Today, we read in the Gospel that Thomas was absent from the group, and therefore, missed Jesus appearing to the other Apostles. Thomas was away from the other Apostles, and so, he was away from the Church. The Gospel doesn’t share what Thomas was doing. Maybe he was not afraid like the other Apostles, so he was not hiding. Whatever Thomas was doing, it led him away from the group – from the Church.
I know that there are times that we have the best of intentions, and those good intentions can take us away from what we should be doing. One thing to be aware of is not to lose the discipline and growth you have gained from your Lenten sacrifice. Easter doesn’t mean throwing away or picking up whatever you added on or gave up.
On the contrary, Easter is a time to celebrate your growth in your relationship with Jesus Christ! Learn from Thomas’ experience! Don’t separate yourself from the group! Can you believe that a week ago, we celebrated Easter?! The Church in her wisdom gives us eight days to celebrate Easter! That means, for eight days after Easter, we can treat each day as if it is Easter Sunday!
This Sunday is also called Divine Mercy Sunday. Pope John Paul II established the Sunday after Easter to be Divine Mercy Sunday. Please take some time to read about St. Faustina and the Divine Mercy revelations! Just google St. Faustina, there is so much information out there on this special message of Mercy from Jesus! Happy Easter!