We should be very grateful to St Thomas, as John shows us in his gospel how the disciple demanded physical proof that Jesus had risen from the dead. He was invited by the Lord to touch his wounds. Docetism, which claimed that Jesus’ body was not real, had become a belief among some at the time John was writing. He was anxious to refute this heresy. “My Lord and my God” - Thomas, like Mary Magdalene, had come into the light.
This Sunday, formerly called Low Sunday, has been named Divine Mercy Sunday. Pope John Paul II promoted this devotion in response to the visions of St Faustina, a Polish nun. She reported that Jesus had asked for this Sunday to be dedicated to Divine Mercy. Throughout his life he had shown mercy to sinners, right up to his death on the cross when he forgave the repentant thief: “Truly I tell you, today you will be in Paradise with me” (Luke 23:43). However, Jesus constantly taught that forgiveness must be passed on. In response to Peter’s question about how many times he must forgive his brother, Jesus told the story of the steward who refused to write off the debt of his fellow servant when he himself had been forgiven. The man was condemned for his merciliness.