Apr 19 - Divine Mercy Sunday

+ Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God.” We all recognize these familiar words of the Apostle Thomas who insisted on seeing and touching the wounds of Jesus in order to believe that he has, in fact, risen from the dead! Jesus tells Thomas that belief can come from a more direct contact with Jesus –according to his wishes; but for the greater majority “believing in the divinity of Jesus” would produce the “seeing of Him” that people long for; for such seeing is a very real, but supernatural and invisible kind of seeing! But in either case: the same prerequisite is absolutely necessary: BELIEF IN THE DIVINITY OF THE RISEN JESUS!

But we may ask, why does not God make things easier for us, plainer, more visible, more real, on terms that we can understand: “our terms”? The answer is that he wants us to walk through this life by FAITH; which is on “his terms!” He can do that: He is God.

He thinks it best for us to walk in a certain amount of darkness, and confusion and struggling; he wants us to always be looking up and out, away from ourselves, for him, in hope and with love in our hearts for him and for others, as we make our way to our heavenly homeland!

Earth, as it is now, is not a home for Christian people - nor for anyone else, for that matter – heaven is! And if everything were so plain and simple, we would forget we need God and he would be sad that we no longer want to come and live with him!

This explains the main theme of today’s celebration: the “divine mercy” of God! God delights to show mercy, give help, give comfort, bring aid, and give healing of mind, body and spirit: but that can only happen if we, as human beings, count ourselves qualified – and what qualifies us is our regard of our own utter nothingness, emptiness and misery without him! For this is absolutely true! WITHOUT GOD WE ARE NOTHING and we can do nothing! And there is nothing more tragic and wonderful than that! Blessed Abbot Columba Marmion OSB, a favorite spiritual writer of mine, who was beatified in the year 2000 by Pope John Paul II,  tells us that the abyss of our misery calls to the abyss of God’s mercy!

It is not our perfection to dazzle God who is surrounded by myriads of angels. No, it is our misery, our woe AVOWED (recognized and proclaimed) which draws down his mercy [on us his beloved adopted sons and daughters]. Is this not what St. Thomas said to Jesus on the Octave night of Easter: Jesus, I was so wrong, I was so full of myself, I always have to have proof for everything, but now I avow my nothingness in the light of your totality: you are my Lord, you are my God, you are my EVERYTHING!

When any of us comes into the presence of Jesus, we must come humbly, hands held open, and satisfied to rest at his feet as we await our “marching orders” from him – who will work through us! For since the day of our baptism our lives are not our own, they are his! And what a magnificent sense of usefulness and joy comes to the disciple who lets Jesus do for others, through us, whatever he wants!

And today, as I have alluded to, we remember four other people of our own times who allowed this instrumentality to happen to them: St. Faustina Kowalska who was Jesus’ personal secretary in writing down his wishes to be known as the great distributer of Divine Mercy – flowing from his Sacred Human Heart!  Now, St. John XXIII, whose sense of mercy and compassion was very evident in his desire to begin a grand renewal of the spirit of the Church, grounded in true care and concern for all people everywhere, which has come to full flower now in the life of our current Holy Father, Pope Francis. And of course, St. Pope John Paul II, who espoused the Divine Mercy Message, canonized Sister Faustina in the year 2000 (April 30), and declared the Octave Day of Easter, (the Second Sunday of Easter - today) to also be known as Divine Mercy Sunday: so that the application of the merciful events of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus can be summarized and celebrated!

The world needs Divine Mercy appreciation, celebration and application more than ever – for the international health crisis that touches everyone everywhere – in the rampage that the Coronavirus is still making as it ravages itself – unawares – across our own country in particular: it would seem that it is ONLY the “the abyss of God’s providential love and mercy” can turn it around – and begin to disarm it, disengage it and dissemble it: but this can be done without a true, authentic and genuine “merciful” response on the part of all in this country – where no one at all is exempt: we must distance ourselves, literally, when we must be in public, we must wear facemasks then, and we must constantly wash our hands, surfaces and clothes. This is very serious business – it is a matter of physical life and death. Through US then mercy of God will become activated – and the Blood and Water that poured out of the Pierced Heart of Jesus will indeed wash away the virus, and soothe and calm, refresh and renew all of us as we PATIENTLY, O SO PATIENTLY, AND COOPERATIVELY move forward in baby steps to rebuild and remake our states and our country into now a more God-fearing, Jesus-loving, Spirit-filled society of loving, giving, caring and self-sacrificial individuals and communities.

Thank you God for “the abyss of your providential love and mercy” that you so willing pour out like an ocean on any who declare “the abyss of their own misery, their own nothingness, their own helplessness” and ask for all of your help! You respond instantaneously! You respond generously! For You are our Lord, You are our God, You are our ALL!

God bless you!  Amen! Alleluia!