HOMILY FOR SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER: DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY
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Dear friends. In the Archdiocese of Dublin, a record number of nearly 130 catechumens and candidates joined the Catholic Church this Easter. The numbers were also up in other dioceses around the country. In America, in the diocese of Fort Worth, Texas, 1,700 people were initiated into the Church at Easter – a jump of 37% on the previous year. In the diocese of Venice, Florida, the increase was 94%. So, what is happening and what are the reasons that explain this growth? Here I suggest that maybe, just maybe, people are beginning to look to faith again and are doubting their doubts.
The Gospel for this Divine Mercy Sunday puts before us the beautiful encounter between the Risen Lord and doubting Thomas. Jesus brought Thomas to faith by meeting his doubts head on and removing the obstacles that prevented him from believing. Here I offer a few thoughts on how many people are beginning to doubt the illusion of happiness promised by a life separated from God, his Church, his Word and sacraments.
Doubting Despair and Believing in Hope:
We live in a troubled world that needs new hope. Where does that hope come from? What is the source of hope when life seems hopeless? The death of Jesus seemed like the end of Thomas’ hopes. Then he appeared to him and hope burst into life again. No one can live without hope. If Jesus rose from the dead then no one is left without it.
Doubting Doubt and Believing in God again:
Thomas was looking for proof of Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus helped him to see a reality beyond what can be proven or seen with the naked eye. Our hearts long for more than science and facts. We need our hearts as well as our heads to know and understand. Faith in a Creator and loving God is possible in a world that does not explain itself. If you struggle to believe in God, ask him to reveal Himself to you. Be open to what happens next.
Doubting Perfection and Believing in Divine Mercy
Sooner or later, we all have to come to terms with our brokenness and imperfection. Peter did and Thomas did too. This is also our journey – moving from a perfectionism to trust in his infinite mercy. Notice how Thomas’ faith was born after touching wounds. Seeing our own need for healing and forgiveness is the first step of knowing God and believing in Him who was wounded for us. By his wounds, we are healed’.
Doubting Isolation and Believing in Community:
Notice in the Gospel that Thomas was not with the others when Jesus appeared to them for the first time. He was alone. Isolation and self-sufficiency are not good. We are made for each other. We need each other. It was only when Thomas rejoined the others that he returned to faith. A sense of belonging is not just what we receive but what we gift to others. That's what the family of the Church is for.
Doubting Hate and Believing in Love
Jesus was murdered because of hatred, jealously and injustice. Now he was back to face the people who had failed him, denied him and ran away. Perhaps Thomas and the Apostles were nervous that Jesus would scold them for their failure and for letting him down. Instead, his first words were ‘Shalom’ or peace. Hatred, revenge and bitterness create more of the same. Believing in love brings light and faith into the darkness of our lives. The love and forgiveness of Jesus were the cause of the most beautiful expressions of faith ever made: ‘My Lord and my God’.
Friends, is the tide of faith turning? It’s important not to get carried away or to exaggerate. But something is happening, something that gives hope. After a time of doubting faith, many are turning again to doubt their doubts and to look again at the possibility of faith. A new springtime is upon us.
🙏🏼🌹