” (The Sunday Sermons of the Great Fathers, M.F. Toal ed., vol. 2, 1958, pg. 227).
It should be noted that Jesus showed His wounds to all of His disciples, to help them in their belief that He indeed had resurrected in the flesh. One of the disciples, Thomas, was not there to witness this, and he refused to acknowledge that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead.
Perhaps you have a Thomas in your family, or your circle of friends; perhaps you yourself might identify with Thomas’ statements. Perhaps you have been disappointed with promises before, and now are waiting for absolute certainty – to touch and see and feel a real proof for truthfulness of the Resurrection. Perhaps now, behind closed doors, is a good a time as any to believe in Jesus Christ, the Crucified and Risen Messiah, the Son of God, and God Himself.
The Second Sunday of Easter is also known as the Sunday of Divine Mercy. Forgiveness of sins is part of the mission that Jesus gives to His Apostles, and their successors. This Sunday is the Sunday of Mercy. Saint Faustina Kowalska received this message from Christ Himself: “I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy…Through the Chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with My will (Diary of St. Faustina Kowalska, 1541, 1731).
Brothers and sisters, let us ask the Mother of God, the Mother of Mercy, to accompany us with Her prayers. Let us trust in the fount of Mercy, Jesus Himself, even when the doors to churches remain locked. His Mercy and His Providence will not let him abandon us. Amen.
(Fr. Pawel Ratajczak, OMI, April 19, 2020)