DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY, YEAR A.
16th April 2023
Acts 2:42-47; 1 Peter 1:3-9; John 20:19-31.
One of the consequences of sin is fear. The apostles were afraid of the jews who are hunting down the followers of Jesus in order to send them to the same fate of crucifixion. We recall Peter denying Jesus three times on the night of his arrest. The rest fled for their lives when Jesus was arrested at the garden of Gethsemane. The guilt of betrayal led to the fear of locking up themselves at the upper room.
In the midst of their fear, the risen Lord appears to them bearing in his body the marks of the crucifixion. This is to show them that the guilt behind their fear is taken away. It is by the wounds of his crucifixion that are sins were forgiven. This is the Divine Mercy we celebrate on this day. The merit of Christ’s suffering and death is the Divine Mercy. It is Divine because it heals our souls from the very root of sin.
Jesus greets his apostles with peace. He said to them: Peace be with you’. The Divine Mercy takes away the guilt of sin and the fear due to it. It replaces it with the peace that our hearts desperately deserve. The apostles were filled with joy when they saw the Lord. Our joy will be complete when we have our sins forgiven.
Fr Anthony Ekpunobi, CM.
