SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER – DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY
(Acts 2:42-47; I Peter 1:3-9; John 20:1-9)
Today, the Second Sunday of Easter, has been called by
various names. In some places it has been known as “Low Sunday”, with the First
Sunday of Easter being the “High Feast of Easter”. In recent times it has been
named “Divine Mercy Sunday”. It has been given this name because of the
writings of the Polish mystic, St. Faustina Kowalska, and also because in the gospel
passage for this Sunday Jesus initiates the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It can
also be called "Doubting Thomas Sunday" for another part of the
passage. In it the apostle Thomas expresses doubts that Jesus rose from the
dead. The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles suggests yet another
title. Always on the second Sunday of Easter the reading recounts how the
community of believers in Jerusalem lived in harmony. So, "Sunday of the Primitive
Church" would not be inappropriate. Today we are going to limit our
reflection to this last theme.
The first reading says that the
community "devoted
themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life,
to the breaking of bread and to the prayers."
It has been the work of the Holy Spirit that the Church has mostly maintained
these characteristics for twenty centuries. However, there have been deviations
at different times. How well does the contemporary Church shape up to this
list?
The teachings of the apostles were not ideas invented by the
twelve but the revelations of Jesus Christ adapted for particular communities.
They included both morals and doctrines of faith. Recently the bishops of
Germany have approved resolutions that undermine some of the morals taught by the
apostles. They want to bless homosexual unions, recognize genders other than
male and female, and even admit the possibility of a woman claiming that she
has changed her gender to be ordained to the priesthood. If these kinds of
ideas take root, it seems that the Church would no longer conform to the teachings
of the apostles.
The reading gives an example of “communal life” when it says
that landowners sold their properties and offered the proceeds for distribution
according to each person’s need. From time to time we hear claims that this
practice amounts to communism. However, there is a big difference between the
two systems. The practice of sharing in the apostolic community was voluntary.
With communism sharing is forced. Interestingly, Acts later mentions a problem
with the system, and no other New Testament book recommends it. Rather, most of
the books insist that those with means, be they communities or individuals,
help those without. Today the Church has organizations like Caritas International
that distribute donations to peoples experiencing need.
The “breaking of bread” seems like code words for the
Eucharist. According to the reading, the followers of Christ in the Jerusalem
community joined their Jewish sisters and brothers in the Temple to pray daily.
But when they returned home, they shared the Eucharist with each other. The sad
situation today is that many Catholics do not see the need to attend Sunday
Mass, nor do they recognize the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
No doubt the early Church in Jerusalem continued to pray
Jewish prayers, particularly the psalms. Also, there is testimony in the New
Testament that they introduced new prayers like "Maranatha"
which means, "Come, Lord Jesus." Of course, they also prayed the
"Lord's Prayer" with the same desire that the end of time may come
soon. We continue to pray like this today, but with less awareness of the
promised coming of the Lord in glory.
The Church has not changed in the essentials. As has been
shown, for the most part it continues to display the characteristics of the
early Church. Certainly there have been changes in the ways of expressing these
characteristics since then. In the first century there were no newspapers, much
less the mass media to propagate the teachings. It is urgent that we do not
lose these characteristics. When Christ comes, we want him to recognize us as
his own.
