The Mercy of God
In the Catholic tradition, the Gospel reading for the Sunday after Easter is the story of Jesus’ appearance to the disciples in the upper room. The first time He appears is on Easter night, and Thomas is not there. When the other Apostles tell Thomas they have seen Jesus, he refuses to believe. The next week, Jesus appears again with Thomas there and invites him to feel the wounds of the nails and the spear.
In both appearances, Jesus does not scold the Apostles for their weakness when He was arrested and crucified. Instead, He offers them peace. He could have judged them harshly but instead showed mercy.
Almost a hundred years ago, Jesus appeared to St. Faustina and asked her to remind the world that our God is a God of mercy. Almost three centuries before that, Jesus had appeared to St. Margaret Mary to reveal to her the love He has in His Sacred Heart. God’s mercy is central to our beliefs as Catholic Christians, and to Christians in general.
When Jesus appeared to St. Faustina, he asked her to reproduce the image which appeared to her. She did, and most of us are familiar with this image. It truly is a reminder that the blood of Jesus (the red ray) and the grace of Jesus (the white ray) truly flow from His heart.
Sin is a reality. Every one of us does things that are contrary to God’s law. These things can often cause us guilt and shame. Guilt (knowing I have done something wrong) can be good if it moves us to repent. Shame (thinking I am bad, irredeemable or damned) is the devil’s trick. There is no sin that humans can commit that God cannot forgive. The death and resurrection of Jesus is powerful enough to wipe away anything, provided we repent.
Pope St. John Paul II declared that this Sunday would be devoted to Divine Mercy. God is indeed a God of justice. He allows those who refuse to believe in Him to do so. But for those who turn to Him, His mercy is always available. Whatever our past is, let’s turn to Jesus today and revel in His mercy.
by Fr. T
