In the reflections of today, Divine Mercy SundayLeone delved into the discussion on faith taking inspiration from the Gospel about Thomas: «Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday and happy Easter again! Today, the second Sunday of Easter, dedicated by Saint John Paul II to Divine Mercy, in the Gospel we read of the appearance of the Risen Jesus to the apostle Thomas. The event takes place eight days after Easter, while the community is gathered and it is there that Thomas meets the Master, who invites him to look at the marks of the nails, to put his hand in the wound in his side and to believe. It is a scene that makes us reflect on our encounter with the Risen Jesus.
Where to find it? How to recognize it? How to believe? Saint John, who narrates the event, gives us precise indications. Thomas meets Jesus on the eighth day in the gathered community and recognizes him in the signs of his sacrifice. From this experience comes his profession of faith, the highest in the entire fourth Gospel: “My Lord and my God”. Of course, it’s not always easy to believe. It wasn’t for Tommaso and it isn’t for us either. Faith needs to be nourished and supported. For this reason, on the eighth day, that is, every Sunday, the Church invites us to do like the first disciples, to gather and celebrate the Eucharist together. In it we listen to the words of Jesus, we pray, we profess our faith, we share God’s gifts in charity, we offer our life in union with the sacrifice of Christ, we nourish ourselves with His body and His blood and then in turn be witnesses of His resurrection, as indicated by the term mass, that is, sending, mission. The Sunday Eucharist is indispensable for Christian life».
«Tomorrow I will leave for the apostolic journey to Africa», the Pope continued, «and some martyrs of the African Church of the first centuries, the martyrs of Abitene, have left us a beautiful testimony in this regard. Faced with the offer of saving their lives, provided they renounce celebrating the Eucharist, they replied that they could not live without celebrating the Lord’s Day. It is there that our faith is nourished and grows, it is there that our efforts, although limited, by the grace of God are founded as actions of the members of a single body, the body of Christ, in the realization of a single great project of salvation that embraces the entire human race. It is through the Eucharist that our hands also become hands of the risen one, witnesses of his presence, of his mercy, of his peace, in the signs of work, of sacrifices, of illness, of the passing of the years, which are often engraved on them as in the tenderness of a caress, of a squeeze, of a gesture of charity. Dear brothers and sisters, in a world that is in great need of peace, this requires us more than ever to be assiduous and faithful to our Eucharistic encounter with the risen one, to leave again as witnesses of charity and bearers of reconciliation. May the Virgin Mary help us to do so, blessed because she was the first to believe without seeing.”
After the recitation of the Regina Coeli, Leo XIV renewed best wishes to the Eastern Churches who today celebrate Easter according to the Julian calendar: «To all those communities I address my warmest wishes for peace in communion of faith in the risen Lord» and once again put the many conflicts that afflict humanity at the center of attention: «I accompany with more intense prayer those who suffer because of the war, in particular the dear Ukrainian people. May the light of Christ bring comfort to afflicted hearts and strengthen the hope of peace. The attention of the international community towards the drama of this war must not fail.
I am also closer than ever to the beloved Lebanese people in these days of pain, fear and invincible hope in God. The principle of humanity, inscribed in the conscience of every person and recognized in international laws, entails the moral obligation to protect the civilian population from the atrocious effects of war. I appeal to the parties to the conflict to cease fire and urgently seek a peaceful solution.
Next Wednesday marks three years since the start of the bloody conflict in Sudan. How much does the Sudanese people suffer, innocent victims of this inhuman drama? I renew my heartfelt appeal to the warring parties to silence their weapons and begin a sincere dialogue without preconditions aimed at stopping this fratricidal war as soon as possible.”
At the end of the greetings to the groups gathered in St. Peter’s Square, Leone asked for the support of the prayers of the faithful: «Tomorrow I will leave for a ten-day apostolic journey to four African countries: Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea. I ask you to please accompany me with your prayers. Thank you!”.
