Homily: Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday)
Acts 2:42–47 / 1 Peter 1:3–9 / John 20:19–31
12 April 2026
Fr. Ricky Cañet Montañez, AA
We all know people who look a bit messy—“magulo”, disorganised—but somehow, they know exactly where everything is. And the moment you try to “fix” their things, suddenly they get irritated and anxious. “Nasaan na ‘yung gamit ko?” (“Where did you put my stuff?”) We all have had that experience. A table gets moved, a cabinet is rearranged, and suddenly nothing is where it used to be. We reach for something—and it is gone. It is disorienting. However, after a while, we realize… it actually looks better. The space feels lighter, more open, more meaningful. Still, the point remains though: nothing changes unless something is moved.
In a very real way, that is what Divine Mercy does. We often think of mercy as something that simply comforts us—“pampagaan ng loob” when we feel guilty or when we are hurting. And yes, it is that, but the Word of God today shows us something deeper: mercy is not just meant to console us—it is meant to unsettle us.
In the Gospel, the disciples are behind locked doors, afraid, closed, guarded. And sometimes, we are like that too. When we have been hurt, we close our doors. When we are disappointed, we withdraw. We become present, but not open. And even if we insist on closing ourselves off, Jesus comes anyway. He enters that locked room and says, “Peace be with you” (John 20:19). It is a beautiful moment. He comforts us in the same way He comforts them. But He does not stop there. He says, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (John 20:21). The peace He gives is not meant to be hidden away or to be kept them where they are. It is meant to inspire them and to move them. Mercy comforts, yes—but it also sends. It heals, but it also unsettles.
That is why in the First Reading, the same disciples who were once hiding are now living differently. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship” (Acts 2:42). “All who believed were together and had all things in common” (Acts 2:44). They care for one another. No one is left behind. Mercy is no longer just something they received—it becomes the way they live.
Moreover, Peter reminds us in the Second Reading: life will still be difficult, there will still be trials, but now there is a living hope—“a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). As long as we believe in Jesus, we can now look forward to “rejoicing with an indescribable and glorious joy, as you attain the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8–9).
Thus, the question becomes very personal. We pray, we come to Mass, we say we believe in Divine Mercy—but what has really changed? If we still hold on to grudges, leading us to avoid certain people, we are essentially still keeping certain doors closed. If we cannot look beyond the faults of people, if we cannot forgive those who have wronged us, we have closed not only our eyes, but our hearts. We may have received mercy, yes—but we have not allowed it to unsettle us.
Divine Mercy does not leave us as we are. When Jesus enters, He opens what we have closed, softens what has hardened, and moves what we have kept fixed for so long. Today, may we seek not just comfort, but the grace to be changed. It is not just about benefitting from the graces of Divine Mercy but about spreading the devotion through the way we live. It is about making mercy real for others that they may desire the Divine Mercy of Christ, Himself. If we truly receive Divine Mercy, then something must move—a heart must soften, a grudge must be released, a life must be unsettled… must be rearranged! Let us always remember, nothing changes unless something is moved.
Hence, if we truly believe in Divine Mercy, then let it move us—from fear to trust, from isolation to communion, from receiving mercy to becoming mercy for others. For this is the grace we celebrate today: not only that God is merciful—but that His mercy can transform us.
Happy Fiesta to us all!
Sunday Gospel Reflections 