On Divine Mercy Sunday, we celebrate God’s love–but how does divine mercy show up in our daily lives? Today’s readings remind us that God meets us where we are, no matter the circumstances.

April 12, 2026: Second Sunday of Easter or Divine Mercy Sunday
Acts 2:42–47
Psalm 118:2–4, 13–15, 22–24
1 Peter 1:3–9
John 20:19–31

Passing on the Gift

A reflection by Carter Fahey

Every year, Catholics celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday on the first Sunday after Easter. This devotion originated with a Polish sister, St Faustina Kowalska, who lived in the early 20th century. Over the course of her life, Jesus appeared to Faustina many times, and in these visions, he stressed the merciful nature of God’s love. The resulting image, painted by an artist following Faustina’s description, is one of the most popular and recognizable Catholic devotional images: a serene painting of Jesus in white garments, gazing out at the viewer with blood and water flowing from his Sacred Heart.

But what does mercy really mean? These days, the word is used very broadly, but its early English use, beginning around the 12th century, is more specific: “God's forgiveness of his creatures' offenses.” That’s a pretty narrow definition, and probably not how most of us use it today! Its Latin roots are older: in 6th century ecclesiastical Latin, the corresponding term was used in reference to “the heavenly reward earned by those who show kindness to the helpless and those from whom no requital can be expected.” While the definition of mercy is very specific, we see it at work in a variety of contexts, including this week’s readings for Divine Mercy Sunday.

The second reading, for instance, is an example of mercy in the strictest definition of the word. God in their “great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith, to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time” (1 Pet 1:3–4). This is the ultimate act of mercy–God’s forgiveness of all humankind in a devastating act of love which can never be requited. It is mercy demonstrated on an almost incomprehensible level. How are we to grasp such infinite love?

In John 20, God’s overwhelming love is demonstrated in the context of the disciples’ lives, helping us understand how this mercy comes to us in our own day-to-day routine. We see the resurrected Christ meeting the disciples where they were, just as he does us. For some of the disciples, this meant that Jesus met them in a time of fear. When the community was isolated and afraid, “Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side” (John 20:19–21).

For Thomas, this meant Jesus meeting him in his disbelief, offering concrete proof, the physical comfort of a loved one’s presence. “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe,” says the skeptical Thomas to the others (John 20:25). Jesus, knowing what will strengthen Thomas, appears to him, saying, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe” (27). God offers him exactly what he needs in that moment, even though Thomas needed to see–even to touch–before he could believe that Jesus had truly risen from the dead.

What should we, who are on the receiving end of this mercy, do in return? How do we repay a God who always meets us where we are, no matter the circumstances? Part of the definition of mercy is, of course, that nothing can be expected in return. As soon as the receiving party is expected to give something in return, it’s no longer mercy–it’s a transaction. But that doesn’t mean that one should simply accept such a gift without thanks. Instead, we can and should express our thanksgiving with grateful hearts, rejoicing in God’s generosity and doing our best to pass on what we have received to others.

We see this exemplified in the early Christian communities described in Acts 2, whose lives reflected their joy and thanksgiving: “They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers…They ate their meals with exultation and sincerity of heart, praising God and enjoying favor with all the people” (Acts 2:42–47). Here is our example, a pattern for our response to God’s mercy–community, prayer, sincerity, love.

Of course, it’s not necessarily practical to live exactly as the early Christians did, but each one of us can take something of their approach into our own lives, using these principles to build a pattern of prayer, thanksgiving, and service. Some might find that religious life is the best expression for them; for others, parish communities will provide the foundation; perhaps for some, activism, mutual aid, community organizing, or online communities might fill the same role. No matter our state of life, there is a path for all of us.

In the end, we cannot repay God. We can’t give something which God does not already know, love, and hold in being. But we can respond with love and generosity and thanksgiving, working to better the world and make God’s love visible to others through our own actions, so let us “rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy” in God’s loving mercy, and take that joy with us into the world for all to see (1 Pet 1:8).

Carter Fahey (he/him) is the Associate Editor of Breath of the Spirit and studied at Oxford. He is a convert and has an interest in doing outreach work to Catholic communities to combat misinformation and create opportunities for community among LGBTQIA+ people.