TRUST IN THE DIVINE MERCY - 04/24/22 (Divine Mercy Sunday)

John 20:21,23,25,27-28

21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, even so I send you." 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in His side, I will not believe."

27 Then He said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing." 28 Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen Me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."

For the full readings, click here: 

https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/daily-readings

Blessed Divine Mercy Sunday! Today, at the last day of the Octave of Easter, we celebrate the Divine Mercy Sunday. This feast day was instituted by Pope St. John Paul II in the year 2000 in accordance to the request of Jesus Himself as recorded by St. Faustina. St. Thomas made a profession of faith and adoration when he said to Jesus, "My Lord and my God." Jesus Christ is truly our God, and God is Love. Everything that Jesus does is out of His Merciful Love for us. Our Lord also requested for His image to be venerated with an inscription, "Jesus, I trust in You." There are at least three things we need to be reminded of for us to trust in the mercy of Christ. 

First, to commit a sin is to doubt the mercy of God. Even though the disciples affirmed to St. Thomas that Jesus appeared to them, he still doubted them. In reality, he also doubted the teachings and promises of Christ about His resurrection. In our spiritual life, the doubt of St. Thomas represents our sins when we doubt the necessity of following God's commandments. Some people may say that it's fine to commit sins because our Lord is merciful. But, this is just a temptation because we can only obtain His mercy if we persevere in doing what is pleasing to Him. By begging for God's graces to grow in virtue and reject the temptations of sins, we express our trust in His goodness and strength, not just in our words, but also in our deeds. 

Second, God's mercy is greater than our sins. The greater our sins are, the greater right we have to His mercy. When Jesus Christ showed the wounds on His hands and side, He was not just offering a proof for St. Thomas to believe. He was also showing that He suffered because of His love for us and His desire to bring us to heaven. It's true that He bore our sins on the cross as shown by the print of the nails on His hands. But, it was through the death of Christ on the cross that we have hope of eternal life. Jesus was pierced by a spear on His side, a representation of how our sins pierced the Sacred Heart of Jesus. But, what came forth from His side was blood and water, even as represented in the image of the Divine Mercy, that purify us and cleanse us from our sins. Let's not fall to despair no matter how grave our sins are. Jesus is inviting us to repent of these sins and allow Him to save us from our sins. 

Lastly, the sacrament of confession is the sacrament of Mercy. In the sacrament of confession, we do not just confess our sins, but we also confess our trust in the mercy of Christ that forgives us of all of our sins and enable us to change our ways. Even though the priest speaks of the absolution, it is really Jesus who grants us forgiveness. Christ expressed it to His disciples when He told them that the sins that they would forgive would truly be forgiven. This authority is passed down, even to all priests today. Our Lord also expressed His desire for us to come to this sacrament, not just in the Scriptures, but in many revelations to St. Faustina. May we not be afraid to persevere in our spiritual life and receive this sacrament. If we trust in Him, peace will reign in our hearts that are cleansed from all sins. 

Jesus, King of Mercy, we trust in You. Amen +

 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic