It is the 2 ^nd Sunday of Easter; Divine Mercy Sunday.  John 20:19, “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews.”  The disciples’ fear came from the crucifixion of their teacher, rabbi, messiah, Jesus. Jesus was supposed to end the Roman tyranny and establish a kingdom on earth with the disciples helping Jesus rule the world. What happened? This is not how things were supposed to turn out. Some of the disciples still did not understand the Resurrection. We hear from St. Thomas. John 20:24-25, “Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’  But he said to them, ‘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.’”  A person has never risen from the dead—impossible! Death has the final answer. I define my life around the power of death.
 

Death is the great equalizer. Francis Duggan, the poet, writes, “Some die of natural causes some in a tragic way, But for every single one of us a final night and day, Without respect for the power of wealth and without respect for fame, Death the great equalizer treats everyone as the same…                          ( http://poems.citatepedia.com/by.php?p=30&a=Francis+Duggan).”  The Wuhan Coronavirus has highlighted the power of death. Death is beginning to take the major stage on decisions that impact our daily life. The virus is real and it is weaponized. Do we join St. Thomas in not believing in a greater power than death. Death gets powerful when we do not have a discussion with Jesus about eternal life. Not knowing or not believing in eternal life can keep you locked up with the fear that you could lose everything. So, to avoid the question of eternal life, a person has to frantically look for the next worldly distraction. My life must be filled with constant worldly distractions. We fall into the trap of the diabolical creed: I find my worth in what I like to hear other people tell me about myself, because I do not know who I am, and I do not care to figure this out. What happens if we run out of distractions? You are left with silence. But, who can never be silenced?

 
Amen! Alleluia! Jesus’ Resurrection has the final answer. John 20:26-29, “Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, ‘Peace be with you.’  Then he said to Thomas, ‘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.’  Thomas answered and said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.’” The Eucharist defines our life. The Eucharist is Jesus’ Body. St. Thomas touches the Eucharist and believes that Jesus has the final answer. The threat of death, I could lose everything, does not define St. Thomas’ life. The promise of eternal life experienced in the Resurrected Christ defines St. Thomas’ life. Life is filled with eternal promises from Jesus, not limited choices of fleeting distractions from the world.
 
Amen! Alleluia! Jesus’ Resurrection has the final answer. Acts of the Apostles 2:42-45, “They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their property and possessions and divide them among all according to each one’s need.” Brothers and Sisters, the Eucharist has the final answer. The Eucharist is mercy incarnate, Living Divine Help. The Eucharist is the food for the journey. We are not on a journey to exhaust the many distractions of the world and that is the end of the story. We are on a journey to fall in love with Jesus; that is an eternal story.
  
We fall in love with Jesus by placing the Eucharist in the center of our lives. We go to work to celebrate our God given talents that one day will be perfected according to the promise of the Eucharist. I love my family as a way to share in the heavenly communal love found in the Eucharist. I endure loss to join in the eternal sacrificial love of the Eucharist. We join in the celebration of the Mass, because the Eucharist shares in the communal love of the Trinity. Our home is found in the Eucharist—not in the grave of empty worldly distractions.
 
The whole world is experiencing a St. Thomas moment. In the middle of the fear of death from the Wuhan Coronavirus, do we continue to trust in the promises of death: You have one life, better keep bumping along bouncing from one experience to the next hoping that the ball does not stop bouncing—end of story; Or, do we renew our trust in the Eucharist: You will live eternally and this life is not your home, touch the Incarnate Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, allow yourself to be radically transformed by the Eternal Story of Love.  Yes, death is powerful, but Jesus has conquered death and has won for us eternal life. Merciful Incarnate love has poured out of the side of our Savior, Jesus Christ. John 20:28-29, “Thomas answered and said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.’” The Body of Christ, Amen!