April 27, 2025
Discover the deeper meaning and connections found in this weeks' readings, through these great commentaries written by our priests.
Explore this weeks' readings and hear what God is saying to us through His Word.
Find out more about how we can mark this special day in our liturgy.
See our music recommendations for the liturgy.
The Gospel passage we read today is the original ending of John’s Gospel. After telling the lovely, human story of Thomas, his doubt and coming to faith, John’s Gospel ends with those famous words: Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. In these words, John reveals the whole purpose of his Gospel. He has written it so that future generations, like us, can come to know Jesus as he knew him and through this encounter with Jesus, come to faith in him.
As we come each Sunday to Mass, we read and hear about Jesus, we encounter him in the inspired word of scripture, we meet him in his Spirit which moves through the people who gather with us and care about us in the name of Jesus; he is present in the liturgy and prayer we engage in, and we encounter him most importantly and most intimately in the Eucharist. And we believe even though we don’t see him as such, but we do encounter him in all these ways as our risen Lord. In recognising all these ways in which the Lord reaches out to us in our lives, may we be moved to make as wholehearted and sincere confession of our faith as Thomas did in the Gospel: “My Lord and my God!”
This is also Divine Mercy Sunday, established as such by Pope John Paul II in response to a revelation from Jesus to Sr Faustina Kowalska to ‘let all mankind recognise my unfathomable mercy’. Recognising and promoting the love and mercy of God has been the central mission and focus of Pope Francis' papacy. He has shown us a God for whom mercy for our sins supersedes justice and forgiveness of sinners outweighs judgment and punishment. Jesus, rising from the dead, personifies God’s mercy par excellence because, of his infinite mercy, he cancels out our sins and reconciles us to God at no cost to us. In the words of today’s sequence, “that Christ is truly risen from the dead we know. Victorious king, thy mercy show!”
Today is the Octave Day of Easter and is also know as Divine Mercy Sunday. The Easter Sequence may be used. The Blessing and Sprinkling of Water instead of the Penitential Act is recommended. The Easter Solemn Blessing may be used, and the Dismissal has a double Alleluia.
The antiphons and prayers in the Roman Missal make particular reference to those who were baptized at the Easter Vigil: “Like newborn infants…” (Entrance Antiphon, first option); “…. that all may grasp and rightly understand in what font they have been washed, by whose Spirit there have been reborn, by whose Blood they have been redeemed.” (Opening Prayer); “…(and of those you have brought to new birth) (Prayer over the Gifts); “…also for those to whom you have been pleased to give the new birth of water and the Holy Spirit, granting them forgiveness of their sins:” (Eucharistic Prayer I).
These texts give us a prompt as to the Mystagogical character of Eastertide. If there were adult baptism(s) at the Easter Vigil in your parish, the homily might well be directed first and foremost to those people (See for example St Cyril of Jerusalem’s final 5 Catechetical Lectures).
TODAY’S READINGS: Years A, B, and C all include an early part of Acts, extracts from Psalm 118/117, and St John’s account of the appearance to the disciples (without St Thomas) then with St Thomas. Note especially Jesus’ greeting, “Peace be with you.” This is the Dominical Greeting and is used by a bishop at the beginning of Mass. Which brings us to the Sign of Peace and one of my (many!) pet hates: Note it is a sign, not words of Peace. The use of “Peace be with you” by all and sundry risks emptying the Dominical Greeting of real significance. Keep it for the bishop!
Note: These hymns have been chosen from different sources.
Praise my soul, the King of heaven (CFE602, L807, LHON576, TCH258)
He is risen, tell the story (CFE247, L276, LHON326)
This joyful Eastertide (CFE735, L286, LHON686, TCH84)
The stone which the builders rejected (CFE989, L258)
Be still, for the presence of the Lord (CFE72, L720, LHON165)
Key
CFE - Celebration Hymnal for Everyone
L – Laudate
LHON – Liturgical Hymns Old and New (Mayhew, 1999)
TCH – The Catholic Hymnbook (Gracewing)
Do you have questions about the liturgy and how we are called to participate in it? Explore how the Church councils, saints and popes have answered this key question and many more.
Every movement of the Mass is rich in meaning but we can become over familiar with it. Rediscover the Mass and explore how it relates to the Exodus story, where many of its rituals come from and how it makes Jesus present to us today.
