Homily For The Second Sunday Of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday) April 16, 2023.
“I am Love and Mercy Itself. There is no misery that could be a match for My Mercy. Neither will misery exhaust it because as it is being granted it increases. The soul that trusts in My Mercy is most fortunate because I Myself take care of it.” St Faustina’s Diary (No. 1273) Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy”(Mathew 5:7).
Sunday Readings
My Dearest Freinds in Chrsit,
I joyfully welcome you to the house of God today as we celebrate the great feast of DIVINE MERCY. Mercy is Godly. It is an attribute of God. Jesus is Mercy embodied. His Mercy is endless. His Mercy is like an ocean with limitless depths. Mercy is an indispensable quality of a true disciple of Christ. Mercy, compassion and forgiveness are all related in the sense that each seeks the good of another, heals the wound of another, and pays the price for another without demanding anything in return even when one deserves to pay the price. William Shakespeare, once said, “The quality of mercy is not strained…” God demonstrated the free gift of His Mercy by sending His only Son to die for us and to redeem us sinners through His sufferings, death, and resurrection. We don’t deserve it, but God gratuitously shows His Mercy because He loves us and not because He stands to gain anything from us. There is so much wickedness and revenge in our world today. We need to be merciful.
About Divine Mercy Sunday
The feast of Divine Mercy began April 30th, 2000 when Pope John Paul ll designated this day to celebrate our Lord’s appearances to St. Faustiana. He requested that this feast be established in the Church to propagate the Divine and Incomprehensible Mercy of God to tell the world that no sin is beyond God’s forgiveness and that whoever asks for His Mercy must surely find it.
The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles shows us how the early Church grew every day because of the acts of mercy and sharing – sacrificial agápe love, practiced by the early Christians. They expressed their love and mercy by sharing what they had with everyone in need.
Mercy in Providing A Helping Hand To Those In Need
At these difficult times, the Risen Lord begs us to be merciful to those who are owing us; to those in need of basic necessities of life like food and to be compassionate with those suffering. This is the time in our human history when those who have, should extend their generous hearts and show kindness to those who don’t have. The early Christians have taught us that when we share with others no one will be in need and we multiply in number by saving lives. The suffering in our world occasioned by inflation is overwhelming and becoming unbearable for many. Many have lost their jobs and hopes of surviving. Many are in their homes without food and drink. Should we all fold our arms and simply pray to God to intervene, when we can lend a helping hand to that neighbor living beside our house or across the street or donate to those in distant lands? This is a time of great challenge to you and I when God will judge our generosity. Please don’t continue to hide hundreds of thousands, millions and billions away in private accounts, saving then for the future, and turning a deaf ear to the voices of the poor. Act now!, while you still have the chance to be kind and merciful.
God First Showed Us His Mercy
In the second reading (1 Peter 1:3-9), St. Peter glorifies God, the Father of Jesus Christ, for showing us His mercy by granting to His Son Jesus Resurrection from the dead and a glorious Ascension into Heaven; thus offering us the assurance of our own resurrection, entry into Heaven, and “imperishable and unfading” heavenly bliss.
Mercy as Reconciliation and Forgiveness
The Gospel of today is one of the scriptural sources of the Divine Mercy of God as His Mercy comes to us through the Sacrament of Reconciliation dispensed by the Church through the authority of Christ. Jesus entrusted to His apostles and all of us, His Mission of preaching the “Good News” of God’s love, mercy, forgiveness, and salvation. This teaches us that Jesus uses the Church as the earthly means of continuing His Mission. The Risen Lord gives the apostles the authority to forgive sins in His Name. He gives the apostles the power of imparting God’s Mercy to the sinner – the gift of forgiving sins from God’s treasury of mercy. God forgives sin through the instrumentality of the Priests who are sharers in that Apostolic Authority. If God does not need the Apostles (men) to forgive sins, He wouldn’t have given them the authority to “bind” and “loose”. We obtain God’s mercy and forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This same Sacrament of Penance is a tribunal of mercy where every sinner is acquitted and not condemned, for “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…” (Romans 8:1ff). The clearest way of expressing our belief in the Sacrament of Penance is our own forgiveness of others. We can’t live together as a member of a Christian Community without such forgiveness. Let us, therefore, practice forgiveness and compassion.
The Christian Community a Place of Faith Encounter and Growth in Mercy
The early Christians lived together as a community of faith. The Christian Community contributes greatly to building up our faith in God. Anything that threatens the Christian Community touches the very foundation of Christian life and faith. Thomas doubted the appearance of the Risen Lord because he was away from the community when Christ first appeared to the disciples. This should serve as a warning to us. It is difficult for us to believe when we distance ourselves from the fellowship of other believers. Those who absent themselves willfully from Sunday Masses and other liturgical celebrations in the Church should reconsider their priorities. Don’t forget that Jesus appeared to the disciples where they gathered as a community of believers and not in a nightclub or casino. When the Lord appeared to Thomas later, He said: “Blessed are those who have not seen but have believed.” This story of Doubting Thomas highlights the importance of signs and also their limitations in terms of bringing people to faith. Thomas overcame his doubts by seeing and touching Jesus. Today we no longer “see” or “touch” Jesus as Thomas did, but we see and touch Him in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist and feel His Spiritual Presence in all the sacraments and in our lives. Faith comes to us in different ways, so we have to appreciate God’s Mercy in bringing us closer to Himself.
Let us all learn to show mercy, forgiveness, and compassion to all we meet daily. This is the only way to conquer the wickedness of the world and restore peace in our troubled world. Don’t always insist on your right when you are hurt. You can also forgive the person who hurt you. That is what it means to be merciful. Contrary to worldly beliefs, being merciful does not make you a weaker person; rather, it shows the strength of your inner resolution as a strong-spirited person. May we experience God’s mercy and compassion and, in turn, allow others to experience it through us.
I keep you and your family always in my prayers. ©Clem C. Aladi (2024)
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