II Sunday of Easter: reflection – Fr. John Marshall, St. John the Baptist, Milwaukie, OR
3My dear friends in Christ,
Jesus, I trust in YOU!
The message of Divine Mercy that was given to St. Faustina in the days leading up to World War II is no less relevant now as it was then. Divine Mercy is needed now more than ever. Our parish, our city, our state, our nation, and yes even our world needs to know about the message of Divine Mercy that Jesus delivered to this humble sister in Poland, St. Faustina. What we have just celebrated during the Easter Triduum made our access to Divine Mercy possible. So, it is no wonder that Jesus told St. Faustina that the Feast of Divine Mercy should be celebrated on the Second Sunday of Easter.
This Easter Season rejoices in the good news that God never gives up on us and He would do anything to save His most precious creation: you and me. Although we are unworthy, the Risen Christ invites us to the font of mercy to be made whole again. We approach this font of mercy through the Church’s Sacraments, specifically in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the Holy Eucharist. In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the Risen Jesus is waiting to wash us with His Blood and Water to cleanse us from our sins, and in the Holy Eucharist we eat and drink the Body and Blood of the Lord to nourish us to live the new life that comes from His Death and Resurrection. Like Peter who on the seashore was forgiven of his denial and like those two disciples on their way to Emmaus who recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread, we too must be transformed by our encounter of the Risen Lord. As those first disciples went out to share the joy of the Gospel after their encounter with the Risen Lord, the same must be true for us. We approach the throne of Divine Mercy through these Sacraments. We come to Jesus to hand over our messiness, brokenness, and sins and He in turn fills us with His love and mercy.
Many of us have such encounters of the Risen Lord but we hold back and keep these encounters it to ourselves. Whatever our excuse may be, we do no service to Jesus, to others, and to ourselves if we don’t allow others to see the transformation that has taken place in ourselves. On this Feast of Divine Mercy, we have an opportunity to allow others to see this transformation. Today we are invited to approach and encounter the font of Divine Mercy to be made whole again and following such an encounter become fonts of mercy to others especially those who have wronged us, those who have been shut out, rejected, and most in need of mercy.
God bless you all! Happy Easter!