Today, we are reminded that Jesus is alive and is with us. We are reminded that the followers of Jesus, the apostles, and the many crowds that wanted to hear His preaching now believed in the resurrection, and they learned to live with hope and trust in what He promised. Peter explains to the people that the death and resurrection of Jesus were all part of God’s plan. Peter does this with a lot of courage and strength from the Holy Spirit. Like Peter, we too need to share the Good News. We need to let people know that Jesus is always with us through the Word and the Sacraments. Maybe we need to take the time and have the courage to look for Jesus in our daily lives. Do you feel Him when you pray, when you are at Mass, or in the people that you meet each day?

Amidst all of the post-resurrection accounts, we cannot help but understand that Jesus is out to make a point, appearing behind locked doors, telling St. Thomas the Apostle to place his fingers inside his wounds. I can imagine, though it was not stated, Jesus telling St. Thomas, While you’re at it, go deep enough inside so you may touch my heart. After all, Jesus, who had been telling his Apostles everything all along, told Peter he could walk on water, it was best to cast the net on the other side of the boat, and even asking them “will you be my disciple” Wow and yet as humanness goes they still struggled to see him or even recognize him as they once did.

Today is the Second Sunday of Easter also known as Divine Mercy Sunday. This day we remember that God’s mercy is for all people not just some. We should have faith, hope and joy because we have with us the risen Jesus that reminds us that believing in Him brings new life. The early Christians lived together, shared what they had and cared for those in need. Their lives were filled with prayers, worship, and love for one another. Faith can change the way we live each day. We are asked this week to trust and not be a doubting Thomas.

On Sunday, April 30, 2000, in celebration of the New Millennium, St. John Paul II canonized Bl. Faustina is a saint of mercy for the world. He also established by proclamation the Feast of Divine Mercy Sunday. St. John Paul II lived his priesthood in hope of The Divine Mercy, well before he became Pope, and dedicated his papacy to the Divine Mercy as well. Much of his love of the mercy of God was inspired by the belief found in the heart of Jesus, with which the suffrage of humanity at the hands of Nazi control over Poland could find divine relief. St. John Paul II lived the mercy of God as a remedy because he knew first-hand what the evils of communism and oppression could do.

Dear Parish Family,

We have arrived once again in the holy season of Easter. We have not just one day, but 50 days of Easter to celebrate. How important it is to remember that we have these days to commemorate the heights of the liturgical year. We do so with the greatest of reverence, hope, love, and joy knowing that Jesus is triumphant over the grave! Eastertime brings out the joy of the Lord in our hearts, as we contemplate the profound meaning of the Resurrection, and our desire to seek only the things of heaven.

Today we begin the Easter Octave, eight days of unbroken celebration, each treated as though they are one and the same day. During this time, we are invited into a deep reflection and joy over the life-giving mysteries of Christ’s triumph over death. Easter and the Octave are not just remembrances of a past event but give us a more profound, personal encounter with the Risen Christ. This is a time of new beginnings and divine grace that offers spiritual renewal and deeper connection with our faith. On Holy Saturday, at the Easter Vigil we here about the creation of the world by God in six days.