Divine Mercy Sunday

04-12-2026Weekly ReflectionFather Chris

Dear Fellow Disciples, peace.

Today, on Divine Mercy Sunday, the Church places us in the Upper Room with the disciples—still marked by fear, still wounded by the memory of the Cross. And into that locked room, Jesus comes—not with reproach, but with peace:

“Peace be with you.”

This is the first message of mercy: God does not come to condemn, but to restore.

In the Gospel, the risen Christ shows His wounds. He does not erase them. He keeps them. Why? Because His wounds have become sources of mercy. From His pierced side flows the life of the Church—blood and water, the sacraments, the very mercy of God poured out for us.

This is what Divine Mercy Sunday, inspired by Saint Faustina Kowalska and entrusted to the Church by Pope John Paul II, proclaims: no sin is greater than God’s mercy.

Today we also meet Thomas. He doubts. He struggles. And Jesus does not reject him. Instead, He invites him:

“Put your finger here… do not be unbelieving, but believe.”

Mercy means that even our doubts can become a doorway to faith—if we bring them to Christ.

Thomas responds with one of the most beautiful professions of faith:

“My Lord and my God!”

This is where mercy leads us—not just to forgiveness, but to a deeper encounter with Jesus.

Finally, Jesus breathes on the apostles and gives them the power to forgive sins. This is not symbolic. This is real. It is the gift of mercy entrusted to the Church, especially in the Sacrament of Confession.

Here we have the biblical institution of this wonderful sacrament.

So today, the question is simple:

Will we open the locked doors of our hearts?

Maybe those doors are fear… shame… past sins… or even disappointment with God.

Christ stands before you today and says:

“Peace be with you.”
“Do not be afraid.”
“Receive my mercy.”

Let us not be like closed rooms, but like open hearts. Rather, let us be like Thomas—let us fall before Him and say:

“My Lord and my God.”

May the Holy Spirit give us the courage to open wide our lives to the Risen Christ.

God bless,
Father Chris