“My Lord and my God!”
This Sunday is known by many names. First, it is known as the Eighth Day of the Easter Octave. Christmas and Easter, the two highest feasts in the Church calendar, each are celebrated for 8 days as if it were the actual day itself, which is called an octave. So, if you go to Mass any time this week (in which we are in the midst of the Easter Octave), you will notice that we celebrate Mass as if it were still Easter Sunday itself.
It is also known as Divine Mercy Sunday. This name comes most directly from a Polish visionary saint named St. Faustina Kowalska, whose visions of Jesus included him asking her to have this Sunday be one in which his mercy is celebrated in particular. Many people commemorate this by going to Confession on this day. The reason: the reading for this day includes Jesus giving to the Apostles the power to forgive sin, when he says, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." So, this Divine Mercy title celebrates the great mercy of God, shown first and foremost in the events surrounding Jesus' Passion and Death on Good Friday, but also shown by the Risen Jesus' giving to the Church and to its clergy the power to forgive sin in His name.
And finally, it is most basically known as the Second Sunday of Easter (of which there are 7 Sundays in the liturgical season of Easter). The Gospel contains the story of Thomas' "doubting" the Lord's resurrection, followed by his profession of faith upon putting his fingers in the holes in Jesus' hands and his hand into the hole in Jesus' side. Among many significant things about this story, it is important to point out that this is one of those stories in Scripture that directly mentions us! For when Thomas, upon encountering the Risen Christ in his glorified body declares, "My Lord and my God," Jesus replies by saying: "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."
Brothers and sister, as we continue our walk through the Easter Season over the next several weeks, let us not forget these many truths that this Sunday proclaims! Jesus has declared us, who have not seen and yet have believed, to be blessed! And on top of that, in his great mercy he gave to the Church the power to forgive sin in his name to ensure that we may always remain blessed and close to him, even when we fall or lose our way. May these realities permeate our hearts and minds so that we may become more like him each and every day, and by our love draw others to him so that they may be so blessed too!
Want to prepare your heart and mind for Mass this weekend? Click here to find the readings this Sunday's Mass.