‘Peace be with you!
Full of the joy of the resurrection, the Sunday readings also stress the love and mercy the risen Lord has for all of his people.
In the First Reading we see the joy and enthusiasm of the young Church. The faithful are united in their belief, in their prayers and in the ‘breaking of bread’, as also in their care and attention to one another.
The Easter Psalm is in tune with the theme of Divine Mercy. It is a song of thanksgiving to God whose ‘mercy endures forever’. It also recalls the suffering of our Saviour who was raised up on Easter Sunday.
The Second Reading is similarly a type of hymn. It celebrates the new life that comes from the risen Jesus. We are born again to a living hope. Even in the trials and anxieties of the times we are living through, faith will always be enough.
In the Gospel, Jesus invests the disciples with the Holy Spirit. Thomas, who was absent from Jesus’s first appearance to them, is challenged to believe. Thomas now professes his faith with the wonderful words,
‘My Lord and my God!’
This week, as we continue to rejoice in the Lord’s resurrection, may we also reach out to others with compassion and understanding.
