Some of the hardest things we are asked to do as Christians is to accept both our need for mercy and to extend that mercy to others. Accepting and extending mercy means making ourselves vulnerable to others. Mercy means we have to have the humility to recognize our own mistakes. And mercy means we have to accept that this is what Jesus did and so we have to do the same. Deacon Christopher Johnson, O.P. makes it clear: when Jesus returned and appeared to the disciples in the locked room he gave them peace, forgiving them even though they had abandoned him.
We're called to imitate that perfect mercy of Jesus and to accept that we need it in our own lives.
For the daily readings, see the USCCB.