Today is Divine Mercy Sunday. It was instituted by Pope St. John Paul II during his pontificate on the Second Sunday of Easter in the year 2000, during the Mass of canonization of St. Faustina Kowalska. Prompted by Jesus, St. Faustina promoted this devotion to Divine Mercy throughout her life and in her writings.
What is Mercy?
What is Divine Mercy? Forgiveness, compassion, kindness, benevolence – shown toward someone who perhaps merits punishment or toward whom another has the power to do harm to. This is mercy. Divine Mercy, then, is God showing us forgiveness, compassion, kindness, benevolence. It is quite a thought to think: that God has mercy on us.
We actually pray this prayer in Mass whenever we participate: “Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord have mercy.” The psalm we read today calls out, “His mercy endures forever!” (Ps. 118:2-4) In the first reading, the apostles and Peter perform works of mercy in Jesus’ name. In the second reading we hear of St. John’s vision of the Lord, and how the Lord mercifully spares his life and reveals Himself to John. In the Gospel, Jesus appears to the apostles and gives them the power to practice the Sacrament of Mercy: confession. “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you…. Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them. Whose sins you retain are retained.” And then He appears again to the doubting Thomas, inviting him to probe the wounds of His mercy.
Mercy and Redemption
All of this is a message to me, the message that comes after the terrible tragedy of Good Friday: I am forgiven. I am redeemed. His mercy has saved me. The opening prayer of today’s Mass is so eloquent in explaining this mystery:
“God of everlasting mercy, who in the very recurrence of the paschal feast, kindle the faith of the people you have made your own, increase, we pray, the grace you have bestowed, that all may grasp and rightly understand in what font they have been washed, by whose Spirit they have been reborn, by whose Blood they have been redeemed.” (Opening Prayer of the Second Sunday of Easter)
His mercy pours over me, every moment, every day. Do I realize what a gift I have? Do I realize the great love that my God has for me, to die and rise again, to redeem me?
Redemption is quite a strong word, it means to compensate for a fault, to buy the freedom of, to atone or make amends. My sin takes me away from God, but His mercy atones for my sin so that I can be with God again. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) The punishment for my sin is death, and in His mercy, God died for me – in my place – to redeem me. All He asks in return is my response of love to His loving mercy for me. Can I respond in love?
[Readings: Acts 5:12-16; Rev 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19; Jn 20:19-31]
