Homily on John 20:19–31:  Divine Mercy Sunday

 Homily on John 20:19–31:  Divine Mercy Sunday – Mercy Does Not Wait for the Door to Open

Praise be to Jesus Christ 

Two brothers grew up sharing everything, their food, their school bag, even the same bed. They laughed, they fought, they travelled together. But when they became adults, a quarrel over a piece of land turned them into strangers. Years passed. They lived just a few houses apart, but never looked at each other again.

One evening, the elder brother heard that the younger had fallen seriously sick.  Hearing that , though they have not greeted each other for months,  something  began to disturb him from within . He remembered how, as a child, his brother used to cry in his sleep, and how he would quietly place his hand on his brother’s chest to calm him. That night, without a word to anyone, he cooked a little rice porridge with jiggery, the same way their mother used to make it when they were small.

He walked to his brother’s house. The door was half-open. The room was dim. He saw his brother lying weak on a mat, alone. He placed the porridge beside him. No words. No tears. Just silence. But in that moment, something melted. A hand slowly reached out, the same hand that once held his brother during a stormy night.  Yes, This is mercy. Mercy does not wait for the door to open. Mercy walks in when the heart can’t even knock.

In today’s Gospel, the disciples were also behind closed doors. They were broken, frightened, and ashamed. They had abandoned their Master. They didn’t call out to Him. But Jesus came. He stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”

He did not wait to be invited. He did not wait for their apology. He came through locked doors. That is Divine Mercy. It moves toward the one who has fallen. It reaches out to the one who is too tired to ask.

 One word that needs to pay special attention in today’s Gospel is stood. “Jesus stood among them.” He did not rush in with anger. He did not point fingers. He stood, steady, near, and among them. He showed them His wounds. Not to blame them, but to tell them, “I still love you. I came back for you.” And when Thomas doubted, Jesus came again, just for him. He did not say, “Let him figure it out later.” He returned. Mercy always returns. It does not give up on the slow, the hurting, or the proud.

In many homes, there are people like Thomas, doubting, distant, or silently suffering. And like Jesus, we are invited to go back for them. Not just once, but again, and again.  So we need to understand that Divine Mercy is not a soft word or move , it is a strong step. It’s the courage to go first, to forgive first and to love first.

Sometimes we think we are being kind when we say, “Let me know if you need any help.” But true mercy does not wait for a request. It senses the pain. It acts before words are spoken. It shows up, even if the other person never says “thank you.”

The Feast of Divine Mercy is not just about receiving mercy rather it is also about giving mercy and becoming mercy. There is always someone whose door is closed, not with a key, but with fear, pride, sickness, or sorrow.  Can we enter into their lives as Jesus did, can we go in search of them, and can we stand among them and give them peace?

Just like the elder brother in the story, who remembered love, and walked silently with a bowl of porridge, in our day today lives, we are invited to love with quiet actions. That is where healing begins and that is where Christ enters again. Jesus in today’s Gospel reminds us that ‘Mercy does not wait but Mercy finds a way.’

Let us prayer:
Jesus, let my heart be the first to walk in love, even when the door is closed.

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God Bless…