Daily Catholic Lectio
Sun, 27 April ‘25
Second Sunday of Easter
Divine Mercy Sunday
Acts 5:12–16. Revelation 1:9–11a, 12–13, 17–19. John 20:19–31
Locked Doors and Opened Hearts
You may have heard of a famous old painting: Jesus stands near a door, holding a lamp in His hand. Notably, the door has no handle on the outside—it cannot be opened from the outside at all. The artist intended to show that the door must be opened from within.
Similarly, in today’s Gospel, Jesus encounters His disciples who are hiding behind locked doors. He meets them twice behind those closed doors. Even after the first meeting, the doors remain locked. Without needing their permission, Jesus enters the room—but He works patiently to open their hearts from within, especially the heart of Thomas.
The journey the disciples make is striking:
From “We have not seen the Lord”
To “We have seen the Lord”
Finally to Thomas’ profound confession:
“My Lord and my God!”
Jesus takes the initiative — He comes searching for His disciples.
Yet, He does not force open the door of the heart.
He knocks; we must allow Him to open it.
Thus, the disciples undertake two spiritual journeys:
From fear to joy
From doubt to faith
Divine Mercy Sunday
Today we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday — a feast proclaimed by St. John Paul II, rooted in the visions of St. Faustina.
The essential lesson of the day is simple and profound: To receive the mercy of God, our hearts must themselves become vessels of mercy. We must travel into the Heart of Christ, pierced for our sins, to be transformed.
Insights from the Readings
In the First Reading (Acts), we hear that “the number of believers increased. These believers trusted without having seen Jesus with their eyes.
In the Second Reading (Revelation), John sees the risen Lord, “the Living One who was dead and is alive forevermore.”
Christ’s death is not defeat—it is victory and eternal life.
In the Gospel, the disciples and Thomas move from fear and confusion to faith and proclamation.
Practical Spiritual Invitation
Receiving the peace that the Risen Lord offers, let us open the locked doors of our lives—first to God, then to one another, with hearts filled with mercy.
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
Missionary of Mercy
Yesu Karunanidhi 
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