Feliz Domingo de Misericordia Divina!
This Sunday, Paschal Octave
Sunday, being the 8th day from Resurrection Sunday, is also known as
Divine Mercy Sunday, as Jesus explicitly expressed his desire for the feast of
Divine Mercy to be celebrated on Sunday after Resurrection Sunday, in his
personal revelations to St. Maria Faustina (Diary 49, 88, 280, 299, 341, 570, 699,
and 742).
So, in today’s Scripture
readings (Acts 2:42-47; Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24; 1 Peter 1:3-9; John
20:19-31), how do we reflect Divine Mercy?
First, the responsorial Psalm
(Ps 118) sings Divine Mercy with joy and gratitude: Confitemini Domino quoniam bonus, quoniam in saeculum misericordia
eius!
God’s “in saeculum misericordia eius!” - God’s (His)
everlasting Mercy!
In our English translated
responsorial Psalm, the Latin word, “misericordia”, is “love” in the refrain, while “mercy” in
elsewhere.
It is appropriate to
translate “misericordia”
interchangeably between love and mercy as the original Hebrew word for “misericordia”(mercy) is “chesed (חֶסֶד)” , and this important
Hebrew world for God’s character (i.e. Genesis 19:19; Psalm 136; cf. 1 John
4:7-8, 16) can be translated not only as mercy but also as covenant loyal love,
love-kindness, and grace.
So we celebrate la fiesta de
Misericordia Divina with joy and gratitude, praising His everlasting mercy
(love) as we sing today’s responsorial Psalm, Psalm 118.
As the responsorial Psalm is
in response to the first reading to connect to the Gospel reading (John 20:19-31),
let’s look at the first reading (Acts2:42-47).
The first reading describes
the nascent Ekklesia (Church) as the
communion of the apostolic faithful, practicing the Eucharistic table
fellowship, breaking and sharing one bread so that they had become one body of
Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:17; 12:12, 27). And they were bound as one body
(one communion) through their faith and prayer.
Also, they care for one another. That is why they liquidated their
personal assets and redistributed the proceeds from the liquidation. In doing
so, note that they did not reallocate the assets equally but according to
individual needs, as God distributed His provisions to us (i.e. Philippians
4:19; 2 Corinthians 9:8).. This shows that Christian concept of justice is not
based upon equality but needs-based and reflecting mercy. So definitely,
Christian economic appropriation is not that of communism or socialism.
This reminds what Cardinal
George wrote on Feb 27, 2011 for the Chicago Catholic New World, “Why doesn’t God love everyone equally?”.
It is well worth reading this provocative essay in connection to the first
reading, as Cardinal George describes how God’s loves for us is unique to each
person, as everyone has different needs and gifts (1 Corinthians 12:4; 2
Corinthians 9:12).
The newborn Church was the
community where everyone contributed according to what they had and where
everyone received what they needed, just as Jesus, who is Divine Mercy and Love
(Diary 1074), has done. So in this community, everyone was grateful and joyful
to God for His mercy and love, being present among them, as he is always
present among the faithful (Matthew 18:20 cf 28:20), even you may not see him
physically.
In this
community, the disciples saw the presence of the risen Christ in breaking the
bread, just as two disciples did in Emmaus (Luke 24:30-32).
Basically, the first reading
tells us that the early Church, as the communion of the faith, was Eucharistic
in breaking and sharing the bread, which symbolically reminds the presence of
the risen Christ, who is Divine Mercy and Love, to whom everyone was grateful
and joyful. In addition to the breaking
of one bread, they also experienced the presence of the risen Christ in the
Word, as they went over his teaching in the Scriptures. The responsorial Psalm
today reflects the spirit of this Eucharistic communion of faith.
The risen Christ, who is Divine
Mercy and Love, was always with everyone as they were together in his name and
as they broke one bread to share to be one body of his, as reflected in the
first reading, his presence was not visible. In fact, the first reading describes
how the disciples lived after being made into the apostles on Pentecost, which
followed the Ascension of the risen Christ.
Physically,
Jesus was already gone back to the Father, who sent him. Yet, he is always
present in the Spirit, through the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus called another Parakletos (Advocate)(i.e. John 14:16,
26), while Jesus himself is Parakletos (1
Johohn 2:1). So, we can see the risen Christ, Divine Mercy and Love, through our
faith as we believe, regardless of his physical presence.
And this is
an issue reflected in today’s Gospel (John 20: 19-31).
Remember how John was at the
empty tomb in the Gospel reading for Resurrection Sunday (John 20:1-9)? He did
not see in his eyes the risen Christ in the empty tomb and did not understand
the whole circumstances. Yet, he believed that Jesus was risen (John 20:8).
In the first part of today’s
Gospel (John 20:19-23), the risen Christ was physically present to the
disciples except Thomas, who was absent, in the evening of the day of
Resurrection. The way he came to the disciples in the firmly closed and locked
Upper Room on that evening was just as mysterious as the empty tomb of his
early in that morning. It reminds that the body of the risen Christ has no
barrier as he can go anywhere he wills regardless of any physical obstacles –
whether tomb stone or locked room. So, the risen Christ came to the disciples,
who locked themselves securely in the Upper Room out of fear of persecution and
greeted with his peace: Peace be with
you! (John 20:19, 21). And, he poured his breath upon them gently, saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit”, upon
suggesting to make them apostolic, saying, “Peace
be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (John 20:21-22).
And, he reminded the importance of forgiveness, an act of mercy (John 20:23),
reiterating what he had taught before (Matthew 16:19; 18:18).
So their
initial fear to lock themselves turned into overflowing joy. And they did want
to share this joy with Thomas since he missed to meet the risen Christ. But he
was skeptical and told them that he would not believe without physical evidence
he can personally examine to his satisfaction (John 20:25), as the second part
of this Sunday Gospel narrative (John 20:24-31) goes. So Thomas was with the
rest of the disciple a week later, on the second Sunday from Resurrection
Sunday.
Lo and behold, there appeared
the risen Christ again with his full body with his nail marks and wound mark!
This time, Jesus called skeptical Thomas to examine him as he had wanted. And
Thomas immediately came to believe. Then
Jesus said, “Blessed are those who have
not seen and yet have come to believe”(John 20:29).
What about us? – in contrasting
John in John 20:8 and Thomas in John 20:24-28.
Do we need to see physical
evidence to believe, just because they say, “Seeing is believing”? Do we have to have physical and tangible evidence
to believe, as in the court of law?
Which are we? John who
believed without seeing the risen Christ in person yet and without quite
understanding? Or Thomas, who needed to put his own hand to physical evidence
to believe?
Believing in the risen Christ
without his physical presence but in faith also means to believe in Dive Mercy
and Love. To help us on this, Jesus instructed St. Faustina to make a painting
of him, as he appeared to her as Divine Mercy himself (Diary 47-48). So, now we
have a visual aid, even we have not yet seen the risen Lord, Divine Mercy and
Love, physically.
In our communion of faith,
where our acts of mercy and love for one another are practiced, and in our
breaking of bread to share, we encounter risen Christ, Divine Mercy and Love.
Finally, today’s second
reading (1 Peter 1:3-9), Peter reminds us that the Resurrection of Christ is an
act of Divine Mercy. And through this act of Divine Mercy, the Resurrection of
Christ, as the first fruit from the dead, we can receive a new birth, though we
may have to suffer to refine our faith.
Peter also reflects risen
Jesus’words in John 20:29, saying”Although
you have not seen him you love him; even though you do not see him now yet
believe in him, you rejoice with an incredible and glorious joy, as you attain
the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls”(1 Peter 1:8-9).
So even though we have not yet seen the risen Lord as Mary
Magdalene did (John 20:11-18, as it was read last Tuesday) and as the disciples
did (John 20: 19-31, today’s Gospel), we believe in him and his Resurrection
just as they did, through our faith, and in light to Jesus’ words in John 20:29
and in Peter’s words in 1 Peter 1:8-9. This way, we can live as the apostles who
enjoyed the table fellowship (Acts 2:42-47) and sing our praise to God with joy
and gratitude to Nuestro Dios Todopoderoso
para Su Misericordia Divina y Amor (Psalm 118).
Confitemini Domino quoniam bonus, quoniam in saeculum
misericordia eius!
Den
gracias al Señor, porque El es bueno; Porque para siempre es Su misericordia!
Give
thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his love –mercy (chesed) is everlasting!
הודו
ליהוה כי טוב כי לעולם חסדו׃! (Ho-w-ḏu
Yah-weh ki ṭo-wḇ; ki lə-o-w-lam ḥas-dow)
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