Second Sunday of Easter 2020 St. Augustine of Canterbury Parish
Introduction:
This second Sunday of Easter is dedicated to celebrate the Divine Mercy. In which ways
can we make known our faith in the great mercy of God?
Theme: “Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are
those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” (John 20:29)
Faith involves welcoming the message of God
During the early New Testament times, the message of God gained grounds because
many people welcomed the message:
“Those who welcomed the message of Peter were baptized
and many were added to the community.
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship,
to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (Acts 2:41-42)
The spirit of welcoming was therefore key to faith in the message of God. The way some
people welcomed the word of God made it favorable for others to accept the word of
God. The way some people of the New Testament community had faith in the word of
God inspired others to have faith in the word of God. The message of God needs
favorable conditions in order to inspire people to build a community of believers. Some
of the favorable conditions for the word of God to flourish include welcoming, teaching,
fellowship, faith, breaking of break, prayers, staying together, and distribution of
possessions to all:
“Those who welcomed the message of Peter were baptized
and many were added to the community.
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship,
to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
Awe came upon everyone,
because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles.
All who believed were together and had all things in common;
they would sell their possessions and goods
and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.
Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple,
they broke bread at home
and ate their food with glad and generous hearts,
praising God and having the goodwill of all the people.
And day by day the Lord added to their number
those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:41-47)
The way of life of the people in the New Testament community contributed to belief in
the risen Lord and belief in the work of God. Peter, the apostles, and all those who
believed in the message of God built a community of faith to support and inspire each
other. Which concrete ways can we make the message of God more favorable for people
of our times to welcome and accept it? Like the possessions that were distributed to all
during the early New Testament community, how can we distribute the message of God
in the world these days? On what messages do we focus our attention these days?
Content of faith we can spread
There are many elements of the faith we can spread so that the message of God receives a
favorable hearing and acceptance. A psalmist recounted a number of things that the Lord
has done: steadfast love of God endures forever, the Lord helps, the Lord is our strength,
and the Lord has made our day:
“Let Israel say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
Let the house of Aaron say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
Let those who fear the Lord say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
I was pushed hard, so that I was falling,
but the Lord helped me.
The Lord is my strength and my might;
he has become my salvation.
There are glad songs of victory
in the tents of the righteous
This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:2-15, 24)
These examples of Psalm 118 can inspire the content of what we can share with each
other with regard to faith in the works of God.
St. Peter inspired his faith community by reminding them that “God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ” is a great merciful God. This message is part of the Divine Mercy we
celebrate every second Sunday of Easter. St. Peter affirmed that God used his great mercy
to give us so many new things and new way of life such as new birth, living hope,
resurrection of Jesus Christ, imperishable inheritance, protection, and salvation:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead:
a birth into an inheritance
that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading,
kept in heaven for you,
who are being protected by the power of God through faith
for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:3-5)
As we celebrate the Second Sunday of Easter, we can guide the world to receive the new
things and new life Christ offers.
Genuine faith goes beyond what we see
Faith involves both things tangible and intangible, things visible and invisible, things
seen and unseen:
“the genuineness of your faith
—being more precious than gold…—
may be found to result in praise and glory and honour
when Jesus Christ is revealed.
Although you have not seen him, you love him;
and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him
and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,
for you are receiving the outcome of your faith,
the salvation of your souls. (1Peter 1:7-9)
The Second Sunday of Easter is a time to acknowledge how God helps us beyond what
we see.
Genuine Faith goes beyond what is tangible and concrete
Genuine faith does not require secondary signs and testimonies but after the resurrection,
Jesus did many signs to awaken the faith in his disciples: he appeared to them although
the doors were shut, he offered them peace, he showed them his hands and his side, he
breathed on them the Holy Spirit and he sent them to spread the message of reconciliation
and forgiveness:
“After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again,
“Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them;
if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (John 20:20-23)
These signs and wonders were secondary ways in which Jesus Christ strengthened the
faith of his disciples. The question is how do the disciples expressed their basic and
fundamental faith in the Lord? Thomas, by all counts, was a tangible person. He needed
concrete and clear signs to inspire his faith, so Jesus told Thomas, “Have you believed
because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to
believe” (John 20:29). This second Sunday of Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday we too
are called to a life of blessedness based on the basic and fundamental unconditional faith
we have in the risen Lord.
Jesus Christ summoned us to be witnesses of his signs so that many people can welcome
and accept his message:
”Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples,
which are not written in this book.
But these are written so that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God,
and that through believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30-31”.
Conclusion:
The Divine Mercy Sunday is an opportunity for us to be part of the great mercy of God,
by showing great compassion and mercy to people in our lives. The Second Sunday of
Easter is a time to offer genuine faith and genuine tenderness to the world. The Second
Sunday of Easter is an opportunity to provide favorable conditions so that many people
can turn towards God.