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Mercy Sunday 2022
The Spirit of the Risen Christ casts out fear from the hearts of the apostles and pushes them out of the Upper Room, to bring the Gospel. We also must have more courage to witness to faith in the Risen Christ! Let us not be afraid to be Christian and live as Christians! We must have the courage to go out and proclaim Christ the Risen Lord, for he is our peace. "Trusting in the mercy of the Lord forever, because he is waiting for us, he loves us." Pope Francis
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It can be very difficult to convince Christians about God’s mercy. I can struggle with the concept of mercy as revealed in the Gospels, especially the story about the Prodigal Son. The story (parable) is in reality, at least in my opinion, about the Father. How he treats both of his sons, and how he deals with his younger wayward child. It is nothing like anything I would do. In fact, this story, like some other parables, was not well received by many when he spoke them. They went against the religious sentiments of the time, and still do, even today.
As a species, we understand things about justice, equity, and punishment differently than Jesus not only taught about but also shown in how he related to others. Even when he was angry, it was out of compassion, not out of a desire to harm, or hurt, but to teach. Often when hell is discussed it tells us more about ourselves than about the justice and mercy of God. Revenge can be desired for others, but mercy for ourselves.
Jesus taught that there is no limit to the mercy of God for those who seek it. Did he not tell us to forgive 70 times 7 times a day? Well, he was showing us the love and compassion of the Father. He was the incarnation, the revelation of the Father, for to see Jesus is to see the father.
The section below was taken from this site: Celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday
---------- In a series of revelations to St. Maria Faustina Kowalski in the 1930s, our Lord called for a special feast day to be celebrated on the Sunday after Easter. Today, we know that feast as Divine Mercy Sunday, named by Pope St. John Paul II at the canonization of St. Faustina on April 30, 2000.
The Lord expressed His will with regard to this feast in His very first revelation to St. Faustina. The most comprehensive revelation can be found in her Diary entry 699:
My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and a shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day are opened all the divine floodgates through which graces flow. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My mercy. Diary entry 699:
To receive these graces, the only condition is to receive Holy Communion worthily on Divine Mercy Sunday (or the Vigil celebration) by making a good confession beforehand and staying in the state of grace and trusting in His Divine Mercy.
By these conditions, our Lord is emphasizing the value of confession and Holy Communion as miracles of mercy. The Eucharist is Jesus, Himself, the Living God, longing to pour Himself as Mercy into our hearts.
In addition, our Lord says through St. Faustina that we are to perform acts of mercy:
"Yes, the first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be acts of mercy" (742).
"The graces of My mercy are drawn by means of one vessel only, and that is trust. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive" (1578).
The worthy reception of the Eucharist on Divine Mercy Sunday is sufficient to obtain the extraordinary graces promised by Jesus. Celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday ----------
Jesus has not revealed anything new when it comes to God’s mercy. It is our understanding of the message of the Gospel that is the problem. The call to trust sounds ‘nice’, but in living the message calls us to a death to an old way of looking at our relationship with God, and most importantly, God’s relationship with us.
Often, without realizing it, we see God as just like us, but just bigger. Is it any wonder that many have a subservient fear when it comes to God? It is easy to do so, since we do understand revenge more than justice and mercy, and the struggle we have to forgive complicates matters. There is no such struggle with God, who is mercy itself. What we need to fear is ourselves, and the possibility of growing in such a way that we will freely turn our backs on God. Separation from God, as it is shown in the Parable of the Prodigal son, comes from us. The father waited, patiently for his son’s return. When he did return the Father ran toward him and showed only mercy, compassion, and love. It was the elder son, who had the problem.
It takes great faith to trust in God when we are at our worst. Yet it is trust that allows us to arise and continue our journey towards our loving Father-Br.MD
