Sunday, April 27, 2025

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ! The second week of Easter carries three important features in our religious practices. First, the Gospel reading this weekend is about “Doubting Thomas,” one of the Twelve Apostles who used to struggle his skepticism regarding the resurrection of his Master. After the risen Jesus appeared to His disciples without the presence of Thomas, Thomas strongly declared that he would not believe unless he personaly saw Jesus and actually touched His wounds. Then, his doubt was transformed into profound faith when Thomas encountered the risen Jesus and sincererly exclaimed his Master as his Lord and his God. In fact, his insistence on physical evidence before believing is a reflection of the human struggle to reconcile faith with the demands of reason and empirical evidence. However, instead of being necessarily antithetical to faith, doubt can be an essential aspect of our journey toward deeper belief. Doubt challenges us to seek truth and understanding with sincerity and humility. It may ultimately lead us to a stronger and more authentic faith after wrestling with difficult questions and uncertainties in our daily lives

Second, while appearing to His Apostles, Jesus allowed His disciples to carry on His mission when He said, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Then, He also allowed them to carry His work of peace and reconciliation to the next generations when He breathed on them and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive they are forgiven them; whose sins you retain they are retained.” Therefore, what Jesus commanded His disciples to do in this reading not only answered where the institution of the Sacrament of Penance came from, but also explained who accomplished the forgiveness of human sins in this Sacrament.

Lastly, on April 30, 2000, Pope John Paul II designated the second Sunday of Easter as the Sunday of the Divine Mercy in the General Roman Calendar. Based on the private revelations of our Lord Jesus Christ to Saint Faustina Kowalska, this devotion has been practiced according to His desire for a “Feast of Mercy” and associated with His image with white and red rays representing blood and water radiating from His sacred heart. This devotion has also emphasized the Easter gift that the Church receives from the risen Christ and offers to humanity. Therefore , we are encouraged to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet to mark the feast, especially at 3:00 p.m as the hour of mercy.

Sincerely yours in Jesus Christ and Our Lady of La Vang!

Reverend Kiet Anh Ta.