Happy Easter. He is risen!
Saint John Paul II declared the 2nd Sunday of Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday. This weekend the Church encourages us to trust in the love and mercy of Jesus. Trust in God is the antidote to fear, to doubt, to worry and to loneliness because God’s mercy is unlimited.
In the gospel we read about Thomas, who is often referred to as doubting Thomas. In a way it is a bad rap. We all grieve and doubt and wonder, especially when we experience loss. Thomas had lost the great man he had followed for some three years. He had seen Jesus cruelly punished without reason and a painful death on the cross.
Thomas felt the loss of Jesus and tried to make sense out of it. He was an honest doubter. He could not simply mouth others words of belief; he had to believe for himself. It is in working through our doubts that our faith deepens, becomes stronger and we can trust more fully in God’s ways even when we do not understand. Simply mechanically reciting words of faith is not enough to hold us when the next challenge comes. We must be able to say from the heart, like Thomas ultimately declared: ‘My Lord and my God;’ I trust in you.’
Pope Francis once said, “Sometimes in our lives tears are the lenses we need to see Jesus. Let us ask the Lord to give us the grace of tears – it is a beautiful grace – and ask for the grace to be able to say with our lives I have seen the Lord not because he has appeared to me but because I saw him in my heart. I live this way because I have seen the Lord,” he concluded.
When we have seen him in our hearts we will believe that he is our Lord and our God. Then we can work through the doubts and crosses that come our way. It will be reflected in how we are present to those who cross our path in search for the peace that Christ wished upon the Apostles and wishes for us all. Where there is lack of charity in relationships or parishes or social institutions, there is a lack of belief in the Risen Lord from the heart and therefore an absence of mercy.
A few years ago someone sent me this story which in this Easter season I think beautifully captures the profound simplicity that makes it possible for us to see Jesus in others, as Saint Mother Teresa called us to do, and therefore to trust and be hopeful.
‘Jeremy was born with a terminal condition that was reflected in a twisted body and slow mind. Ever in danger of death at the age of 12 he was still in the 2nd grade. His teacher Doris Miller often became frustrated with him. He would squirm in his seat and make grunting noises. At other times he spoke clearly as if a spot of light had penetrated the darkness of his brain. Most of the time he just irritated his teacher.
She called his parents in and told them, “Jeremy belongs in a special school. It isn’t fair to him to be with younger children who don’t have learning problems. Why, there’s a five year gap between his age and that of the other students.” Jeremy’s mom cried softly while her husband said, “there is no school like that nearby. It would be a terrible shock for Jeremy if we had to take him out of this school. We know he really likes it here.”
After they left Doris sat for a long time staring at the snow outside the window, its coldness seeming to seep into her soul. She wanted to sympathize with them. After all their only child had a terminal illness. But it wasn’t fair to keep him in the class. She had 18 other students to teach, and he would never learn. Guilt washed over her. ‘Here I am complaining about my problems which are nothing compared to that poor family’, she thought. ‘Lord, please help me to be more patient with Jeremy’, she prayed. One day, he limped to her desk. “I love you, Miss Miller,” he exclaimed. The other students snickered. Taken aback, she responded “Why-why that’s very nice, Jeremy, now please take your seat.”
Spring came and the children were excited about Easter coming. Doris told them the Easter story and then gave them a project. Each child was given an empty plastic egg. “I want you to take this home and bring it back tomorrow with something inside that shows new life. Do you understand?” The children responded enthusiastically except for Jeremy. He listened, his eyes never left her face. But had he understood? Doris did not know. Perhaps she should call his parents and explain the project she thought. But then she was distracted and do not follow through.
The next morning all 19 students brought their eggs to school. It came time to open the eggs. In the first egg was a flower. “Oh, yes, a flower is certainly a sign of new life,” Doris said. “When plants peek through the ground we know that spring is here.” The next egg contained a plastic butterfly. “We all know that a caterpillar changes and grows into a beautiful butterfly. That’s new life too,” said Doris. The next egg had a rock with moss on it. “Moss too shows new life,” she said.
Then Doris opened the fourth egg. The egg was empty. It must be Jeremy’s she thought. Surely he had not understood her instruction. If only she had phoned his parents. She didn’t want to embarrass him, so she quietly set the egg apart. ‘Miss Miller’, Jeremy spoke out, “Aren’t you going to talk about my egg?” Flustered, Doris blurted out, “but Jeremy, your egg is empty.” He looked at her and said softly, “yes, but Jesus’ tomb was empty too.”
When she could speak again, Doris asked him, “Do you know why the tomb was empty?” “Oh yes,” Jeremy said, “Jesus was killed and put in there. Then His Father raised Him up.” The recess bell rang and the kids ran to play. Doris cried. The cold inside her melted away. She received the grace of tears and through them saw the Lord in her student Jeremy.
Some months later, Jeremy died. Those who went to his wake were surprised to see 19 plastic eggs on the top of his coffin – all of them empty.’ (Source unknown)
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed. They live divine mercy because they see Jesus in their hearts – and so might we.