Twice in our Gospel reading from John, we get the detail that the Apostles were hiding behind a locked door.
They were scared and I’m sure I would be, too.
You can imagine the mood behind the locked door: Intense with fear, gloominess, anxiousness, every sound making the Apostles tense up.
Most of us have at one time or another locked the door to our heart, shutting God out. There are many reasons:
Bad experiences at church.
Big, ugly sins.
Feeling abandoned by God and so you decide to go it alone.
We think the locked door will protect us. We think that by building a wall around our heart that this will preserve us, but it doesn’t. It simply allows us to exist, limping along.
In our Gospel reading, the locked door does not impede Christ—He enters the room where the Apostles are anyway.
He comes bearing peace, assurance, courage, love, and mercy.
It’s Divine Mercy Sunday, Catholic Pilgrims. Locked up hearts are no way to live. Let Christ in to shower you with love and mercy so that you can truly live.
Have a blessed Sunday.
