Trong bài Tin Mừng hôm nay chúng ta thấy rằng các tông đồ sợ hãi những người do thái ví sợ bị bắt và bị tù đày vì rao giảng về chúa Giêsu sống lại, vì thế đã tự nhốt khóa chính họ trong căn phòng trên lầu, nhưng " Đức Giêsu đã hiện ra giữa họ, đứng trước mặt họ ... và đã phán “Bình an cho cho các con”, rồi Người thổi hơi vào các ông và bảo : “ Các con hãy nhận lấy Thánh Thần, Nếu các con tha thứ cho ai thì người đó được tha, nếu các con cầm buộc ai thì họ sẽ bị cầm buộc,. " Trong mùa Phục Sinh này , chúng ta cử hành sự sống lại cùng với những hồng ân của Thiên Chúa của ngôi thứ ba trong một Thiên Chúa Ba Ngôi , Đó là Chúa Thánh Thần, như là một làn sóng mới của Chúa Kitô Phục Sinh. Hôm nay Giáo Hội chia sẽ sự phục sinh sống lại của Chúa Kitô bằng sự hiện diện của Chúa Thánh Thần. Nếu như không có ân sũng Chúa Thánh Thần này thì Giáo Hội ngày nay còn có ý nghĩa gì nơi chúng ta? Sự bình an của Chúa Kitô, chúng ta luôn luôn có sự thương xót và tha thứ do ơn Chúa Giêsu Kitô đã sống lại từ cõi chết và đem lại sự hòa giải giữa nhân loại con Người với Thiên Chúa và nhờ đó Thiên Chúa đã xóa bỏ tội lỗi cho chúng ta và còn nhận đón chúng ta là con cái của Ngài.
Nếu chúng ta có thể bảo quản " từ tất cả các sự lo lắng " trong khi chúng ta sốt sắng cầu nguyện trong Thánh Lễ , tham dự thường xuyên các Bí Tích Giải Tội và Bí tích Thánh Thể. Ơn cứu độ đã bắt đầu ngay từ hôm nay và bây giờ như chúng ta đang bắt đầu giải phóng những sự sợ hãi và lo lắng, Phần đầu tiên phải là tìm đến ơn tha thứ cho tất cả các tội lỗi của chúng ta . Xưng tội là một bí tích của sự Phục Sinh. Mừng lễ Phục Sinh: chúng ta mừng kỷ niệm sự hòa giải lòng Thương Xót của Chúa Kitô. Xin Chúa Thánh Thần sẽ thương ban giúp cho chúng ta sự bình an của niềm tin và sự đam mê vào ơn cứu độ của Chúa Kitô và sự phục sinh trong Lòng Thuơng Xót của Chúa bao la..
Today we hear that the apostles, bound by the imprisonment of fear, have locked themselves into the upper room, and that "Jesus came and stood before them...Then he breathed on them and said: 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive men's sins, they are forgiven them; if you hold them bound, they are held bound.' "
In this Easter season, we celebrate the Divine gift of the third person of the Blessed Trinity, the Holy Spirit, as an outpouring of the Risen Christ. Today the Church shares in the Resurrection and the life of Christ by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. What does this gift mean to the Church? The peace of Christ, always ours with the forgiveness of our sins.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) teaches us what the Church has always believed by professing in the Creed "I believe in the forgiveness of sins": our gift for salvation in the Holy Spirit. The Creed links "the forgiveness of sins" with profession of faith in the Holy Spirit because the risen Christ entrusted to the apostles the power to forgive sins when he gave them the Holy Spirit. Baptism is the first and chief sacrament of the forgiveness of sins: it unites us to Christ, who died and rose, and gives us the Holy Spirit. By Christ's will, the Church possesses the power to forgive our sins after baptism and exercises it through bishops and priests normally in the sacrament of Penance.
"In the forgiveness of sins, both priests and sacraments are instruments which our Lord Jesus Christ, the only author and liberal giver of salvation, wills to use in order to efface our sins and give us the grace of justification." (CCC 984-987) If you would be preserved "from all anxiety" as we pray in the Mass, regularly practice the Sacrament of Confession. Salvation begins now as we are released from the bonds of fear and anxiety, in the first place by the forgiveness of our sins. Confession is an Easter sacrament. Celebrate Easter: celebrate Confession. The Holy Spirit will give you the peace of confidence in Christ's saving passion and Resurrection.
I look forward to meeting you here again next week as, together, we "meet Christ in the liturgy" –
This is a very special Sunday. First, it is Divine Mercy Sunday or the day to glorify the Mercy of God. But, also, today in
Blessed John Paul II was deeply moved by this devotion, which was based on the private revelations and visions of a Polish religious sister, St Faustina. He lived during her lifetime and experienced the power of the message God gave her to spread.
Suffering IS Real
It can be difficult to speak of the topic of the Lord’s Divine Mercy. God’s Mercy is endless, but it also must be acknowledged that the Lord allows suffering and other forms of evil to happen in the world because of man’s sinfulness. To see this we only need to look at the last century which included two World Wars, the Holocaust, the atomic bomb, legalized abortion, and most recently the attacks of 9/11. Most of us, if we are honest, have questioned why the all-good God would permit such sufferings? Where is His Divine Mercy in such tragedies?
The answer is found in the Gospel and especially in today’s passage. Jesus appears to his disciples saying, “Peace be with you!” As He does this we are told that He shows them His hands and His side. Jesus has just walked through a wall and is standing before the terrified disciples with the appearance of a ghost. The veil to the Lord’s divinity is fully lifted, but He draws their attention to His Sacred Wounds. There in His side and hands are the remnants of the terrible evil that the Son of God endured. Yet, now things are different. This is not the dying Christ, but the Glorified Body. These wounds are no longer signs of shame, but trophies of His victory over evil.
Good or Evil, Our Choice to Make
As Jesus holds these Sacred Wounds up to the disciples, He is showing them tangibly the limit that God places on evil. The greatest of evil was done, not to us, but to Jesus Christ who is God and thus totally innocent. But, by this one sacrifice for all, God has forever placed a limit on evil. When Christ rose from the dead this marked the limit of suffering, death, and evil. Yes, Sin and the devil can cause evil to happen in the world, but only to a degree. This degree is permitted so that we can freely chose God; Choose good over evil, live over death. In our free will, we can choose to respond to Divine Mercy or not. Seeking God’s mercy is done when we freely accept the Lord’s forgiveness, love, and strength through the Sacraments of His Body the Church. First and foremost, this is given in Confession and the Holy Eucharist. God so loves us that he wants us to choose for ourselves good over evil.
This Sunday is a special time to choose to glorify the Divine Mercy. To implore the Lord: “for the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!” This day we bring ourselves and our loved ones to the Font of Mercy. We come to Jesus’ side, pierced by the soldier’s lance, from which flows a fountain of Mercy for us all.
So as we give thanks for the life of two holy popes, let us recognize that all the Saints are products of God’s Divine Mercy. They are not holy because of anything they did or supernatural qualities they had. The Saints are holy because they had the humility and courage to come to the Font of Mercy. To place themselves under the blood and water which flowed from Jesus pierced side. It was God who cleansed them of their sins and enabled them to achieve great heights of holiness. Let us all come to His Side and receive the new life won for us by God’s Divine Mercy.
Divine Mercy Sunday (Year C)
Today is the Feast of all Feasts! It is the Feast of Mercy! This Feast originated from the private revelations given to Sr. Maria Faustina Kowolska, a Polish cloistered nun who died in 1938. In the year 2000, she was canonized by Saint Pope John Paul II, and the Feast of Mercy was instituted as a universal Feast of the Church. To better understand this Feast, let’s read some of the private revelations Jesus gave to Saint Faustina:
“Whoever approaches the Fountain of Life on this day will be granted complete forgiveness of sins and punishment” (Diary #300).
“This Feast emerged from the very depths of My mercy, and it is confirmed in the vast depths of my tender mercies” (Diary #420).
“On one occasion, I heard these words: My daughter, tell the whole world about My Inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flows are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy” (Diary #699).
“Yes, the first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to our neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to absolve yourself from it” (Diary #742).
“Souls perish in spite of My bitter Passion. I am giving them the last hope of salvation; that is, the Feast of My Mercy. If they will not adore My mercy, they will perish for all eternity” (Diary #965).
“I want to grant complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My mercy” (Diary #1109).
In addition to the above quotes about the celebration of the Feast of Mercy, below are some quotes revealing more about The Divine Mercy itself:
“Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My Mercy” (Diary #300).
“My Heart overflows with great mercy for souls, and especially for poor sinners. If only they could understand that I am the best of Fathers to them and that it is for them that the Blood and Water flowed from My Heart as from a fount overflowing with mercy” (Diary #367).
“I desire trust from My creatures. Encourage souls to place great trust in My fathomless mercy. Let the weak, sinful soul have no fear to approach Me, for even if it had more sins than there are grains of sand in the world, all would be drowned in the unmeasurable depths of My mercy” (Diary #1059).
“Tell all people, My daughter, that I am Love and Mercy itself. When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls” (Diary #1074).
“My daughter, write that the greater the misery of a soul, the greater its right to My mercy; urge all souls to trust in the unfathomable abyss of My mercy, because I want to save them all” (Diary #1182).
Reflect, today, upon God’s infinite and unfathomable Mercy. The Divine Mercy is especially for those who struggle with sin. Jesus says, “The greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to My mercy” (Diary #723). The Divine Mercy is the very tenderness and compassion of God. Run to Him, trust in Him, open your soul to Him and allow Him to pour forth an ocean of Mercy on this holy day.
Most Merciful Lord, I desire to receive the superabundance of Your Mercy poured forth from Heaven today. Please open my heart so that I will turn to You in my need. I am a sinner, dear Lord, but for that reason I am in most need of You in my life. Help me to trust in You with all my might. Jesus, I do trust in You!
Many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. (Acts 2:43)
“Miracles.” What does this word bring to mind for you? Spectacular healings? Multiplication of food? Suspension of the laws of nature? Signs and wonders relegated to biblical times? As Catholics, we have living proof that miracles are not things of the past. Every time a new saint is canonized, we are reminded that miracles still happen. We see in these saints evidence of God breaking into our world and transforming people in concrete ways!
Today we celebrate the canonization of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II, two modern-day examples of God’s power to perform miracles—and not just the physical healings that have been attributed to their intercession. Who could deny the miracle of John XXIII opening the Church to the modern world and speaking timeless truths in a new way to a world that desperately needed it? Countless lives were changed around the globe because of what he did. Countless people—unbelievers as well as believers—stood in awe of how vital the Church is and how active a role it can play in the world.
And who could not but stand in awe of the largely bloodless way that the walls of communism came down during the papacy of John Paul II? Or think of the lives that were touched when they saw him forgive the assassin who tried to kill him. The world looked on in amazement!
As we are inspired by the lives of these two holy popes, we know there’s always more of God’s mercy. Even now, two thousand years after Christ’s birth, we see just the beginnings of how God wants to inspire awe in the world! So together let’s celebrate Sts. John XXIII and John Paul II—and let’s keep expecting miracles!
“Thank you, Father, for the lives of John Paul II and John XXIII. Thank you for touching the world through their witness. May their lives continue to move people to love you as they did.”
More than a thousand years ago Jesus liberated the disciples from their fears. The Resurrection so empowered them that they came out of their hiding places and they openly proclaimed the risen Lord as a fundamental belief of their lives. The first reading tells that they went further. They were so overjoyed with the rising of Jesus from the dead that they would be willing to give everything for God. So they sold their properties and shared the sale of the proceeds to members of the community. They took care of one another. Gentiles who saw how the early Christians treated one another were so impressed by their lifestyle so that they commented how Christians loved one another.
The resurrection of Jesus and later the outpouring of the Holy Spirit gave the disciples the power to go out and transform the world. He greeted them with peace and then gave them the power to forgive sins. No one other religious leader had done that before. Now they were able to heal broken bodies but more importantly Christ empowered them to heal people so that they could be reconciled to community and to God. But there was one problem during the week of rejoicing. Thomas, one of the disciples, was not present when Jesus appeared to the community and when he was informed of the appearances of Jesus he did not believe what he heard. He told them that he would only believe when he would see the nail marks on Jesus' hands and put his fingers on the nail marks and his hands into his side. Jesus came back later and appeared to the community assembled and chided Thomas for his lack of faith. The Thomas event is another happy fault because it is really a lesson for all us. We all believe in the Resurrection even if none of us personally witnessed it. The story of the Resurrection has been transmitted to us through countless men and women in the past. We can think of missionaries, our parents, our teachers, priests or catechists who first taught us the rudiments of our faith.
We need to believe that Christ is with us today in spite of the problems that we encounter. We look at a Church in crisis: a Church ridden with scandals, and with many leaving her. One begins to wonder whether Christ has abandoned his flock as some shepherds have deliberately led people astray by their distorted lives of sexual deviancy. Neither does it help when some bishops who are expected to protect the vulnerable assign known sexual predators to take care of innocent children. It certainly gives reasons for some to leave the Catholic Church and go elsewhere. There is no easy answer to scandals of incompetent leaders of the Church. In some countries the civil authority takes over and punishes the offenders and costs financial woes to the concerned dioceses. However, what we need to do is recall Jesus' promise that he would be with the Church till the end of time. Scandals will continue to rock and embarrass the Church because human beings run it. Christ himself could not prevent Judas from committing the ultimate scandal by selling his master for thirty pieces of silver. Sinful shepherds and lame bishops do not constitute the Church, you and I make up the body of Christ. We have to look at the countless followers of Jesus who believe what the Gospel points out today that Jesus came that we may have life in his name. St. Peter Canisius certainly believed in the power of the resurrection and he was able to keep the flock faithful to Jesus. Jesus alone can heal and transform the hearts and minds of people. We need to believe that.
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