April 8, 2018

2^nd Sunday of Easter:

“The Lord’s Wounded Healers”

Msgr. Thomas Gervasio

Let’s insert ourselves into the scene of today’s Gospel—the Upper Room in company with the apostles. What would we sense in that room?—certainly a sense of foreboding, grief and disillusionmen. There is fear—the doors are locked. We could also feel the apostles' sense of failure, of shame and guilt, for they had abandoned the Lord on Good Friday. Into this emotionally tense environment, the Risen Lord appears!
 
It is easy to imagine Peter trying to hide behind the others, reluctant to even raise his eyes toward Jesus who had every right to reprimand him and the other apostles. And yet, he says, “Peace be with you!” Mercy prevails! Sorrow turns to joy. Shame gives way to freedom.
 
The Lord not only bestows his peace but confers a mission. They must unlock the doors and go out to preach the Gospel of God’s mercy. Notice that Jesus does not simply charge them to announce that they are forgiven. He gives them the juridical power to forgive, and in certain cases to withhold or delay forgiveness. Amazingly, Jesus entrusted this ministry of reconciliation to the very men who were (with the exception of John) nowhere to be seen on Good Friday. Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” This is no trivial detail. In Genesis we find that when God formed man out of the clay of the earth, he “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and so man became a living soul.” (Gen. 2:7) This was the act of recreating the apostles—the moment of their spiritual restoration.
 
Sad to say, Thomas, my patron was absent. St. John doesn’t reveal his whereabouts, but I like to think that he was the bravest apostle who left the security of the upper room to procure essential things. On the other hand, the apostles may have sent him out, thinking, “If Thomas doesn’t return, it’s no great loss”? Whatever the case, Thomas does return and we find that, still gripped by sorrow and fear, he did not believe the apostles account. This is why he goes down in history as the “Doubting Thomas.”
 
But Jesus did not forget Thomas or close his heart to him. Appearing a week later, he does not reprimand the doubter, but says: “Put your finger into my hands, and your hand into my side and do not be unbelieving but believe. Doubting Thomas became Faith-filled Thomas. He too, was restored, granted a new life—given a new beginning.
 
I imagine the apostles to be the best confessors in history. They could say to the sinner: “I understand your weakness. I can forgive you because I have been forgiven. I can assure you of God’s mercy because I have experienced his mercy!” The Lord would have his first confessors to be “wounded healers” of God’s people. Their successors—the priests of today continue this ministry through the Sacrament of Penance!
 
This Sacrament was important enough in the eyes of God that it is the Lord’s first gift to us after his Resurrection. We do not baptize ourselves…confirm ourselves, ordain or anoint ourselves. So, we do not absolve ourselves. Many people attempt this under the notion that there is no need to confess to another. Yet, the Lord established that we should turn to the Church for reconciliation. Sin is not just a personal act but something that affects the Mystical Body of Christ.
 
“Going to confession” is not usually thought of as an enjoyable experience. It takes “HCC”—Honesty, Courage and Contrition. But the Lord responds to that HCC with immense mercy and love. In fact he told us that at the repentance of a sinner, the angels in heaven rejoice!

This the great message of this Divine Mercy Sunday! Let’s rediscover the power, the consolation, and the strength that comes to us through the Lord’s Easter gift! If you haven’t been to confession in a long, long, long time, summon up that HCC… Like Thomas, the Lord does not forget us nor will He close his heart of mercy to us. The grace of confession will transform your life as were the weak, fearful, guilt burdened apostles. With full faith let us say together three times on this Divine Mercy Sunday:

“My Jesus, I trust in You!”