Divine Mercy Sunday sermon

by

Sunday, 7 April 2024 : Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday we celebrate the Second Sunday of Easter, the last day of the Easter Octave that began last Sunday with the glorious celebration of Easter and our Lord’s Resurrection from the dead. On this Sunday, we continue to rejoice greatly for the Lord’s triumphant victory over sin, evil and death through His Resurrection, showing all of us the certain hope and way out from the dominion, tyranny of sin and evil, breaking their hold and control over us mankind. Through the Risen Lord we have received the hope of eternal life, the liberation from the darkness surrounding us all, that we now once again can rejoice fully with God as a people whom He has called and chosen to be His own.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles in which we are told about how the earliest Christian communities lived their lives, detailing to us how they cared for one another and showed genuine care and charity in all of their actions. They shared their possessions and goods among them, with the Apostles governing over them and helping them to manage their lives. Every one who had extra with them shared with all those who had less or insufficient amount, such that as mentioned, everyone had enough for themselves and their needs. This is used as a good example of Christian charity and love, and as an inspiration for all of us in how we should act towards our fellow brothers and sisters.

We do have to take note the context and situation of the Christian community at that time so that we can understand better how the Christian faithful at the time lived their lives in the described manner. Back then, the Christian community was still relatively small and closely knit together and hence it was relatively easy for them to pool and share their resources in the manner that they had done. However, this way of living soon encountered many challenges, as if we read on further in the Acts of the Apostles, there were disagreements and complaints because certain members of the Christian community were overlooked, particularly those from the non-Jewish origins, which was why the Apostles later on instituted the order of the Diaconate or the Deacons to help serve the rapidly growing Christian community.

Nonetheless, we should be inspired by the manner how those early Christians lived their lives as they truly gave their all to serve the Lord and to focus their lives upon Him. They trusted in the Lord and in one another, showing genuine love and care for each other just as the Lord has told and taught them to do. They truly embody the joyful spirit of Easter, living righteously and worthily as the chosen people of God, not worrying about earthly concerns and desires but focusing themselves upon the Lord and their calling to be good and worthy disciples of the Lord. While the circumstances and conditions are different now, but it does not mean that we cannot strive to live in the manner that enriches the faith of everyone around us by our own exemplary way of life.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the account of what happened after the Resurrection of the Lord, as we remember how the Risen Lord appeared suddenly before all of His assembled disciples save for St. Thomas the Apostle. At that time, the Lord showed Himself in all His Risen glory before them, proving to them that He was indeed risen from the dead and not merely a ghost or a spirit. He reassured them with His words, reminding them that everything had happened just as He Himself had foretold it. He told them to go forth and proclaim everything that they had themselves seen and witnessed, while breathing over them and granting them the Holy Spirit to guide them and strengthen them in their journey and efforts.

Then as we heard, St. Thomas was not present in that first moment the Lord appeared to His disciples and he refused to believe when the other Apostles told him of what they themselves had seen and witnessed. St. Thomas was always a doubter, and in earlier occasions in the Gospels, he had also shown this doubt publicly before the other disciples as well. He thus essentially challenged the Risen Lord Himself, as he said that he would not believe unless he could see and experience Him in person, and touch His wounds to know that He has indeed truly risen from the dead just as the other disciples had said to him. That was when then the Risen Lord afterwards showed Himself to St. Thomas and to the other disciples that he finally believed in the Resurrection.

St. Thomas’ attitude is not surprising as there were quite a few people at the time of the Lord who also did not believe in the resurrection from the dead like those of the Sadducees. And throughout history, even until this present time and age, there are people who refused to believe in the resurrection from the dead, or the concept of faith in the Risen Lord, or in anything spiritual simply because they could not rationalise them or experience the things that they would expect to encounter and experience before they would believe in such a belief. This is why we must understand that our belief in the Resurrection cannot be rationalised or proven through experience, but having seen how those same Apostles, including St. Thomas himself, believed in the Risen Lord so much and proclaimed His Resurrection and truth at the cost of even their own lives, therefore, the Resurrection is and must indeed be true.

After all, St. Thomas himself who had doubted the Lord, His Resurrection and all, turned over a new leaf and embraced the Lord wholeheartedly, enduring persecutions and sufferings, spent a lot of efforts to proclaim the Lord in distant lands, and suffered martyrdom in the end, all these showed us all that, what our faith had taught us, and all the truth passed down to us through the Church of God, is nothing less and nothing else than the truth, even after two millennia had passed from the time when everything happened at that time. Each and every one of us as Christians are reminded that the belief in the Resurrection is a core tenet of our Christian faith, and we should always held up this faith firmly in our hearts and minds.

This Sunday is also known as the Divine Mercy Sunday because of the decision made by Pope St. John Paul II who decreed in the Year of Our Lord 2000, the Great Jubilee Year upon the canonisation of the Polish nun, St. Faustina Kowalska, the one who had received the visions of the Lord in His Aspect as the Divine Mercy. For many years, St. Faustina Kowalska received those visions of the Divine Mercy, recorded what she had witnessed, seen and heard, and then, she had to face many hardships and struggles when many around her, priests, confessors, other nuns and Church authorities figures showed skepticism at the things which she had revealed and written in her books and diaries. Yet, St. Faustina Kowalska continued to persevere in her efforts and remained firm in her commitment to spread the devotion to the Divine Mercy till the end of her life.

For many years, her works were scrutinised by the Church authorities, and at times they were even banned and prohibited by those who were determined that her works were not divinely inspired and were false, or even delusions. Nonetheless, the Devotion to the Divine Mercy continued to spread, and slowly but surely, with better understanding of the context and details of the revelations received by St. Faustina Kowalska, the works, revelations given to her and the Devotion to the Divine Mercy finally received support, endorsement and approval, and as mentioned, ever since Pope St. John Paul II declared it twenty-four years ago, the Second Sunday of Easter has also been known as the Divine Mercy Sunday, with the Devotion to the Divine Mercy of God ranking as one of the most popular contemporary devotions of the Church.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, what we have discussed today and through what we have heard in our Scripture passages, we are all reminded that our faith in the Lord must always be firm and strong, and we must remember that in our own limitations and inability to comprehend the whole truth of God, His many mysteries including that of His Resurrection and the nature and Aspect of His Divine Mercy, we must entrust ourselves ever more strongly to the Wisdom of God, to the teachings of the Church which we have received throughout all these years of our lives. Most importantly, we must also embody this faith and belief in our own actions, words and deeds in each moments of our lives or else, we are no better than hypocrites who claim to believe in God and yet did not have true faith in Him.

Let us all hence renew our faith in the Resurrection of Our Lord, in His great love and compassion for us, that He, as the Divine Mercy, continues to show us His desire to forgive us our sins and to embrace us all when we come back to Him with regret and sorrow for all the sins and wickedness we have committed in our lives. Let us all also be the good and faithful witnesses to His Resurrection, His truth and Good News, His Love and most generous Mercy to all, that by our lives, the Risen Lord will always be glorified and proclaimed to the nations. Eternal Father, I offer You, the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world. Amen.

by

Sunday, 11 April 2021 : Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today marks the last day of the Easter Octave and also the Second Sunday in the season of Easter. According to the declaration of Pope St. John Paul II at the canonisation of St. Faustina Kowalska in the Jubilee Year of 2000, the Second Sunday of Easter ever since has also been known as the Divine Mercy Sunday. The devotion to the Divine Mercy continues to spread in popularity ever since it was made known by St. Faustina Kowalska herself, in the visions she received of the Lord in His Aspect as the Divine Mercy.

On this Sunday, as we celebrate this Feast of the Divine Mercy of God and the Second Sunday of Easter, we are brought to attention through the Scripture readings of the wonderful graces that God has given us through His Church, all that He had done for us and what it is we then ought to do as Christians, as those who truly believe in God, in Him as Our Lord and Saviour. We have seen the Light of God’s salvation through Christ, Our Saviour, and through Him we have received the assurance of eternal life and glory, if we held on to our faith firmly in Him.

In our first reading today, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, we heard the way that the early Christian communities had lived, in how they showed great care and concern for one another, in how they lived in communal living, sharing their blessings and possessions with one another, in being selfless in their actions and in helping sincerely those who were in need within their communities. Through those examples, we are shown that indeed it is possible for us to live our lives entrusting ourselves to the Lord and resisting the temptations of worldly desires.

And all of them believed in the Lord, their Saviour, Whom St. John in his Epistle to the faithful today spoke of, as the One Who had conquered death and triumphed over the darkness and evil. Christ has overcome death through His Resurrection and by His love for us, for each and every one of us He has endured the worst of punishments and humiliations for the sake of our salvation, our liberation from the tyranny and bondage of evil and death. Through Him, we have received the assurance of a blessed new existence, if we are to seek Him with all of our hearts and strength.

But as we heard in our Gospel passage today, many of us still hesitate to believe in the Lord wholeheartedly or to entrust ourselves to His love and care, and we still have doubts in our hearts, like what St. Thomas the Apostle showed us. We all know what happened as described in today’s Gospel, as St. Thomas publicly doubted the Resurrection and refused to believe that the Lord has risen from the dead. He has always been the most skeptical among the disciples, and happened to be absent during the time when the Lord appeared before His disciples for the first time after His resurrection.

St. Thomas doubted the Lord and said that he would only believe if he could prove that the Lord was indeed risen from the dead, only to be humbled when the Lord Himself appeared right before him and told him to prove everything just as he had said. St. Thomas believed and said to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord and my God’. He and all the other Apostles and many of the disciples of the Lord witnessed the Risen Lord in person, and from then on, became courageous and faithful witnesses of His truth.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, we may be thinking that St. Thomas was lacking in faith and was a doubtful person, but before we make any judgment on his actions, we ought to remember very well that it is perhaps and likely what we ourselves had done as well. Have we not doubted the Lord at some point in time in our lives? Have we not placed Him to the sidelines and forgotten about Him, prioritising more on other things in life, or treating Him as One Who is not significant and does not really exist?

St. Thomas in fact represent all of us, the people of God. There are many of us with different experiences and varying levels of faith and devotion. And at some point, we may have grown weak in our commitment to the Lord and begin to doubt Him, based on our own experiences, or when we were distracted and tempted by the many worldly temptations and concerns that we turned away from the Lord and began to idolise other things like money and material possessions, fame and prestige. At times, we have fallen in our path and lose our way like St. Thomas had experienced.

As we can see, the Lord did not choose perfect people to be His disciples, and rather, He called and chosen people who would have otherwise be overlooked by the society. He called the uneducated, those who were deemed as sinners and unworthy, people of no renown and those who were ordinary, to be His disciples and followers. But what was amazing is that He transformed them all from their ordinary existence into a new extraordinary existence through faith. That was how all the Apostles and the disciples of the Lord could courageously stand up for their faith and endure the bitter persecutions of those days.

And the words of St. Thomas as he came to witness the Lord, Risen and alive in the flesh, is the same words that we also utter at the moment of the Transubstantiation, when the bread and wine offered in the Holy Mass, by the power of God through His priests are transformed in reality, matter and essence to the very Precious Body and Blood of Our Lord Himself. And when we see Him lifted up before us, we say, ‘My Lord and My God’ just as St. Thomas did. It is of us that the Lord had spoken, that even though we have not seen Him in person, but we believe, and we are blessed because of that.

We believe that the Lord is truly present in the Eucharist, really present in His Body and Blood, and which we receive and partake together as one Church. And we believe that He has given us all these so that through His sacrifice on the Cross, we may be saved and be freed from the tyranny of sin. In the words of St. Faustina Kowalska, the visionary of the Divine Mercy, and which is mentioned in every recitation of the Divine Mercy prayer, ‘Eternal Father, I offer you, the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, of Your only beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, for the atonement of our sins and those of the whole world’

In tandem with what we heard from St. John, this is our Christian faith, brothers and sisters in Christ, in God Who is so loving and merciful towards us, that even as we have sinned and disobeyed Him, and doubted Him again and again as St. Thomas had done, and abandoned Him like the other disciples, denied Him like St. Peter, not once but thrice, but God’s love and mercy are still greater than all those, and if He forgave all of them, and made them to be worthy disciples and Apostles, then certainly He will forgive us all our sins as well.

This is the power of forgiveness from Our Lord, the Divine Mercy of God, the healing and reconciliation that have come through the loving sacrifice of Our Lord on the Cross at Calvary. This is the power of God’s compassionate mercy through which He assured us of victory and triumph over sin and death, over the chains that had kept us trapped and enslaved all these while. However, are we willing to embrace God’s mercy and forgiveness, brothers and sisters? Are we willing to be reconciled with Him?

We often do not realise what God’s mercy and forgiveness really mean. And many of us think wrongly that the Lord in His mercy and as the Divine Mercy will forgive us all of our sins and allow us to continue committing those sims again and again, essentially condoning our sinful way of life and our state of sin. No, brothers and sisters in Christ, the Lord indeed forgives us freely and generously, but if we are to be fully forgiven, then we have to embrace His forgiveness, and this requires for us to repent, turn away from our sins and seek to walk in the path of the Lord.

Do we all remember the Lord speaking to the woman who was caught in the act of adultery, that He did not condemn her, but also telling her at the same time, ‘Go and sin no more’? This is what the Lord wants from us, a heart that yearns for Him, that is filled with the desire to love Him, and full of faith and believing wholeheartedly in His Resurrection and the salvation which He has therefore brought unto us, through His Passion, suffering and death, and glorious Resurrection.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all entrust ourselves to the Divine Mercy of God, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Let us all put our trust in Him, knowing that He has loved us so dearly and so patiently, and let us be filled with genuine regret and the desire to repent from our many sins, the sins which have been purchased and forgiven through the shedding of the Body and Blood of Our Lord on the Cross, the perfect sign of His eternal love for us.

Let us all not be stubborn and doubtful anymore, but acknowledge the Lord just as St. Thomas had once done, and humble ourselves before Him, allowing Him to lead us in our way, so that we may truly serve Him faithfully as Christians, and contribute in whatever way we can, to move forward with the many works of the Church of God in our world today, for the greater glory of His Name. May God be with us all, and may He, the Divine Mercy, forgive us all our sins, and embrace us all sinners, who desire to return to Him and be reconciled with Him. Amen.