Sent for Mercy

Divine Mercy Sunday Homily

The doors to the room where the Apostles are today are barred and shut. They are afraid. The events that have all taken place over the last week have them in great confusion. They saw the fate of Jesus on Friday and ran and hid. They have heard that Jesus has risen, but are slow to believe, and even if there is some belief, they are still in fear for their own lives.

We see again, in Christ’s encounter with Thomas. The doors are still locked! Do they not get the point?

While in our own lives, we are safe from the fear of people looking to kill us, we still have likely been hurt in various ways and live much of our spiritual lives with the doors of our hearts locked. Now to be sure, Christ never forces himself in. He never infringes on our free will. Yet, it was not Christ that the Apostles were trying to keep out. It was fear of the same destiny he suffered.

Pause a moment and ask our Lord. “Is there a fear that keeps me locked up inside?”  “Is there doubt that exists in me about your mercy?”

Thomas, even with doubt, gives an opportunity for grace. It is imperfect. But the Lord appears and supplies to raise Thomas’ faith. Really, this is the witness of Jesus’ Resurrection appearances. As John tells us at the end of todays Gospel: “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.” (Jn 20:31)

Jesus says “Peace be with you, as the Father has sent me so I send you.” Now, there is the primary moment of the institution of the Sacrament of Reconciliation that follows. What did the Father send the Son to do: “To reconcile the world to himself.” And so Jesus’ command here to his Apostle’s is this: “The Father sent me for the mission of forgiving sins, of mercy; I send you on this same mission and give you the power to forgive.”

Yet, there is also another element of the Church being sent out. The Gospel is proclaimed, not just be the Apostles, but by those sent to assist them, the first seventy-two that Jesus sent out. Bishops and priests do not just proclaim the Gospel today, but the Gospel must also be proclaimed in a world, hurt, and hiding, by the faithful. (Several weeks I gave an assignment, to invite someone back to Church, Did you follow through?)

We become the instruments of Christ mercy! As the Father has sent me, so I send you!  The word Mass comes from this very root word of missio, to be sent. We leave these doors today not just to get nourishment for our own souls but we are sent out with a mission. There is a world hiding behind closed doors; reluctant to believe, and we are sent, with the grace of Jesus always preceding us, to bring his mercy.