Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Happy Divine Mercy Sunday! Today is a powerful reminder that Jesus is very much alive and working in His Church and in our lives. May we choose to trust Him and let Him work as he wills in our lives. I want to bring three things to our attention this week: a thank you, something worth taking to heart, and an important invitation.
First, a huge THANK YOU to all of you who do so much in service to God and our parish family. Holy Week through Easter is a time when I am moved yet again by the countless women and men at our parish who spend themselves––their time, their talent and their treasure––to make our parish a joyful, beautiful, welcoming community of worship. Though I know you don’t give of yourselves for worldly praise, we––I––must thank God for you, and thank you for your gift of self. So thank you! My heart is ever more grateful to you and to God because of you. May God bless you for your tireless service.
Second, today’s feast of Divine Mercy is especially important for us. Why? Because today is a feast for our times.
One of the ways God works now in our lives, is through Him asking us to do something or pray in a special way. For example, it is because of Jesus working through St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (d. 1690) that the entire Church celebrates the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which has led, among other things, to tremendous blessings for families who have gone on to enthrone the Sacred Heart of Jesus in their home. It’s not that God is revealing anything new to us––He’s given us everything in Jesus––but that he is helping the Church in each time to deal with it’s particular needs.
Today’s feast is a brand new one, less than 20 years old. And it is less than 100 years ago that Jesus specifically asked St. Faustina to let the pope know He wanted the entire Church to honor and celebrate His Divine Mercy on this Second Sunday of Easter. Thanks be to God that St. John Paul II listened and acted.
God has special blessings and graces for us, if we take the time to listen and respond in trust. So don’t let this day, or perhaps this week, go by without learning a little more about Divine Mercy Sunday, about Jesus’ words to us, and then responding in the way that God is asking of you. One helpful summary of Jesus’ message is: the ABC’s of Mercy.
A = Ask for mercy.
B = Be merciful in deed, word, and prayer.
C = Completely trust in Jesus.
The first, Ask for mercy, seems so simple, yet isn’t it true that we can go hours, even days and forget to ask God for His mercy in our lives and for the world? God wants us to pray always (1 Thes 5:17), and a part of this is to turn throughout our day, even in our work, and briefly pray, “Jesus, have mercy on me…or on this situation…or us…or the Middle East…or mothers and fathers”…or…well, the list is almost endless. Jesus told St. Faustian this: “Souls that make an appeal to my mercy delight Me. To such souls I grant even more graces than they ask.…Beg for mercy for the whole world.”
Third, come to our series called Living a Spirit Filled Life. You can find more info about it on page 11 of this bulletin. (Go, check it out. I’ll wait). Basically, if you or someone you know is looking for more, this is for you. If you have heard about the Holy Spirit, but couldn’t say you’ve ever recognized His presence, and power and gifts in your daily life, this is for you.
Fr. Gary and I will be the main presenters and each evening will consist of prayer, a talk and small group discussion. But the goal isn’t for us to just know more stuff, it’s to grow in our faith and to ask God to pour His Holy Spirit anew into our lives. Nothing else will satisfy. If you are looking for more in life, and you don’t yet know where to turn, or all the things you have tried have left you unsatisfied, this is for you. Come. Bring a friend. Come just for one evening. Come and ask. Come and see.
May God bless you and your family abundantly this week.
Fr. Jonathan