Today we see the fulfillment of what the angel said to St. Joseph about Mary and her Son: “…she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Mt 1:21). Jesus, Son of God and Son of Mary, has saved us from our sins. By his Passion, Death, and Resurrection, he has taken upon himself our sins and has made perfect reparation for them to the Father. He has conquered them so that through him we may overcome them. Not only has he won for us freedom from sin, but by his grace he has also given us eternal life. He has opened the gates of Heaven for us. This is the tremendous, unfathomable mercy we celebrate today, Divine Mercy Sunday.
This great mercy, first revealed on Easter, “the first day of the week,” was also the subject of Jesus’ private revelations to St. Faustina, to whom he said, “My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy” (Diary, 699). Divine mercy is linked to peace, for this is what Jesus offers us, forgiveness and peace. His first words to the Apostles were, “Peace be with you.” This is the same gift he spoke about to St. Faustina: “Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy” (Diary, 699).
We can easily see, from looking at the world, that mankind in general does not have peace today. We can conclude from this that mankind has not yet turned to the Fount of Jesus’ infinite mercy. But what about me personally? Do I know the peace which comes from trusting in the mercy of Jesus? The readings today show us some clues about interior dispositions which can help or hinder us from receiving Jesus’ mercy.
In the first reading, we see a large number of people gathering around the Apostles, bringing their sick and those troubled by evil spirits to be healed. These people knew that they were in need of healing. They accepted that they could not cure themselves of the conditions which troubled them. They believed that the Apostles had the power to help, and so they came to them. In order to benefit from the mercy of Jesus, we need to have the same humble attitude, knowing our weakness and sin, our need for healing and restoration, and believing that Jesus has the power to help us. If we think that we are fine as we are, with no need for God, we will not be open to his mercy.
In the second reading, John has a vision in which he sees “one like a son of man” who was a figure of such great glory and power that John says that he “fell down at his feet as though dead.” He was overwhelmed by his unworthiness to be in the presence of this heavenly Person, the risen Lord. This is the right attitude for us if we want to receive the mercy which Jesus offers us. Mercy is given when the two parties who are interacting are so unequal that the lesser one has no way to be worthy of, or to earn, what the greater one is giving. Mercy is the only way in which God can interact with us, because he always gives his love completely and without reserve to us, and we are completely unworthy of such a gift. Humility is a difficult attitude for us to remain in, because our pride prompts us to want to earn what we receive. But we can never earn or deserve the love of God. We can only humbly and gratefully accept it as total gift.
A final barrier to receiving the mercy which Jesus offers us is displayed in the Gospel passage. Thomas is simply unable to believe in the good news of Jesus’ Resurrection. It cannot be true! He saw Jesus die. His experience tells him that Jesus is gone forever, that evil and hatred have triumphed. He simply cannot open his mind and heart to the hope that God can do something so amazing as raise Jesus from the dead. We can have this same problem when pondering our own situation. Can I believe that God can heal and restore me such that I can be united with him forever in Heaven, with all the angels and saints? I know my own poverty and weakness. It can seem so monumental, so impossible to overcome. How can I believe the good news of Jesus’ mercy for my own life? To me, Jesus says as he did to Thomas, “Do not be unbelieving, but believe.”
On this Divine Mercy Sunday the Lord is inviting us to come to the throne of grace to receive his great mercy, forgiveness, and peace. We are assured in the words of the Psalm: “His mercy endures forever.” Let us confidently approach the Fount of his inexhaustible Mercy. Let us accept his gift with great gratitude, allowing ourselves to be forgiven and to receive the peace that the world cannot give, the peace of Christ. Let us repeat again and again throughout today the refrain from today’s Psalm: “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting!”
What is my personal experience of Jesus’ mercy? Are there areas of my life where I struggle to believe in his ability to heal and restore me? In what ways can I cultivate an attitude of humility, acknowledging my unworthiness and trusting more deeply in his love for me?
Excerpt from The Anawim Way, Volume 21, no. 4. More information about The Anawim Way may be found here.