Second Sunday of Easter

Divine mercy 26, John 20:19-31

The disciples were gathered behind locked doors, afraid, confused, and burdened with guilt after abandoning Jesus. Into that fear, Jesus comes—not with anger, not with condemnation—but with mercy. His first words are: “Peace be with you.”

This is the first sign of Divine Mercy:  God comes to us not when we are perfect, but when we are broken.

The disciples had failed Jesus. They didn’t understand Jesus, i.e. they ran away, they doubted.

-After the resurrection of Jesus, he has appeared to many, but today we see a unique character, i.e. the doubting Thomas- he says, "Unless I see - I will not believe"

 

- Do you know the joy of the resurrection? The Risen Lord revealed the glory of his resurrection to his disciples gradually and over a period of time. Even after the apostles saw the empty tomb and heard the reports of Jesus' appearance to the women, they were still weak in faith and fearful of being arrested by the Jewish authorities.

-In that situation, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."

-He strengthened them and reminded them -As the Father has sent me, even so I send you. You are called not to sit in this dark room. Go out and preach the goodness to all creations and baptise them…

- 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." And this mercy is proclaimed even today, which we celebrate is as the Divine Mercy Sunday.

But we know Thomas was not with them, so he did not believe, and he was adamant

 -Thomas might have gone out to watch out the situation outside, the proceedings of the Romans (harthal kadham hogaya dekhenge police or koi issue hei rasthe vich)

- Other disciples told him that they had seen the Lord, but still he doubted…

- Thomas said, "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe."

- He wanted a personal encounter with Jesus वह यीशु से व्यक्तिगत मुलाकात चाहता था …today we also should ask for this grace- a personal encounter- it’s not because of he or she that I believe but I know it’s my Jesus…

Jesus, throughout his ministry, tried to build the faith of the disciples; after his death and resurrection, he still continues to do it. That’s why he appeared to Thomas also

-27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing."

28 Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" -by touching the wounds of Jesus Thomas recognised the divinity and humanity of Jesus

 29 Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe." -29- How do we believe? Are you a blessed one? Ki thusi dhann ho aj?

People normally think, we become blessed when we have eth, position, wealth, talents…

In the first and second readings we saw the life of early Christians.

-Early Christians overcame their desire ਇੱਛਾ to have more possessions because they believed in the life after death and their faith in the risen lord. So they shared eth with the needy

-When we are too much attached to things/ persons ਜਦੋਂ ਅਸੀਂ ਚੀਜ਼ਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਜੁੜੇ ਹੁੰਦੇ ਹਾਂ to such an extent that we cannot give them up, it is rather such things that possess us. When the risen Lord possesses us, (kabje vich hei) we will have the grace to 'give up' things, relationships, habits....

-Jesus had not made any elaborate plans or bank accounts to get his work continued. Imagine how much money it would take to have people gathering in many places in his name regularly! Cost and effort would be enormous. Think of the number of people gathering in different corners of the world today!--- It continues by the power of the word, shared with faith! HE IS MORE POWERFUL AFTER HIS DEATH! HIS WORK CONTINUES. Even the most simple can be part of his great team!

We know, the Church celebrates God’s mercy throughout the year is through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Finding time for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is another good way to receive and give thanks for Divine Mercy.

घाव -ਜ਼ਖ਼ਮ- Jesus showed them his wounds: The wounds are his identification mark- that he died. WE Christians also must have some wounds that we have endured for being like Jesus!

Jesus knows that what they have done to him but still he tells them, peace be with you

Jesus knows that they need the Holy Spirit, only then they will be able to share the forgiveness that the Lord gives them.

Nafrat ki bazarom mei mohabat ki dhookan khola hei mene…  he forgives his opponents…do we?

Unless we have the Holy Spirit, we won’t be able to forgive others. As we celebrate the feast of the divine mercy, lets pray for this grace. And let’s prepare ourselves till the Pentecost that we may be filled with the Holy Spirit.

They were asked to stay in Jerusalem till they receive the Holy Spirit but they don’t listen to his words and go away…-on the road to Emmaus they meet him…but realise only during the breaking of the bread

So, let us continue our faith journey always under the guidance of the Holy Spirit

Thomas sought to touch the Lord…in his wounds, but the Lord Himself touched his heart!

We all have received the mercy of the Lord… Having received the Mercy of God, we are not meant to keep it to ourselves.

Jesus says, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

This is our mission. We are the people who have experienced his mercy, who experiences his mercy on a daily basis…. we have a duty to give to everyone.

Divine Mercy Sunday

5th Sunday of lent, Ezekiel 37:12-14, Romans 8:8-11, John 11:1-45

We have a God who can raise you up, even if you die…

In the first reading from the Prophet Book of Ezekiel, the people of Israel feel like dry bones—without hope, without a future. But God speaks into their darkness: “I will open your graves… I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live.” God does not abandon His people.

This promise becomes real in the Gospel of John, in the story of Lazarus.

Martha and Mary’s hearts are broken when they hear the death of their brother Lazarus and the friend of Jesus.

Even though they believe in Jesus, they say, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

How often do we feel the same? Lord, where have you been when I was in need of you?

Here we have to note that, both Martha and Mary say the exact same words to Jesus:

“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (Gospel of John 11)

But the Gospel shows us that Jesus responds differently, and the difference is not in the words—it is in the heart behind the words.

Martha says, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection.” She was thinking intellectually.

But after listening to Martha Jesus says, ‘I’m the resurrection and life and those who believe in me will have eternal life etc. Jesus did not move, he stood there…

Then Martha comes to Mary and tells that the master is calling you…actually it was a lie. Jesus did not say Martha to call Mary.

Martha knows how my sister is praying, how she gives care to the word of God…

She knows that if Mary tells, Jesus would surely listen to her… [early experience -Luke 10:38–42- Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. Mary has chosen the better part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

And when Mary comes to Jesus, the scene changes completely.

She falls at Jesus’ feet. She weeps. And she repeats the same words—but not faith statements. They are a cry of the heart.

And the Gospel adds something very important: “When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.”

It was not just the words. It was the sight of her tears

Mary does not argue. She does not explain. She simply feels. And this is what moves Jesus.

And Jesus is “deeply moved” because: He sees the pain of losing someone loved…

That is why, just a few verses later, we hear the shortest and most powerful line in Scripture:

“Jesus wept.”

And Jesus met both of them…

He teaches Martha: “I am the resurrection and the life.” But with Mary, He does not teach—He shares her tears.

The way we approach Jesus matters a lot.

Sometimes the prayer that moves the heart of Jesus may not be the perfect one—but the one spoken through tears. Have you prayed before the Lord shedding your tears?

Why Jesus wept?

Jesus already knows He will raise Lazarus. He has the power. He has the plan.

And yet… He weeps. Why?

Because he feels one with them. We have a God who can understand our tears.

This is not a distant God who watches our suffering and doing nothing.  

Dear friends, He can do anything for you at any moment of your life…

And we see, he goes with them to the tomb.

Before Jesus raises Lazarus, He tells others, “Roll away the stone.”

Sometimes we are waiting for God to act, while He is waiting for us to move- To forgive.

God is ready to heal him, give him life, but he expects us to take away, roll away the stone that blocks you…

St. Paul, in the Letter to the Romans, reminds us “The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in you. Not around you, not near you, but Within you.

This means that resurrection is not only something we wait for—it is something we are invited to experience, even now.

Let us ask ourselves, ‘Where is my tomb? What have I buried?

Have you buried your dreams? Have you lost your hope?

Everything is possible if you have the realisation that the same spirit dwells within you.

People believed that resurrection would happen at the end of time when a person dies.

That’s why Martha says: “I know he will rise on the last day.”

But Jesus by saying “I am the resurrection,” Jesus is declaring: Death is not stronger than Him, the grave is not beyond His reach, no situation is truly final.

I am the resurrection and I stand before you.

That is why He stands before a tomb and call Lazarus out.

And says, “Whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live.”

We have Physical death—which all of us face, And Eternal life—which Jesus gives beyond death.

So “I am the resurrection” means: Death may touch the body, but it cannot destroy the life Jesus gives.

“I am the resurrection” means: I am the source of life.

So, He asks Martha: “Do you believe this?”

He is asking each of us: Do you believe that I can bring life into your dead situations?

Calling his name Jesus said, Lazarus- “Come out.”

Come out of that fear that controls you. Come out of that guilt that weighs you down.

And do not stay in the grave. In the grave, its full of darkness. Don’t stay long in darkness.

Step into the light.

We see Jesus deliberately delays going to Lazarus. Sometimes you also may feel that why God is delaying…so that we may give glory to God and recognise the person of God.

Lazarus comes out of the tomb—but still bound in grave cloths. And Jesus says: “Unbind him, let him go.”

This is not only about Lazarus—it is about every disciple. Jesus gives life, but they must also leave behind what binds them. There are many things that do not allow us to go to Jesus.

Just after a week, Jesus is going to die on a cross, and he could have saved himself but, he doesn’t.

Sometimes we hear people say, how can your God save you who could not save himself?

People who don’t know him will go on making arguments? We can just pray for them…

To Martha, he is not saying, “I will give resurrection. “instead he says, “I AM the resurrection.”

Death has no authority over Jesus…that’s why God plans the salvation of mankind in this way. Let us pray that we may understand the paschal mysteries that God has revealed to us. Amen.

 

Fifth Sunday of Lent

4th Sunday of Lent, 26, John 9:1-41, 1samuel 16:1,6-7, 10-13; Ephesians 5:8-14- Spiritual blindness

Jesus heals a man who was blind from birth, but through this miracle He teaches something deeper than physical healing.

When the disciples ask who sinned to cause the blindness, Jesus corrects them and shows that suffering is not always the result of personal sin. Instead, He says, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that the works of God might be revealed in him.”

Through this miracle, Jesus teaches us that suffering is not always a punishment. Sometimes God allows weakness or difficulty so that His glory may be revealed.

Jesus reveals that God can transform human weakness and suffering into a place where His power and glory become visible.

Jesus declares, “I am the light of the world.” By healing the blind man, He shows that He brings light not only to the eyes but also to the heart.

The man who was blind gradually grows in faith: first he calls Jesus “the man called Jesus,” later “a prophet,” and finally he believes and worships Him as the Son of Man. This shows that faith is often a journey—from limited understanding to a deep personal encounter with Christ.

His journey shows that faith often grows step by step until we come to a deep encounter with Christ.

[like the Samaritan woman in the last week].

At the same time, the story exposes the spiritual blindness of the Pharisees. Although they can physically see, they refuse to accept the truth about Jesus because of pride and rigid thinking.

They focus more on rules, like the Sabbath law, than on the miracle God has done.

The message Jesus wants to give us is this: true vision comes from faith and humility. When we recognize our need for God and open our hearts to Christ, He heals our blindness and fills us with His light. But if we remain proud and closed to the truth, we risk becoming spiritually blind. Jesus invites us to come to Him so that we may truly see—see God, see ourselves, and see the path that leads to life.

The first reading tells us that God sees the heart and chooses people according to His divine wisdom, not according to human standards.

When the prophet Samuel is sent to anoint a new king among the sons of Jesse, he is first impressed by the appearance of Eliab. But God corrects him with a powerful truth: “The Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

Through this, God teaches us that human beings often judge by external qualities such as beauty, strength, or status, while God looks at the inner character, humility, and faithfulness of a person.

And we see that God often chooses the unexpected person for His mission. Among Jesse’s sons, the youngest, David, was not even considered important enough to be called at first; he was out in the field tending sheep. Yet God chooses him to become the king of Israel. This reminds us that God’s plans are different from human expectations. Those who seem small, weak, or unnoticed in the eyes of the world may be greatly valued and chosen by God for a special purpose.

Finally, this passage shows that when God calls someone, He also gives His Spirit to guide and strengthen them. God does not simply choose a person and leave them alone; He accompanies them with His grace and Spirit.

What matters most to God is a sincere and faithful heart. If we remain humble and open to Him, God can work through our lives and accomplish great things through us.

In the second reading, Paul reminds the believers that before knowing Christ they were living in darkness—meaning a life influenced by sin, ignorance, and separation from God. But now, through their faith in Jesus Christ, they have become “light in the Lord.”

Therefore, Paul urges them to live in a way that reflects this new identity. Being in the light means living with goodness, righteousness, and truth.

Paul says that the deeds of darkness are unfruitful and should not even be associated with believers.

Paul encourages believers not to remain spiritually asleep or indifferent but to rise up and live consciously in the light of Christ. we are called to reflect His light in our thoughts, actions, and daily lives, becoming signs of hope and truth in the world.

Dear brothers and sisters, this Lenten season is a time for that awakening. Jesus, the Light of the world, wants to heal our blindness, open our hearts, and lead us from darkness into His marvellous light. So, let us approach Him with humility and faith, Amen.

Fourth Sunday of Lent