Divine Mercy Sunday (2nd Sunday of Easter)
First reading — Acts 2:42-47
The faithful all lived together and owned everything in common
The whole community remained faithful to the teaching of the apostles, to the brotherhood, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.
The many miracles and signs worked through the apostles made a deep impression on everyone.
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. Day by day the Lord added to their community those destined to be saved.
Responsorial Psalm — Psalm 117(118):2-4,13-15,22-24
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love is everlasting.
Let the sons of Israel say:
‘His love has no end.’
Let the sons of Aaron say:
‘His love has no end.’
Let those who fear the Lord say:
‘His love has no end.’
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love is everlasting.
I was thrust down, thrust down and falling,
but the Lord was my helper.
The Lord is my strength and my song;
he was my saviour.
There are shouts of joy and victory
in the tents of the just.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love is everlasting.
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the corner stone.
This is the work of the Lord,
a marvel in our eyes.
This day was made by the Lord;
we rejoice and are glad.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love is everlasting.
Second reading — 1 Peter 1:3-9
You did not see Christ, yet you love him
Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy has given us a new birth as his sons, by raising Jesus Christ from the dead, so that we have a sure hope and the promise of an inheritance that can never be spoilt or soiled and never fade away, because it is being kept for you in the heavens. Through your faith, God’s power will guard you until the salvation which has been prepared is revealed at the end of time. This is a cause of great joy for you, even though you may for a short time have to bear being plagued by all sorts of trials; so that, when Jesus Christ is revealed, your faith will have been tested and proved like gold – only it is more precious than gold, which is corruptible even though it bears testing by fire – and then you will have praise and glory and honour. You did not see him, yet you love him; and still without seeing him, you are already filled with a joy so glorious that it cannot be described, because you believe; and you are sure of the end to which your faith looks forward, that is, the salvation of your souls.
Gospel — John 20:19-31
Eight days later, Jesus came again and stood among them
In the evening of that same day, the first day of the week, the doors were closed in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them. He said to them, ‘Peace be with you’, and showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord, and he said to them again, ‘Peace be with you.
‘As the Father sent me,
so am I sending you.’
After saying this he breathed on them and said:
‘Receive the Holy Spirit.
For those whose sins you forgive,
they are forgiven;
for those whose sins you retain,
they are retained.’
Thomas, called the Twin, who was one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. When the disciples said, ‘We have seen the Lord’, he answered, ‘Unless I see the holes that the nails made in his hands and can put my finger into the holes they made, and unless I can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe.’ Eight days later the disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with them. The doors were closed, but Jesus came in and stood among them. ‘Peace be with you’ he said. Then he spoke to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; look, here are my hands. Give me your hand; put it into my side. Doubt no longer but believe.’ Thomas replied, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him:
‘You believe because you can see me.
Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.’
There were many other signs that Jesus worked and the disciples saw, but they are not recorded in this book. These are recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing this you may have life through his name.
Reflection
The early Church in Acts is not simply organised — it is transformed.
They remain faithful to teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer. They hold everything in common. This is not idealism; it is the fruit of the Resurrection. When Christ is truly encountered, life is reordered. Possessions, priorities, and relationships are no longer centred on self, but on communion.
This is what the Church looks like when it lives from Easter.
In the Gospel, however, we begin in a very different place — fear.
The doors are closed. The disciples are hiding. The Resurrection has happened, but it has not yet been fully received.
And then Christ enters.
No barrier stops him. No locked door, no fear, no failure. His first words are not correction, but peace: “Peace be with you.”
This is Divine Mercy in action.
He shows his wounds — not erased, but glorified. The marks of suffering remain, but they are now signs of victory. Then he breathes the Holy Spirit and gives authority to forgive sins. Mercy is not abstract — it is entrusted to the Church.
Then comes Thomas.
His doubt is honest. He refuses second-hand faith. Yet Christ does not reject him. He meets him. He invites him. And Thomas moves from doubt to the highest confession: “My Lord and my God.”
The Catechism reveals the depth of this moment:
- The Resurrection is a real event that transforms history and faith (CCC 639–644)
- Christ’s risen body is the same, yet glorified beyond ordinary limits (CCC 645–646)
- Faith is often born through encounter, even after doubt (CCC 644)
- The forgiveness of sins is a central gift of the Resurrection (CCC 976–977)
Divine Mercy Sunday brings it together.
Christ does not wait for perfect faith.
He enters fear.
He meets doubt.
He offers peace.
He gives mercy.
And then he calls us to believe — not because we have seen, but because he has revealed.
One line to carry today:
Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.
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