“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

Jesus said to His disciples, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Obedience to His divine will is the greatest act of love we can offer. This is because God’s will is perfect. It’s exactly what we need in life. It’s what we were made for.

In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus speaks words of comfort to every anxious heart: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Have faith in God; have faith also in me” (John 14:1). He speaks these words to his disciples in a time of fear and uncertainty. They do not fully understand what lies ahead, but Jesus sees their sadness and confusion and speaks to them with tenderness, love, and peace.

The Gospel emphasizes Jesus’ intimate bond with his sheep—us. He is not distant, rather a shepherd so close that we hear Him call our name. Jesus guides and protects us, and the more we know the Shepherd, the easier it is to recognize false leaders, who lead us astray.

The day on which our Lord rose from the dead, some of the women who had accompanied Him went to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body and found the tomb empty. An angel spoke to them of Jesus’ Resurrection and then these women went to tell the disciples what they saw. Some of the disciples had doubts.

“Peace be with you.”

As we continue to rejoice in the light of the Resurrection, the Church invites us to enter more deeply into the heart of Christ. The Risen Lord comes to meet us precisely where we most need Him—in our fears, in our wounds, and in our longing for peace.

On this Second Sunday of Easter, celebrated as Divine Mercy Sunday, the Gospel shows the disciples gathered behind locked doors, burdened by confusion, fear, and shame. Into that closed and anxious space, Jesus suddenly stands among them and speaks the words every human heart longs to hear: “Peace be with you.”  

Easter is the most important and greatest feast in the Church. It marks the beginning of our eternal hope for three reasons:

1. The resurrection of Christ is the basis of our Catholic faith. It is more than the raising of Jesus’ body after his crucifixion. No one witnessed the actual resurrection event, but faith demands that we trust the witnesses and their testimony. St. Paul writes that “If Christ has not been raised, then our teaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain…and if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is a delusion and you are still lost in your sins…but in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Cor15:14, 17, 20)