Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I like very much this expression on the first day of the week, Jesus came to the apostles. He came to them twice on this first day, last week and this week, and their experience with the Risen Lord changed them and made them new men. On this day they could be chaste, patient, generous, forgiving, able to give themselves in the service of the Lord, without fear. The same can happen to us. He comes to us always on the first day of the week when we gather in memory of him, when we take the risk to come out and be with the others.
Jesus Christ also makes himself present when the doors are locked. He does it without making a fuss, without breaking down the doors. How marvelous is that? He comes before us today even though our doors maybe closed out of fear, or wanting to be alone, or whatever. He comes quietly and says, peace be with you! When he comes, he brings us peace. Peace in your life, in your history, in the sufferings you have. He brings peace to our depression, our loneliness, in everything. Christ is in front of you today!
The whole world speaks badly of Thomas, doubting Thomas, but what he did is really stupendous. The others were happy to see Jesus Christ, but this was not enough for him. He really wanted to touch him, to put his finger in the wounds of Christ. He wanted to touch the holes that were left by the nails and for this he had a much more profound experience of Christ than the others. To touch the wounds of Christ was to touch his mercy, which we would like to experience on this Divine Mercy Sunday.
The risen body of Christ is different; it is glorified. The disciples often don’t recognize him even after being with him for three years. Why does his glorified body have the wounds of his passion? I think precisely for this: so we can touch them and enter them, and be reminded of his mercy for us. Courage, brothers and sisters, the Lord invites you to touch the mercy of God, to have an experience of this. We have fifty days in order to touch God’s mercy in our sins, our weaknesses, our inabilities. We are not supermen and superwomen. In the midst of our weaknesses, the Lord comes to love us, and he continues to love us, and will always love us!