In Jesus, I trust.
One day a nurse at a hospital heard cries of ‘Help! Help!” coming from the room of a 96 year old woman who had broken her hip. They rushed in to find that she was just thirsty. ‘Why don’t you push the buzzer?” the nurse asked. “I’ve done that,’ she said and continued ‘I tried but no one responded. The buzzer does not have any human touch.”
Physical contact with others is very important. We desperately need to have someone next to us- a friendly and comforting presence. Otherwise we experience confusion, hurt and damage. When you visit an orphanage the children fight for the privilege of touching you.
With this in mind we can understand how Thomas and the other disciples must have felt. The first thing he did was to show them his wounds. This Jesus does, because these were the proof of his love for them. Love, after all, is proved not by words but by deeds.
All of us like Thomas have our fears, doubts, hurts and pains. And Christ asks us to come and see and to touch him. Of course we cannot touch him physically, but we can draw close to him spiritually.
And having been touched by Christ, he sends us forth to touch others. A touch of compassion with our eyes will enliven the drooping spirits of many. A touch or a kind word will calm those contemplating on revenge. We can touch people by taking time to visit the poor in slums; we can touch
the hearts of the greedy rich to melt, by raising our voice against the injustices done to the voiceless in our society.
Besides Touch the first gift that Christ gives his apostles is that of PEACE. He gives us this peace in the following manner:
a. By our faith in Jesus.
b. By loving God’s Word.
c. By Participating and Partaking the Sacraments.
d. By surrendering our lives to Christ.
A woman was famed for her sanctity and her beautiful life. When people visited her town, if they were interested in divine things, they almost always went to see her. One person after seeing her remarked to her; “I am so glad to see you; you are the woman of the strong faith.” ‘No she replied, ‘I am the woman of weak faith in the strong Savior.’
Thomas realized that he was a man of weak faith in the strong savior, when he professed, “My Lord, and my God.”
In Jesus, I trust.
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The Pope’s Pillion that he wears around his neck and shoulder has 5 crosses with a nail in each of them; they signifies the 5 wounds of Christ. By which we are truly saved and a reminder for each one of us of the loving mercies of Jesus for each one of us
The mercies of God is greater than any sins.
Jesus shows us his wounds, only to tell us that despite these- His Mercies is much more. The wounds strengthen the faith in us.
The feast of the Divine Mercy; is a refuge and shelter for all souls and specially for poor sinners.
Mercy in the Gospel:
– Jesus shows himself to his disciples who had abandoned him just few nights before. They abandoned Jesus in the most difficult hours; but Jesus wasn’t going to abandon them.
– He passes through the locked doors, passes through their fears, regrets and guilt and appears to them.
– He hasn’t given up on them. He brings them his peace. And he re affirms his confidence in them by re appearing their mission. “ As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’’
– Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.
God’s mercy in Christ’s reaction to the men who crucified Jesus. HE FORGIVES THEM
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In the Gospels, several people cry out this prayer of “Have Mercy”, and they are re-created:
· The blind man, Bartimaeus, cried out to Jesus, “Son of David, Jesus, have mercy on me”, and he received his sight (Mk 10:48; also Mt 9:27; Mt 20:31; Lk 18:38; note that the word ‘pity’ can also be translated as ‘mercy’.)
· The Canaanite woman cried out to Jesus on behalf of her daughter, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me. My daughter is tormented by a devil.” And her daughter was freed (Mt 15:22).
· The ten lepers called to Jesus, “Jesus! Master! Have mercy on us.” And they were cleansed (Lk 17:13).
· In the parable of the two men who went up to the Temple to pray, “the tax collector stood some distance away, not daring even to raise his eyes to heaven; but he beat his breast and said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner” (Lk 18:10-14). The man went home justified.
Yes, let us also cry to God in Jesus, “Have mercy!” and He will re-create us. Today, we want to join the Psalmist and sing: “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his faithful love (mercy) endures forever” (Ps 118:1).
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TOUCH – External
PEACE – Internal
FAITH – Leads to expression
Season of Easter is this: we have experienced healing from our sins and the peace of the Risen Lord; now we have to express this in faith.
Fr. Franco Pereira, S.D.B.