Peace From Jesus In the midst of our Fears (Acts 4:32-35/Ps.118/1Jn.5:1-7/Jn.20:19-31)


" On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them. Peace be with you" John 20:19

Today is Divine Mercy Sunday. It is a day we celebrate the gift of mercy that the Father gave to the world in His Son our Lord Jesus Christ. We celebrate this day, because we were all redeemed by the mercy and love of the Father. We are all sinners in need of God's mercy and we find the mercy we need in Jesus Christ.

The readings of today shows us who Jesus is and what His mission was all about. In the first reading we see how the apostles after the resurrection were of one heart and one mind and shared all they have in common. They lived a new life inspired by the death and resurrection of Jesus. They learnt from Jesus who had shown them mercy to be merciful and considerate to one another. They also witnessed about Jesus' resurrection with great power and authority, not just in words, but more in action because they put their trust in God.

Jesus gave them peace and He sent them to go out and witness for His resurrection. The celebration of the feast of today demands that we must become ambassadors of mercy in the world. Just as We come to God and we find mercy, we must also be ready to show mercy to others who come our way.

Today, When Jesus came to the apostles, Thomas was not there, but He gave Him a second chance to encounter His love. When He did put his hands in the marks in his hand and side he exclaimed, "my Lord and my God" This is and expression that he now believe, but Jesus said to him, "You now believe, because you have seen me. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe" Jesus showed him mercy and taught him a lesson that to believe in Him and to trust Him is much more important than anything we can ever seek for. He was not with the others when Jesus came and that  means that he neglected the fellowship of the disciples and that cost him a lot.

The disciples were afraid and full of anxiety when they were in the house, however, when Jesus came he drove away fear and gave them peace and this peace came with the courage to go out and witness for Him.  we must trust in the Lord with our whole heart and we must let his mercy flow through us to others. We should no longer be afraid because Jesus is risen and has given us the power, authority and strength to go out and proclaim in His name.

Our victory over the challenges we face in this life comes from Jesus and we must place our total trust in Him if we are going to overcome. Jesus is merciful and to be with Him is the best thing that could happen to us, for we must surely overcome since He is with us.

Let Us Pray: Lord Jesus Christ, you are rich in mercy. Show me your mercy and help me to spread the message of your mercy wherever I go. Amen

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