THE MERCY THAT BREAKS BARRIERS

    Meditation for the Second Sunday of Easter
Divine Mercy Sunday
(Acts 2:42-47; 1 Pet 1:3-9; Jn 20:19-31)

On the Second Sunday of Easter the Church celebrates the unfathomable divine mercy of God, reveled and given to humanity as a unique gift of the Resurrection. This great mercy of God breaks forth through the barriers of human nature and brings to us that divine touch that is beyond human understanding. The first reading narrates how the early Church was fed by the teaching of the apostles, the breaking of bread and the prayers. “And all who believed were together and had all things in common; and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need.” The divisive walls of human selfishness have been conquered.  Now, charity can spring from ‘nothingness’, and become, above all, a sharing of life (cf. 2 Cor 6:10).

That is why the sharing of the word of God, the Eucharist and prayers energize us from within to take responsibility for the needs of others. These are points of encounter where Jesus is present among us, especially in the Eucharist. As the glorified Jesus shares life with us, so He bestows on us the grace of the resurrection, which moves us forward in the bond of charity with others. The second reading says, “By His great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.” Thus, faith in Jesus breaks barriers and guarantees what eyes cannot see, bringing a joy greater than the various trials we suffer. That is why the second reading insists that our faith is more precious than gold.

 

Furthermore, the Eucharist is the highest form of our expression of faith. In the Eucharist we receive all the merits and graces of the resurrection; there Jesus Himself is present in an extra ordinary way, coming to us over and above all human limitations and barriers. It is like Jesus passing through closed doors to be with the disciples. Despite the barriers of fear and uncertainty, He said to them, “Peace be with you.” Just as the resurrected Jesus cannot be stopped by walls and closed doors, the peace and mercy He gives can pierce through fear, tension, misunderstanding, unbelief, etc. Then, He breathed on them, saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” Thus, Jesus gave the disciples the mandate and instituted in His Church the Sacrament of His Mercy for sinners. Guided by the Holy Spirit, He sent them on a mission for the forgiveness of sins.

 

Just as the Church is on a mission to bring about the forgiveness of sins, the Divine Mercy goes ahead of us, breaking through human barriers and limitations, bringing us back to communion with God and neighbor. This is the mercy that pierced through the walls of Thomas’ doubt and absence from the gathering of believers, touching him with the eternal marks of divine mercy; the symbols of Jesus’ victory over human selfishness, weakness, sin and death. This evoked a great response of faith from Thomas, “My Lord and my God!” This is the response of one enveloped in the ocean of Divine Mercy. And this has become our Eucharistic response, when we lift up our hearts in faith and love to Jesus, who comes to us in the Sacrament. By our participation in the Breaking of the Bread, we commune with Jesus, who sends us forth to become apostles of His mercy. We must not allow any human barrier to quench the fire of Divine Mercy that Jesus has lit in our hearts through the victory of His resurrection. Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.

Sunday April 16^th, 2023.

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