Glimpse of God for April 12, 2026

Divine Mercy Sunday

What did Mary Magdalene, The Apostles, Thomas, and The Disciples on the road to Emmaus, have in common after Jesus rose from the dead?  What they had in common was that they were prevented from recognizing Jesus after He rose from the dead. They thought that He was the gardener, a stranger in town, or just another man. What was preventing them? What did Jesus know about each of their hearts that needed to be healed by His presence after He died on the cross and they felt abandoned, left alone to figure out things, led to a darkness that they never felt or expected?

All were prevented, unable to see or recognize the risen Christ. The very Jesus that they broke bread with, ministered together with, experienced His miracles, shared their stories about their brokenness, their joys, their families hopes, their sorrows, and their hopes about the Messiah and how He would change things for the better. Christ raised people from the dead, healed the blind, the deaf, the crippled, he ate with sinners and ministered to the outcasts, and these very apostles, disciples, and women followers were with Him to see it firsthand. They had come to know Jesus and the kind of person He was. They learned of the kind of person that they would need to become if they were going to be His followers and follow His example from His life to and through His death, and to His resurrection.

Yet they were unable to recognize Him after He rose from the dead, Why? Seeing Him after He rose from the dead, frightened them and instead of being jubilant and happy to see Him, they were unable to recognize Him for who He was, and they stood in disbelief. What was preventing them from seeing Him as Jesus and not the gardener or a stranger? Was it their grief at His horrible death, was it their anger at how they followed and believed in Him, and now they had no one to follow and they felt abandoned and left on their own? Was it fear? Was it overwhelming disbelief at all that happened, and they still could not make any sense of it all?

What causes us to not see the resurrected Jesus in our life and in the face and life of others? How have we been prevented from seeing Jesus with the flu outbreak, our daily stresses and concerns? Although wearing masks is not required, do we still hide behind our masks of insecurity, anxiety, shame, guilt, sin, hopelessness, fear, discouragement, or despair and fail to recognize Jesus’ compassion, mercy, hope and love?

Do we allow Jesus to call us by name and have we have we removed our mask so that others can recognize us as we strive to be our best self, the person that God created us to be and have the potential to become? from others, and from God. What are we hiding from that is blinding us from seeing Jesus or allowing others to recognize His presence within us? As we try to walk, run, crawl, and stumble through life challenges and with our crosses in hand or thrown by the wayside, are we able to recognize where Jesus was and is, and how we are blessed by His presence in the unique and new ways that He has revealed Himself?

The disciples were prevented from recognizing Jesus for various reasons. We are prevented from recognizing Jesus for many reasons as well. Sometimes when we are afraid, caught off guard, surprised in a painful way, we are not able to open the eyes of our heart, mind, spirit or soul to seeing Christ as He is in these moments. What else prevents us from recognizing Jesus? it the pain or separation that comes from the physical death of a loved one? is it our woundedness where we need to be healed, and made whole? is it the death of a relationship through separation, divorce, disagreement? is it the death of an ideal? of a dream?  is it anger, loneliness, or fear? We are prevented from seeing the risen Jesus in the faces and lives of others when we cannot see past the pain of our cross, our own personal suffering, whether it is spiritual, emotional, or physical.

Mary, Thomas, and the Apostles were in the very presence of Jesus and witnessed to His many miracles but lost clarity of His presence because fear got in the way. We like them, have the very real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist when we become afraid and need to feel His calm and warmth, reassurance, and peace. When we receive Jesus in the Eucharist, it is then that the eyes of our heart and mind are opened and we recognize Him as He is, our Savior and Redeemer. We then are invited to see our self as He sees us; His beloved sons and daughters, loved unconditionally and His greatest creation. I believe that our anger, our sorrow, our weariness at what we are coping with can prevent us from seeing the Risen Christ and experiencing the resurrections in our life that Jesus has in store. You cannot have a Good Friday without a Resurrection Sunday. They go together.

Jesus' first words to His followers who stood in disbelief were "Peace be with you!" He didn't reprimand them for not recognizing Him because he knew their hearts and how much they loved Him, even when they were filled with so many other emotions. The resurrection experiences in our life come in the forms of peace, joy, healing, …and a renewed desire to be the best person that God created us to be despite our crosses and the challenges that they bring. 

It is difficult to experience resurrection if we cannot let go and let God bring us these gifts because of our disbelief that He wants to give them to us, and our fears that we will be called to change and be transformed forever.

When Jesus saw Mary Magdalene, she at first was unable to recognize Him as Her Lord and Teacher. He saw through her fear and instead of causing more pain for her, He touched her heart because He knew the depth of her love for Him. He brought that love forward, past her fear, her pain, her deep sense of loss and much confusion, and it was then that she recognized Him.  He offered her Peace. That is what He offers all His children. He knows that depth of our love for Him even in the midst and the weight of our crosses. When we say Yes to His will, recognize Him as our true teacher, desire to do and be the very best we can and surrender our will to Him each day, then we are experiencing a resurrection. 

So this week, let us take time to see the resurrected Jesus in our lives and in the faces and lives of others. "Rabboni" which means teacher. 

Your prayer for the week can be:  (Psalm 86:11)  In response to God’s Holy Spirit, I pray, teach me Lord, your way that I may walk in your truth...

SUNDAY - "T" – Thanksgiving

Are you thankful for the gift of Jesus' passion, death and resurrection that enables you to emerge from your tombs and experience your mini resurrections? In response to God’s Holy Spirit, I pray, teach me Lord, your way that I may walk in your truth...  

MONDAY - "E" – Empathy

Are you empathetic, understanding, compassionate towards others who fail to recognize the risen Jesus in their life because of the weight of their crosses and the pain that they are feeling? or do you put them down, judge them, lose patience with them, see yourself as better than them?  In response to God’s Holy Spirit, I pray, teach me Lord, your way that I may walk in your truth..  

TUESDAY - "A" - Amazement

Can you allow yourself to be amazed? Can you see, do you see the many signs of resurrection in your life?  Do you recognize your resurrections, the place where you experience the Risen Christ, the Christ of reconciliation, healing and peace in your life? Do you see them in and through the healing that has taken place through reconciliations?   In response to God’s Holy Spirit, I pray, teach me Lord, your way that I may walk in your truth... 

WEDNESDAY - "C" - Charity

Are you charitable in your words, deeds, actions, and attitudes? Do you offer peace, reconciliation, mercy, compassion, and forgiveness to others, especially those who have caused you pain and have made your cross heavy?

In response to God’s Holy Spirit, I pray, teach me Lord, your way that I may walk in your truth...  

THURSDAY - "H" - Honor

Do you honor yourself, others, and God by how you treat yourself, others and in your relationship with God? Can you honor others, who are also God's beloved children, who have offended you in some way? Do you recognize that God honors you? Or are you your greatest offender? In response to God’s Holy Spirit, I pray,  Teach me Lord, your way that I may walk in your truth...  

FRIDAY - "E" - Embrace

Do you go towards Jesus as He holds out His arms to embrace you or do you run from His embrace? What brings you towards Christ so that you can be embraced by Him?  What turns you away from going to Christ? Is it fear, shame, guilt, ego or pride? In response to God’s Holy Spirit, I pray, Teach me Lord, your way that I may walk in your truth...  

SATURDAY - "R" - Revelation

What or how has God revealed Himself to you this week that has made you respond with joy and happiness, that brought you a deep sense of peace and gratitude, thanksgiving, and serenity? Was it a reconciliation of a relationship? forgiveness of self for something that you have held on to but now are able to let go of and forgive yourself for? Was it a blessing that you have been praying for and have received and found it to be better than you could have imagined?  What resurrections have you experienced this week? Do you see the Risen Christ because of your resurrections more readily in those around you? How has He revealed Himself to you? How have you revealed Him to others this week? How do you want to reveal Him to others? So go for it, and just do it! In response to God’s Holy Spirit, I pray, teach me Lord, your way that I may walk in your truth...