This article was originally published on Thu, 04 Apr 2024. 

A few years ago, in his homily, a friend of mine said that mercy is about “God’s willingness to enter into the mess of humanity.” I was struck by his words. But the more I thought about it, his words made total sense. Isn’t this the reason why God became human? God sent His Son to redeem humanity - to heal, to reconcile, to bring us back into a good relationship with Him. Today, this Second Sunday of Easter, is also called Divine Mercy Sunday. The scripture readings for this weekend recall the first encounter of Jesus with the fearful, confused, wounded, disappointed, and worried Apostles. They have heard of Jesus’ resurrection. Mary of Magdala told them of the good news. Obviously, they are perplexed. They were probably asking themselves: “What if Mary is right? How are we going to face the Master?” Embarrassed? Yes! Fearful? Yes! Not so much of the Jews, but of Jesus. No wonder the first gift of Jesus is Mercy in the form of forgiveness. Jesus knew that He had to restore the relationship that the Twelve had destroyed. As always, The Risen Jesus is willing to enter into the “mess” of the disciples. John the evangelist says: “Though the doors were locked, Jesus appeared in their midst saying, “Peace be with you!” They didn’t know what to do. Again, Jesus said, “Peace be with you!” Then He breathed the Spirit on them. At that moment, their eyes were opened, and their hearts were transformed. They were filled with joy. Easter is all about God’s divine mercy. In their fear and anxiety, the women were filled with joy when they heard of Jesus’ resurrection. They were transformed - the sadness to joy, fear to courage, and anxiety to calmness and peace. In the Easter story, we can see how God worked in the lives of the followers of Jesus. They became bold in their proclamation of the good news. They went all over the place to be witnesses of the resurrection. That same Divine Mercy continues to work in our lives today. When reconciliation is brought to a broken relationship, when meaningful dialogue is observed in any conversation, when we open our ears and hearts to listen to one another, when we extend a helping hand to someone in need, when we begin to understand rather than judge, when we welcome and accept each other’s differences - God’s divine mercy is experienced. God is always present in our lives. We just need to be aware of His dynamic presence. Just listen and savor the transforming love within your heart. Then, be the Easter people that we are!

Blessings,
Fr. Ritche