2024 SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER (Cycle B – usus recentior)
6/7 April
This Sunday is known by many names. Each name reveals a unique character of the Sunday.
Dominica in albis, meaning “White Sunday” refers to the white garments the newly baptised receive on their baptism. Those adults baptised at the Easter Vigil were white garments to reflect the inner purity given by Christ who in baptism, washes away their sins. Traditionally, when we changed our clothes less frequently than we do now, this Sunday was the day for changing out of those white baptismal robes. For this reason, this Sunday was called “white Sunday”.
This Sunday is also called Low Sunday. No, this is not because Father had a good day on the golf course, as some think. The lowness refers to the Sunday liturgy, which is the eighth day of Easter but is celebrated with less fuss, so to speak.
Another name for this Sunday is Quasi Modo Sunday, from the Latin entrance antiphon which reads “Quasi modo geniti infantes, rationabile, sine dolo lac concupiscite, ut in eo crescatis in salute, alleluia”. In English this reads, “Like newborn infants, you must long for the pure, spiritual milk, that in him you may grow to salvation, alleluia” (1 Peter 2,2). This verse is particularly apt for those who have received the sacraments at Easter.
Finally, in the year 2000, St John Paul called this Sunday Divine Mercy Sunday. He did so because he wanted to share with the world an aspect of his private devotion to the mercy of God, a devotion he grew up with in Poland. He wanted to remind the world that in Jesus, God’s justice is matched by his mercy. We see this on the cross which is as much a sign of justice as it is of mercy. Justice because Jesus’ death is the consequence of sin. Mercy because Jesus’ death is the consequence of Our sin, not his. His death is a redemption, a ransom, so to speak.
When John Paul associated this Sunday with Divine Mercy he quoted from the diary of St Faustina which reads, “Humanity will not find peace until it turns trustfully to divine mercy.” Three examples from Scripture reveal this in greater detail.
After the death of Jesus, the Apostles locked themselves in a room for fear of the Jews. There is a sense of failure and defeat about their mission, and possibly a sense of having personally failed the Lord too. Upon entering the room, Jesus said: “peace be with you.”
Instead of judgment or condemnation, Jesus is merciful, and this creates the space for peace.
A Second example is the sending out of the Apostles to be ministers of his mercy. Having first been the recipients of Jesus’ mercy he next sends them out to be ministers thereof saying, “Those whose sins you retain are retained; those whose sins you forgive are forgiven.” Once again, peace is linked with mercy.
The third example is from today’s Gospel. Thomas’ lack of trust is the occasion for the Lord’s mercy. Our Lord does this by exposing his wounds to Thomas.
These three examples show us that Jesus offers mercy when we sin. We can be confident of this response and should seek out his mercy through the sacrament of baptism and confession. Next, having received his mercy, we are called to be merciful to others. We can think of the Our Father where we pray “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”. Finally, when we wish to be merciful we need not shy away from our woundedness. In fact, it is sometimes the case that God’s strength is most evident through our woundedness, which can be the occasion of mercy for others.
While we continue to rejoice with the newly baptised, let us resolve to continue to be instruments of mercy in our work and home.