Catechism Links[1]
CCC 448, 641-646: Appearances of the risen Christ
CCC 1084-1089: Sanctifying presence of the risen Christ in the liturgy
CCC 2177-2178, 1342: The Sunday Eucharist
CCC 654-655, 1988: Our new birth in the Resurrection of Christ
CCC 926-984, 1441-1442: “I believe in the forgiveness of sins”
CCC 949-953, 1329, 1342, 2624, 2790: Communion in spiritual goods
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| “The Seven Acts of Mercy” by Caravaggio, c. 1607 |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Acts 4:32-35
Commentary on Acts 4:32-35
This selection from Acts is the second summary describing the community of faith at Jerusalem. The description is of a community completely unified in the faith of the risen Lord. The community is living in accordance with the practices followed by the disciples when they were with Jesus, sharing all material possessions.
"The text suggests that the Christians in Jerusalem had an organized system for the relief of the poor in the community. Judaism had social welfare institutions and probably the early Church used one of these as a model. However, the Christian system of helping each according to his need would have had characteristics of its own, deriving from the charity from which it sprang and as a result of gradual differentiation from the Jewish way of doing things." [5]
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24
R. (1) Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Commentary on Ps 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24
Psalm 118 has been in regular use during the Easter season. It is a liturgical song of praise and victory. The messianic imagery is so strong that it has been used for the past three days, reflecting the joy of the Church in Eastertide. This litany of thanksgiving features the cornerstone image that, in addition to Acts 4:1-12, was also used in the Gospel of St. Mark (Mark 12:10) and the first epistle of St. Peter (1 Peter 2:7) and the following Old Testament references: Job 38:6; Isaiah 28:16; Jeremiah 51:26. On Divine Mercy Sunday we begin the selection appropriately with: “His mercy endures forever.”
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Reading II: 1 John 5:1-6
Commentary on 1 Jn 5:1-6
St. John begins his discourse with the logic that defines what it means to be Christian. “Children of God are identified not only by their love for others (1 John 4:7-9) and for God but by their belief in the divine sonship of Jesus Christ. Faith, the acceptance of Jesus in his true character and the obedience in love to God's commands, is the source of the Christian's power in the world and conquers the world of evil, even as Christ overcame the world (John 16:33).” [6]
The Evangelist concludes by referring to blood, which is a symbol of the Cross of the crucified Christ. Also contained in the passion of Christ was God’s own testimony about the identity of his Only Son (Matthew 3:16-17). His logic in this passage teaches that if one does not believe in Jesus as the Son of God, they call God a liar because he testified to the identity of his Son.
CCC: 1 Jn 5:1 2780, 2790; 1 Jn 5:6-8 1225
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Gospel: John 20:19-31
Commentary on Jn 20:19-31
St. John gives us the picture of the disciples (now Apostles) in hiding immediately following the Lord’s crucifixion. Twice Jesus comes to them, once with Thomas absent, and then again when he is present. (Note: no reference was made to Thomas' absence in Luke 24;36-49, the only other account of this event.)
There are a number of very important elements of this version of the story. First, the Lord’s greeting: “Peace be with you.” While this may have been a simple shalom, it is more likely intended to emphasize the rejoicing sense of the meeting. Immediately the Lord sends them on their mission: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you." As part of this action, we are told, the Lord gives the gift of the Holy Spirit to strengthen them. He also gives them authority to act in his name.
The significance of Thomas’ absence is used as an evangelizing moment. Doubting Thomas is confronted in the second visit by the risen Christ and, almost in recompense for his role as disbeliever, he provides the title with which Jesus is understood now as True God as well as True Man: “My Lord and my God.” The Lord then delivers a beatitude for future generations of Christians: "Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."
CCC: Jn 20:19 575, 643, 645, 659; Jn 20:20 645; Jn 20:21-23 1087, 1120, 1441; Jn 20:21 730, 858; Jn 20:22-23 976, 1485; Jn 20:22 730, 788, 1287; Jn 20:23 1461, 2839; Jn 20:24-27 644; Jn 20:26 645, 659; Jn 20:27 645; Jn 20:28 448; Jn 20:30 514; Jn 20:31 442, 514
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Homily:
This Octave Sunday of Easter or the Second Sunday of Easter has been know as “Divine Mercy” Sunday since the turn of the current millennium, the year 2,000 AD. St. John-Paul named it so and it has been connected with the canonization of St. Faustina for these past 18 years.
As we consider what this means to us, a number of possible responses come to mind.
It could be that we show our respect for God’s Divine Mercy by praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3:00 each day as many of the faithful do.
It could be that we recognize on this, the octave day (or 8th day) since the great celebration of Easter, that the reason our Savior, Jesus Christ, endured his passion and death was the ultimate demonstration of God’s Divine Mercy, sacrificing his Only Begotten Son that we might enjoy eternal life in heaven, something that had been denied since the gates were slammed shut by Adam and Eve as they disobeyed God and brought sin into the world.
And it could be that it’s just another name for this Sunday and not much more.
Since there are options associated with the label for our celebration today, I would like to ask you a simple question: What impact does God’s Divine Mercy have on your life? To ask it a little differently: In what way, if any, does the fact the God gave up his only begotten son to a humiliating death, so you could enjoy eternal peace? I state it this way because that act is the clearest pragmatic expression of Divine Mercy.
If we think about a person about to undergo a painful episode (say a difficult medical procedure), we might hear the silent plea: “Lord please have mercy on me!” Mercy has already been given, Christ walks with you through your ordeal. If there is a family crisis, we might hear the cry of a parent or a child: “God, please have mercy!” Mercy has already been offered, your pain is shared, shared on the cross.
And what if none of these things are currently happening, what difference does God’s Divine Mercy make in your life? (Or is it reserved for those times when the world or events threaten to bury you?)
Christians should be able to announce to the world, that Divine Mercy is their strength and their peace, all in one. But that belief does not come automatically. It does not just happen. One does not simply come to Mass each Sunday and get fed holy food and become strong because of that meal. No, when we call out in our pain: “Lord please, in your goodness, have mercy on me!” The strength and faith behind that plea must be bolstered by the exercise of that faith.
We use the analogy of physical strength here. Everyone here has heard one hundred times, in order to be healthy you must have proper diet and exercise. The same is true of your spiritual self. If a person comes to the sacraments to be fed but never does anything outside of Mass or the confessional, all you get is nourishment for yourself. You don’t build spiritual muscle. In a sense you get fat because you do not use the spiritual muscles to do the work for which they were intended.
In order for us to be healthy and strong in our faith, the gifts we are given, including our sure and certain knowledge of God’s Divine Mercy, must be put to work. Look at the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles. We see in the description of the early Christian communities the expression of Divine Mercy, carried out by the followers of Jesus, caring for each other, making sure that those without food were fed, those without clothing were clothed. Living the Corporal Works of Mercy as we have defined them these many hears later.
Do you remember them? (No fair asking hour children if you have them with you.)
The corporal works of mercy are:
To feed the hungry;
To give drink to the thirsty;
To clothe the naked;
To shelter the homeless;
To visit the sick;
To ransom the captive;
To bury the dead.
Acting in accordance with these impulses builds our own strength. And if we cannot act for some reason (and it should be a really good reason), we also have the spiritual works of mercy as well:
To instruct the ignorant;
To counsel the doubtful;
To admonish sinners;
To bear wrongs patiently;
To forgive offences willingly;
To comfort the afflicted;
To pray for the living and the dead.
I know I’ve told you this before, but even St. Augustin was daunted by the Lord’s example. He is reported to have said at his consecration as Bishop of Hippo:
“The turbulent have to be corrected, the faint-hearted cheered up, the weak supported; the Gospel's opponents need to be refuted, its insidious enemies guarded against; the unlearned need to be taught, the indolent stirred up, the argumentative checked; the proud must be put in their place, the desperate set on their feet, those engaged in quarrels reconciled; the needy have to be helped, the oppressed to be liberated, the good to be encouraged, the bad to be tolerated; all must be loved”.
“The Gospel terrifies me.”
The huge buzz words flying around the Church for the past several years are the “New Evangelization.” And they are daunting for most of us because we associate that word “evangelization” with the Jimmy Swaggarts and Joel Osteens of the world. That is not what is meant by evangelization. Go and see the movie “Paul, Apostle of Jesus Christ” if you have not. (You’ll need to hurry though, it won’t be around long. It’s being pushed out by the likes of “Sherlock Gnomes” and the giant killer robots of “Pacific Rim.”) The depiction of the Christian community in the film was excellent and really spoke to what evangelization or proclaiming the Gospel with one’s life looked like, and can look like today.
I want to leave you with a short piece of scripture that was not part of our readings today (although I should mention that St. Thomas did redeem himself when he called Jesus “My Lord and my God”), this is from the letter of my personal patron Saint, St. James. He says:
“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it?
So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:14-17)
Thank God for his Divine Mercy, demonstrated through Christ and lived out in us through the Holy Spirit so the world might see and know of his great love.
Amen
[1] Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, Published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014
[2] The picture used is “The Seven Acts of Mercy” by Caravaggio, c. 1607
[5] The Navarre Bible, Gospels and Acts, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, p. 748
[6] See NAB footnote on 1 John 5:1-5
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