DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY (YEAR A)

1st Reading         Acts 2:42-47

Psalm                    Ps. 118: 2-4,13-15,22-24

2nd Reading       1 Peter 1:3-9

Gospel                   John 20:19-31

"IN THE EVENING OF THAT SAME DAY..." 

(Jn. 20: 19)

"In the evening of that same day.. " (John 20:19). This is the beginning phrase of the Gospel passage for this Sunday, the Second Sunday of Easter (also called Divine Mercy Sunday).  In that phrase is the word ὀψίᾳ (opsia). The author uses that word to speak of the time of the day when the sun is setting and darkness is approaching. This is the moment the author called "Evening." The setting of the evening (of "opsia") sets the scene for a powerful moment of revelation, as Jesus appears to his disciples amid their fear and uncertainty. 

It is the same word translated as APPEARANCE in John 7:24 when Jesus said, "Stop judging by appearances but judge rightly." I think there is something about appearance that could warp our judgment. We can juxtapose appearance with insufficiency of evidence, and this is a moment of indecision and one of "evening".

Indeed, the choice of the word "opsia" by the author of the Gospel according to John is no coincidence. It highlights the importance of the timing of Jesus' appearance to his disciples. The events leading up to this moment had been tumultuous and unsetting, as the disciples had witnessed their Lord and Saviour being arrested, tried, and crucified. Their hopes and dreams for a better future had been shattered,  and they were left in a state of confusion and fear.

Yet, it is precisely amid this "opsia" (of this "evening"), of this darkness related by the time of the day and the condition of the disciples that Jesus chooses to reveal himself to them. He appeared to them in the evening, at the time when their fear and uncertainty were at their peak.

This is a powerful message for us today. It reminds us that even in the darkest moments of our lives, Jesus is present with us, offering us hope and the promise of a better future. Jesus says to our troubled and frightened hearts, "Peace be with you."

This is Divine Mercy for us. Even in the deepest despairs, regrets, and disdain of God's love; even in moments of fear, uncertainty, and tumult, Christ emerges behind the closed doors of your heart and speaks the same words he spoke to the disciples, "Peace be with you". 

Do not be afraid to embrace the mercy and love of Christ because even in the evening, even in the dark, even in "opsia," Christ saves.

Peace be with you.

Pax et Bonum