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“The Seven Acts of Mercy”
by Caravaggio, c. 1607 |
Readings for the Second Sunday of Easter [2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
Readings and Commentary:[4]
Reading 1: 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.
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Commentary on Acts 4:32-35
This selection from Acts is the second summary describing the community of faith at Jerusalem. The description is of a community completely unified in the faith of the risen Lord. The community is living in accordance with the practices followed by the disciples when they were with Jesus, sharing all material possessions.
"The text suggests that the Christians in Jerusalem had an organized system for the relief of the poor in the community. Judaism had social welfare institutions and probably the early Church used one of these as a model. However, the Christian system of helping each according to his need would have had characteristics of its own, deriving from the charity from which it sprang and as a result of gradual differentiation from the Jewish way of doing things." [5]
CCC: Acts 4:26-27 436; Acts 4:27-28 600; Acts 4:32 952, 2790; Acts 4:33 995
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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 II: 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.
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Commentary on 1 Jn 5:1-6
St. John begins his discourse with the logic that defines what it means to be Christian. “Children of God are identified not only by their love for others (1 John 4:7-9) and for God but by their belief in the divine sonship of Jesus Christ. Faith, the acceptance of Jesus in his true character and the obedience in love to God's commands, is the source of the Christian's power in the world and conquers the world of evil, even as Christ overcame the world (John 16:33).” [6]
The evangelist concludes by referring to blood, which is a symbol of the Cross of the crucified Christ. Also contained in the passion of Christ was God’s own testimony about the identity of his Only Son (Matthew 3:16-17). His logic in this passage teaches that if one does not believe in Jesus as the Son of God, they call God a liar because he testified to the identity of his Son.
CCC: 1 Jn 5:1 2780, 2790; 1 Jn 5:6-8 1225
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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 n ot 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 important elements of this version of the story. First, the Lord’s greeting is “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:
This Octave Sunday of Easter or the Second Sunday of Easter has been known as “Divine Mercy” Sunday since the turn of the current millennium, the year 2000 A.D. St. John Paul II named it so and it has been connected with the canonization of St. Faustina for these past 24 years.
As we consider what this means to us, a number of possible responses come to mind.
It could be that we show our respect for God’s Divine Mercy by praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3:00 PM each day as many of the faithful do.
It could be that we recognize on this, the octave day (or 8th day) since the great celebration of Easter, that the reason our Savior, Jesus Christ, endured his passion and death was the ultimate demonstration of God’s Divine Mercy, sacrificing his Only Begotten Son that we might enjoy eternal life in heaven, something that had been denied since the gates were slammed shut by Adam and Eve as they disobeyed God and brought sin into the world.
It could be a remembrance of that image from St. Luke’s Gospel:
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’
But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ (Luke 18:11-13)
From this passage is derived the “Jesus Prayer” – “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
And it could be that it’s just another name for this Sunday and not much more.
Since there are options associated with the label for our celebration today, I would like to ask you a simple question: What impact does God’s Divine Mercy have on your life? To ask it a little differently: In what way, if any, does the fact the God gave up his Only Begotten Son to a humiliating death, so you could enjoy eternal peace, make a difference? I state it this way because that act is the clearest pragmatic expression of Divine Mercy.
If we think about a person about to undergo a painful episode (say a difficult medical procedure), we might hear the silent plea: “Lord please have mercy on me!” Mercy has already been given; Christ walks with you through your ordeal. If there is a family crisis, we might hear the cry of a parent or a child: “God, please have mercy!” Mercy has already been offered, your pain is shared, shared on the cross.
And what if none of these things are currently happening, what difference does God’s Divine Mercy make in your life? (Or is it reserved for those times when the world or events threaten to bury you?)
Christians should be able to announce to the world, that Divine Mercy is their strength and their peace, all in one. But that belief does not come automatically. It does not just happen. One does not simply come to Mass each Sunday and get fed holy food and become strong because of that meal. No, when we call out in our pain: “Lord please, in your goodness, have mercy on me!”, the strength and faith behind that plea must be bolstered by the exercise of that faith.
We use the analogy of physical strength here. Everyone here has heard one hundred times; in order to be healthy, you must have proper diet and exercise. The same is true of your spiritual self. If a person comes to the sacraments to be fed but never does anything outside of Mass or the confessional, all you get is nourishment for yourself. You don’t build spiritual muscle. In a sense you get fat because you do not use the spiritual muscles to do the work for which they were intended.
In order for us to be healthy and strong in our faith, the gifts we are given, including our sure and certain knowledge of God’s Divine Mercy, must be put to work. Look at the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles. We see in the description of the early Christian communities the expression of Divine Mercy, carried out by the followers of Jesus, caring for each other, making sure that those without food were fed, those without clothing were clothed. They were living the Corporal Works of Mercy as we have defined them these many hears later.
Do you remember them? (No fair asking your children, if you have them with you.)
The Corporal Works of Mercy are:
To feed the hungry;
To give drink to the thirsty;
To clothe the naked;
To shelter the homeless;
To visit the sick;
To visit the prisoner;
To bury the dead;
To give alms to the poor.
Acting in accordance with these impulses builds our own strength. And if we cannot act for some reason (and it should be a really good reason), we also have the spiritual works of mercy as well:
To instruct the ignorant;
To counsel the doubtful;
To admonish sinners;
To bear wrongs patiently;
To forgive offenses willingly;
To comfort the sorrowful;
To pray for the living and the dead.
I know this has been mentioned before, but even St. Augustine was daunted by the Lord’s example. He is reported to have said at his consecration as Bishop of Hippo:
“The turbulent have to be corrected, the faint-hearted cheered up, the weak supported; the Gospel's opponents need to be refuted, its insidious enemies guarded against; the unlearned need to be taught, the indolent stirred up, the argumentative checked; the proud must be put in their place, the desperate set on their feet, those engaged in quarrels reconciled; the needy have to be helped, the oppressed to be liberated, the good to be encouraged, the bad to be tolerated; all must be loved.
“The Gospel terrifies me.”
Many of us have been watching the series “Chosen” which spoke about the life and times of the Gospel. Now our post-Easter Scripture begins taking us into the life lived by the early Christian communities. For a cinematic look at that life, we recommend the movie “Paul, Apostle of Jesus Christ” for those of you who enjoy biblical movies to enhance your pursuit of a life in Christ. (I will caution you, some scenes are graphic and I would not encourage it for very young children.)
I want to leave you with a short piece of Scripture that was not part of our readings today (although I should mention that St. Thomas did redeem himself when he called Jesus “My Lord and my God”). This is from the letter of my personal patron saint, St. James. He says:
“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it?
So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:14-17)
Thank God for his Divine Mercy, demonstrated through Christ and lived out in us through the Holy Spirit so the world might see and know of his great love.
Pax
In other years on this date: Memorial of St. John Baptist de la Salle, Priest
[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 used is “The Seven Acts of Mercy” by Caravaggio, c. 1607.
[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. 748.
[6] NAB footnote on 1 John 5:1-5.
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