The Gospel for the Second Sunday of Easter begins in a room filled with fear. The disciples are hiding behind locked doors. Their hopes had been shattered by the crucifixion of Jesus, and they were afraid that what happened to Him might also happen to them. Into this atmosphere of anxiety and uncertainty, the risen Christ suddenly appears and says: “Peace be with you.”

These are the first words of the Risen Lord. Not reproach. Not accusation. Not disappointment. Instead, Jesus offers peace. This moment reveals the heart of the message we celebrate on Divine Mercy Sunday: God approaches us not with condemnation but with mercy.

Jesus does something remarkable in this Gospel. He shows the disciples His wounds. The marks of the nails and the wound in His side remain visible. They are no longer signs of defeat; they have become signs of love and mercy.

The wounds remind us that the mercy of God is not abstract. It comes from the sacrifice of Christ. The cross was not the end of the story. The resurrection reveals that love is stronger than sin and death.

This is important for our lives. Many people carry wounds: regret over past mistakes, broken relationships, failures, or sins that seem impossible to forgive. The risen Christ does not hide His wounds. Instead, He shows them openly. In doing so, He teaches us that God’s mercy can transform even the deepest wounds into sources of grace.

After greeting the disciples with peace, Jesus gives them a mission: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Then He breathes on them and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them.”

The disciples are not only recipients of mercy. They are sent to become instruments of mercy for others. The Church continues this mission today, especially through the sacrament of reconciliation, where people encounter the forgiving love of God.

But this mission goes beyond the confessional. Every Christian is called to bring mercy into daily life. Mercy becomes real when it is practiced: when we forgive someone who has hurt us, when we show patience to a difficult person, when we help someone who is struggling, or when we refuse to judge others harshly.

This Gospel also presents the figure of Thomas. When the other disciples tell him that they have seen the Lord, he refuses to believe. He wants proof. He wants to touch the wounds of Jesus. Many people today understand Thomas. Faith is not always easy, and doubt can be part of the journey.

A week later, Jesus appears again. This time Thomas is present. Notice that Jesus does not reject him because of his doubt. Instead, He invites him: “Put your finger here… do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Jesus meets Thomas exactly where he is. And Thomas responds with one of the most beautiful professions of faith in the Gospel: “My Lord and my God!”

At the end of the Gospel, Jesus says: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” These words are directed to us. We have not seen the risen Lord with our physical eyes. Yet we are invited to believe, to trust, and to live according to that faith.

Divine Mercy Sunday is both a comfort and a challenge. It is a comfort because it reminds us that no sin is greater than God’s mercy. The door of forgiveness is always open.

But it is also a challenge. If we have received mercy, we must become people of mercy. The world today often prefers revenge, division, and judgment. The Gospel proposes another path: forgiveness, reconciliation, and compassion.

We can live this message in simple but powerful ways: by trusting in God’s mercy, by seeking reconciliation, by forgiving others, and by bringing peace where there is fear. When we do this, the words of Jesus become real in our world: “Peace be with you.”

And like Thomas, we may come to recognize the risen Lord in our lives and proclaim with conviction: “My Lord and my God.”