DIVINE MERCY

The celebration of the Divine Mercy reveals God’s boundless, infinite and overflowing mercy and love towards His people. It is His initiative to approach us and reveal Himself to us. When Thomas said that he will only believe unless he sees and touches for himself the side and hands of Jesus, he wants a first hand experience of the Risen Christ. However, the Good News is that it is God who sees us, finds us, seeks us out and calls us by name. You did not choose me, but I chose you first. You did not love me, but I loved you first (John 15:16). This is the divine initiative. It is God who confirms our new identity. It is in being seen by God that we are alive and true. The business of God is finding us. Thus, faith is always a response to the One who approaches us. St. John says that faith conquers the world (1 John 5:4). That is why, the community of believers according to the Acts of Apostles was of one mind and heart because of the outpouring of God’s grace and mercy. The early Christian community was transformed and became selfless and generosity prevails among them renouncing individual possessiveness. There was no needy person among them. Everything was in common: purpose and mission. They were dedicated to prayer and obedient to the teachings of the Apostles. Thomas, who was called Didymus, was absent when the Risen Christ appeared to the disciples. But when he was reunited with the community, he made a great and complete confession of faith: my Lord and my God (John 20:28). Jesus said that have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen but have believed (John 20:29). Grace alone allows us to have access to God. We don’t merit it. It is purely gift. It is important to note that we need the faith-strengthening fellowship of fellow Christians in order to believe. Jesus said to the disciples, Peace be with you (John 20:21). In Hebrew, shalom which is more than the absence of conflict. It is wholeness, a gift of God that the world cannot give. Shalom is mercy triumphant over judgment, revenge, hatred. It is restoration of harmony between God and man. As we celebrate the Divine Mercy, we are called to be agents of God’s love, compassion and mercy in a world that is broken, divided and fragmented