Saint Thomas was not present in one of the Jesus Resurrected apparitions to His Apostles. And he did not believe what they told him. Additionally, he set a terrible condition for believing: to put his finger in Jesus’ wounds.
We know the story (John 20:19-31). The Lord appeared again when the unbelieving Thomas was present: “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. Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
Doesn’t this requirement from Thomas resemble conditions put by many in order to believe? Those who think that any true thing must be visible, palpable, ascertainable…just like Thomas. Watch out! Because the Lord could reprimand us also.
There were several apparitions of Jesus Resurrected to the Apostles before His Ascension into Heaven. But this one is very important. And not only due to Saint Thomas episode, but also because in his occasion the Lord instituted the Sacrament of Forgiveness or of Penance or of Confession: “Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”
Jesus also talked to Saint Faustina Kowalska about Confession: When you approach the Confessional, know this, that I Myself am waiting there for you. I am only hidden by the Priest, but I Myself act in your soul. Here the misery of the soul meets the God of mercy.
And Jesus calls Confession “Tribunal of Mercy”. Why? Because it is a tribunal that absolves us…we are guilty, but we are absolved! What a tribunal!
And in order to benefit from this “tribunal”, He does not demand great things: To avail oneself of this miracle, it is not necessary to go on a great pilgrimage or to carry out some external ceremony; it suffices to come with faith to the feet of My representative (the Priest) and to reveal to him one’s misery, and the miracle of Divine Mercy will be fully demonstrated.
It is Jesus Himself who waits for us in the Confessional in order to give us His graces in the Tribunal of His Mercy.
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