Introduction
On April 30, 2000, Pope Saint John Paul II declared that “the Second Sunday of Easter henceforth throughout the Church will also be called Divine Mercy Sunday.” On this day, the faithful are called to reflect more personally on the graces won through the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. In this way, their hearts may be more fully aware of the mercy of God for them personally and for the sake of the world.
1st Reading – Acts 4:32-35
The community of believers was of one heart and mind,
and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own,
but they had everything in common.
With great power the apostles bore witness
to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,
and great favor was accorded them all.
There was no needy person among them,
for those who owned property or houses would sell them,
bring the proceeds of the sale,
and put them at the feet of the apostles,
and they were distributed to each according to need.
One of the distinctive features of the Easter season is the absence of the Old Testament from the first readings, which is replaced by selections from the Acts of the Apostles. During the Sundays following Easter, these readings from Acts describe the transformation that took place within the community of believers following the Resurrection.The short passage that comprises today’s first reading is one of the best-known descriptions of the early Christian community. Its depiction reflects the values prized by the early Christians and is probably more theologically idealized than it is historically accurate.
The community of believers was of one heart and mind,
The first of the principal values that characterize this community is unity.
and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common.
The second principal value: the sharing of possessions. This is both a continuation of a practice that Luke described during Jesus’ ministry (Luke 8:3) as well as a response to the ancient Jewish directive in Deuteronomy 15:4. It is consistent with Jesus’ teachings in Luke’s gospel (Luke 12:33, 16:9,11,13).
With great power the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favor was accorded them all.
The third principal value: apostolic witness. In addition to taking care of one another, the apostles were also missionaries.
There was no needy person among them,
The result of their thinking of themselves as stewards of God’s property rather than owners of their own property was that no one was in need.
This calls to mind ancient Israel’s image of the ideal end-time, when the people would finally be faithful to the law and there would be no poverty in the land. Since the early Christians regarded themselves as the people of God living in the time of fulfillment, it is easy to understand why they would believe they were to structure the patterns of their society according to this ideal.
for those who owned property or houses would sell them,
One of the methods of sharing property is described. The iterative Greek verb forms suggest that the practice was voluntary and repeated by various individuals.
This could not have been universally practiced — some members had to retain their property so that the community had available shelter. Other biblical narratives demonstrate the selectivity of this practice.
bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet of the apostles, and they were distributed to each according to need.
Based on their commission from Jesus, the apostles functioned within the community as his representatives, exercising authority in his place.
The mention of the proceeds from selling goods being laid at the apostles’ feet is a sign of obedience and submission. They were the ones who decided how best to distribute the goods among the needy. This practice also prevented individuals from giving their possessions ostentatiously.
The ideals of this community were noble. They held out a way of life that may appear to be an ideal, yet through the grace of the resurrection, is attainable.
2nd Reading – 1 John 5:1-6
Beloved:
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God,
and everyone who loves the Father
loves also the one begotten by him.
In this way we know that we love the children of God
when we love God and obey his commandments.
For the love of God is this,
that we keep his commandments.
And his commandments are not burdensome,
for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world.
And the victory that conquers the world is our faith.
Who indeed is the victor over the world
but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
This is the one who came through water and blood, Jesus Christ,
not by water alone, but by water and blood.
The Spirit is the one that testifies,
and the Spirit is truth.
Today we begin a six-week study of the first letter of John, which is believed to have been written from Ephesus toward the end of the first century (67 AD). It deals with the love of God and of the brethren which are the hallmark of the Christian.
The passage we hear today is a testimony to trinitarian faith. It describes God as the one who begets (the Father); it identifies Jesus as the Son of God; and it credits the Spirit as the one who testifies to the triumph of Jesus’ death and resurrection. It also sketches the way believers participate in this trinitarian reality.
Beloved: Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ
This is a simply stated yet foundational christological declaration: Jesus is the Christ.
The word Christ, meaning “anointed one,” has a long history in Jewish thought. In ancient Israel kings and priests were anointed (2 Samuel 2:4, Exodus 30:30). Gradually these customs developed into messianic ideas (Isaiah 9:5-6, 61:1), which after the resurrection were attributed by Christians to Jesus.
John is insisting that people believe not just that Jesus was a great teacher or prophet, but that he is the Messiah.
is begotten by God, and everyone who loves the father loves also the one begotten by him. In this way we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments.
A second theological theme: faith in Jesus makes believers children of God.
A form of the verb “to beget” is used three times: those who believe are “begotten by God”; God the Father is the one who begets; those “begotten by God” are to be the object of the love of others. Here faith and love (agápē) are intimately linked. While it is faith in Christ that brings one into the family of God, once incorporated, one is expected to love God and all those others who have also been begotten by God through faith in Jesus.
If we love the one who begets, then we must also love the begotten.
“The commandments of which John speaks are the two given by Jesus: Love God and love one another. Hold fast to this love and set your minds at rest. You need not be afraid of doing harm to anyone, for how can you harm the person you love? Love, and you cannot but do well.” [Saint Augustine of Hippo (416 AD), Homilies on the Epistle to the Parthians 10,7]
For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world.
The reading moves from faith and love to obedience. It may be that the author wanted to insist that faith and love are not merely interior dispositions but must be manifested in some external way.
The commandments to be observed are not identified but only called out as not burdensome.
And the victory that conquers the world is our faith.
Faith also reveals itself in its victory over the world. The world (kósmos) can be understood in three ways: the totality of natural creation, the inhabited world generally, and the inhabited world subject to sin. The context here suggests that the third meaning is intended.
Who indeed is the victor over the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
Note that the messiahship of Jesus is now coupled with his divine sonship.
It is faith in Jesus as Messiah and Son of God that triumphs over evil. It challenges anything that questions the exalted nature of Jesus and the power that flows from it.
This is the one who came through water and blood, Jesus Christ, not by water alone, but by water and blood.
Jesus inaugurated the reign of God and has ushered in the new age of fulfillment. He accomplished this not merely at the time of his baptism (through water), when he received his messianic commission, but at the time of his death and resurrection (through blood), when he conquered death.
“The Son of God came not by water only, in order to cleanse us from our sins, but also with the blood of His passion, by which He consecrates the sacrament of our baptism, giving His blood for us, redeeming us by His suffering and nourishing us with His sacraments so that we might be made fit for salvation.” [Saint Bede the Venerable (ca. 710 AD), On 1 John]
The Spirit is the one that testifies, and the Spirit is truth.
The Holy Spirit was present at Jesus’ baptism (Mark 1:10; John 1:32-34) and continues to witness to the work achieved through Christ by his presence in the Church.
Gospel – John 20:19-31
On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”
Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”
But he said to them,
“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nailmarks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”
Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples
that are not written in this book.
But these are written that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that through this belief you may have life in his name.
In today’s gospel reading, we hear of Jesus’ first appearances to the apostles after the resurrection.
Jesus has already appeared earlier in the day to Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-17). Despite Mary’s having told the other disciples about her experience (John 20:18), they are living in fear behind locked doors.
On the evening of that first day of the week,
This is the evening of the day of the resurrection. Sunday is “the first day of the week.”
Every resurrection account which is dated in the gospels occurs on a Sunday.
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews,
After what had happened to Jesus, the disciples feared for their lives.
Jesus came and stood in their midst
Despite the locked doors, Jesus is suddenly in their midst. His glorified risen body is not impeded by material obstacles, demonstrating his resurrection and his victory over death.
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
“Shalom.” In John’s gospel, Jesus’ first word to the disciples after his resurrection is a wish of peace. While it was a common greeting of the time, it is also a prayer for the eschatological blessings of health, prosperity, and all good things.
This gentle greeting must have been a great relief to the apostles, who were likely feeling deep fear and shame over abandoning Jesus during his passion.
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
By revealing his wounds from the crucifixion, Jesus is showing the disciples that he is not a figment of their imagination or a ghostly entity. His tortured body is truly present.
There is no longer any doubt that this is the same Jesus whom they had known and loved, and who had been crucified — now transformed and victorious over death.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
The disciples recognize him immediately and rejoice. All was not lost after all; their leader had returned.
Their elation is a fulfillment of a promise Jesus made at the Last Supper: “So you are now in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you” (John 16:22).
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
Once again, shalom. The message of peace is emphasized by repetition.
This is also a promised gift. At the Last Supper, Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me tell you, ‘I am going away and I will come back to you’” (John 14:27-28).
Now, Jesus has indeed come back to them, just as he promised, and he offers them peace.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
He is commissioning them with the same authority with which he was given.
Note: the word “apostle” means “one who is sent.”
What did [Christ] wish in regard to the Church founded, or about to be founded? This: to transmit to it the same mission and the same mandate which He had received from the Father, that they should be perpetuated. This He clearly resolved to do: this He actually did. “As the Father hath sent me, I also send you” (John 20:21). “As thou hast sent Me into the world I also have sent them into the world” (John 17:18). [Pope Leo XIII, Satis Cognitum]
And when he had said this, he breathed on them
This description of Jesus breathing on the apostles is one of John’s many allusions to the Book of Genesis. When God created man in the garden, God breathed life into him (Genesis 2:7). Just as God created the material world in Genesis, here Jesus is breathing life into his creation, the Church — a creative/re-creative act consistent with the Easter themes of new birth and a new life in Christ.
and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
There is a beautiful word play here with the Hebrew ruah, which can mean “breath”, “wind”, and “spirit”.
Note the trinitarian nature of this event: the commission is from God, given by Jesus, and endowed with the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”
The phrase “bind and loose” is a judicial reference, where a judge determines the guilt or innocence of a defendant and the subsequent consequences. The Church has always understood that Jesus here vested the apostles with the authority to forgive sins and instituted the sacrament of Penance.
However, the authority bestowed here extends beyond this specific function. “Bind and loose” is comparable to expressions like “flesh and blood” or “left and right,” which encompass the entirety of their respective categories. These phrases convey a sense of totality: “flesh and blood” encompasses the entire body, “left and right” represents the entire horizon, and “bind and loose” denotes complete authority.
With this bestowal of the Spirit, the disciples are endowed with the authority and power to carry on Jesus’ mission on earth.
Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
Two resurrection appearances are provided in this passage. Thomas, who was absent from the first event, but central to the second, forms a kind of hinge between the accounts.
The designation of “the Twelve” remains even though one of them has defected. Matthias will be selected by lot to replace Judas in forty days (Acts 1:16ff).
was not with them when Jesus came.
Why had Thomas not gathered with the rest of the disciples? Did he not share their fear of the Jews? Or was he too afraid to be associated with them? The reason for his absence is never given, but it does provide an occasion for another encounter with the risen Lord and the demonstration of faith that ensues.
So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
Thomas represents the second generation of Christians, those who are called to believe based on the testimony of others. The faith required of him is, in a way, more demanding than that required of those who actually encountered the risen Lord.
Now a week later
Again on a Sunday. The entire reckoning of time has been altered. Where previously the conclusion of the week had religious meaning, now the focus is on the beginning of the week, on the future.
his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”
Christ appears under the same circumstances as before: on a Sunday, despite locked doors, with a greeting of peace, calling attention to his wounds.
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side,
Though we may judge Thomas harshly for his doubt, Jesus does not. Instead, he invites Thomas to touch him, an invitation not extended earlier to the others.
Here and in verse 20 is the only explicit evidence from the Bible that Jesus was nailed rather than tied to the cross. Luke 24:39 implies that his feet were also nailed.
and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”
By including this in his invitation, Jesus is telling Thomas not only that the disciples told the truth when they said that they had seen the Lord, but that the Lord was present with the disciples even when they could not see him. How else would Jesus have known Thomas’ reaction?
Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Whether Thomas actually took Jesus up on his offer to probe the wounds is not stated, but his response is the most complete affirmation of Christ’s nature to be found on the lips of anyone in the gospel. The other disciples recognized that the one in their midst was their Lord — Thomas declared that the risen Lord was God, a profession of faith that outstrips the others.
The combination of “Lord” and “God” is found in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint) to translate the name of the God of Israel; it was also a combination used as a divine designation in the Greek world.
Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
According to Jesus, as profound as was Thomas’ ultimate faith, it does not compare with the faith of those who do not enjoy the kind of experience of the Lord described here. Thomas should be remembered not because he was absent or because he doubted but because, like us, he was called to believe on the word of others. And like Thomas, we know how difficult that is.
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book.
Other than appearing in a room with locked doors, there are no “signs” in this reading. This has led some commentators to suggest that this verse was originally the conclusion to the collection of miracles used by the evangelist. In that context, Jesus’ resurrection would have been understood as the final “sign” of his relationship with the Father.
But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.
This final verse summarizes the purpose of the gospel as having faith in Jesus as the Messiah, as the Son of God, as the source of eternal life. As Jesus said in John 6:29, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
Connections and Themes
Easter. The themes for the Second Sunday of Easter set the tone for the entire Easter season. They are all geared toward mystagogical catechesis, the instruction that unpacks the hidden mystery experienced in the sacraments of initiation received or renewed on Easter. The readings for this season provide us an extended meditation on the mystery of the resurrection and on our own incorporation into that resurrection through the mysteries of initiation.
Our reflections today are on the presence of the risen Lord. Where is he to be found? Each of the readings offers an answer to this question. The risen Christ is to be found in the community of believers, in the preaching of the disciples, in the forgiveness of sin, and in the physical manifestation of Christ’s own wounds.
In the community. Filled with faith in the risen Lord, believers attended to the needs of one another and in that way, effectively brought forth the end-time. This end-time living was a tangible reality. Even non-believers recognized that there was something marvelously different about the community, and they exclaimed in awe: these Christians, see how they love one another. Faith in Jesus, the Messiah and Son of God, transforms ordinary people into children of God. Along with their new distinction comes a new way of living. Children of God live lives that are pleasing to God, lives that make faith and love tangible in the world.
In the preaching of the disciples. Thomas is the patron saint of those who must accept the truth of the resurrection on the word of others. Down through the ages, this is how it has been. There is no physical proof to which we can point, only the witness of others. Even the empty tomb is only an empty tomb. Evidence of the truth of the resurrection-claims is the change in life it effects, and we can all attest to this change. Time and again, we have been touched by the power of the word of God; time and again it has brought our lives out of darkness into light, from the stranglehold of death to the birth of new life. The preaching of the disciples has been not only instructive, it has also been transformative.
Like Thomas, we might tend to doubt when the claims of the preacher seem too amazing, the demands too extreme. Those who preach may be no more credible than was Thomas. Yet these are the ones to whom the message has been given. It is the power of the tangible word of God, passed on a proclaimed by weak and limited human beings, that makes the risen Lord mystically present in the midst of the world.
In the forgiveness of sin. On that first Easter evening, Jesus came to the frightened disciples in order to make them ministers of divine forgiveness. His presence to them was the first instance of reconciliation. Today this same power in the Spirit given by the risen Christ reconciles sinners with God and, thereby, with the rest of the believing community. The words of forgiveness are the tangible agents of the mystical presence of the risen Christ.
In the wounds of Christ. Jesus offered his wounds to be touched. He does this yet in our day. Believing that the community is the body of Christ, when we touch the wounds of the community we are putting our hands into the wounds of the risen Lord. These wounds in Christ, as shocking as they may appear to be, are really glorious wounds because the risen Lord has identified with them, has made them his own. However, as with every other example offered to us in the readings of today, we need faith to recognize the tangible presence of Christ in our midst.
Sunday Readings 