“On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” (John 20:19)
Today the Church celebrates the Divine Mercy Sunday, which is the Sunday immediately after Easter. It is originally based on the devotion to the Divine Mercy that Saint Faustina Kowalska reported as part of her encounter with Jesus, and is associated with special promises from Jesus, and indulgences issued by the Church.
Jesus Christ repeatedly said to her that a person who goes to sacramental confession and receives Holy Communion will obtain the total forgiveness of all sins and punishment, which means that person will go immediately after death to heaven without suffering in purgatory (or hell).
Additionally, the Church grants a plenary indulgence to all who fulfilled the requirements. Thus, today’s readings are about God’s mercy, the necessity for our trusting faith and our need for the forgiveness of sins.
God reveals His Divine Mercy first and foremost by sending His only-begotten Son to become our Lord and Savior by Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection. God’s Divine Mercy is given to us also in each celebration of the Sacraments instituted to sanctify us.
If God is full of mercy, we should be merciful to all as well.
God does not want us holding a relationship of Transaction but Transformation. Therefore, Dynamic Christian disciples are those who (1) BELIEVE, (2) GROW, (3) SERVE, (4) LOVE and (5) LEAD others to Jesus. Today’s topic invites us to be merciful, to repent our sins, reflect on our vocation of dynamic Christian discipleship to live a holy life to fulfill God’s will and obtain our salvation.
How can we help each other accept God’s invitation to celebrate and practice mercy in our lives?