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One of my favorite liturgical celebrations each year is the one we observe today, Divine Mercy Sunday. This feast is sorely-needed medicine for a world that is hurting, restless, and angry. The idea of Divine Mercy is nothing new; it runs wild through the Scriptures and finds its fulfillment in the person of Jesus. Devotion to Divine Mercy really began to spread in the 1930’s, when a Polish nun, St. Faustina received many revelations and visions which were recorded in her diary and published after her death. It continued to spread organically over the next 60 years until it was formally instituted in the Church by Pope St. John Paul II in April of 2000.
Pope John Paul II was the perfect person to promote Divine Mercy. Nineteen years earlier, as he moved among the crowd during a papal audience, Mehmet Ali Agca walked up and shot him multiple times. Suffering from severe blood loss and trauma, the Pope decided to forgive his attacker as he was driven to the hospital. But his forgiveness didn’t stay just in his heart. Several years later, Time Magazine published an issue with a cover photo of John Paul meeting with his assailant in prison. They sat facing one another, up-close and personal. They spoke quietly so others couldn’t hear the conversation. The Pope held the hand that had fired the gun which nearly ended his life. This was a living icon of mercy. John Paul’s forgiveness was deeply Christian. He embraced his enemy and pardoned him. When the Pope left the cell he said, “What we talked about must remain a secret between us. I spoke to him as a brother whom I have pardoned and who has my complete trust.” — This is an example of God’s Divine Mercy, the same Divine Mercy whose message St. Faustina recorded in her diary.
And yet, as extraordinary as this act of forgiveness was, it was only a tiny portion of the mercy God extends to us. God’s mercy is truly limitless and he does not count the cost as he seeks to reunite each and every person to himself. That is the good news of Divine Mercy; God would do anything and everything to save us from sin and death. But in magnifying Divine Mercy, we should be careful not to minimize the evil of sin. Jesus truly hates sin with the same intensity with which he loves us. Reflection on Divine Mercy must always touch on what it saves us from and how dangerous sin truly is. It cost the heavenly Father his son, it cost Jesus every drop of his blood. Humble acknowledgement of our wickedness does not lessen God’s love or our own dignity; in fact, it highlights the gift we have in his mercy.
This truth flies in the face of so many voices in our society today which seek to justify every decision, identity, and lifestyle. Many times this justification comes from a misguided sense of mercy and compassion which wants to avoid making anyone feel bad about anything. So often we hear that Jesus would accept every person where they are, as they are. However, even a basic knowledge of the gospel shows that Jesus is never indifferent to or tolerant of sin. While he unfailingly loves every single sinner, each trespass is countered with an offer of forgiveness and the command to go and sin no more.
Whenever we try to minimize or explain away sin, we end up diminishing the mercy and sacrifice of Christ. If sin is no big deal, then we don’t really need conversion or repentance. And if we don’t really need to change our lives or be forgiven, then we don’t need a savior; we can save ourselves by just being ourselves. And if this is the case, the sacrifice of Christ was a nice gesture but not necessary.
The truth is, you and I and every person in this world, we are sinners. God knows our wounds; he knows how sin hurts us and him and everyone else and He could not sit back and do nothing, even though nothing is what we deserved. Our Easter celebration, begun last week, highlighted the fact that God stepped in and stepped up to save us from sin, selfishness, and death. That intervention, that forgiveness, that redemption is what we call Divine Mercy and we need it now more than ever.
Forgiveness is not cheap grace that requires nothing on our part. God does the heavy work of healing and forgiving but only when the person comes to him with a spirit of conversion and a desire to try and sin no more. It requires accepting responsibility, being open to change and a willingness to forgive others unconditionally. If we forgive one another, God will forgive us. As Jesus taught us: Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. We offer mercy because we need mercy. We thirst for mercy because without it, life is cruel, exhausting, and brutal.
Asking God for mercy does not mean going on a guilt trip. It's not a matter of thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less. That's a lifelong journey that never ends. None of us have arrived at a point in life where we no longer need God’s forgiveness; if we think we have, we have grown blind to our sinfulness and we are missing out on one of the greatest treasures God wants to give. Many times we get sick of asking for mercy because it can be a messy, humbling process. We would be fine admitting we messed up if we only had to do it once and then could cross it off our list. But sinfulness and mercy don’t work that way.
Our world, our country, and this parish community, we are sinful: we need God’s mercy. Divine Mercy is the one and only thing that will address the ills that afflict us and cause so much pain, misery, and division. The wonderful news is that he cannot wait to give it. But Jesus never forces us to accept his gift. So, think about the things we carry within us every day that weigh us down and steal our peace and joy. What grudges do we refuse to let go of? What areas of our life remain selfish and self-centered? How might we need to ask the forgiveness of someone we have hurt or ignored? Maybe we struggle with past decisions? Maybe we have a sin we don’t really want to let go of? Perhaps we can’t quite put your finger on what is wrong but we know deep down that we are empty, sad, or unfulfilled.
Divine Mercy is fully manifested in the sacrament of confession but it begins with a relationship with God. Open your heart to Jesus, both the parts you like and the areas you’d rather forget. Give him permission to heal you. Ask him for the desire to repent and embrace conversion. Be willing to change. Trust that he wants you to love you more than you could ever imagine. Believe that there is nothing you have done that he cannot undo. Then, whether that is today or someday soon, receive his gift of Divine Mercy in the confessional and experience the freedom that will be prayed over you, “I absolve you of your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
