Jesus appears to His disciples

Today is Divine Mercy Sunday, which means, Catholics who confess their sins, no matter how grave or no matter how hardened a sinner you are, have the assurance by our Lord Jesus Christ who is Mercy personified of gaining eternal life. This was written in the notes of Sister now Saint Faustina Kowalska who was given a private revelation by our Lord Jesus who asked her that this feast be celebrated on the Sunday after Easter.

Call it timely that the gospel today is the institution of the Sacrament of Penance, which we shall discuss in the later part of this article. The Feast of the Divine Mercy was instituted by the late Pope John Paul II on May 23, 2000 as requested by St. Faustina. It is the highest endorsement of a private revelation given by the Catholic Church through the Pope. 

As St. Faustina wrote in her diary, as told to her by our Lord Jesus Christ, “Whoever approaches the Fountain of Life on this day will be granted complete forgiveness of sins and punishment (Diary 300). Meanwhile today’s gospel is about the Appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ to his disciples. You can read it in the Bible in John 20:19-21.

“19 On the evening of the first 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.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 [Jesus] said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

24 Thomas called Didymus, one of the Twelve was not with them when Jesus came. 25 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.”

26 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.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands and bring you hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”

28 Those answered and said to him, “My Lord and My God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” 30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of [his] disciples that are not written in this book. 31 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.”

Allow me to repeat what our Lord spoke before his terrified disciples. Come now, who would not be terrified when their Master entered the upper room which was locked shut? But to comfort them, our Lord Jesus gave this greeting, “Peace be with you.” Then he went on to say, “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.”

Earlier in Matthew 16: 19, our Lord address this statement to Peter, “I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” But this was only given to St. Peter after his confession to our Lord Jesus that he was the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. But this time, this concept of loosing and binding was now given to his disciples, through the Holy Spirit. What you are reading in this scriptural passage is one of the most heated issues that divided Christianity in the time of the Reformation.

Today there are on record over 33,000 plus Christian Churches of various names, locations and race. Yet there is only one Holy, Apostolic and Universal (Katolicos) church and that is the Catholic Church. It is unfortunate that God sent his only begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ to save us from our sins, yet because of human pride, Christianity today is so divided. In our spiritual battle against the Reproductive Heath or Responsible Parenthood Bill, the Catholic Church is the only one that believes what God spoke to Adam and Eve:, for man to subdue the earth and multiply.

In the fifth Novena of the Divine Mercy, allow me to print it here for emphasis that this division about Christians has pained our Lord Jesus Christ. St. Faustina wrote in her diary, “Today bring to me the souls who have separated from my Church and immerse them in the ocean of my mercy. During my bitter passion they tore at my body and Heart, that is my Church. As they return to unity with the Church, my wounds heal, and in this way they alleviate my passion.”

* * *

Email: [email protected]