Now, it is kind of ironic that I love the Divine Mercy devotion. I am a person who can lack showing empathy towards others. But maybe that’s the reason why I love the devotion so much – I am so human. I find it hard to comfort others and to feel how they do. Of course, I care, deeply – but only to a certain extent, and depending on the context.
But that is not God. And that’s why He and His Divine Mercy is so beautiful and amazing. I am unworthy of this compassion and forgiveness He unceasingly offers; and yet, He still overflows with it. That’s so great because we all need it – desperately. We can stray so far from His love, from our identities as His. And yet, no matter how many times we wander far in a distant country, He welcomes us back with open arms and celebrates our return. There is no limit to His mercy. Will we believe that? Will we trust in Him?
It’s Divine Mercy Sunday, meaning it’s time for the infamous Gospel, known as “Doubting Thomas.” I’ve heard this reading so many times but on one Divine Mercy Sunday, something caught my attention, something that never had before. When Thomas places his finger into Jesus’ pierced side, he says, “My Lord, My God.” At this, I was brought back to what my mother taught me when I was about to receive my first communion – to say the words “my Lord, my God” when the priest lifts the bread up. Until this day, I still do so. At the time, I didn’t fully understand why. Over the years, I learnt that Jesus is truly present in that host, in the Eucharist, Thomas believed that He was really Jesus, that He was present in their midst. Not only that, he recognized that He wasn’t just Jesus, their friend but the Son of the Father, fully God and fully man. In the same way, we acknowledge that the host really becomes Jesus.
I always thought that Thomas did get a bad rap, because he doubted. He needed proof, physical proof. Imagine if we all did, there wouldn’t be nearly as many Christians in the world today. But the point of the Gospel is not that Thomas doubted, but that he believed. He provided criteria to believe, to have faith – the wounds of Jesus. But we can substitute faith for trust. Because His wounds are His love. His love cannot be faked. From His wounds, His love flows. In His love, we can trust. In His wounds, we can put our faith in Him, we can entrust our lives to His perfect will. No matter how long and how far we’ve gone astray, in His wounds, we can truly say, “Jesus, I trust in You.”
via.
Our “Unfathomable” Collection, inspired by Divine Mercy and St Faustina is now available on our Etsy Store.
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