Divine Mercy Sunday Homily

Throughout this Octave of Easter we have journeyed from death towards everlasting life. As chronicled in the readings this past week the disciples of Christ have slowly come to understand this reality for themselves. It is most interesting that when we behold Jesus who has risen again on the third day that we encounter Him still bearing the wounds of the cross.

Through the cross we have been redeemed and from these wounds we are assured of the abundant mercy of God. This final day in the Octave of Easter has most recently become know as Divine Mercy Sunday. This devotion to Christ and His Divine Mercy is always important, but this year we also find ourself celebrating the Year of Mercy.

In our Gospel Christ did not bestow His mercy on the perfect, but instead upon the imperfect. Saint Thomas even had his doubts, but through the wounds of our Blessed Lord he was healed. Therefore we should understand that we though imperfect are called to encounter this same mercy which is poured forth from our Lord.

The image of Divine Mercy shows the many ways in which mercy is poured upon us through the use of the Sacraments. As Christ poured forth blood and water when His side was pierced, so to are these realities made manifest through baptism and the Eucharist. Baptism is to incorporate ourself to Christ and His Church for all eternity. It is a statement that despite original sin we are called to the mercy of God which is abundant. The Eucharist is a gift to the Church for through it we commune with Christ and are always called to follow after Him and His commands.

If we chronicle the life of the apostles we would see their imperfections, but we would also see Christ's mercy for them. This is the same mercy that Christ desires to pour out upon us and upon the whole world. Therefore, in the image of the Divine Mercy we find Christ’s hand raised in the air making the gesture of a blessing. In the Sacrament of Confession the priest holds their hand above the penitent in a similar manner and says the words of absolution upon them. This sacrament is to truly partake in the mercy of God.

If it has been a long time since your past confession I encourage you to begin to make use of this sacrament of healing. It is a precept of the Church to make a confession at least once during the Easter season, but hopefully we instead will grow to see the beauty of this sacrament and thus the beauty of Christ’s mercy by allowing ourself to partake of this sacrament more often then that. We walk into the confessional burdened by the weight of sin, but we walk out of it lite as a feather due to the weight of our sin which has been stripped away.

Indeed may we come to proclaim with the confidence of faith: “Jesus, I trust in you.” In the midst of temptation towards sin, “Jesus I trust in you.” In the midst of the fallen state of this world as seen through acts of terrorism and the war on the unborn, “Jesus I trust in you.” In the moments of despair, “Jesus I trust in you.”  May these words always be on our lips no matter the difficulty which we must face.

For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.