After His resurrection, Christ entered the Upper Room, where his disciples were hiding out of fear. He might have said to them: "Where were you? Why did you abandon me when I was laying down my life for you? Didn’t you learn anything from me?” But He did not. Rather, He said, "Peace I leave with you, My Peace I give to you." With these words He forgave their infidelity, dispelled their fears, healed their broken hearts, and most importantly, shared His joy. In short, the Lord blessed them with Divine Mercy. Pope Francis has this to say about Divine Mercy:
“It restores hope to those who feel overwhelmed by the burden of sin. The mercy of God is present in our love for those we forgive and those we care for when they suffer: It is a love which is greater than any evil and greater than death itself. "Father, forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." "You take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us." And give us the grace to ourselves have mercy on others, especially on those we find it hardest to forgive and most needing to be healed. Here, Pope Francis underlines two elements for becoming instruments of Divine Mercy which are to forgive and heal. If we accept our call to forgive and heal others we become a channel of Christ's Peace.”
Today is Divine Mercy Sunday and is the center of our Year of Mercy, promoted by Pope Francis. In a special way during this year, the Church implores us to be a sign and instrument of the Father's Mercy and Christ's Peace. For this reason, our Holy Year is meant to first help us to experience more deeply the tenderness and mercy God has for us. But this year of mercy is not just to enrich ourselves. It also moves us to spread this message of mercy to the whole world, especially to those who suffer greatly, who are alone and abandoned, and who are without hope of being pardoned or feeling the Father's love.
Faced with the tragic events of terrorism in our world today, along with the immense strain on our poor, the frustration of our marginalized, and the suffering of our victims of injustice, we can feel helpless and crushed. Understandably we may ask ourselves, "Why?" The continuation of this evil and pain feels insurmountable. For us, on our own, it is impossible. Only God can bring us what we need: Divine Mercy and Peace. It is Jesus who died on the Cross, rose on the third day, and visited the upper room to be with His beloved disciples and give them the fullness of Mercy and Peace to enjoy and to share with others. He delivers these gifts to us today, throughout the year, and for the rest of our lives.
We have to keep in mind one final point if we are going to be ambassadors of Divine Mercy and peace. We have to first and frequently experience them for ourselves. To be more authentic representatives, we have to personally encounter God’s mercy and peace, especially in the sacrament of confession. The most convincing people I have ever encountered, the ones who have taught me the most about God’s mercy and peace, were not perfect people. They are not sinless or without flaws or struggles. They are people who have accepted their sinfulness and brought it without shame to our Loving God. And they do so often in their daily prayer and in frequent confession.
My hope and prayer for our little parish is that we become a hub of Divine Mercy and peace. Nothing would make me happier than if a visitor could come here and look around at your face and mine, could hear our words and observe our actions and feel as if they had encountered God. That’s not an unrealistic hope; with God’s grace it could become a reality!
I’d like to conclude with a famous prayer attributed to the great St. Francis. This prayer is perhaps the truest and most beautiful expression of the link between Divine Mercy and Peace:
“Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life."
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life."
