The Doubting and The Divine

Today we celebrate the feast of the divine mercy. This day was established by Blessed John Paul II due to his own personal devotion to the visions of St.  Faustina Kowalska.  we celebrate the Father's mercy. What is mercy? Mercy is defined as showing compassion and kindness and releasing someone of a distress even if it is undeserved.
   We also hear, today, the story of the apostle Thomas after the resurrection. The story that labeled him as doubting Thomas throughout history. I remember a priest friend, Fr. Ed, who referred to this day as doubting Thomas Sunday. Interestingly, doubt is defined as a time of unsureness  or distress over a situation or possible fact. Hmm, there is that word distress again. So perhaps the relieving of Thomas's distress over his faith in the risen Christ is an example of God's divine mercy? Of course it is.
  St. Paul writes in his letter to the Ephesians that God in His mercy raised us, from the dead life we had through our trespasses, to new life with the gift of the risen Christ. So this scene that plays out of Thomas, depicts ourselves and our own reception of God's mercy.
  Let's think about all of this. Many have doubted the basis of our faith. That may even be true for some of us. Doubters will ask what proof we have of the resurrection other than these stories in the bible. Some have suggested this was all a great hoax to keep the followers of Jesus as followers of the apostles.
   Now if I were one of the apostles writing this story, I think I would have been a little kinder to myself. Throughout Jesus' ministry, the apostles never seem to get the real message of Jesus' mission. Jesus repeatedly tries to help them understand, but it never gets through their thick skulls. And now, after the crucifixion, they still don't get it. His body is gone and instead of understanding, they hide away in the upper room in fear and despair. Add to that the sudden turn around in their lives from that hiding to putting their lives on the line. I'm not sure someone would die for a hoax.
 But doubters would say they need physical proof, like an appearance. So here we are, followers of Jesus, gathered in this large room together, having the same belief in the risen Christ that others will doubt. And no matter how much we can say, how much we can relate what we believe, they will stand in our midst and utter those same words as Thomas, about absolute truth.
  And in God's divine mercy, Jesus will appear. We know it through our faith. He appears when we are together, today, in the real presence of the Eucharist. For, you see, poor Thomas, never really did not believe. He just had a moment of doubt. And in mercy was granted what was needed to help him understand because he never lost faith, just looked for confirmation. And we, who have faith, receive that confirmation today, in the body and blood of the risen king. And for those doubters, they too can receive the gift of faith through the mercy of our Father. All they need do is open their hearts to his divine mercy, and their eyes will be opened to His divine presence.