Divine Mercy Sunday
Divine Mercy Sunday is a very special Sunday when the Divine Floodgates from Heaven are wide-opened and Jesus offers us the total forgiveness of all sins and punishment to any soul, who goes to Confession and receives Him in Holy Communion, on that day.
In celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday, we are given a special grace and reminder that the Mercy and power of Jesus’ love and forgiveness is available to us. Life’s journey takes us down many paths that can lead us moving away from Jesus. Stepping into places and things that instead of leading us to God, draw us away. Today we are reminded that we need not loose hope nor loose heart, Jesus steps into our midst and offers His love, mercy and grace.
The Road to Emmaus account is a good example of the mercy and love of God entering our lives in the least expected way. Two of Jesus’ disciples who found their hopes and dreams dashed, who find themselves disappointed and discouraged Jesus steps into their midst and walks along with them on their journey. Although they do not recognize Him, they listen to Him as he breaks open God’s word to them. In the midst of the journey when they are ready to take a break for the evening, Jesus shows himself to them through the Eucharist. Namely, after having fed them with their hearts burning with the Word, he then comes to them in the breaking of the bread, he feeds them His body and blood.
The experience of Jesus in the Eucharist fills them with great fervor to get up and run back to Jerusalem to tell others about what Jesus has done for their lives. How their hearts burned as he spoke to them along the way and how the recognized Him in the breaking of the bread.
Through the Divine Mercy that we celebrate today, God comes into our lives, walks on our journey and offers His power and mercy for our lives. As we see a world so torn by hatred and destruction we might find ourselves disillusioned from the destruction of the Iconic Church of Notre Dame, to the church bombings and death in Shri Lanka we are reminded of the need of God’s mercy throughout the world.
In the midst of destruction and death, we remain an Easter People trusting in Jesus’ Divine Mercy to strengthen us, heal us and embolden us to proclaim a message of Love and Life to a world overshadowed by death and despair. Let us welcome the presence of Jesus and trust in Him to restore us to Grace through the gift of His Mercy.
