2nd Sunday of Easter [Divine Mercy Sunday]

27^th April 2025

Lectionary Readings: Acts 5: 12-16; Ps. 118:1-2.16-17.22-23; Rv: 9-13. 17-19; Jn 20: 19-31

Theme: He breathed to them

Recalling Genesis 2:7, the action of Jesus invites us to contemplate both the humble elements of our physical being and the immense dignity bestowed upon us through the breath of God. From the dust, we were formed, but it is God’s breath that made us truly alive. By John 20:22 narrating: “And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” — we are led to contemplate the mercy of God, now extended in a new and more intimate way. The Creator approaches His disciples personally, offering an antidote to sin and self-destruction. His mercy, poured out through the breath of the risen Christ, is at once profound and incomprehensible. It is the same divine breath, now given through a glorified body, that re-creates humanity.

     This moment in John’s Gospel stands as a clear parallel to Genesis 2 — a re-creation of man. Here, however, it is not into dust that God breathes, but into His chosen disciples, breathing into them the Holy Spirit from His risen and glorified body. This personal and divine act gives us hope; it invites us into the same mystery of creation. What was once done in Eden is now done anew in the upper room. Through this act, the apostles — and through them, all of us — receive the promise of restored communion with God. The ladder between earth and heaven, once broken, is now repaired.

 Jesus offers us the guarantee of salvation through discipleship, just as He entrusted the mission of reconciliation to the apostles. Thus, we are called to believe — not only because a few have witnessed, but because many have proclaimed: the apostles themselves, chosen witnesses of the Resurrection, have testified to it with their lives.

     Moreover, this Gospel passage leads us to reflect on our human fragility — our chaotic desires, our betrayals, our doubts. After Peter’s denial, after the fearful retreat of the disciples, after the shouts of the crowd demanding crucifixion — there stands Jesus before Thomas, in the full glory of His risen body, He does not condemn but invites: “Put your finger here… do not be unbelieving, but believe.” In this moment, we find ourselves mirrored in Thomas — longing for certainty, wounded by the world, and yet confronted by the overwhelming reality of divine love. And so, we, too, are invited to respond with the words of the Apostle: “My Lord and my God!” 

For Reflection and Discussion: 1. How do I respond to the personal saving action of God?

Bibliography: McKenzie, J.L. Dictionary of the Bible (New York: 1965)

This week’s Sunday Liturgy Commentary was prepared by
Jefferson Philip Jacob Reyes, France, Bat Kol Alumnus: 2019

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