With great power, the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favor was accorded them all. On this Second Sunday of Easter, the universal Church celebrates the Feast of Divine Mercy. It is a feast that calls upon us to recognize the greatness of God’s merciful love in order to “take advantage” of it and enjoy the fullness of life that God wishes upon us. Since this merciful love of God towards us was fully expressed in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (cf. Romans 5:8), it is only fitting that this feast be celebrated in the octave of the great solemnity of the resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus became a pivotal moment both in the life and growth of the early Church. It was the pillar around which the early Church gathered in order to charter its future. For it was only after the resurrected Jesus began to appear to the disciples that they did start to come out of hiding in order to openly embrace their identity.
The passage from the Acts of the Apostles that constitutes today’s First Reading is part of the story that recounts the wonderful transformation that took place within the early Christian community. The days following the arrest, prosecution and execution of Jesus had been, without any doubt, a difficult time for group that Jesus had gathered around himself. Not only had the group been scattered by the violent arrest and prosecution of Jesus, but fear had also came upon the group. They feared that the treatment their master and leader had received would soon be extended to them. They were fearful for their wellbeing and for their lives. However, even as the disciples were seeking hiding places, it soon became evident that every single move that they made was in line with divine plan. Whether it was by design or accident, there was something positive that resulted from the fear that came upon the group.
Following the execution of Jesus, the fearful disciples started to band together for comfort and solidarity. It was easier to face their detractors as a group rather than as individuals. But soon, their banding together acquired a new outfit and purpose. For even as the disciples continued to stay together for companionship and mutual support, they began to see in their banding together an opportunity to live the kind of life that they had learnt from their master. No longer was their coming together going to be merely out of fear of persecution. They were now coming together to make a statement. They wanted their new way of life to speak for them and to validate the life and ministry of their Master. And it did.
As the power of Jesus continued to be witnessed in the community of believers, the initial fear that had characterized the community’s decision to come together was now being replaced by courage and zeal to witness to the resurrection of Jesus. This transformation was brought about, to a greater extent, by the risen Christ revealing himself to the community. In today’s Gospel Reading, we hear about two of the several post-resurrection appearances of the risen Jesus. The appearances became an encouraging phenomenon to the community because they reassured Jesus’ followers of the continued presence of their Master to them. The appearances were indeed proof that Jesus was keeping true to his promise to be with his followers till the end of time (cf. Matthew 28:20). In the first of the two appearances recounted in today’s Gospel passage, Jesus, after wishing the gathered disciples peace, breathes upon them the Holy Spirit (the advocate whose responsibility was to teach and guide them [cf. John 16:13]) and sends them forth on mission. It is this Holy Spirit that emboldened the community into coming out of hiding in order to proclaim the resurrected Christ. The fact that Jesus had overcome death and was alive in their midst filled his followers with courage and zeal to tell the story of Jesus.
In the second appearance, Thomas is moved to confess the resurrected Jesus as his Lord and God. After confirming that it was indeed the very Jesus whom he had seen die on the cross was the one now standing in their midst – albeit with a new ability to pass through locked doors and walls – Thomas falls on his knees in adoration of Jesus. Thomas recognizes the transformation that has taken place in Jesus his Master. He recognizes that the resurrected Jesus is not merely the Master he had known for a couple of years now. The body that he had touched as he put his finger in the wound at his Master’s side was not like his (Thomas’) own body. Having passed through death and emerged victorious, it was now a glorious body. Jesus himself was now a divine being worthy of adoration. He was God. It was an enlightening moment that led to Thomas’ personal transformation. He became a believer in the resurrection (overcoming the powers of darkness) and went ahead to proclaim it to the ends of the earth.
Like Thomas, the resurrection calls upon us to believe in the transformation that takes place when darkness is overcome. Like Thomas, our belief in the resurrection must ignite inside of us a desire to spread the good news of this transformation effected by the rising from the dead of Jesus. Like the disciples who were graced to see the resurrected Jesus, may our belief in the resurrection afford us new life that God has made available to us in Jesus Christ.