Today we\ncelebrate Divine Mercy Sunday, which is also the Octave Day of Easter. For the\nlast eight days, we have celebrated the Resurrection of Christ from the dead.\nAn event of such importance that the Church celebrates it over eight full days.\nIts consequence cannot be overstated. Jesus, who was dead, has been raised to\nlife, and consequently, the possibility and the promise of eternal life given\nto humanity. Mortality defines the human person’s predicament, but in Christ,\nthe hope of life eternal is presented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nonetheless, the\njoy and hope that fills the season of Easter should not obscure what preceded\nit. Instead, the exultation and anticipation of eternal life ought to be\nkindled and grow stronger by the contemplation of the Lord’s passion and death.\nThe main message of the Triduum is that love is proven in suffering. If I say I\nlove, but I’m unwilling to suffer for my loved one, I’m a liar. Therefore, by\nconsidering the suffering Christ underwent for our sake, we contemplate His\nunconditional and infinite love for us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In today’s\nGospel, we encounter the disciples gathered in the evening behind locked doors\nfor fear of the Jews. Jesus comes, stands in their midst and offers them His\npeace. Then He shows them the wounds in His hands and side as if to say,\n‘Behold, the proof my love for you.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pause for a\nsecond and place yourself in the story here – in the shoes of the disciples.\nThis is the evening on which Jesus rose from the dead. You have heard from Mary\nMagdalene and the women that they have seen the Risen Lord (Jn. 20:18), but you\nhave not. Yet, it was them, the women, who stayed by Jesus throughout His\npassion and stood at the foot of His cross when he died (Jn 9:25). You, on the\nother hand, His disciples, deserted Him and fled when He was arrested (Mt.\n26:56). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
How many\nemotions would have mixed and lived in the disciples’ hearts that night as they\nsat together: Fear of the Jews, despair at Jesus’ death, joy at the possibility\nof His resurrection, anxiety and worry at what He would say to them who had\ndeserted Him, etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
All of a sudden,\nJesus comes and stands before them. Without losing a beat or waiting for any\nwords on their part, He offers them His peace. Then He shows them His wounds –\nevidence of His suffering, of His love. Instantly, all emotions vanish except\nfor their joy of meeting their Lord again. But perhaps they begin to feel\nundeserving of that peace, and a sense of remorse and guilt begins to come back.\nThe Lord reaffirms them again: “Peace be with you.” Only this time,\nHe goes further: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And\nJesus breathes the Holy Spirit into them and gives them the power to be heralds\nand emissaries of that Divine Mercy. Almost as if saying, “Forget your\nguilt. My love and mercy for you is unconditional. You can’t merit it, but\nhaving acknowledged your sin, you can cooperate with it by first accepting it\nfor yourselves, and then making it known.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On this feast of the Divine Mercy of our God, let us dispose of ourselves to receive this fountain of love and mercy that pour out from the Heart of Jesus. In doing so, let us approach the sacrament of confession with the deep humility, contrition and purpose of amendment that are the fruit of understanding the price paid for the remission of our sins. In other words, let us kindle our desire to receive His mercy by contemplating the depths of love manifested by the pierced hands that offer it to us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Santiago Torres<\/strong> \u2013 St. Joseph Seminary, Edmonton, Alberta <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Divine Mercy Sunday<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":2030,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,17,18],"tags":[177,199],"class_list":["post-2435","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-strona-glowna-najnowsze","category-strona-glowna-slider","tag-mercy","tag-santiago-torres"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n