MERCY SEEN AT ITS BEST

Second Sunday of Easter

Today, the Octave of Easter, is also Divine Mercy Sunday

Acts 5: 12 – 16 / Ps 118 / Rv 1: 9 – 11. 12 – 13. 17 – 19 / Jn 20: 19 – 31

What do you fear most in life? When we are in fear, we tend to close ourselves from the object of our fear. Psychology today has a long list of phobias – the fear of heights, of closed spaces, of spiders, of darkness, of water, and even the fear of facing oneself in the mirror. Just as we cannot run away from utangs in life, we also cannot escape from the reality of fear.

This is the case of the disciples in our Gospel reading today. John tells us that for fear of the Jews, they locked themselves inside a room. Doors and windows were closed. You can just imagine how fear-filled that room was. However, amidst their fear, Jesus came and stood in their midst bringing with him the grace of peace. This time fear turned into peace with the presence of Jesus. Why such transformation? Because Jesus opened up himself to them; He also opened the closed and locked hearts of the disciples. And He went further as to allow Thomas to touch the marks of his wounds.

My dear friends, this Sunday is indeed a very special day because we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday in the Jubilee Year of Mercy. What a double celebration of God’s mercy! Pope Francis in his book, The Name of God is Mercy, defines “mercy” from its Latin term, “misericordis.” The term “misericordis” contains two more Latin terms, “miseri” which means “wretchedness or misery” and “cordis” which means “heart.” Thus, for Pope Francis, mercy is the “opening of one’s heart to wretchedness.” And this is what Jesus did in our Gospel today: he opened up himself, his heart, to the disciples who were in fear.

However, it is not enough to open up ourselves to the sufferings of others. Jesus, because of Thomas’ doubt, offered to him the wounds of his body to be touched. Jesus’ openness however was not a mere show but it was something real, personal, and concrete. This is an important element of mercy. Pope Francis reminds us that mercy is not like a soap opera. No! God’s love, his mercy, is solid, strong, and concrete. “It is a concrete love made of works and not of words.”  

My dear friends: most especially this year, we are asked to be “merciful like the Father.” And we can only become merciful like the Father if, like Jesus, we open up our hearts to the suffering of others in the most real, personal, and concrete way possible. We must not only stand in the midst of fear and suffering. Rather, we should allow others to touch our lives. Or we should allow ourselves to be dirtied, bruised, and wounded so that others will believe; so that others will experience the peace of the Risen Lord.

In 1864, Damien, a Belgian priest arrived on the shores of Honolulu, Hawaii as a missionary. When leprosy became a health issue during that time, the island of Molokai became a leper colony. Seeing the need for pastoral care, Fr. Damien volunteered to be the chaplain of the lepers. While in Molokai, Fr. Damien administered not only to the spiritual but also to the physical needs of the lepers. He made coffins for them and even washed their bloodied linens. Such was his dedication until one day, he himself was afflicted with leprosy, and it led to his death in 1889. In a letter to his brother he said, “I make myself a leper with the lepers to gain all to Christ.” The story of Fr. Damien is a story of God’s mercy. Fr. Damien opened up himself to the suffering of the lepers in the most real, personal, and concrete way! This is a story of mercy seen at its best!

Now let me go back to my first question, “What do you fear most in life?” I hope you don’t include in your list the fear of being merciful to others. I hope you are not afraid of opening up yourself, your heart, in the most real, personal, and concrete way possible, to the suffering of others. Amen!

Special thanks to Kuya Chris Sagun for the editing of the text.