“Peace be with you!” Every time Jesus appeared after his resurrection; this was his message.
I too say to you, “Peace be with you!”

Thomas wanted to see Jesus. Jesus appeared. It would be too simplistic to think that Thomas saw Jesus and that is why he believed. We should understand its deeper meaning. Jesus asked Thomas to put his finger into his side. Did Thomas do that? No. Thomas saw the risen Jesus. But he believed in the divinity of Jesus by saying, “My Lord and my God!” He proclaimed his faith in the Son of God. He proclaimed this faith by preaching the gospel in Parthia and dying as a martyr in India.

To Thomas Jesus said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” We are blessed because we have not seen the risen Christ, yet we believe in him. The words of Jesus offer special reference to our present situation. For the past one month we have not gone to church; nor received the Holy Eucharist; nor knelt before the Blessed Sacrament; nor attended the Mass as a parish family. Still, we continue to feel as one parish family. We have not seen, but believe. We have not been together, but united.

You will be surprised to know that more than 300 people watched the online Easter vigil Mass. Mass by the pope, the Bishops, and Mass celebrated in beautiful cathedrals are available online. Yet, you watched our parish Mass, because you want to be united as a parish, you long to pray with our parishioners. You believe in the Eucharist despite not receiving it; you feel one with parishioners despite not seeing them. Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.

We celebrate the Divine Mercy of God today. Usually we have the 3 pm divine mercy adoration in our church. Many of us miss it. However, we do taste and see the compassion of God in our lives. The two main themes of this devotion are to trust in Christ's endless goodness, and to show mercy to others. The three ways of exercising mercy are the first by deed, the second by word, and the third by prayer.

We receive God’s mercy every moment in our lives. By deed, word and prayer, we are expected to show mercy to our brothers and sisters. In these difficult times, doing grocery shopping for a senior can be a mercy of deed; calling or taxing a homebound may be a mercy of word; and praying for any abandoned in the world can be a mercy of prayer.

I ask you to pray for the end of this pandemic; to keep peace of mind and body; to be compassionate toward the members of your family who are almost homebound; to empathize with the sick and the dying; and never to lose hope in the divine mercy of our God, the good shepherd. May God bless us and keep us together in love and faith!