“My Lord and my God!”

Happy Easter! Yes, while the actual day of Easter was this past Sunday, it is such a major feast in the Church that we celebrate it with what is called an octave, meaning that for 8 days we celebrate as if it were the day itself! This coming Sunday's Mass will be the 8th day and final day of the octave. It is also known as Divine Mercy Sunday, named such because of a series of visions had by St. Faustina Kowalska who was a Polish saint in the early 20th century. 

No matter what it is called, however, the Gospel reading for this day is one that is particularly stirring! It is the story of St. Thomas, who (according to John's Gospel) on Easter Sunday was not present when the risen Lord first appeared to the other Apostles in the upper room. Upon hearing that the Lord had risen, Thomas famously said, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."

Sure enough, the Sunday after Easter Jesus appears again to them and immediately makes his way to Thomas, inviting him to do exactly what Thomas said. Upon this interaction, Thomas exclaims, "My Lord and my God!", expressing not just faith in Jesus as Lord but also as his God, the second person of the Blessed Trinity.

This story is the one that caused Thomas to received the nickname "Doubting Thomas" because of his obstinate disbelief. However, Thomas' disbelief in the initial moments of this story and his change of heart later cause Jesus to utter some of his most profound words which still apply to us today: "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."

We live in a world that often ridicules and questions people of faith because it is not always easy to see what it is we believe. However, while we may not be able to always see the Lord with our eyes, our hearts regularly recognize him in the good things happening around us, in the love of our friends and family, and in the breaking of the bread we celebrate together each week. So take heart this week when faith may be a challenge, for Jesus assure us of his blessing when we still believe, even if our eyes cannot see.

Want to prepare your heart and mind for Mass this weekend? Click here to find the readings this Sunday's Mass.