Seeing Is Believing?

𝐀𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐋 𝟏𝟐, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔: 𝐃𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐘 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐘

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝟏: 𝐀𝐜 𝟐:𝟒𝟐-𝟒𝟕

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟏𝟏𝟖:𝟐-𝟒, 𝟏𝟑-𝟏𝟓, 𝟐𝟐-𝟐𝟒 “𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠.”

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝟐: 𝟏 𝐏𝐞𝐭 𝟏:𝟑-𝟗 

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐉𝐍 𝟐𝟎:𝟏𝟗-𝟑𝟏

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞: “𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮.” (𝐯.𝟏𝟗) 

           People normally believe what they see. This is one of the reasons why Jesus during his ministry used parables using actual life situations and experiences so the people in his time can easily understand.

           At one time I had a bit of Thomas in me. As a media practitioner, I trust and believe in what the documents before me show. While there are times when we can easily attribute unverifiable news articles to “sources” we cannot always use this as fallback as it will also impair our credibility.  

  And today, as we grapple with the unending flow of information especially in the different social media platforms – some are accurate while some are fake. How you separate facts from fiction is entirely up to you although our thought process is influenced at times by the flood of online information that we are subjected to the moment we begin the day.

Thus, it has become natural for us nowadays to doubt something that we only heard about and something we don't see or haven’t seen. This was the predicament of many of the Jews even after news of the resurrection of Jesus had spread like wildfire in Jerusalem.

          And more than 2,000 years later, we are still caught up in our own doubts and or indifference that prevent us from establishing a more concrete relationship with God that is rooted in humility and obedience. Why? Because the world we are in is preventing us from doing so as it offers us a comparative view of both dimensions.

         On one hand is the temporal world we live in that is marked by relativism and materialism and hobbled by the fast-paced search for comfort and luxury, anything that would bring us fame, prestige and wealth has kept us glued in this mundane world.

         On the other side of the spectrum is the eternal life that was promised to those who believe in him. Such belief, however, is premised on our subservience to his Will and a life that is anchored in sacrifice and suffering. This last part is what makes people think because most often we want to reap the promise of eternal joy but without the pain and sacrifice attached to it.

         The world has become so fast that anything you need is available at your fingertips. Everything can be procured and acquired and transactions are consummated within minutes. Every bit of information is available in this wired world we are in. Even Bible verses and inspirational message are now being disseminated through e-Mail and SMS, texts and even artificial intelligence.

         But has this connectivity contributed to forming Christians to become a replica of Jesus in all aspects of his life? From the time we received Jesus in our baptism – whether sacramental or para-liturgical – have we allowed the Holy Spirit to take control of our entire persona?

         Have we become forgiving of one another, especially now that we are celebrating the Feast of the Divine Mercy. Or do we persist in our unbelief, doubt and meaningless pursuit of what we perceive to be a joyful life.

         And how many of us demand physical evidence before they believe. “𝐔𝐧𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 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." (𝐯.𝟐𝟓)       

It is not that the people now do not really believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, but the circumstances of our present lives move people to dwell in their unbelief. The economic difficulties that people experience in this time of crisis are also a factor that contribute to the estranged relationship between God and the people He has created.

         When Jesus appeared to his disciples, he offered proofs of his resurrection by showing them the wounds of his passion, his pierced hands and side. He calmed their fears and brought them peace, the peace which reconciles sinners and makes one a friend of God.

         Today this has not changed as Jesus is still offering the same proof at the table of the Paschal sacrifice each time Mass is celebrated and this should serve as a memorial for us that God already took our sins and sufferings to the cross and the peace that He offered to his disciples in the Upper Room is the same kind of peace he is offering to us now and this is what the Feast of Divine Mercy is all about.

          But in us there will always be a Thomas who will doubt not because we love the Lord less but because we simply lack the courage to stand with Jesus and share his passion and crucifixion. Like Thomas we also run away from the Church not only because we lack the motivation to do so but we just want to earn the glory of heaven without the sacrifice needed to get there.

          Jesus came back and appeared to his disciples not only to prove he had resurrected from death, but he came back because he needed his disciples to establish his Church. In the same way, his disciples and we who now comprise the Church also need Jesus.

As we are being sent to make disciples of all nations, we need someone to send us and without Jesus we have no message to bring to all the nations. This means that as Jesus is dependent on us to keep his message alive, we also need Jesus to equip us and empower us by His Holy Spirit.

         There may be times we will allow doubt to cloud our faith but there is something in Thomas that we also need to emulate. Thomas believed and became one of the most faithful messengers of God’s love and forgiveness who is credited for bringing Christianity to India.

         There are times when differences and disputes arise within the Church that move us to leave and there will be times, we will experience some low points in our life and we find ourselves going back to God. But why wait for the light to run out of our lives before we will believe and realize that all we need is the light that comes from God.

         When Thomas recognized his Master, he believed and exclaimed that Jesus was truly Lord and truly God! The gift of faith infused in us at our baptism should move us to also proclaim Jesus as our personal Lord and our God. He died and rose that we, too, might have new life in him.

         And today, the same Jesus who appeared to Thomas is offering each one of us a new life in his Holy Spirit that we may know him personally and walk in this new way of life through the power of his Resurrection.

         We don’t have to put our fingers in his wounds to believe Jesus is real as we only need faith to believe that Jesus had indeed resurrected from the dead and w have the Scriptures and the Church as it stands today as permanent proofs of his passion, death and resurrection.

         The one thing to remember is that Jesus needs the Church to keep the fire burning and we need Jesus because he is the message that we only need to know and bring to others. As God sent Jesus to the cross, so Jesus is also sending us now and no one can truly understand why unless we come to realize that the relationship between God and Jesus is premised on Jesus’ obedience and love.

         So it must be with us. For us to develop a truly meaningful relationship with Jesus we need to humble ourselves and go down from our pedestal and obey whatever He tells us to do but this subservience to His will must be anchored on love for God and neighbor.

           And as we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday, let its main message remain etched in our hearts and minds – in that God’s mercy is greater than any sin. At the center of it all, today’s celebration highlights the fact that regardless of how great or big a person’s sins are, God’s mercy and forgiveness is always bigger and greater.

           Today we are invited not to lose hope amidst the economic crisis we are experiencing. We are being urged to return to God with trust and confidence that the love of God encompasses all of life’s difficulties.

           “𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬, 𝐈 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮.” The key phrase in our celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday in response to the message of Jesus as revealed to Sister Faustina Kowalska. This message and the response enjoin us towards a total reliance on Jesus, especially in times of doubt, suffering or guilt.

           Besides the assurance of God’s forgiveness of our sins, Divine Mercy Sunday is a call for us to: 1) 𝑮𝒐 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑬𝒖𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕; 2) 𝑬𝒙𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔, 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒐𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒐𝒓; 3) 𝑷𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒅𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆. (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 - 𝘈𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘭 12, 2026)