Divine Mercy Sunday…A Refuge for Sinners…

The spirituality of Pope John Paul II was deeply influenced by the devotion to the Divine Mercy.  Even as the Archbishop of Krakow, Poland, he promoted the beatification of Sister Faustina Kowalska and on the occasion of her canonization in April 2000, he announced that the Second Sunday of Easter would be the Feast of Divine Mercy.

Fourteen times in the Diary of St. Faustina (Divine Mercy in My Soul), Our Lord was quoted as requesting a “Feast of Mercy”.  This was why Pope John Paul II proclaimed, “I give thanks to divine Providence that I have been enabled to contribute personally to the fulfillment of Christ's will, through the institution of the Feast of Divine Mercy”.  Our dear Lord insisted that it be celebrated on a specific day - the Sunday after Easter!

This same Second Sunday of Easter, we will also have great joy in celebrating the solemn beatification of Pope John Paul II - on the very day in which he himself wanted the whole Church to fix her gaze and prayers on this Divine Mercy; this same Mercy also available to us through all the Holy Sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church.

Jesus Christ left all the details for the whole world, in a diary that He commanded Saint Faustina to write, back in the 1930’s.  She was chosen to document everything that Jesus wanted mankind to know about His mercy before He returns to judge the world.

In order to receive this great promise of complete forgiveness of all sins, one has to go to Confession and then receive Holy Communion on this Feast of Divine Mercy, which is now known as Divine Mercy Sunday throughout the whole Church.


Jesus said, “Whoever approaches the Fountain of Life on this day will be granted complete forgiveness of sins and punishment.” (Diary, 300)


The promise for a complete forgiveness of all sins and punishment on Divine Mercy Sunday was made by Jesus, extended even to the most terrible of sinner imaginable.  God in His great mercy is giving mankind a last chance for salvation.

This Easter season, we remember that on the evening of His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His Apostles and the first thing that He did was to give them the power to forgive sins (John 20:19-31).  This same power has been transmitted and handed down through the various generations of the Church in the form of the Sacrament of Confession.


Most of us probably have not spent much time thinking about the future.  Why worry?  In all our worldly pride, some might even be complacent enough to think that they are so brilliant and successful in this life; everything is under their control.

But then, what is all these ‘worldly’ successes, compared to eternity?  Very often, the father of lies, Satan, has everyone focused on this life so much so that people are not thinking about what happens in the eternal life.


How often have you reflected on where you are going to spend eternity?  One thing is certain, we will all be there for quite a long, long time.  Today, many are proud and do not believe in the fires of Hell.  Unfortunately, those are the ones that usually will end up there for eternity.


Be wise today, be humble; think about it and believe, as we reflect on the words of Sr. Faustina…


“I, Sister Faustina Kowalska, by the order of God, have visited the Abysses of Hell so that I might tell souls about it and testify to its existence...the devils were full of hatred for me, but they had to obey me at the command of God, What I have written is but a pale shadow of the things I saw.  But I noticed one thing: That most of the souls there are those who disbelieved that there is a hell.” (Diary 741)


“Let the sinner know that he will be tortured throughout all eternity, in those senses which he made use of to sin.  I am writing this at the command of God, so that no soul may find an excuse by saying there is no hell, or that nobody has ever been there, and so no one can say what it is like...how terribly souls suffer there!  Consequently, I pray even more fervently for the conversion of sinners.  I incessantly plead God's mercy upon them.  O My Jesus, I would rather be in agony until the end of the world, amidst the greatest sufferings, than offend you by the least sin.” (Diary 741)

Therefore, wake up...pilgrims of the world…turn back and repent of your sins, this might just be the last hope of salvation!  Learn from the beloved disciple named Thomas, who put his finger in the wounds of Jesus, doubted no more and instead confessed out, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28)

From the death bed of Pope John Paul II, we also remember these last written words that he had prepared to be read on Divine Mercy Sunday; the day after his passing.  They were read, as follows, directly on Divine Mercy Sunday:


“As a gift to humanity, which sometimes seems bewildered and overwhelmed by the power of evil, selfishness, and fear, the Risen Lord offers His love that pardons, reconciles, and reopens hearts to love. It is love that converts hearts and gives peace.


How much the world needs to understand and accept Divine Mercy! Lord, who reveal the Father’s love by Your Death and Resurrection, we believe in You and confidently repeat to You… Jesus, I trust in You, have mercy upon us and upon the whole world. Amen.”
 As the Chaplet of Divine Mercy goes…

“For the sake of His sorrowful Passion have mercy on us and on the whole world.”


“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.”


“Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, Have Mercy on us and on the whole world.”

The doubting Thomases is each of us must be touched by Jesus, through His Holy Sacraments, on this special Sunday of Divine Mercy.  Let us make it a point to be present for Jesus, to reach out and touch Him today and everyday...
 



Easter...The Light Shines Forth...





Imagine this scenario…a person is diagnosed with terminal cancer and is given less than six months to live, another suffers from severe hypertension as a result of work stress…financial difficulties, a family greeted a newborn bundle of joy yet suffering from muscular dystrophy, an elderly parent suffers an acute heart attack, the despised, the marginalized, the outcast, the parent alone in the old folks home, the person who has just lost his or her job…what seems to be the commonality of these tragic and lonely circumstances in a joyful season such as Easter?

For these people, on Easter day, words fail them…hope has abandoned them…they feel Jesus might have forgotten about them.

This perception is compounded by the fact that the commercial and popular Easter message of today carries the familiar images of the Easter egg, the Easter bunny, festive meals, euphoric mumbo jumbo celebrations...  If one googles Easter, images of flowers, chocolates, pastel colors, eggs and bunnies fill the search results.

Churches preach that Easter means there is hope of a silver lining behind every dark cloud…  Alleluia! Alleluia! Christ is risen! The Light has come!  Easter brings meaning only with Jesus being the center of it.  It is only because of Jesus that we have Easter.  If is only because of Jesus that we have life.

For the earlier mentioned people, the empty tomb, the joyful Easter message and the ‘happy ending’ to Lent may not connect so clearly with them; especially given their real life experiences.  To them, they perhaps feel more of the darkness of the tomb, the chill, the cold and abandonment in the tomb, the loneliness and hopelessness.  What then is the true meaning of Easter for us today?

The empty tomb, even the disciples thought that the body has been stolen…the Easter message of the resurrection was not proclaimed in an ever so high profile manner.  Simply reserved and quiet seems to be the way the Easter message is carried.


“Easter brings no escape from suffering and death.  The last enemy is still with us and, in company with Jesus, each individual has to pass through this valley.  For the world there is no escape from injustice, war, grinding poverty, famine and disease.  No magic wand has been waved to banish these things, no divine recipe handed out for their instant solution.

The post-Easter world is still in the hands of frail, confused, sinful people like ourselves who have to use minds and energy to wrestle with its ills.  …The devil, it is said, has received a mortal blow but, dangerous as any wounded beast, still goes about seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8)…we may in the light of Easter be enjoying the firstfruits, a foretaste of the harvest, but the harvest itself is not yet come.” (Peter Cornwell, On the River’s Edge, p106)


Easter is hence, a timely reminder for us that death will visit each one of us…death will change life…but never will death end life…  Jesus, we know from Easter, gives us the hope to persevere as pilgrims.


At the end of the day, we should not be overly joyful and complacent, thinking that we are now saved, no matter what we do or say.  We are all still pilgrims travelling along the journey…but, as Christians, we live in hope…only in living out this message of hope that we are saved.  This world remains dark, cold, harsh and lonely, unless we reach out and share this light of Easter…

Just like the church on the eve of this great day, where light from a single Paschal candle makes its way through the darkness,….we must remember that the dark shadows still presses upon us…we must ensure that the flickering candlelight we carry remains burning strong and not become vulnerable to the darkness of the world.

Sharing the light of Christ does not mean simply boasting that we are saved at the expense of others.  We cannot carry the good news unless we empty ourselves of human pride…it means taking a humble stance and with simple and quiet confidence reach out and touch the sick, the elderly, the lonely, the abandoned, the victim, the poor, the differently-abled…and offer them hope in Jesus Christ.

Like the appearance of Jesus on Easter, our free, simple and quiet presence must also offer a sign of assurance and hope to others travelling a similar journey through life; relieving them of fear and despair.


Such hope can affect how others cope with the reality of death here and now.  Our light and presence can comfort them, reassure them, accompany them, love them and give them hope.  We are Easter people and we have been called out of darkness into the marvelous light…this Easter, let us choose to do the same as Jesus in everything we do or say...with everyone we meet.


Jesus Christ is Risen Today, Alleluia!  Let us remind ourselves that the resurrection remains a mystery for all of us…not a single Gospel tells us how this had happened.  What we know is that through Jesus, we can have victory over death.  We are vessels of the living presence of the Risen Christ, bringing hope to many others.  Let us also remind ourselves that Easter would not have been possible without a Good Friday...

From this Easter, we will continue our journey with hope for another 50 days towards Pentecost – the coming of the Holy Spirit…

Meanwhile, let the proclaimation of the hymn of praise, the Exultet resounds...in your heart.

Fifth Week of Lent...Do You Believe This?

Four days ago, a distant relative, soon to turn 80 years old, passed away suddenly.  She was at home, resting by herself.  At one point, when she got up to make her way around the house, she took, what was to be, a most fatal fall and slipped into a coma.  Life is like that sometimes, it catches you when you least expect it.

The hospital diagnosed multiple fractures on her skull and blood clots.  Surgery was not viable as it would only provide a 20% chance of survival.  The doctors would not risk it given her age.  A second opinion was sought at another medical facility but the conclusion remained the same.  There was simply no hope.

She passed away within 48 hours but thankfully with all close family members by her side.  A question we often ask ourselves when confronted with such life threatening situations...if only Jesus had been there...  Where is God when you need Him most?  Little do we realize that as mere mortals, sometimes, it is difficult for us to understand the intent of God...

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.” (Isaiah 55:8, NAB)

Today, begins the fifth week of Lent.  We hear the familiar story of Lazarus, whom Jesus loved so much.  Lazarus died.  We get the impression that Jesus delayed the healing of Lazarus.  If only Jesus had been there earlier...there would not have been so much grief, so much mourning.

Nevertheless, we learnt that Jesus, filled with compassion, wept because He too, loved Lazarus...Jesus loves each one of us...remains one with us in our suffering...in the suffering of our loved ones...puts an end to our tears...transforming tragedy into hope.

Jesus is the resurrection and the life!  Jesus, bruised and wounded, laid down His life for us and He has the power to take it again...to give life.  Four days later, Jesus raised Lazarus.

Jesus can work miracles...but for the greater purpose of giving glory to God and increasing our faith.  As Jesus said to Martha and to each one of us this Lent,...'Do you believe this?'

“I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.  Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26, NAB)

This simple question reflects the very heart of our faith; our journey as pilgrims toward the eternal Kingdom of Heaven began at our baptism.  We must constantly nourish and sustain this faith by listening to the Word of God daily.

It has been observed that people, the world over, often tend to celebrate two great occasions within the church calendar - Christmas and Good Friday - the churches seemed more packed than all the other days, even Easter Sunday!

Similarly, we too often tend to remember birthdays (Christmases) and deaths (Good Fridays) but not the hope of the resurrection (Easter Sunday).  We diligently jot down reminders in our notebooks, IPhone or Blackberries.  Nevertheless, simply and quietly, we neglect to remind ourselves that we carry the hope of the resurrection to all that we meet along this journey.

Is our journey through life marked only by birthdays and deaths?  As pilgrims, should not our simple lives be inspired and driven by the hope and promise of the resurrection, instead...carrying and sharing this hope to others?

Let us reflect at the beginning of this fifth week of Lent, whether everything we do so far, everything we pursue, strive for, set aside for, love, enjoy...are all driven by the fear of losing someone, something... 

All our actions on this journey through life seems to be focused on sustaining and improving the things of this world.  My, nowadays, kids and youths even get their priorities heads over heels with the fanatism of Bielibers...

“They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and revered and worshiped the creature rather than the creator, who is blessed forever.  Amen.” (Romans 1:25, NAB)

We must learn to live with the freedom given to us by God; as people of the resurrection.  Ponder on this and pray that the Lord will begin to heal all of us, this transforming season of Lent, and turn all our fears into courage and hope.  We now begin our last stretch of Lent towards Jerusalem...