Divine Mercy Sunday Homily

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

On this 2nd Sunday of Easter and final day of the Octave of Easter we come to celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday. Here we are able to look upon the wounds of our Blessed Lord and see that we have been healed from sin and death by them. God’s mercy continues to meet us throughout the daily encounters of our life.

Last week our Gospel told us of John who entered the tomb seeing the discarded burial clothes and being able to see and believe. Today we are told of Thomas and how he, filled with doubt, came to demand to see the nail marks and put his hand into the side of Christ. Through this act of intimacy with the Lord he too came to see and believe as he exclaimed, “My Lord and my God.”

John was able to believe through the absence of a body while Thomas came to believe through the presence of the wounds of our Lord. Therefore, mercy is a quiet light as it was for John, but also is a hand that reaches out to steady a trembling heart as it was for Thomas. As we come unto the Lord in such a way we are encountering a “fountain of Mercy” in the words of St. Faustina.

When we look upon the Divine Mercy image we are being reminded of such a reality. Within the image we see the red and pale rays flowing from Christ’s heart. These represent the blood and water that Thomas was invited to approach. Through this glimpse we are being invited to have faith by entering into these wounds in order that we may see and believe.

As the Lord stated unto Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” Here we are being invited to have the spiritual sight which John came to possess. The signs of the sacraments which draw us closer to such a Divine truth. Also, like Thomas we are given the permission to bring our doubts and struggles unto the altar that we too may be healed.

Divine Mercy is not a static concept, but a living encounter that seeks us in our isolation. Here we encounter the Lord who speaks to us from the depths of His mercy, “Peace be with you.” Through these words we are being invited to enter in and find our refuge for this is indeed the font of all mercy.

Let us come to place our trust in Him who has now conquered over the grave. Let our hearts be made new by the blood and water that continues to gush forth for us. In the midst of every doubt let us reach out to Him like Thomas and in those moments of peace let us see with the eyes of John. That in all things we may enter into the depths of His mercy and allow Him to heal us of all that holds us captive in order that we too may exclaim, “My Lord and my God.”

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

Divine Mercy Sunday Homily

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

At the Easter Vigil the Pascal Candle is prepared for its use for the next year. In the ritual the priest traces the cross by stopping five times in representation of the five wounds of Christ to say, “By his holy and glorious wounds, may Christ the Lord guard us and protect us. Amen.”

These wounds assist the disciples in coming to see and believe that His Resurrection has taken place. The disciples came to rejoice at the sight of these wounds and Saint Thomas came to believe as he placed his finger into these same wounds.

Through the resurrection of the body that we profess we will be given a glorified body. Christ did not have to continue to bare these wounds in His Resurrection, but He chose to. These wounds serve as a reminder of His victory over sin and death and these wounds serve as a reminder of His love and sacrifice for humanity.

In the words of Pope Francis, “His wounds were inflicted for our sake, and by those wounds we have been healed. By kissing those wounds, we come to realize that there, in life’s most painful wounds, God awaits us with his infinite mercy. Because there, where we are most vulnerable, where we feel the most shame, he came to meet us.”

We can see how vulnerable the disciples where when the Lord came to them stating, “Peace be with you.” He also came to Saint Thomas in His own vulnerability with this same greeting and through these wounds He was brought peace.

Likewise, we must come to venerate these same wounds of the Lord in order that peace may be brought unto us. No matter where we find ourself to be these wounds serve as the answer and the hope in the midst of our sorrow and trial. We cannot just sit idly by doing nothing, but come to venerate and believe in these wounds which bring us peace.

From Saint Faustina’s diary we are told, “When it seems to you that your suffering exceeds your strength, contemplate My wounds.” On this Divine Mercy Sunday we are reminded of the mercy of God that springs forth for us from these wounds and how through them we are able to enter in and discover the peace which Christ can only bring.

Let entrust ourself to these glorious wounds, For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Divine Mercy Sunday Homily

This 2nd Sunday of Easter is also known to us as Divine Mercy Sunday. This word “mercy” comes from the Latin, “misericordia.” This derives from two words; “mesereri” which means “to have pity on” and “cor” which means “heart.” From this we are given the image of someone who shows compassion with all their heart.

We should notice that following the Resurrection that the Lord chooses to continue to bear the wounds of His crucifixion. These wounds remind us of the importance of the cross for through them we are able to see the mercy of God. It is He who was willing to lay down His life and thus show compassion upon us with all His Heart.

Saint Thomas comes to venerate these same wounds. He was found to be unbelieving, but through them He was allotted faith. So too through the mercy of the Lord do we come sinful and sorrowful and yet He shows His abundant compassion upon us and on the whole world. Through these wounds we are afforded the same faith that Thomas came to profess.

On this Divine Mercy Sunday we should desire to enter into this abundant font of mercy. In the sacraments the Lord has left us with many gifts which allow God’s grace to enter into our life to strengthen us. One of these gifts is the Sacrament of Confession. As we were instructed in our Gospel concerning this institution of the sacrament, “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.” Through the Sacrament of Confession we enter in sinful and are embraced by God as we are absolved of our sins. 

As the priest prays when he says the words of absolution: “God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and poured out the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins.” One who pays close attention would note that the priest formally prayed, “sent the Holy Spirit among us” instead of “poured out.”

To pour out reflects the outpouring of compassion that God has for each of us. This compassion freely flows from the merciful heart of God. We must open our own heart to be found receptive of all that the Father desires to bestow upon us. What He desires to pour out upon us is found to be without end.

In the image of the Divine Mercy we notice two rays which denote blood and water that are poured out from the heart of Christ. It was from His side that He was pierced with a lace that opened up this flow of blood and water. It was His heart which pierced by our sins and those of the whole world. Through this outpouring of blood and water we see the abundance compassion that God has for each of us.

As we continue this Easter season let us come to place our trust in Christ. The more that we enter into this abundance font of mercy the more that we will be sent forth to love others without end. Let our life always be ordered towards Christ and let us be willing to let go of our sinfulness in order that we may be sent forth from Him to repent and believe in the Gospel.

Divine Mercy Sunday Homily

Faith is something that people can very easily take advantage of and if they do this we can claim that they didn’t actually have true faith to begin with. When the going is easy it is easy to have faith. When it seems that we are being tested and that everything around us is going against us it is easy to lose hope and abandon one’s faith. Again our faith cannot be dependent upon getting what we want when we want it, but instead it must be dependent upon Christ our firm foundation.

It is no secret that we are living in the midst of difficult times. Prior to this period of time people could easily frequent the Mass and the sacraments as they had wished, but now to do so is for the most part impossible for many. At this time there are also many who now face the uncertainty of future employment. There are also those who have lost loved ones and live in the fear of getting sick. There is also the reality of isolation which separates us from human interaction. Hopefully, as we face these many crosses in our daily life we will come to discover true faith and the hope that springs forth from it through Christ Jesus.

In our Gospel Saint Thomas came to behold the wounds of our Risen Lord and thus from his unbelief came belief. We must come to embrace these same wounds that Saint Thomas came to embrace. They serve as a reminder of our Blessed Lord’s abundant love for each of us as was poured out upon the cross and the hope of life which is to come through the Resurrection. In the midst of our unbelief we must come to behold these same wounds in order that we too may believe and have the virtue of hope that is necessary for us to carry on.

In the words of Saint Augustine: “So will Christ show His wounds to His enemies, so that he who is the Truth may convict them, saying: “Behold the man whom you crucified; see the wounds you inflicted; recognize the side you pierced, since it was opened by you and for you, yet you would not enter.”

Therefore, we receive an invitation to enter into these wounds of our Blessed Lord which have redeemed us. The Lord is indeed merciful and just, but do we want anything to do with this mercy? Do we desire to enter into these wounds and live as Saint Thomas came to enter into these wounds and live?

Today is also known to us as Divine Mercy Sunday. When we look at the image of Divine Mercy we will notice that He still bares these wounds which were encountered in the Gospels. These wounds serve as invitation of His mercy. He desires to pour out His rays of loving mercy upon us and upon the whole world.

With this invitation let us turn away from sin and place our trust in Christ. There is a lot around us that is ultimately out of our control and this should teach us that we are dependent upon Christ and His mercy. When things finally get back to normal let us take not this mercy for granted, but instead have the same faith that Saint Thomas exhibited. May we too venerate these Holy Wounds and “not be unbelieving, but believe.”

Divine Mercy Prayer Service

3pm is known to us as the hour of mercy for this is the hour when Christ lowered His head and died upon the cross.

From the Diary of St. Faustina concerning this hour: “At three o'clock, implore My mercy, especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony. This is the hour of great mercy ... In this hour I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion.“

Therefore, we gather together at this hour of mercy praying the Divine Mercy chaplet. Following this prayer service I will offer confessions to those who desire to partake of this Sacrament of our Father’s mercy. It is my fervent hope that all will make frequent use of this sacrament as they make frequent use of the Eucharist.

The Eucharist is God made Flesh and so we are very much in need of the Sacrament of Confession. From St. Faustina’s Diary we hear: “When you go to confession, to this fountain of mercy, the Blood and Water which came forth from My Heart always flows down upon your soul.” We must realize and trust that the Lord is merciful with us. There is nothing which the Lord cannot forgive and heal.

Today we partake in a celebration of the Father’s mercy. Let us be open to this mercy and let us desire to share this mercy with those whom we encounter.

Jesus I trust in you!