Easter, 2nd Sunday (Divine Mercy Sunday) God wanted to make sure that every child would have a Mommy and a Daddy. How does he provide? He himself is our Father. If God is our Father, that makes us his children. What kinds of things can we expect from a good Father? That he loves us, feeds us, and protects us. Today at First Communion, we celebrate God feeding his children. And he feeds them not just ordinary food, but Jesus Christ. He wants us to be fully alive, and there is no one more alive than Jesus, so He gives us Jesus.

This can be hard to believe. It was also hard for Thomas to believe. He was not with the other Apostles but he had missed church that Sunday, and Jesus appeared, and he missed him. The next week he didn't miss and this time he saw Jesus for himself and said, "My Lord and my God."

Jesus will be entering your body today, but he doesn't just want to enter your body. He wants to enter your heart. He wants to be like your best friend and to love, feed, and protect you every day. Will you welcome Him into your heart? I want to encourage you every day to pray one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be. This can be a good reminder that God really is our Father and that Jesus really is with us. This way, we will receive His life and become what He intended us to be: His own beloved children. (1 May 2011)