Homily for 2nd Sunday of Easter Year A (Divine Mercy Sunday)
Homily Theme: GOD IS MERCY, HIS CREATURES MUST BE MERCIFUL (LK 6:36)
By: Rev. Fr. Jacob Aondover ATSU
Homily for Sunday.
READINGS: ACTS 2:42-47, PSALM 118, 1PETER 1:3-9, JOHN 20:19-31
✓•Our Father is Mercy
✓•His creatures ought to be Merciful
✓•The world needs God’s Mercy
Divine Mercy Sunday (known by others as Feast of Divine Mercy, Low Sunday, Dominica in albis, or St. Thomas Sunday), is celebrated traditionally, on the Sunday after Easter, the Octave of Easter every year.
Today we recall the words of Jesus to Faustina “I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls and especially for poor sinners” (Diary 699). This makes more meaning when we look at today’s gospel where Christ instituted the sacrament of confession, reconciliation or sacrament of Mercy. “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained” (Jn. 20:23). This was Jesus saying to us: don’t stress yourself looking for me in the skies, approach my friends (priests) and confess your sins and you’d be saved. It was Jesus saying to you: friend, my mercy is right where you are, even as I return to my Father, sin will never hold sway over you. This was Jesus reputably saying: a person who goes to sacramental confession shall obtain total forgiveness of all sins and their corresponding punishments. What a merciful friend we have in Christ.
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My dearly beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord, the mercy of God upon humanity is gratuitous, everlasting, and all embracing. In the words of Psalm 118:1 God’s mercy endures forever and it is by this same great mercy that we have been born anew to a living hope through Jesus’ resurrection from the dead (1Pet.1:3). Through this same mercy, we who never met Jesus in flesh but believe in him are blessed in the same measure as those who saw and worked with him. Indeed my brothers and sisters Christianity would make no meaning if we had to meet Jesus and hear from him like the apostles did.
As a Church and as individuals we are supposed to be advocates of mercy, living in love, in charity, in fellowship (togetherness); in prayer and in happiness. These were some of the attributes of the early Christian community. It was a learning Church; constantly listened to the apostles as they taught them. That so, they learnt to be compassionate and merciful, sharing there resources with one another. They learnt fellowship and the spirit of togetherness, this helped them pray as a family; this helped them to commune with God and as such they had power to work signs and wonders. Besides, they lived happily and were admired by all.
We may take care to emulate this wonderful community only then could the spirit of God be ever present; only then will the peace of Christ always abide. With these in place, Christians will live as brothers and sisters, each forgiving the other and in love and mercy, living as God would want us to; that so, Christ himself would make his home with us, looking upon us with mercy and forgiving us the most dreadful of sins. May the Divine
Mercy of God save us from the raging pandemic of Coronavirus. Amen.
BE MERCIFUL AS YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER IS MERCIFUL. DON’T BE WICKED, HELP THOSE IN NEED AROUND YOU.
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