The Sunday Project
Divine Mercy, Today
Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday |
By Patrick Flores
And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And fear came upon every soul; and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 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. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they partook of food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, 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 and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Without having seen him you love him; though you do not now see him you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy. As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls.
On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe." Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe." Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.
In 2000 Pope John Paul II designated the Sunday following Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday - dedicated around the world to the message of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska’s visions of Jesus and his offer of complete forgiveness and healing. St. Faustina wrote in her diary that whoever goes to confession and receives holy communion on that same day in devotion to the Divine Mercy of Jesus would obtain total forgiveness of sins and if they should die they would go straight to heaven without even the temporary pain of purgatory.
“This,” Pope John Paul II said upon declaring Divine Mercy Sunday a universal feast, “is the happiest day of my life.”
But we live in unprecedented times, when confession and holy communion are withheld from the Church. Sacraments are inherently physical - bodies drawing close where social distancing cannot go in order to materialize deeper spiritual realities into the world. So during a pandemic we shelter in place, and for the first time since it became a part of the rhythm of our liturgical year, no one will be able to avail themselves of Jesus’ Divine Mercy promise.
Maybe a shift in perspective is all that is needed, though. The point was never the scrupulous letter of the law, as we well know. Divine Mercy is far more than a checklist, the threat of purgatory never the most inspiring way to live. Prayers, check. Confession, check. Communion, check. Safe to die, check.
Important as the sacraments are, Jesus wants far more for us than that.
Today’s first Mass reading from the Acts of the Apostles reads some kind of utopian image of our post-crisis world:
All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their property and possessions and divide them among all according to each one’s need. Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple area and to breaking bread in their homes. They ate their meals with exultation and sincerity of heart, praising God and enjoying favor with all the people.
Today I watched on the news as cars as far as the eye could see sat queued waiting for the food shelter in Dallas to open. The helicopter recorded the view from above as it panned past block after block of cars - our modern take on those photographs of Depression era breadlines.
Hoarding at the grocery store while just around the corner the masses go hungry. They held all things in common, indeed. I hated it.
I don’t know if purgatory is real, but I imagine it looks something like that. Endlessly waiting in line, helpless, scared the relief you need will remain forever out of grasp, clutched by those who believe they need ten of what you have none.
Modern Catholic skepticism be damned, purgatory is real. I saw it on the morning news.
Millions are losing their jobs every week, bumped off the final rung of an economic ladder with no safety net below to catch them. Food, shelter, and even community are rapidly disappearing. So what if this Sunday we didn’t focus on getting ourselves out of hell, and looked instead to getting everyone else out. What if this Sunday mercy didn’t mean a free pass when you died, but rather the responsibility to be for others what you hope God is for you - there when you need it most.
Not because you want to replace God, but because this is what Jesus told his disciples in the upper room. Go out. It’s your turn now.
In the Gospel reading today he turned to Thomas like he turns to us now and says, “Put your finger here in my wound and see for yourself. Do you see this man with nothing to eat? Can you feel the anguish of this mother who has just lost her home? Open your eyes and reach out to touch the world as it is and the people most in need, and know that my response is to send them you.”
It’s a lot. And you can’t fix it all on your own. But you can call your representatives and tell them to create a bigger safety net. Tell them to do it now, not months from now. Donate to the food pantries and social services where the folks most in need are going to go. And you can stay the hell at home and wear a mask when you go out so that the recovery will come sooner.
There’s no plenary indulgences on Divine Mercy this year. No, this year being a Catholic means hearing what Jesus says after Easter Sunday and knowing damn well he’s talking to you. So let’s get to work.