Fr. Jorge Miró shares with Exaudi readers his commentary on the  Gospel for Sunday, April 12, 2026,  entitled, “After eight days Jesus came”

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The word that the Lord gives us on this second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday, invites us to  contemplate the risen Jesus Christ . And the risen Jesus Christ,  who lives in his body, which is the Church.

And  when we encounter Jesus Christ , when we let him enter our hearts and take possession of our lives,  we are renewed, we are born again . As the second reading tells us, Jesus Christ, through his resurrection, has regenerated us to a living hope, to an incorruptible inheritance.

He has regenerated us through baptism . Through baptism we are immersed in the waters of death and risen to new life. And  the whole life of a Christian is nothing other than living out baptism , letting the seed we received at baptism grow  until we reach the stature of Christ , until we reach the goal that Saint Peter also told us about today, which is the salvation of our souls until we reach heaven.

When we encounter Jesus Christ, peace comes with Him— peace in the midst of trials and difficulties. Saint Peter also told us this in the second reading: “  You rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These are the reasons why the genuineness of your faith will result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

Peace  and joy come with the Lord :  the disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord.

And all this takes place in the Body of Christ, which is the Church . And that is why today the Word has also spoken to us about this  ecclesial dimension of faith .  No one can have God as their father if they do not have the Church as their mother  (St. Cyprian).

We are called to live our faith  not in solitude, not individually, but  in community . In the specific community to which the Lord has called us to live our faith.

The first reading tells us a little about the characteristics of the Christian community.

What makes the Christian community grow?

The Holy Spirit calls the community together .  It is not a community  of friends, but  of  brothers and sisters  , and therefore, we do not choose our brothers and sisters. We choose our friends, but we do not choose our brothers and sisters. The Lord chooses our brothers and sisters, and He calls whomever He wills, whenever He wills, and however He wills.

And  the community grows through the action of the Holy Spirit  , and the community is formed by  listening to the teaching of the apostles , by  living the Eucharist , by  living in fraternal communion  , and by  living in common prayer .

A community  doesn’t grow through human means , human techniques, or spectacular actions. No.  What makes a community grow is living with perseverance.  Persevering and letting the Lord work. And all of that bears fruit, it bears fruit in everyday life.

They praised God, lived with simplicity of heart, with joy, sharing their possessions according to each one’s need.  They live with a new heart, with a new spirit.

Today we celebrate  Divine Mercy Sunday  , a feast instituted by  Saint John Paul II . This feast invites us to live the first and most important truth of the Faith:  God loves you, and will never stop loving you . 

He created you  out of love  and  for love  , and He created you  to live with Him forever . To live by faith is to live life as a love story with the Lord. Enjoy it!

Happy  Divine Mercy Sunday !

Come Holy Spirit!   (cf.  Lk  11:13).