Sunday 19th
April 2020. Read Acts 2:42-47, Psalm 118, 1 Peter 1:3-9 and John 20:19-31)_
_“Jesus
said to them again, ‘Peace be with you… Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive
the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are
retained.’” *(John 20:21-23)*_
Today is the Sunday of Mercy or
‘Divine Mercy Sunday’ as revealed to St. Faustina. Our Gospel passage narrates
how Jesus on this very day _(Eight days after Easter)_ performed the greatest
act of Mercy when He appeared to the eleven disciples and gave them the power
to forgive sins. To really appreciate what Jesus did, we need to place
ourselves in the shoes of the Israelites who had to offer an animal each time
they sought God’s forgiveness.
For instance, in Leviticus 4:27-30,
God said: “If anyone of the common people sins unwittingly in doing any one of the
things which the Lord has commanded not to be done, and is guilty when the sin
which he has committed is made known to him he shall bring for his offering a
goat, a female without blemish, for his sin which he has committed. And he
shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill the sin offering
in the place of burnt offering. And the
priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of
the altar of burnt offering, and pour out the rest of its blood at the base of
the altar.”
There
were several forms of sin offerings for different persons. If an anointed
priest or a ruler sins, he needed to sacrifice a whole bull at the tent of
meeting. This is why it was shocking to the Scribes and Pharisees when Jesus
simply pronounced forgiveness to the paralytic in Mark 2. They wondered: “Why
does this man speak thus? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
By rising from the dead, Jesus not only proves He is God, He also extends the
power of forgiving sins to men, thereby establishing the Sacrament of Confession. There are so many
lessons for us today.
*1. Peace and Forgiveness Go
Together.*
One great lesson Jesus teaches us
today is that there is an intrinsic connection between peace and forgiveness.
Do you notice how restless you are when you cannot forgive? By saying “Peace be
with you” and repeating it again, Jesus was essentially saying “I forgive you
and I forgive you completely.” Do you seriously lack peace of mind? Then please
examine your heart thoroughly to find out if there are persons you are yet to
forgive, find out those negative memories and feelings you have refused to let
go. Without mercy (forgiveness), we can never find inner peace.
*2. In Confession, It is God Who Forgives
Sins.*
Just after declaring peace upon the
disciples, Jesus breathed on them and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit,” then He
proceeded to give them the power to absolve or retain sins. Just as God
breathed on Adam at creation thereby giving him life, Jesus breathed on the
disciples thereby giving them an extraordinary power to do something only God
can do. When we go for confession, the priest empowered by the grace of Ordination
is able to absolve the penitent of his or her sins completely, yet the priest
remains only an instrument. God is the one who forgives. This is a mystery only
faith can grasp.
*3. If we Receive Mercy, We Too Must
Give Mercy.*
In the mind of the world, justice is
only served when we retaliate a wrong done. Just as the world does not know
God, it does not know Forgiveness. In truth, a huge part of spreading the
Gospel today is teaching the world by our example how to forgive. To forgive is
to suffer wrongs patiently. St. Peter tells us in our second reading today to
rejoice when we suffer in that “though now for a little while you may have to
suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious
than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and
glory.” (1 Peter 1:6-7).
The truth is that if we who claim to
be followers of Christ cannot forgive, then we are no different from the
unbelievers. According to Bishop Godfrey Onah, “If our enemies succeed in
making us hate them, then they have conquered us completely. For Christianity
without love, including love of the enemy, is empty. And a Christian without
that love might as well be of any other religion.”
*4. An Important Aspect of Mercy is
Compassion.*
Mercy goes beyond forgiveness, mercy
is indeed the opposite of selfishness. To be merciful is to put the needs and
concerns of others before yours. To be merciful is to practice what we read in
today’s first reading: “And all who believed were together and had
all things in common; and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed
them to all, as any had need.” (Acts 2:44-45).
To be
merciful is to look out for the interests of others, feeling sorry for their
plight and finding ways to ease their predicament. The hunger virus is
seriously raging in our communities today. Social media is agog with images and
videos of people trying to steal food from moving vehicles, people struggling
to get bread. The effects of the lockdown is likely to claim more lives than
the virus itself. Let us be merciful to one another. Share the little you have.
Remember the corporal works of mercy are the basis on which we shall be judged
on the last day. “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brethren, that, you do
unto me.” (Matthew 25:40).
To be
merciful is to treat people not as they deserve but in accordance with the law
of love. Thomas was not with the disciples when Jesus first appeared and when
he was told, he refused to believe. Thomas deserved some strokes of the cane
but when Jesus appeared the following Sunday, He asked Thomas to touch Him.
*In Conclusion…*
“Blessed are those who have not seen
and yet believe.” You don’t need to see signs and wonders to believe that God
forgives sins in the confessional or that God can forgive you if you say the
perfect act of contrition. You don’t need to travel to heaven to see God. God
is right here in that hungry brother or sister who does not know where his or
her next meal would come from. Today is Divine Mercy Sunday, don’t just receive
God’s forgiveness, be a channel; offer forgiveness to someone today.
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, help me to
be merciful like your father is merciful. Amen.
Happy Sunday. Be Happy. Live
Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Divine Mercy
Sunday. Year A. Bible Study:
Acts 2:42-47, 1 Peter 1:3-9 and John 20:19-31).
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