Divine Mercy Sunday
This Sunday we celebrate the Second Sunday of Easter Divine Mercy Sunday we pray for our Holy Father Pope Francis who died on Easter Monday and whose funeral took place earlier today. As Catholics we feel like sheep without a shepherd as we have lost our spiritual Father. The umbrella over the cross keys in the icon above indicates that the pope has died and we are in a period of mourning called sede vacante. In the days ahead we are asked to pray that the Holy Spirit will inspire the Cardinals when they meet in conclave to elect a new pope that they will make the right decision by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
The season of Lent, Holy Week and Easter Sunday have come and gone so quickly and are now a distant memory. Many people think that Easter begins and ends on Easter Sunday but it doesn’t end there the celebration of the season of Easter goes on for 50 days and ends on Pentecost Sunday. I wonder what the Apostles would think if they were to come down to us these days and find that we are celebrating the Death and Resurrection of Jesus that took place over 2000 years ago, they would be amazed especially as they thought everything was over with the Crucifixion on Good Friday but that first Holy Week and Easter Day was only the beginning of the story and here we are all these years retelling the story once again. In the First Reading The apostles, performing signs and wonders, gathered in Solomon’s portico, held in high regard despite others’ hesitance. Their number grew rapidly, and the sick were brought to them; even Peter’s shadow was sought for healing. All who came wee healed. In the Second Reading John, exiled on Patmos for his faith, receives a vision from Jesus on the Lord’s day. Instructed to write, he sees Christ among lampstands, falls down, but is reassured by Christ, the eternal, resurrected one holding keys to death and Hades.
In this Sundays Gospel reading the Apostles were still huddled together behind locked doors, pondering the shocking experience from the week before when all seemed to be lost. Then Jesus appeared to them and to assure them that he was alive. His message must have troubled them as well when he told them: “As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” In the same way as the apostles were sent out we are sent out to bring the message of god’s mercy hope and love to other people wherever we are. Then of course there is doubting Thomas who heard the witness of the those who saw Jesus but, like so many of us today he wanted more proof. Jesus says to Thomas, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” That is a favorite quote for many who have not “seen” the risen Christ in person as the disciples did. We have come to believe though we have not seen him in the flesh but he is with us in the midst of our communities through so many different people. The gospel tells us how Jesus gave his followers peace because they trusted him. In spite of the skepticism of Thomas and so many others, Jesus offers us the same peace of heart mind and soul. When Jesus says to the Apostles Peace be with you the Peace he is talking about is much more than the lack of conflict. True peace, gives us happiness, since it is built on trust in God and one another.
As we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday we remember the joy, the hope, the grief and the anxieties of the people in our time those we know and those unknown to us and we bring them to the merciful Lord. Our world is hurting so much because of the things that are happening within it with people at each other’s throats for so many reasons. May all of us be witnesses to the Hope, love and mercy of the Gospel as we try to bring the caring face of God’s love to the people wherever we are.
Fullerton T 