God’s mercy is abundant. When he appears to his disciples in the evening of the first day of the week, Jesus gives them the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins. But Thomas needs to see Jesus to believe that he is truly risen. Some people have a difficult time believing in God’s merciful love. But the promise that God gives through the risen Christ is that his love is without end. We don’t need to see Jesus to believe it. Expressions of God’s mercy and love can be found each day in the community of faith.
This Sunday, 48 of our young people will receive Jesus in Holy Communion for the first time. This is a special time of grace, a special time for the child, a special time for the family and a special time for our parish. This time is special because Holy Communion is Jesus’ sign of love for us. Jesus was willing to give his life on the cross and he was willing to give his very self in Holy Communion for us. Jesus is truly merciful. We are called to follow Jesus’ example by being merciful to one another. To recite Jesus’ law of love means nothing; to live it is everything. What sacrifice of love are we willing to show one another?
