Vol. 37 No. 27             APRIL 11,  2010             Cycle C 2nd  SUNDAY  OF  EASTER Divine Mercy Sunday   ENTRANCE ANTIPHON Like newborn children you should thirst for milk, on which your spirit can grow to strength, alleluia. (1 Pet 2:2) PENITENTIAL RITE Jesus has revealed to us the nature of God as a loving and merciful Father. In today’s Gospel the risen Christ appears to his disciples and with mercy and gentleness he leads them to faith in his living presence and shares the gift of peace with them. The merciful Lord encourages us in our doubts and strengthens us in our faith. Let us pray for his forgiveness and mercy for all our sins and failures. (Pause) I confess… Glory to God... OPENING  PRAYER God of mercy, you wash away our sins in water, you give us new birth in the Spirit, and redeem us in the blood of Christ. As we celebrate Christ’s resurrection increase our awareness of these blessings, and renew your gift of life within us. Grant this... FIRST  READING (The first Christians experienced the presence of the Lord through the ministry of the Apostles. Great numbers were added to their fold daily.) A reading from the Acts of the Apostles    (5:12-16) Many signs and wonders were done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And the faithful were all together in Solomon’s Portico. None of the rest dared to join them, but the people held them in high honour. And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and pallets, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed. This is the Word of the Lord PSALM      (117) Response: Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his love has no end. Let the sons of Israel say: “His love has no end.” Let the sons of Aaron say: “His love has no end.” Let those who fear the Lord say: “His love has no end.” R./ The stone which the builders rejected has become the corner stone. This is the work of the Lord, a marvel in our eyes. This day was made by the Lord; we rejoice and are glad. R./ O Lord, grant us salvation; O Lord, grant success, Blessed in the name of the Lord is he who comes. We bless you from the house of the Lord; the Lord God is our light. R./ SECOND READING (The Lord encourages John in a vision and he reveals himself as the first and the last and the one who lives for ever.) A reading from the Book of the Apocalypse    (1:9-13,17-19) I, John, your brother, who share with you in Jesus the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”   Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a Son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden girdle round his breast. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand upon me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one; I died, and behold I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. Now write what you see, what is and what is to take place hereafter.” This is the Word of the Lord ACCLAMATION   (Jn 20:29) Alleluia, alleluia ! Thomas, you have believed, says the Lord, because you have seen me. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe. Alleluia! GOSPEL (Jesus gently leads the unbelieving Thomas to faith in his risen presence. Thomas makes the great act of faith. But the Lord says: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe”.) A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St John (20:19-31) On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless 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.” Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, “Peace be with you”. Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God.” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name. This is the Gospel of the Lord I believe in God,/the Father Almighty,/ Creator of heaven and earth./ I believe in Jesus Christ,/his only Son, our Lord./ He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit/ and born of the Virgin Mary./He suffered under Pontius Pilate,/was crucified, died, and was buried./He descended to the dead./On the third day he rose again./He ascended into Heaven,/and is seated at the right hand of the Father./He will come again to judge the living and the dead./I believe in the Holy Spirit,/the Holy Catholic Church,/the communion of saints,/the forgiveness of sins,/the resurrection of the body,/and the life everlasting./ Amen. PRAYER  OF  THE  FAITHFUL Cel:  My dear brothers and sisters, the merciful Lord lives and works in our midst. His mercy is abundant. Let us come to the throne of his mercy with all our needs and humbly ask for his blessings upon the entire world. Response: Lord of Mercy, hear our prayer. 1. For the Pope, the bishops and ordained ministers of the Church: that they may experience the power of the risen Lord and become channels of God’s love and mercy in this world. R./ 2. For the consecrated religious and those in seminary and religious formation: that they may experience the power of the risen Lord in their lives and follow his example of humble service. R./ 3. For those who suffer from depression, discouragement and hopelessness: that they may find their peace, joy and hope in the presence of the merciful Lord Jesus. R./ 4. For those afflicted by various diseases of spirit, mind and body: that they may experience the power of the risen Lord and be healed of all their infirmities. R./ 5. For those who have grown lukewarm or indifferent in their practice of faith, those who doubt or reject the presence of the risen Lord, those who have gone astray by their sins: that they may all be touched and transformed by the risen Lord and enjoy his peace. R./ (Pray for local and personal needs) Cel:  Father of mercy and compassion, we bring our prayers and petitions to the throne of your divine mercy. Strengthen our faith in the risen Lord Jesus and bless our resolve to proclaim him with our lives. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS Lord, through faith and baptism we have become a new creation. Accept the offerings of your people (and of those born again in baptism) and bring us to eternal happiness. Grant this... PREFACE    (21) Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord. We praise you with greater joy than ever in this Easter day, when Christ became our paschal sacrifice. He is the true Lamb who took away the sins of the world. By dying he destroyed death; by rising he restored our life. And so, with all the choirs of angels in heaven we proclaim your glory and join in their unending hymn of praise: All: Holy, holy, holy… COMMUNION ANTIPHON Jesus spoke to Thomas: Put your hand here, and see the place of the nails. Doubt no longer, but believe, alleluia. PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Almighty God, may the Easter sacraments we have received live for ever in our minds and hearts. We ask this...   LITURGY  AND  LIFE   Today’s readings tell us of God’s abundant mercies available to all of us at every stage of our lives. The first believers in Jesus were totally touched and transformed by the risen Jesus, as his power was visible in their lives. The ministry of the first witnesses of Jesus’ passion, death and his post-resurrection appearances bring the merciful presence of the Lord alive in the Christian community: “A great number of people would also gather from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all cured” (Acts 5:16). The apostles who were transformed by the Lord’s presence and his Holy Spirit, thus, became agents of Divine Mercy. The Apostles first experienced the peace and mercy of Jesus when he appeared to them after his resurrection. They had locked themselves in a room because of fear and disappointment at the death of Jesus. Their hopes and dreams were shattered with the death of the Lord. It was in their total disappointment and hopelessness that the risen Jesus came to them. He entered not only in the closed room but also into their shattered and gloomy lives. He filled them with his peace, and breathed on them his Spirit. And in that instant they were transformed by the Mercy of God. For Apostle Thomas it was a far more intense experience of Divine Mercy. He loved the Lord so much that he was willing to go and die with him (Jn 11:16). The events of the passion and death of the Lord had shattered Thomas more than it did the other Apostles. He then decided to withdraw himself into his solitary confinement and grieve alone. His withdrawal from the community of Apostles made him more uncompromising, unbelieving and doubting. He was not willing to accept any kind of testimonies or evidences other than seeing and touching the Lord himself. He was also closed within his own convictions and ideas. It was to such withdrawn, confused and uncompromising Thomas that the risen Lord appeared. The grace and mercy that flowed from the open wounds of the risen Lord healed Thomas of his doubts and stubbornness. He surrendered himself with the great act of faith: My Lord and my God. Thomas, having experienced the Divine Mercy in its fullest measure, undertook a heroic missionary expedition to preach God’s mercy. It took him to India in A.D. 52. He proclaimed Christ fearlessly, and laid down his life heroically as a martyr in A.D. 72. The merciful Lord pours out his grace upon all of us, especially when life’s problems strike us and shatter our hopes and dreams. It is when we allow the risen Jesus to enter our lives that we are transformed and experience peace. And this encounter takes place when we stay part of the Christian community which the Lord has planned for us. The Lord’s presence is experienced and enjoyed when we gather together and celebrate the Eucharist as a worshipping community. Jesus invites us to draw close to him in faith and to look at his wounds. Even though we can’t touch him physically, we can draw close to him spiritually. And we too are called to bear witness to others. Our task is to make Christ ‘visible’ in the world. That’s the way it was with the first disciples. Once they had seen the risen Christ, they felt compelled to make him known to others. —Fr Joe Eruppakkatt, ssp   =====================================================   April   2010      READINGS  OF  THE  WEEK         Psalter Week 2 12  Mon (W)    Act 4:23-31; Ps 2:1-3,4-6,7-9; Jn 3:1-8 13  Tue (W)     Act 4:32-37, Ps 92:1ab,1c-2,5; Jn 3:7b-15 14  Wed (W)   Act 5:17-26; Ps 33:2-3,4-5,6-7,8-9; Jn 3:16-21 15 Thu (W)     Act 5:27-33; Ps 33:2&9,17-18,19-20; Jn 3:31-36 16  Fri (W)      Act 5:34-42; Ps 26:1,4,13-14; Jn 6:1-15 17  Sat (W)     Act 6:1-7; Ps 32:1-2,4-5,18-19; Jn 6:16-21