First Reading • Acts 5:12-16
Psalm • Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24
Second Reading • Revelation 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19
Gospel • John 20:19-31
As part of his announcement that 2025 would be a Jubilee Year of Hope, late Pope Francis opened the Holy Door at Saint Peter’s Basilica. This door is only opened during a jubilee year as a symbol of the special gifts of grace this time offers.
Pilgrims are invited to go to St Peter’s Basilica and enter through the Holy Door which is a symbol of Jesus who opens wide His arms in forgiveness and mercy to everyone who approaches Him. Walking through the door, people are also called to leave their old sinful lives behind and walk in the footsteps of Jesus who is the only way to the Father.
For this Jubilee Year of Hope, Pope Francis did something that had never been done before and that was probably never even thought of before.
He allowed a holy door to be set up in a prison in Italy. He wanted it to stand as a sign that God’s mercy and forgiveness are available to all sinners, even the most hardened criminals.
It is important for us to remember this especially today when we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday. The message of Divine Mercy is that God wants all of us to be saved. We only have to look at the cross to see how far God will go to save us.
On the cross, Jesus opened his arms wide to embrace every single person – from the greatest saint to the greatest sinner. And His heart was pierced through with a lance and opened to make room for all of us.
The blood and water that poured forth from His heart is His love and mercy spilling out to sinners. Jesus does not turn away anyone who turns to Him.
In today’s gospel, Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit on the apostles giving them the power to forgive sins. That powerful gift comes down to us as the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession.
No matter what we have done – no matter how long it’s been – we can leave our past behind and start over again with a clean slate. It is like walking through a wide-open door into a new life.
There is another side to this celebration of God’s mercy. As eager as we may be to receive mercy, we must be just as eager to share it. Today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles tells the story of how the first followers of Jesus showed mercy by healing the sick.
One of the reasons the Church grew so rapidly in those first years was because of the love they showed.
They knew the love and mercy of Jesus and went out of their way to show that love to others.
What are some of the acts of mercy that we can show others? Pope Francis showed us one way by opening a holy door in a prison. Visiting those in prison is a powerful way to reflect the love and mercy of God.
If you don’t think you’re ready to do something as challenging as that, you might consider visiting the sick. The elderly and sick can feel isolated and lonely.
A visit from someone can lift their spirits and remind them that they are not forgotten.
And if that even seems a bit more than we’re ready to do, then praying for others can be a first step toward opening our hearts to those in need. That is something all of us can do, and it always makes a difference.
The greatest way we can show God’s love and mercy to others is probably the hardest – forgiving those who have hurt us. God offers us forgiveness so freely and generously. So, we have no right to hold a grudge against anyone who has hurt us. Jesus makes it clear that if we cannot give forgiveness to others then we cannot receive forgiveness from God.
Jesus has thrown open the door of His Sacred Heart to us. He asks us to walk through and embrace the love He offers. And He asks us to share His mercy with others.
It is not always easy but, the more we embrace His mercy, the more eager we will be to extend it to others. And in the process, we will discover what the first followers of Jesus did – that we can change the world through love.
