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“St Peter Healing the Sick with his Shadow”
by Masaccio, 1426-27 |
Readings for the Second Sunday of Easter [2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
Readings and Commentary: [4]
Reading 1: Acts 5:12-16
Many signs and wonders were done among the people
at the hands of the apostles.
They were all together in Solomon’s portico.
None of the others dared to join them, but the people esteemed them.
Yet more than ever, believers in the Lord,
great numbers of men and women, were added to them.
Thus they even carried the sick out into the streets
and laid them on cots and mats
so that when Peter came by,
at least his shadow might fall on one or another of them.
A large number of people from the towns
in the vicinity of Jerusalem also gathered,
bringing the sick and those disturbed by unclean spirits,
and they were all cured.
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Commentary on Acts 5:12-16
The disciples continue to evangelize the people of Jerusalem in this, the third of St. Luke’s descriptive summaries. We see a continuation of the healing power of their ministry in the name of Jesus and feel belief in the risen Lord grow. The miraculous events and signs occurring in the name of Jesus serve to demonstrate that the Kingdom of God is among those of this early community.
“Miracles are a form of accreditation God gives to the Gospel message: they are actions of God in support of the truth of his messengers’ preaching. ‘If they had not worked miracles and wonders,’ Origen says, ‘Jesus‘ disciples could not have moved their hearers to give up their traditional religion for new teachings and truths, and to embrace, at the risk of their lives, the teachings which are being proclaimed to them' (Against Celsus, 1, 46).” [5]
CCC: Acts 5:12 699
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24
R. (1) Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the house of Israel say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
Let the house of Aaron say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
Let those who fear the LORD say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
R. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I was hard pressed and was falling,
but the LORD helped me.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
The joyful shout of victory
in the tents of the just:
R. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.
R. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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Commentary on Ps 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24
Psalm 118 has been in regular use during the Easter season. It is a liturgical song of praise and victory. The messianic imagery is so strong that it has been used for the past three days, reflecting the joy of the Church in Eastertide. This litany of thanksgiving features the cornerstone image that, in addition to Acts 4:1-12, was also used in the Gospel of St. Mark (Mark 12:10) and the first epistle of St. Peter (1 Peter 2:7) and the following Old Testament references: Job 38:6; Isaiah 28:16; Jeremiah 51:26. On Divine Mercy Sunday we begin the selection appropriately with: “His mercy endures forever.”
CCC: Ps 118:14 1808; Ps 118:22 587, 756; Ps 118:26 559
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Reading 2: Revelation 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19
I, John, your brother, who share with you
the distress, the kingdom, and the endurance we have in Jesus,
found myself on the island called Patmos
because I proclaimed God’s word and gave testimony to Jesus.
I was caught up in spirit on the Lord’s day
and heard behind me a voice as loud as a trumpet, which said,
“Write on a scroll what you see.”
Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me,
and when I turned, I saw seven gold lampstands
and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man,
wearing an ankle-length robe, with a gold sash around his chest.
When I caught sight of him, I fell down at his feet as though dead.
He touched me with his right hand and said, “Do not be afraid.
I am the first and the last, the one who lives.
Once I was dead, but now I am alive forever and ever.
I hold the keys to death and the netherworld.
Write down, therefore, what you have seen,
and what is happening, and what will happen afterwards.”
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Commentary on Rev 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19
We are given St. John’s first vision from his revelation. He is instructed to write down all he sees for the seven churches of his time (Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea). The "lamp stand" reference may also be reminiscent of the menorah, the light burning before God in the temple. We also note that the vision of the Son of Man bears a striking resemblance to St. Faustina’s vision of the risen Lord.
The evangelist's actions can be seen as a traditional response to standing in the presence of God. Historically it was thought that one coming into God's presence would die instantly. St. John is reassured that the Risen Lord has indeed conquered death, and now lives forever at the right hand of the Father. (“Once I was dead, but now I am alive forever and ever. I hold the keys to death and the netherworld.”)
CCC: Rv 1:17 612; Rv 1:18 625, 633, 635, 2854
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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.
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Commentary on Jn 20:19-31
St. John gives us the picture of the disciples (now apostles) in hiding immediately following the Lord’s crucifixion. Twice Jesus comes to them, once with Thomas absent, and then again when he is present. (Note: no reference was made to Thomas' absence in Luke 24;36-49, the only other account of this event.)
There are a number of very important elements of this version of the story. First, the Lord’s greeting: “Peace be with you.” While this may have been a simple shalom, it is more likely intended to emphasize the rejoicing sense of the meeting. Immediately the Lord sends them on their mission: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you." As part of this action, we are told, the Lord gives the gift of the Holy Spirit to strengthen them. He also gives them authority to act in his name.
The significance of Thomas’ absence is used as an evangelizing moment. Doubting Thomas is confronted in the second visit by the risen Christ and, almost in recompense for his role as disbeliever, he provides the title with which Jesus is understood now as True God as well as True Man: “My Lord and my God.” The Lord then delivers a beatitude for future generations of Christians: "Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."
CCC: Jn 20:19 575, 643, 645, 659; Jn 20:20 645; Jn 20:21-23 1087, 1120, 1441; Jn 20:21 730, 858; Jn 20:22-23 976, 1485; Jn 20:22 730, 788, 1287; Jn 20:23 1461, 2839; Jn 20:24-27 644; Jn 20:26 645, 659; Jn 20:27 645; Jn 20:28 448; Jn 20:30 514; Jn 20:31 442, 514
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Reflection:
When the Lord appeared to his disciples in the locked room, they were afraid and desolate. The first thing he offered them was a great gift. They did not yet realize what had happened. He came to them, even though the door was locked. He showed them his glorified and risen body and said: “Peace be with you.” I’d like to begin this Divine Mercy discourse with a litany of peace:
Heavenly Father, in the locked room of their despair you came to the disciples and said, “Peace be with you.” In our turn we dare to ask your son:
When we are locked from you in doubt, in your mercy, give us peace.
When our minds are locked in ignorance, in your mercy, give us peace.
In the locked room of sin, when we are contrite, in your mercy, give us peace.
When we are trapped in sorrow and depression, in your mercy, give us peace.
When we struggle to forgive those who have harmed us, in your mercy, give us peace.
When we are persecuted, in your mercy, give us peace.
When we pray, in your mercy, give us peace.
As we pray for your mercy and peace, dear Lord, we pray also that you give us strength to follow you:
When we feed the hungry, we show your mercy and offer peace.
When we give drink to the thirsty, we show your mercy and offer peace.
When we shelter the homeless, we show your mercy and offer peace.
When we visit the sick and infirm, we show your mercy and offer peace.
When we visit the prisoners, we show your mercy and offer peace.
When we bury the dead, we show your mercy and offer peace.
When we give alms to the poor, we show your mercy and offer peace.
Most merciful God, we ask once more, as your children, adopted through baptism, to be given the great gift of your peace. May we, who receive this gift, always be prepared to pass it on to others.
Amen
When St. John Paul established the Second Sunday of Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday in 2000, at the canonization of St. Faustina, he said: “Humanity will not find peace until it turns trustfully to divine mercy.” We recall those words and we continue our celebration of God’s ultimate act of mercy, the sacrifice of his Only Begotten Son for our salvation.
While we are still remembering clearly the divine mercy of Easter, we must all ask ourselves an important question. What is our relationship with the Lord? It is not an easy question. We think about our other relationships: our relationship with our families, our relationship with friends, and our relationship with others whom we do not know well. How do we think about our relationship with Jesus when we compare it with how we relate to our best friend? Do we share everything with him? Do we cry with him when we are in sorrow and receive comfort from him? Do we laugh with him when we are happy sharing those times of joy?
In many cases, the answers to those questions can be: “Well, not really.” If not, where do we place our relationship with the Lord on a scale that ranges from our “best friend” down to the person we know about and may have seen on occasion but whom we really don’t know? We also need to ask ourselves if that relationship is important. Let’s face it; being in a relationship with someone takes work. We can’t be close to everyone, there’s just not enough time. So, do we have time for the Lord?
These questions become important when we think about our own happiness. As any parent who loves their children knows, the most important thing they hope for their children is that they are safe and happy. In short, as parents we hope our children find peace in their lives. It is peace that the Lord can offer. It is peace that our friendship with the Lord provides. When we consider the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy and how we participate in them, we see this clearly.
We are called to be conduits of mercy. That means we are called to accept, no, embrace the mercy shown to us. The mercy that allowed faith in St. Peter’s shadow to heal, the mercy that calmed the fears of the disciples as they huddled in fear, the mercy of God that saves us from our own sins through forgiveness. We embrace the love and compassion and then we are called to pass it on to those who need it most, the sick, the weak, those in prisons (prisons made from bars, prisons of the mind, and prisoners of addiction). We extend mercy and in the act of passing God’s love on, we find the peace he offers.
On this Divine Mercy Sunday we are reminded of the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy and are encouraged once more to accept and pass on what we receive:
Our Spiritual Works:
• Counseling the doubtful
• Instructing the ignorant
• Admonishing the sinner
• Comforting the sorrowful
• Forgiving injuries
• Bearing wrongs patiently
• Praying for the living and the dead
And the Corporal Works of Mercy:
• Feed the hungry
• Give drink to the thirsty
• Shelter the homeless
• Visit the sick
• Visit the prisoners
• Bury the dead
• Give alms to the poor
Pax
In other years on this date: Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Priest and Martyr
[1] Catechism links are taken from the
Homiletic Directory, Published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2] The picture is “
St Peter Healing the Sick with his Shadow” by Masaccio, 1426-27.[3] S.S. Commemoratio[4] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[5] The Navarre Bible, “Gospels and Acts,” Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, p. 750.
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