Embracing God's Mercy (2nd Sunday of Easter)
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April 6, 2018Happy Divine Mercy Sunday!
Divine Mercy Sunday was officially instituted in 2000 by Pope St. John Paul II. In the 1930’s, Jesus appeared to a young Polish nun (now St. Faustina) and entrusted the message of Divine Mercy to her in a particular way for our time. Our world is full of so much evil, and Our Lord wants to remind us of his Divine Mercy and the need for repentance.
This Sunday is also the last day of the Octave of Easter, and so, in a sense, it is the climax of our celebration of Easter. As we reach the height of our Easter octave, the readings focus on God’s mercy. Why is that?
God’s merciful love is the Good News of the Gospel, and the reason why Christ suffered, died, and rose again. The Catechism goes so far as to say that, “The Gospel is the revelation in Jesus Christ of God’s mercy to sinners” (CCC 1846). God’s mercy reached down to us in our sinful state and sent us a Savior, who took on human flesh so that we might have life with him.
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First Reading Reflection
Acts 4:32−35
Today’s First Reading illustrates how the nascent Church begins to develop following the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday, highlighting the unity and spirit of sharing that characterizes the new community of faith. Believers are called to be of “one heart and mind,” that is, to show care and concern for each other in imitation of God’s mercy toward all of us. Those who are blessed with material goods generously place them at the disposal of the entire community by allowing the Apostles to distribute them according to the needs of each member. In this way, the material needs of the community are provided for, and the Apostles can devote themselves to bearing witness to the Gospel in accordance with Jesus’s final command to go and “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19, RSV: 2CE). Thus, charity and trust in the leadership of the Apostles characterize the spirit of the followers of Christ. In response to this obedience of faith, God blesses his people “and great favor was accorded them all.” God’s generosity and mercy toward his people are demonstrated through miracles, the inspired witness of the Gospel message, and the care and concern of the fledgling community toward each other. Like the early Christians, Christians today are also called to be good stewards, ready to show mercy and generosity to those in need.
Second Reading Reflection
1 John 5:1−6
In this passage, John demonstrates how faith conquers the world by linking belief in Christ with the command to love. To be a true Christian, we must believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah sent by the Father. Only through the revelation of the Son can we come to believe in God as Father. To love the Father is to love the Son and those united to him. We fulfill this love for the Father (and for each other) by our obedience to God’s commandments. Since this obedience is born out of love, it should not be burdensome and should testify to our faith.
Since the same Spirit who testifies at Jesus’s baptism also testifies at his death, we can have confidence that Jesus is the pre-existent Son who came “through water and blood” to show us the way to eternal life. Through Baptism, we share in the Death and Resurrection of Christ by dying to our old self and being born anew into the life of Christ. The grace of Baptism enables us to become disciples of Christ and living witnesses of Christ through our love of God and neighbor.
Gospel Reading Reflection
John 20:19−31
In this Gospel reading, Jesus institutes the Sacrament of Reconciliation, giving the Apostles a share in his authority by granting them the power to forgive sins. Instead of rebuking the Apostles for abandoning him in his time of suffering, Jesus breathes the gift of the Holy Spirit upon them and confers on them his own mission to seek out and save the lost. Through this beautiful gift of mercy, Jesus demonstrates his desire to forgive our sins and restore us to full communion with him when we do fall into sin. This assurance should bring us peace and joy.
Sometimes it can be difficult to believe in the forgiveness of sins, and St. Thomas reminds us how difficult it can be to believe in Christ even by one who had walked with him. But, like Thomas, Jesus invites us to touch his wounds and be healed of our doubts. St. Peter tells us that “by his wounds, you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:25; RSV: 2CE). Through the healing power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we too can touch Christ’s wounds and proclaim with Thomas, “My Lord and my God!” According to Jesus’s words, our belief in the teachings handed down by the successors of the Apostles is merited as great faith: “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” This faith, John writes, allows us to “have life in his name.”
DIGGING DEEPER:
The Sacrament of Reconciliation
Devotions are practices by the faithful that have developed over time as people attempt to respond to St. Paul’s call to “pray without ceasing.” They are used to extend the liturgical life of the Church into our everyday life. There are many types of devotions – the Rosary, veneration of the saints, Divine Mercy, the Holy Hour, novenas, etc. It’s important that our devotions shouldn’t become superstitious or simply “going through the motions.” The devotions should flow out of a deep desire to be devoted to Jesus as one who is deeply in love with him, like Mary Magdalene in today’s Gospel.
PRAYER:
Let’s return to today’s Gospel Reading. Put yourself in Thomas’s place. He was afraid to trust the Lord, which is something we can all relate to. Try to get in touch with that fear inside of yourself. Then imagine Jesus appearing to you as he did to Thomas, and off ering you his wounded heart. He takes your hand and places it in his side, giving you complete access to his mercy that is pouring out from his heart.
Take a word that comes to mind and refl ect on what it means to you personally. For example, the phrase, “Peace be with you,” might have stuck out to you. Ask yourself what this means in your own life. What areas of your heart do not fully trust in the Lord yet? Do you want to receive Jesus’s gift of peace and mercy in those places?RESOLUTION:
To embrace God’s mercy is to embrace the Gospel message. In his encyclical Dives in Misericordia, Pope St. John Paul II taught that “Believing in [God’s] love means believing in mercy. For mercy is an indispensable dimension of love; it is as it were love’s second name and, at the same time, the specifi c manner in which love is revealed and eff ected vis-à-vis the reality of the evil that is in the world” (7).
To truly live the Christian life, we have to embrace a life of mercy. What are specifi c things that are holding you back from living a life of mercy? Do you want to ask God for the gift of his merciful love in this place?
Reprinted from Opening the Word at Formed.org .
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(Sunday, April 15, 2018 @ 12:00 noon in the Hall)
