Poor St. Thomas the Apostle will take a beating in many a homily today as the often-dubbed "Doubting Thomas" Gospel is read on this Divine Mercy Sunday. We might do well to consider a time when we have uttered a similar cry of disbelief. Perhaps we can recall saying, "I won't believe it until I see it." St. Thomas' reaction is quite normal and, in fact, very human. It is the humanity of his statement which makes room for Jesus' mercy. Jesus not only appears to Thomas but he comes to him in the precise manner in which Thomas needed to see him in order to believe it was really the Lord Himself. Jesus met Thomas in his doubt, in his weakness, in his humanity and he met him with tenderness; he invited Thomas to touch his wounds. Even after his victory on the cross, the Lord continues to heal his followers by his most sacred wounds. Those of us who seek to follow the Lord today are no exception. Christ comes to us in our brokenness, with all our faults and failings and he offers us the gift of his mercy -- and He does this in a special way in the sacrament of confession.
As we celebrate this Octave day of Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday, let us, with Thomas exclaim with gratitude: My Lord and my God!
"But in order that the sweetness of his mercy might be adorned with the beauty of his justice, he determined to save man by way of a rigorous redemption. And as this could not properly be done but by his Son."
St. Francis de Sales
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