This second week of Easter is a very holy day indeed, as
are all Sundays, but Easter Sunday is the most important because we celebrated
the Resurrection of our Lord. We
remember that today in some cultures it is known as little Easter. We also celebrate this Sunday as “Divine
Mercy Sunday.” Divine Mercy is a private
revelation received by Saint Faustina which was eventually approved as
authentic (but not binding on believers as only Sacred Scripture and Sacred
Tradition are binding) by the Church and made as an optional celebration on the
2nd Sunday of Easter.
I want to touch upon this theme of mercy. Sometimes we lose its true meaning, because
mercy is one of those words we throw around so much. We also lose its meaning when it comes to its
application both for ourselves and for others.
When it comes to the way we treat ourselves we sometimes
are more harsh and judgmental of ourselves than God ever would be with us. Remember that Jesus went to the Cross for us
while we were still dead in our sins. If
He would so easily send us to hell then why the sacrifice for us while still
dead in our sins? There is one simple
answer, love! What causes a person to
die for someone, even those who hate the person; it has to be a love beyond our
everyday understanding. As the Gospel
says, “it’s hard to die for a good man,
let alone a bad one.” If Christ
loves you this much can He not forgive you even for the worst of sins? He absolutely can. It is a matter of accepting it and of
forgiving yourself.
Mercy, however is a two way street. It runs from God to us but it also runs from
us to others. “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down,
shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the
measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38) And again from the prayer that Jesus taught
us, “Forgive us our trespasses as we
forgive those who trespass against us.”
God demands and requires, since He has given us mercy that we do not
deserve, and do not fool yourselves, you did not deserve it, nor did I, and
since this mercy has been granted to us free of charge we must do the same for
others. How can we expect on the one
hand God’s mercy and then withhold it on the other hand from our neighbor? No, we must be merciful and merciful without
any conditions.
We have been forgiven the worst of sins; we must go and
do likewise with our neighbor. We must
forgive him for everything. It can be
hard and a process but when we show mercy we free ourselves from carrying a
weight we were never meant to carry, we also release a great weight from our
shoulders when we accept God’s mercy in our own lives.
Saint Faustina was blessed to have Jesus visit her
because He gave her a revelation of great mercy. The revelation was that all can be forgiven,
it comes down to two things, one, that I accept it and two, that I give it to
others. It is a simple message; it’s
been the same message for thousands of years, since Adam and Eve. God has forgiven you of your sins, have you
forgiven yourself, have you forgiven your neighbor? To have done so means you are living Divine
Mercy Sunday, God bless you, Fr. John
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