YEAR C: HOMILY FOR THE 2ND SUNDAY OF EASTER (DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY) (9)

YEAR C: HOMILY FOR THE 2ND SUNDAY OF EASTER (DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY)

HOMILY THEME: DIVINE MERCY

BY:Fr. Cyril Unachukwu CCE

 

HOMILY: It is truly right and just to “give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His love has no end.” The love and graciousness of God keep us going and the love of God remains the fount of all we do and celebrate as Christians. One of the most palpable signs of God’s love towards us is His mercy which never comes to an end; always renewed every morning (Lam 3:22). May our lives be a daily experience of the power of the mercy of God; Amen.

The Second Sunday of Easter which is the last day in the Octave of Easter is also called the Divine Mercy Sunday. The history of the Divine Mercy Sunday goes back to the 30th of April 2000, at the occasion of the canonization of the polish Saint Faustina Kowalska who was specially entrusted with the message of God’s mercy. Through her apostolate and charism of mercy inspired by God, the Church was enriched with the Devotion to the Divine Mercy which has positively and greatly affected the lives of millions of Catholics. In his homily on this holy occasion, the then Holy Father, Saint John Paul II said that “the light of Divine Mercy, which the Lord in a way wished to return to the world through Sr Faustina’s charism, will illumine the way for the men and women of the third millennium. It is important then that we accept the whole message that comes to us from the word of God on this Second Sunday of Easter, which from now on throughout the Church will be called Divine Mercy Sunday.” The message of Divine Mercy echoes the very mystery through which the world was redeemed. In one of the visions of Saint Faustina, Jesus said to her “humanity will not find peace until it turns trustfully to divine mercy.” Outside the mercy of God, we are completely doomed and destroyed.

The post-resurrection experiences of the disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ were breathtaking; from the many accounts of the appearance of the resurrected Lord, to the spread of the joy of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium), to the many miracles that were performed by the disciples through the power in the name of Jesus Christ and subsequently to the surprising increase in the number of believers. In the word of the First Reading (Acts 5:12-16) of today we heard that “the numbers of men and women who came to believe in the Lord increased steadily.” The source of all of these experiences was the mystery contained in the part of the apocalyptic visions of Saint John contained in the Second Reading (Rev 1:9-13, 17-19) of today “I am the Living One, I was dead and now I am to live forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and of the underworld.” This vision summarises the whole Paschal mysteries we are celebrating which also is the fount of divine mercy; “for the sake of His sorrowful passion – Have mercy on us and on the whole world.” The passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross was God’s greatest act of mercy towards us. On the Cross, Jesus Christ spread open God’s merciful hands upon the whole world and confirmed this with those beautiful words He spoke on the Cross, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). The resurrection of Christ is the one channel for the perpetuation of the presence of this mercy in the world. Through the power of the Resurrection, the Ocean of God’s mercy, which knows no bounds or restrictions, continues to flow into the rivers and streams and lakes and ponds of our lives and hearts and Churches and history. This was the power given to the disciples in the Gospel Reading (John 20:19-31); “as the Father sent me, so am I sending you… receive the Holy Spirit. For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained.” We concretely and fully experience this power of God’s mercy at the Sacrament of Reconciliation, in which the Priest, acting in the person of Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit absolves a penitent of his or her sins and brings him or her to be reconciled with the Father Who is never tired of being merciful towards us. One of the problems facing our time is the fear of an encounter with the mercy of God. Sometimes we are afraid to be forgiven because we think we have to continue sinning to be happy. On the other hand, an encounter with the mercy of God changes the whole of our story for good. It is an experience that brings us inner peace and true liberation. It is an experience that keeps us on the right track to truly and fully realise ourselves. This experience of divine mercy is also an invitation to be merciful towards others so that we daily grow from being victims of God’s mercy to becoming missionaries of mercy to our brothers and sisters; in our families and neighbourhoods and ecclesial and social communities.

Merciful Father, look upon us your children with your holy countenance and through the power of your mercy, may the world come to know You and love You and serve You and be reconciled with You now and in eternity; Amen.

Happy Divine Mercy Sunday; Fr Cyril CCE

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