St. Mary's Church of Ticonderoga parishioner Jane Kuhl with her identical twin sister. Can you tell which one is which? The Apostle Thomas has a twin, too! Who was he...or she??
On this Second Sunday of Easter, also known as Divine Mercy Sunday, we gather together to celebrate the unfathomable mercy of God, as revealed to us through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our Gospel reading from John 20:19-31 presents us with the profound encounter between the Risen Lord and His disciples, highlighting the moment Thomas, often labeled as the doubter, comes to faith.
John tells us Thomas was also called Didymus, which means "twin." Curiously, the identity of Thomas's twin is never revealed in the Scriptures, leading us to ponder on a deeper spiritual insight: perhaps, in a way, we are meant to see ourselves as Thomas’s twin. Like Thomas, we too struggle with doubts and need tangible signs of God's presence in our lives.
Thomas's doubt is not a stumbling block to faith, but rather a stepping stone. It is through his honest admission of doubt that he receives the most intimate invitation from Jesus: "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe" (John 20:27). Jesus does not rebuke Thomas for his doubt; instead, He meets him right where he is, offering His wounds as proof of His love and His resurrection.
This Divine Mercy Sunday, we are reminded that mercy is not an abstract concept but a tangible reality that we encounter in the wounds of Christ. Moreover, we are called to recognize those same wounds in our brothers and sisters who suffer around us. In the faces of the poor, the lonely, the sick, and the grieving, we see the face of Christ. When we reach out to touch and heal the wounds of those who are hurting, we are, in essence, touching the wounds of Christ Himself.
Let us take a moment to reflect on our own doubts and fears. Like Thomas, we are invited to move beyond skepticism and to embrace faith through a personal encounter with the Risen Lord. This encounter may not always happen in the ways we expect. Often, it is in the quiet moments of service to others, in the acts of mercy we show to the least of our brothers and sisters, that we hear Jesus speaking to our hearts, affirming, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29).
In touching the wounds of the wounded, we find the healing touch of Jesus on our own lives. Each act of kindness, each gesture of compassion, brings us closer to the heart of Divine Mercy. And it is there, in the midst of our acts of mercy, that we can truly echo Thomas’s exclamation, "My Lord and my God!"
As we continue our Easter journey, let us be messengers of mercy, bearers of hope, and instruments of peace. May the Divine Mercy of the Risen Christ inspire us to open our eyes and our hearts to the suffering around us, and may our faith be strengthened as we reach out to touch and be touched by the wounds of Christ in our midst.
Amen.