Mercy and Peace – 2nd
Sunday of Easter Year C
When we hear and read the Gospels we often find ourselves
thinking critically about the disciples in many passages. How could Peter, who had seen the Lord Jesus
in transfigured glory, deny his master three times? How could all the disciples run away and abandon
Jesus to die alone on the cross? And in
today’s Gospel reading, how could Thomas refuse to believe in the risen Jesus
after hearing the testimony of so many?
We might be cured of this temptation when we realize that the Gospel
writers intended for us to see ourselves as the disciples in the story, i.e.
that all of us in one way or another deny Jesus, abandon him, and doubt His
identity and resurrection.
Consequently, it is appropriate that the Church asks us to
reflect on the themes of mercy and peace in the Sunday after Easter, for it is
precisely these gifts of the Lord Jesus that we need so desperately. In appearing to the fragile disciples, Jesus
imparts to them His peace in the sending forth of the Holy Spirit. Then he commands them to forgive the sins of
the people, thereby connecting the idea of peace with mercy. It is indeed true that once we have
experienced the mercy of God that a sense of peace comes upon us, but more is
at stake than the subjective feeling of peace in such moments. The Lord Jesus has much more to teach us in
this episode.
The acts of denial, abandonment, and doubt in the days
before the resurrection are acts that we cannot redeem on our own. In what way could we show God that we have
learned the lessons of these falls and will not commit them again? Each and every one of these men declared
their allegiance to Jesus and vowed that they would die for Him, and yet they
all failed, as they did so often during Jesus’ public ministry, as we have in
our own lives. Hence, only the free gift
of Jesus’ own forgiveness can lift them up from the dregs in which they find
themselves. It is in their acceptance of
this gift that leads the disciples to find peace in their own lives.
Now, however, their lives must be committed to the ministry
of mercy and reconciliation that they experienced from the Lord Jesus. By forgiving the sins of others – not just
once per year in the annual observance of Yom Kippur, but in the daily practice
of mercy in the prayer Jesus taught them – the disciples, and we too, can bring
peace to a world disfigured by conflict and strife. We can do this only by making the entire life
and ministry of Jesus our own.
Some people may say that we must also stress God’s justice
in addition to His mercy, implying that these two things are somehow distinct
or represent a necessary dualism in the world.
However, God’s justice is always directed towards mercy and to bringing
the person back to a full relationship with Him. What is more, the justice of God is not some
magical curse inflicted upon a person for breaking the law. It is the natural consequence of following
our own devices instead of God’s will.
The parable of the prodigal son highlights both of these realities –
that the degradation of the son was the natural consequence of his own actions,
and that this justice of God is directed toward the reconciliation of the son
that takes place at the climax of the story.
Throughout Lent we heard the
prophetic tradition remind us that God does not desire the death of the sinner
but rather in the sinner’s conversion.
We must ask ourselves whether we truly have this desire for ourselves
and for others as well. We have
experienced the mercy and peace of God in the death and resurrection of Jesus
the Lord. We are commanded now to be
ministers of mercy and peace to others.
The very fact that our world and church remain torn by conflict and wars
indicates the extent to which we have not appropriated this mission into our
lives. The fact that people who claim
the name Christian have the same rates of divorce, abortion, support for war
and capital punishment as the rest of society means that we are those very
disciples who deny, abandon, and doubt and whom we look askance at in our
reading of the scriptures.
Yet, we must rejoice and give
thanks for receiving these gifts of mercy and peace these Easter days. At the same time, we pray for the ability to
live our mission as ministers of mercy and peace more effectively in our lives. “Let us pray as Christians thirsting for the
risen life. Heavenly Father and God of
mercy, we no longer look for Jesus among the dead, for he is alive and has
become the Lord of life. From the waters
of death you raise us with him and renew your gift of life within us. Increase in our minds and hearts the risen
life we share with Christ and help us to grow as your people toward the
fullness of eternal life with you. We
ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.”
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