Vatican City, Apr 11, 2010 / 08:56 am
The Holy Father welcomed Divine Mercy Sunday from the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo, focusing his address before the Marian prayer on Sunday's reading from the Gospel of John. In his words, he acknowledged the value of Thomas' doubt for Christians today and reflected on Jesus' imparting of the Holy Spirit and the mission of the Church.
St. John's account which narrates Jesus' visit to the disciples in the Cenacle after his resurrection, said the Pope, is "rich" with "mercy and divine goodness."
Benedict XVI quoted St. Augustine who explained the scene in which Christ's body, "inhabited by divinity," is not impeded from entering the closed doors of the Upper Room. St. Gregory the Great, he noted, described the Redeemer's arrival in a state of glory, with an uncorruptible and palpable body.
Once in the room, Jesus allows the "incredulous" Thomas to verify the signs of the passion present on Jesus' body, recalled the Pope, adding that the "divine compliance" of Jesus in permitting Thomas to touch him continues to be as profitable for us as it was for the other disciples.