Second Sunday of Easter (C) Feast of MercyReadings: Acts 5:12-16; Revelations 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19; John 20:19-31
Today is the Feast of the Divine Mercy. For those who don't know, Sister Faustina was a nun in Poland, and one day Jesus Christ appeared to her and told her to start devotion to his mercy. There is an image of Jesus, and I'm sure you've seen it, with Jesus pointing to his heart. Rays come from his heart – blood and water, red and white to show the blood and to show the water. The blood of his passion cleanses us from our sins – the water of our baptism gives us new life. Then he said to put under the picture, “Jesus, I trust in you.” He also said, “I want in the church to be established the Sunday after Easter the Feast of Mercy.”
Jesus attaches great promises to this feast, the greatest of which is connected with the reception of Holy Communion on today. It is promised that complete forgiveness of sins and punishment will be given. In other words, the graces equal only to the one we receive in the sacrament of holy baptism.
The greatness of this feast also lies in the fact that everyone, even though they are converted that very day may obtain any grace they're asking for if they ask it in compatible with God's will. So Jesus says today is a day of great mercy. If we come today in the mercy of God, and we throw ourselves on his mercy he grants us conversion of heart, forgiveness of sin and a new beginning.
The two things we need to focus on today on this Feast of Mercy are two words. First, trust; second, mercy.
Let's look at the word trust first. In the gospel of Mark (5:36), Jesus says “Do not be afraid,” 365 times, one for each day of the year. So you and I have to know that when we come before Christ today, we should not be afraid of him. Yet, so often people are afraid! So again in Mark 5:36 Jesus says, “Fear is useless; what is needed is trust.”
The first thing Jesus and I tell you today are to take your fear and leave it at the door and trust in him. Jesus, I trust in you. The greatest need of every one of is not to trust in me, not to trust that I'm going to make it, but to trust in Jesus that he has already done it and it's his gift to me. Jesus, I trust in you, not in me, not in our President, not in America. Jesus, I trust in you. Jesus, I don't trust in money. I don't trust in power. Jesus, I trust in you. Jesus, I don't trust in the people around me. I don't trust in me. Jesus, I trust in you. Jesus says to us that fear is useless. Trust me.
Let's go to John 14:1. One day I was having a very bad day. It was driving me nuts, filled with anxiety, filled with misery. I went to the Church and I fell with my face on the floor before Jesus in the Eucharist and I said, “Jesus, I don't know what to do.”
I opened up his word because he is alive, and he changed me in an instant. I opened it to John 14:1: “Do not let your heart be troubled; have faith in God and have faith in me.” He's telling us to trust in him.
As you come today is your heart troubled? Is anxiety or something that happened in your life this week given you a troubled heart? He says to you, “Listen, don't let your heart be troubled. Cut it out! Fear is useless. Cut it out! Have faith in me. Trust in me. I love you. I'm here for you.”
When he calls us to have faith and trust in him – what he calls us is to have trust in His mercy. Do you know what mercy is? Well, mercy is giving something good to someone who doesn't deserve it. It's like you coming to me and killing my son and I look at you and say, “I forgive you. You don't deserve it, but I forgive you.” Mercy! It's the number one attribute of God. Mercy!
But first we have to receive that mercy. In the gospel of Matthew (9:13) Jesus says to you and to me today, “Go and learn the meaning of the words 'It is mercy that I desire, not sacrifice.'”
The reason this Feast of Mercy is so important is because God shows this is what He is about. God is about mercy. We don't deserve God’s mercy, but he gave it to you and me. God says, “You killed my son, but I love you. I've given everything for you and you've rejected me, you spit on me, you've sinned against me, but I love you.” Would you accept my mercy today? Would you take my mercy and let it come over you? He begs us. Then he says to you and me, “If you would receive my mercy, then you must be my mercy”. That means we are people of mercy. It means that we forgive people even when they hurt us. We let go of grudges even though they don't deserve it.
One of the things in our life that we are going to have to learn before anything else is that I forgive people not because they deserve it but I forgive people because my God commands me to do it. That even if you refuse my forgiveness, refuse my mercy, I still will give you mercy. And you know what?
If we do that, we will start to smile just a little bit more because we'll be relieved of the burden, the burden inside of us that takes our heart and keeps them strangled in un-forgiveness. The only thing it does when we refuse to forgive another is it kills our souls. It doesn't do anything to them.
So today on this Feast of Mercy as Jesus comes and wants to cleanse you from all your sins and forgive you all your past, he asks you one thing: Now will you do the same? The only thing that will stop us from receiving mercy is if we don't give it.
In the prayer that our Lord Jesus taught us, he says, “Father, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Jesus says if we do not forgive those who have wronged us, he will not forgive us. So, the only condition for receiving mercy is that we become people of mercy.
Is there anyone in your heart today you still hold a grudge against? Is there anyone in your heart today you have not given mercy? Then what you need to do is today first ask Jesus to give you the mercy so you can experience it. Then say, “Jesus, what you have given to me now I freely give to another. Lord, I ask your mercy upon this person.”
And then, you name that person or persons and make an act of the will that you will forgive them now. The feeling might not come right away. You might still want to kill them inside. But you make an act of the will and say, “Jesus, I ask now that as your mercy has come upon me, your mercy and my mercy will come upon this person” and you name that person and you walk out of here today free from the burden and the bondage. May each of you know his love and mercy today and forever. Amen.
Jesus attaches great promises to this feast, the greatest of which is connected with the reception of Holy Communion on today. It is promised that complete forgiveness of sins and punishment will be given. In other words, the graces equal only to the one we receive in the sacrament of holy baptism.
The greatness of this feast also lies in the fact that everyone, even though they are converted that very day may obtain any grace they're asking for if they ask it in compatible with God's will. So Jesus says today is a day of great mercy. If we come today in the mercy of God, and we throw ourselves on his mercy he grants us conversion of heart, forgiveness of sin and a new beginning.
The two things we need to focus on today on this Feast of Mercy are two words. First, trust; second, mercy.
Let's look at the word trust first. In the gospel of Mark (5:36), Jesus says “Do not be afraid,” 365 times, one for each day of the year. So you and I have to know that when we come before Christ today, we should not be afraid of him. Yet, so often people are afraid! So again in Mark 5:36 Jesus says, “Fear is useless; what is needed is trust.”
The first thing Jesus and I tell you today are to take your fear and leave it at the door and trust in him. Jesus, I trust in you. The greatest need of every one of is not to trust in me, not to trust that I'm going to make it, but to trust in Jesus that he has already done it and it's his gift to me. Jesus, I trust in you, not in me, not in our President, not in America. Jesus, I trust in you. Jesus, I don't trust in money. I don't trust in power. Jesus, I trust in you. Jesus, I don't trust in the people around me. I don't trust in me. Jesus, I trust in you. Jesus says to us that fear is useless. Trust me.
Let's go to John 14:1. One day I was having a very bad day. It was driving me nuts, filled with anxiety, filled with misery. I went to the Church and I fell with my face on the floor before Jesus in the Eucharist and I said, “Jesus, I don't know what to do.”
I opened up his word because he is alive, and he changed me in an instant. I opened it to John 14:1: “Do not let your heart be troubled; have faith in God and have faith in me.” He's telling us to trust in him.
As you come today is your heart troubled? Is anxiety or something that happened in your life this week given you a troubled heart? He says to you, “Listen, don't let your heart be troubled. Cut it out! Fear is useless. Cut it out! Have faith in me. Trust in me. I love you. I'm here for you.”
When he calls us to have faith and trust in him – what he calls us is to have trust in His mercy. Do you know what mercy is? Well, mercy is giving something good to someone who doesn't deserve it. It's like you coming to me and killing my son and I look at you and say, “I forgive you. You don't deserve it, but I forgive you.” Mercy! It's the number one attribute of God. Mercy!
But first we have to receive that mercy. In the gospel of Matthew (9:13) Jesus says to you and to me today, “Go and learn the meaning of the words 'It is mercy that I desire, not sacrifice.'”
The reason this Feast of Mercy is so important is because God shows this is what He is about. God is about mercy. We don't deserve God’s mercy, but he gave it to you and me. God says, “You killed my son, but I love you. I've given everything for you and you've rejected me, you spit on me, you've sinned against me, but I love you.” Would you accept my mercy today? Would you take my mercy and let it come over you? He begs us. Then he says to you and me, “If you would receive my mercy, then you must be my mercy”. That means we are people of mercy. It means that we forgive people even when they hurt us. We let go of grudges even though they don't deserve it.
One of the things in our life that we are going to have to learn before anything else is that I forgive people not because they deserve it but I forgive people because my God commands me to do it. That even if you refuse my forgiveness, refuse my mercy, I still will give you mercy. And you know what?
If we do that, we will start to smile just a little bit more because we'll be relieved of the burden, the burden inside of us that takes our heart and keeps them strangled in un-forgiveness. The only thing it does when we refuse to forgive another is it kills our souls. It doesn't do anything to them.
So today on this Feast of Mercy as Jesus comes and wants to cleanse you from all your sins and forgive you all your past, he asks you one thing: Now will you do the same? The only thing that will stop us from receiving mercy is if we don't give it.
In the prayer that our Lord Jesus taught us, he says, “Father, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Jesus says if we do not forgive those who have wronged us, he will not forgive us. So, the only condition for receiving mercy is that we become people of mercy.
Is there anyone in your heart today you still hold a grudge against? Is there anyone in your heart today you have not given mercy? Then what you need to do is today first ask Jesus to give you the mercy so you can experience it. Then say, “Jesus, what you have given to me now I freely give to another. Lord, I ask your mercy upon this person.”
And then, you name that person or persons and make an act of the will that you will forgive them now. The feeling might not come right away. You might still want to kill them inside. But you make an act of the will and say, “Jesus, I ask now that as your mercy has come upon me, your mercy and my mercy will come upon this person” and you name that person and you walk out of here today free from the burden and the bondage. May each of you know his love and mercy today and forever. Amen.
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