You will have noticed that the appearances of the Risen Christ to his disciples have been inundated with: “Peace be with you” (John 20:19,26; Luke 24:36). Peace (Irene in Greek) is used 92 times in the New Testament. Peace means: ” prosperity “; “being One” or simply “one”; to be “one again “; “to be reconciled”; “to put something that was scattered together again.” Peace is so important for our individual and corporate existence. It is the seed ground of holiness (James 3:16); it is given freely to all people of goodwill (Luke 2:14), and Jesus, the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:5; Micah 5:4) offers us this gift persistently (John 14:27).
Yet what do we experience in our world if not apparent war and strife? We live in a world dominated by violence and lack of inner freedom. Who can withstand the barrage of negative events that assault us all on daily basis? Doubt and fear tend to tear us apart, and rightly so. Given our everyday experiences these days, who would not slide into self-doubt?
But thanks be to God for the resurrection of the Christ. By this glorious event, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ in His GREAT MERCY has enabled us to be born anew to a living hope through the death and resurrection of Christ (1 Peter 1:3). By this wonderful act of God’s love, we who were once outside God’s mercy have now received mercy (1`Peter 2:10) which is being effected through the resurrection power of the Christ. No situation can bar the power of the resurrection. In this vein, no circumstance should therefore, stifle our inner peace.
Even though the scars of our daily battle may remain and the wounds from our daily struggle may appear to persist, the Life of God in us transcends them all because we are the children of the resurrection, moving by faith and not by the senses (2 Corinthians 5:7). This was the realization of Thomas when he put His hands into the pierced side of the Christ: ” “My Lord and My God”, was his response as he encountered and experienced the resurrection power. We too have been given the opportunity to have access to the mercy and peace of God mediated through the sacraments, like Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation, symbolized by the “water and blood “flowing from the pierced side of Christ (John 19:30, 34); the sacrament of reconciliation and the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit at work in these holy mysteries.
As we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday today, let us be encouraged by the ready availability of the spiritual arsenal at our disposal and put our trust in the Lord who is at work in our very lives. O blood and water, which gushed forth from the heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, we trust in you. Happy Solemnity of Divine Mercy.