Divine Mercy Sunday
Acts 5: 12-16; Rev 1: 9-11a, 12-13, 17-19; John 20: 19-31
Dc. Larry Brockman
Lord Have Mercy! We say that during every Mass. But what does it really mean to us, the Mercy of God?
During Lent, we concentrated on the need to reflect on our lives; and to recognize our sinfulness. That was intended to lead us to the sacrament of Penance, where we confess our sins and reconcile ourselves to God so that we could celebrate Easter in the fullness of the joy that the Resurrection brought. You see, all of us who believe and repent, and then follow after our Savior Jesus by living the pattern of life in the Gospels, are guaranteed to follow in Jesus footsteps when we die- the resurrection of our bodies in the eternal Kingdom of God. When we went to Confession, we experienced God’s mercy- the forgiveness of all of our sins and reconciliation between God and ourselves. That is what God’s Mercy is. But sadly, not everyone went through that process.
And so today, we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday. Divine Mercy Sunday is God’s way of giving us all a second chance to reconcile ourselves with Him.
First, let me give some background about Divine Mercy Sunday. Back in the 1930’s, a Polish lady named Helen Kowalska, who became a nun and took the name Sister Faustina, had visions of the Risen Christ. The primary vision she had is depicted on the stained glass window in our Tabernacle area. It shows Jesus with red and blue rays flowing from His heart. The red symbolizes the blood Jesus shed for our sins as He redeemed us; And the blue, the water that gushed when the soldier pierced his heart, symbolizes cleansing and mercy. Jesus encouraged Sister Faustina to draw what she saw, and said that it represented His Divine Mercy. And so this window is a permanent reminder to us of God’s Divine Mercy.
And what does Divine Mercy mean? It means Jesus is giving us another opportunity to be cleansed by the water and blood of Christ this weekend, and so, be forgiven for all of our sins, no matter what they are. Yes, no matter what they are. Indeed, Jesus spoke of his infinite mercy to Sister Faustina multiple times. He is quoted as having said in one vision: “I want to grant complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of my Mercy”! And also in another vision: “The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion will receive complete forgiveness of sins and punishment.” In the year 2000, Pope John Paul II canonized Sister Faustina,aAnd designated the Sunday after Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday- the Feast of His Mercy. The Pope recognized that Jesus wanted the Feast of Divine Mercy celebrated annually, that was Jesus’ desire.
So, why did Jesus want the Feast of Divine Mercy? Well, Jesus told St. Faustina that it pained Him that so many souls had not listened to Him. They had not sought forgiveness for their sins, even with 6 weeks of reflection and purification available during Lent. Jesus was pained because these souls were in danger of being lost. The time for obtaining mercy is limited. Indeed, time is limited for all of us- we could die at any time. But during our lifetime, we must take that critical step, and seek forgiveness of our sins- after death it is too late. Jesus is offering infinite mercy right now for whatever we have done- that’s the point. But, we have to respond to him. And the summary of Jesus message through St. Faustina, now sanctioned by the Church, is that we must do three essential things to receive His Divine Mercy and all the benefits of it: Go to Confession; Receive Communion; and show mercy to others. I will touch on all three of these briefly.
First, the Confession part. You must go to a priest to go to Confession. Asking God for forgiveness privately doesn’t fulfill the need to Confess. In today’s Gospel, you heard Jesus commission His Apostles with these words: ““Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained””. Jesus said this to His Apostles for a reason. This is how Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Penance. And so, Confession is the specific way, the guaranteed way, to assure that your sins are forgiven. Besides, in the visions to St. Faustina, Jesus made it clear that He wanted us to go to Confession, as the two quotes show.
So if you are holding back for any reason, Confession is the critical first step you need to take. Whatever it is that you might have done- even violence or abuse or separation from the Church or other kinds of very serious sin, know that Jesus’ Divine Mercy appeal is especially for you.
Second, we need to receive Holy Communion in a state of grace. And it is Confession that guarantees that we are in the state of grace because we are reconciled with God. The Eucharist is the body, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ. When Jesus comes into our very being, we experience a closeness, an intimacy, with God. We are in Communion with Him and with the rest of the assembly. Through that intimacy, we are given graces to sustain our relationship with God. And we need those graces to stay the course.
Lastly, we need to show mercy. In Math 5:7, Jesus says: Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain Mercy”; and in James 12:13, we hear that “Judgment is merciless to one who has not shown mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment”. It’s really very simple. How can we expect God’s infinite mercy if we continue to withhold mercy ourselves? It is a humble and contrite heart that we need- and mercy to others shows that we have a humble and contrite heart. So, if you have an estranged family relationship; if you have a feud with your neighbor; or if you feel that someone has done you tremendous harm, now is the time for you to show mercy yourself.
Now Jesus has given us several special gifts through St. Faustina, to help us on our way. First, prayer- we are to pray for ourselves and for others. And He has even suggested some prayers and devotions- The Divine Mercy Chaplet and Divine Mercy Novena prayers specifically. We are giving away Chaplet and Novena pamphlets in Rosary packets this weekend at all the Masses. Second, saying these prayers, and complying with the three conditions I mentioned earlier brings us plenary indulgences. That means that not only are our sins forgiven, but God will absolve us of the temporal punishment for our sins.
And there is something else, too. We all have a special opportunity to show mercy this year. In this year of Evangelization, you can be a catalyst, an instrument, a special motivator for one or more of your brothers and sisters in Christ. Tell them about Divine Mercy. Give them a Divine Mercy Packet. Start them on their way by saying the chaplet with them. Remember, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain Mercy”. What can be more merciful than bringing a lost brother or sister to Christ?
Tags: Divine Mercy, Forgiveness