|
2nd Sunday Easter |
|
|
Dear Preachers:
I apologize: my reflections for Palm Sunday were based on the wrong Scriptures. I am sorry for the confusion this may have caused.
In the Catholic community today, the Second Sunday of Easter is called “Sunday of Divine Mercy.” Actually, any Sunday could be called Divine Mercy Sunday—or any Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, etc. Today we are invited to see the Resurrection not only as a victory over death, but as the opening of God’s heart in mercy. The Gospel today (John 20:19–31) shows mercy in action through the risen Jesus Christ and his encounter with his fearful disciples and with “the doubter,” Thomas the Apostle.
Note the encouraging details in today’s story. The disciples are hiding in fear, shame, and uncertainty. Yet Jesus does not wait for them to get their act together and become brave or faithful. Instead, he comes to them as they are and says, “Peace be with you.” On this Divine Mercy Sunday, the Word proclaims that God’s mercy reaches us where we are – in our locked rooms of grief, regrets, failures, and anxieties. He reassures them, and us, that we do not have to be perfect to receive God’s mercy. The risen Christ comes to fearful hearts, not just to faithful ones.
Jesus breathes the Spirit on the disciples and gives them the ministry of sharing what he has given them – the ministry of forgiveness. “Receive the Holy Spirit; whose sins you forgive are forgiven them….” We are not only forgiven and comforted today for our failures as Christ’s disciples; we are also given a mission. We believers become a people called to extend patience, reconciliation, and compassion in families, workplaces, schools, and parish life.
Mercy is the Church’s identity, not just one of our devotions. We knock on the door of one who has offended us. When they ask, “Who’s there?” we answer, “It is I, a forgiving person, and I have come to forgive.”
However, mercy also makes room for doubt. The disciples, like Thomas, have doubts, questions, and struggles. Jesus did not reject Thomas, nor does he reject us. He invites us to touch his wounds. On this Divine Mercy Sunday, our faith community must be a safe place for honest questions – yes, even our own honest questions and fragile faith. Have you ever shared your doubts with another member of your faith community? Did you receive a compassionate hearing, without judgment or the imposition of guilt?
Who does not have doubts, especially during personal struggles that push our faith to its limits? Doubt is not the opposite of faith; it can be the doorway to deeper faith. The bottom line: mercy listens before it judges. The wounds of Christ have not disappeared; they are the source of mercy. Jesus shows them to Thomas. His wounds are not erased by the Resurrection; they are transformed into signs of love. As Pope John Paul II taught, the mercy of God flows from the wounded heart of Christ.
This has consequences for us, the faith community. Our own wounds can become places of grace. God’s mercy does not deny suffering. Jesus comes into a fearful, broken community and redeems it. His first word to them—and to us—is “Peace.” He speaks the same word three times: “Peace.” This is his first Easter gift—not certainty, not triumph, but peace in the midst of fear and anxiety. We are reminded today that resurrection faith grows in real life, not in ideal conditions.
We are consoled by the story of Thomas the Apostle. He voices what we may feel: our disappointment and our need for assurance. Still, Jesus does not reject him. He returns a week later and meets Thomas exactly where he is. This tells us that the Lord is patient with our slow faith. He keeps coming back to us, Sunday after Sunday, each time we gather in worship. So our prayer today can be brief and to the point: “Thank God for Thomas.”
We are invited by God’s Word today to bring our fears into the assembly. The risen Christ meets us behind locked doors. Here, once again, we receive our mission: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” We are sent by Easter faith to look outward toward reconciliation and mercy.
We trust the quiet presence of the risen Christ among us. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” We believers live by trust, not by dramatic signs. Today the Gospel assures us that the Easter season is not about sustaining emotional excitement, but about learning to recognize the steady presence of the risen Lord in Word, Sacrament, and community life.
In short: one week after Easter, the message we receive is simple and hopeful – Christ still comes, still speaks words of peace, and still sends us out into our world, even when our faith feels unfinished.
Click here for a link to this Sunday’s readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/041226.cfm
“The name of God is mercy.” — From his book “The Name of God Is Mercy” (2016) “Mercy is the very foundation of the Church’s life.” — Misericordiae Vultus (Bull of Indiction for the Jubilee of Mercy, 2015) “Where there is mercy, there is the Spirit of Jesus.” — General Audience, January 2016 “God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of seeking his mercy.”
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in His great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope 1 Peter 1:3
Today is Divine Mercy Sunday and I am including a portion of the biography of Faustina Kowalska, the first declared saint of the 21st century, whose humble life echoed the message she received and sends to us on this day.
Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, an apostle of Divine Mercy, belongs today to the group of the most popular and well-known saints of the Church. Through her, the Lord Jesus communicates to the world the great message of God's mercy and reveals the pattern of Christian perfection based on trust in God and on the attitude of mercy toward one’s neighbor.
Sister Faustina was born on August 25, 1905 in Glogowiec, Poland of a poor and religious family of peasants. From a very tender age she stood out because of her love of prayer, work, obedience, and also her sensitivity to the poor. The Lord Jesus chose Sr. Maria Faustina as the Apostle and "Secretary" of His Mercy, so that she could tell the world about His great message, which Sr. Faustina recorded in a diary she titled Divine Mercy in My Soul . In the Old Covenant He said to her: "I sent prophets wielding thunderbolts to My people. Today I am sending you with My mercy to the people of the whole world. I do not want to punish aching mankind, but I desire to heal it, pressing it to My Merciful Heart”(Diary, 1588). http://thedivinemercy.org/message/stfaustina/bio.php
As you can see from my emphasis in bold above, the following statement is worth repeating, “ The pattern of Christian perfection [is] based on trust in God and on the attitude of mercy toward one’s neighbors. ” The statement reminds me of a quote from the Apostolic Exhortation, The Joy of the Gospel. Pope Francis writes, “ Sometimes we are tempted to be that kind of Christian who keeps the Lord’s wounds at arm’s length. Yet Jesus wants us to touch human misery, to touch the suffering flesh of others. He hopes that we will stop looking those personal or communal niches which shelter us from the maelstrom of human misfortune and instead enter into the reality of other people’s lives and know the power of tenderness . Whenever we do so, our lives become wonderfully complicated and we experience intensely what it is to be a people, to be part of a people (270).”
Be merciful.
Barbara Molinari Quinby, MPS, Director Office of Human Life, Dignity, and Justice Ministries Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral, Raleigh, NC
Mini-reflections on the Sunday scripture readings designed for persons on the run. “Faith Book” is also brief enough to be posted in the Sunday parish bulletins people take home. From today’s 1 Peter reading:
“Although you have not seen him you love him; even though you do not see him now yet believe in him, you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, as you attain the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
Reflection:
This passage speaks beautifully to the heart of the Easter season. The first disciples saw the risen Christ, but most believers since then – including us – have not. Still, we gather week after week because we love and trust the Lord we cannot see. Faith becomes a way of seeing with the heart.
So, we ask ourselves:
· When in my daily life do I show love and trust in Christ, even though I cannot see him? · What experiences have given me a sense of quiet joy or hope that comes from my faith? · How does my faith in the risen Lord influence the way I face difficulties, disappointments, or uncertainties?
POSTCARDS TO DEATH-ROW INMATES
“One has to strongly affirm that condemnation to the death penalty is an inhuman measure that humiliates personal dignity, in whatever form it is carried out.” ---Pope Francis
Inmates on death row are the most forgotten people in the prison system. Each week I am posting in this space several inmates’ names and locations. I invite you to write a postcard to one or more of them to let them know that: we have not forgotten them; are praying for them and their families; or whatever personal encouragement you might like to give them. If the inmate responds, you might consider becoming pen pals.
Please write to: · James Thomas #0404386 (On death row since 2/24/1995 ) · Tony Sidden #0368820 (3/24/1995) · Charles Bond #0036850 (3/24/1995)
Central Prison, P.O. 247, Phoenix MD 21131 (While the prison is in Raleigh, NC, mail for inmates is processed at this address)
For more information on the Catholic position on the death penalty go to the Catholic Mobilizing Network: http://catholicsmobilizing.org
“First Impressions” is a service to preachers and those wishing to prepare for Sunday worship. It is sponsored by the Dominican Friars. If you would like “First Impressions” sent weekly to a friend, CLICK HERE.
If you would like to support this ministry, please send tax deductible contributions to: Fr. Jude Siciliano, OP St. Albert Priory 3150 Vince Hagan Drive Irving, Texas 75062-4736
Make checks payable to: Dominican Friars.
Or go to our webpage to make a secure online donation: https://www.PreacherExchange.com/donations.htm
FREE EMAILS:
We have two English email lists available: 1. “FIRST IMPRESSIONS” a. A preacher's early reflections on the upcoming Sunday's readings and liturgy, always at least one week ahead of the Liturgical Calendar. “A tool to help Preachers prepare for their next trip to the Ambo.” Available in Spanish & English and authored by Fr. Jude Siciliano, OP. b. Click Here to Sign Up. 2. “VOLUME II” These reflections follow the Liturgical Calendar and appear here about mid-week each week. They are written by various guest authors. If you would like to submit a reflection of your own, then Click Here to send it as a “Request to Post” to the Webmaster. Deadline is Monday of each week for the upcoming Sunday.
OUR WEBSITE:
https://www.PreacherExchange.com - Where you will find Preachers Exchange, which includes “First Impressions,” and “Volume 2” as well as articles, book reviews, daily homilies and other material pertinent to preaching and Scripture reflection.
FOR INFORMATION OF “ANY KIND” OR TO MAKE A SUGGESTION: Click Here
(Always includes the 6 latest reflections with the newest first.)
• |
|
Pope Francis has said:
