Honoring the Divine Mercy

Homily: 2^nd Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday) – Cycle B

          This weekend we celebrate the second Sunday of Easter, which is also the 8^th day of Easter, otherwise known as the octave day.  “Octave” day, because for each day during the last week, we have been celebrating as if it is still Easter Sunday.  Hopefully, the joy you felt last Sunday has stayed with you throughout this week and into today, because this is what the Church truly wishes for us.

          This 8^th day of Easter has, since the year 2000, been named “Divine Mercy Sunday”: primarily in response to the instruction given by Jesus in a series of visions to Divine Mercy Sister (now “Saint”) Faustina Kowalska, in which he asked that the 2^nd Sunday of Easter be dedicated to honoring the Divine Mercy.  That begs the question, of course: “What does it mean when we say that we are ‘honoring the Divine Mercy’?” as well as “What does that look like for us?”  Both our celebration and our scriptures today open for us both of these answers and so let’s take a look.

          First, let’s be sure that we understand why we honor the Divine Mercy on the 2^nd Sunday of Easter.  Last week, we celebrated the Resurrection of Jesus.  This event, in and of itself, is worthy of solemn celebration and honor: that Jesus, the 2^nd Person of the Divine Trinity of persons, took on human flesh, lived among us, suffered the full force of evil-induced pain that the world can offer, and overcame the world by rising from the dead—in the same body, yes, but a body that had been transformed to be the glorious image of humanity restored to its original splendor.

          This Sunday we celebrate an equally beautiful thing: that God’s power, as demonstrated when Christ rose from the dead, was not just for himself—that is, to demonstrate to us his power and so oblige us to worship him alone (although he would be in the right to do that)—but that his power was for us, too.  In other words, we celebrate God’s mercy: that, through baptism, we have participation in the Resurrection: participation in the splendor of Christ’s glorified humanity.  The fact that this celebration comes on the octave day of Easter reminds us that these two celebrations—the Resurrection of Jesus and our participation in it—form one complete celebration of Easter.

          Therefore, when we celebrate today, we are truly honoring the Divine Mercy in that we honor Christ, who paid the price of God’s justice so that we could receive forgiveness of our sins.  Notice that, although throughout the Gospels we hear that Jesus gave his disciples a share in his power to heal the sick and drive out demons, Jesus doesn’t give them the power to forgive sins until after his death and resurrection: indicating that, in some sense, this power couldn’t be transferred until the full debt for sin had been paid.  And so, again, in honoring Christ for his saving work we are truly honoring the Divine Mercy which brought it about.

          Now that we’ve seen what it means to honor the Divine Mercy, we can answer the question “What does honoring the Divine Mercy look like for us?”: that is, “How do I honor the Divine Mercy in my everyday life?”  Here we can look to the early Christian community.

          In our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we heard not about Jesus’ first disciples fearful and huddling in the upper room, but rather about the post-Pentecost community proclaiming Christ openly and growing day by day.  We heard how “The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common.”  From a historical standpoint, this made sense: because the first Christians were convinced that Jesus was going to return in their lifetime and so began to dissociate themselves from the world so as to be ready for Christ when he came.  Now we today can look at this in one of two ways: we can say either “Look at how the first Christians lived!  That is how we should be living!” or we can say “That was how they were called to live at that time, but we aren’t called to live that way in this time.”  The problem with this is that neither of these two responses is completely right.  And so, I would like to propose a middle ground, one that demonstrates how we are to live today so as to honor the Divine Mercy.

          One of the things that I can see in that early Christian community is how aware they were of the Divine Mercy.  Astonished that this gift would be available to them, they quickly recognized that to have the Divine Mercy was more important than having anything in this world.  Thus, when the interpretation of Jesus’ prophecy was that he would return within their lifetime, they freely shared everything they had with the community because their possessions had become unimportant to them.  For them, what was most important was sharing this good news and living in immediate preparation for Christ’s return.

          We who have received this same astonishing gift must interpret the prophecy of Jesus’ return for our own times and respond accordingly.  First, however, we must recognize the Divine Mercy as the most valuable gift we could ever receive and, thus, prefer nothing in this world to it.  Then, like the first Christians, we must remain vigilant for Jesus’ return: for although he has not yet returned, nearly two thousand years after his resurrection and ascension into heaven, he may still choose our lifetime to return.  The way that we remain vigilant is by being detached from our worldly possessions: ready to share them with others when demanded of us; because, soon enough, we’ll take leave of them all anyway.

          Nonetheless, the Father’s plan may be for Jesus not to return for another two thousand (or more) years!  Therefore, like the first generations of Christians learned, we have to plan for our future so that, if necessary, we can continue to proclaim this good news until the day that Christ appears again in glory.  Finding the balance between the two is the work of our lives.

          To make this somewhat concrete for us, I’d like to use a very practical rule that saints throughout the centuries have used, and of which 20^th century U.S. Catholic Activist Dorothy Day gave simple form.  She said “If you have two coats, one of them belongs to the poor.”

          Friends, if we acknowledge the great gift that we have in the Divine Mercy—that is, the forgiveness of sins because Jesus paid the price for us—then we must honor the Divine Mercy by living mercy in our lives.  We do this when we lived detached from this world: providing for our needs, yes, but then sharing freely so that others may receive what they need.  And so today, as we bask in this celebration of God’s mercy, may the discipline of our Lenten fast, now ended, bring about a more concrete experience of God’s mercy for all—and, thus, his kingdom: the kingdom we experience most fully in this world, here in this Eucharist.

Given at all Saints Parish: Logansport, IN – April 8^th, 2018

A time of mercy

Homily: 24^th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle C

          Yesterday, I celebrated a wedding for a young couple from our parish.  On Friday evening the couple invited me to the dinner after the rehearsal.  After the dinner the groom’s father sat down next to me and wanted to talk.  He’s not Catholic and he recently had a similar conversation with his Lutheran pastor (whom he surmised was similar in age to me), and so he wanted to take the opportunity to get my opinion on the same question.

          It was a very earnest question: “Taking a look at everything that is going on in the world, is there any hope,” he asked, “or have we already lost the world?”  My first answer, of course, was “Yes, of course there is hope!  God hasn’t changed.  He is still the all-powerful Lord of the universe.  And nothing has changed about Jesus, his Son, who saved us from sin and death by his own death and resurrection.”  To this he nodded in agreement as if he already knew the answer.  Thus, it was the second part of that question to which he seemed to need an answer.  “Doesn’t it seem as if we have lost the world to the forces of darkness and evil?”  To this, I tried to be a little more nuanced.

          I wondered, perhaps, if he was worried about the final judgment and about being caught up in the final unleashing of God’s wrath on the human race because of its increasing disregard for his commandments.  I tried to assure him that his feelings were a sign that this is a time of action: a time when people of faith must be intentional about sharing the Good News of Jesus in both word and in action.  I assured him that now is a time of mercy, but only if we take action.

          It’s true, isn’t it, that God’s anger should be blazing against us because of rampant sin in our world, especially by those who call themselves “Christians”?  We’ve offended him, time and again.  But look around; it doesn’t seem like anything resembling God’s anger is working around us, does it?  Rather, what we’ve been given is a time of mercy, instead.  Our scriptures today reveal to us that this has been God’s pattern from the beginning.

          In the first reading, we hear about Moses, acting as a type of Christ, who intercedes before God on behalf of the Israelite people to turn away God’s anger from them.  The people have fashioned an idol which they have been worshiping: an offense so grave that God wants to put them to death immediately.  Moses, resisting the offer from God to have a nation of people made for himself, invokes the promises that God made to the people’s righteous forefathers, saying, in effect, “Although these people don’t deserve your mercy, please give it to them for the sake of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel.”  To this God relents and bestows his mercy on the people who deserved his righteous judgment.

          In the second reading, we heard Saint Paul who wrote of his gratitude that he had been “considered trustworthy” to be a minister of the Gospel.  He acknowledged that, because of his actions as a persecutor of Christians, he deserved the full wrath of God; but that he had been “mercifully treated” by God; and not for his benefit alone, but rather for the benefit of the Gospel: that, in treating Paul mercifully, God would prove that no sin is too big for his mercy.

          Then, in the Gospel, we heard three parables that Jesus used to illustrate how extensive God’s mercy is towards us.  In them, Jesus teaches us that God refuses to let us be lost.  The shepherd, who risks his own life (and the life of the ninety-nine sheep who didn’t stray) in order to find the one sheep who was lost, and the woman, who turns over her whole house to find the one coin even though she had nine others, are illustrations of how God doggedly pursues any of us who have turned away from him.  The father who daily waits with anxious anticipation for his prodigal son to return home, and who receives him with joy and celebration when he does, is an illustration of God’s “prodigal” willingness to ignore our past when we turn away from it and back towards him so that we might not be lost forever to darkness, but rather live forever with him in the light of grace.

          But it is not just the scriptures that confirm that this is a time of mercy from God.  Rather, there have been many events in the last century that demonstrate this as well.  The apparitions of Mary at Fatima in Portugal in which she called the world to repentance and acts of reparation for sins so as to avert tragedies that were to come.  The mystical revelations of Jesus to Sr. Faustina Kowalska in Poland in which he gave her the task to foster a renewed devotion to Divine Mercy.  The election of Pope John Paul II, which made it possible for St. Faustina’s message to be spread throughout the world.  And now, this Jubilee Year of Mercy, which calls us both to open ourselves to an experience of God’s mercy and to share God’s mercy with those around us.  All of these (and more) point to this time as being our chance (perhaps our last chance) to repent and to plead for God’s mercy before God’s final judgment takes place.

          The events of September 11th, 2001, which we also remember today, are a sign that the time of mercy is now: because when violence like this increases in our world, so the need to proclaim God’s mercy to the world increases as well.  As we remember these tragic events, let us not allow them to remain in the realm of lamentation.  Rather, let us use them to remind us of our need to act: first to convert ourselves so that we are not objects of the just judgment of God, and then to go out and to call others to conversion and thus transform the world.

          My brothers and sisters, our world has gone far astray from God, but it is never too late to return.  This is because God's mercies are not exhausted; rather, they are renewed every morning.  Particularly here, on this altar of sacrifice, God's mercies are renewed as Jesus becomes truly present to us.  With confidence, then, let us approach this throne of grace and receive God's mercy: Jesus, our Savior.  Then, let us go forth from here to be instruments of God's mercy, that the day of judgment might be a day of joy in which we all will be united with God our Father forever.

Given at All Saints Parish: Logansport, IN – September 11^th, 2016

Reflections on my Pilgrimage to Poland

         Although I didn't advertise it much, I recently made a pilgrimage to Poland with a small group of young adults from the Frassati Society of Young Adult Catholics.  I was the spiritual director for the trip which was based in Krakow, the same place where World Youth Day will be held later this month.  One week ago today we returned to the States.  With a week to recover from jet lag and to reflect on my experience, I thought I'd try to share some of the highlights with you who read my blog.

         First, I was very blessed to be the spiritual guide of a beautiful group of young women who impressed me with their enthusiasm, reverence, love for God and overall joie de vivre.  Although I joked about how difficult it would be for me, a man, to spend nine emotional days with nine women, I cannot help but sing their praises, as the strong witness to faith that they showed deeply bolstered my own.  (There were, of course, plenty of times that I wished there were guys on the trip, but the ladies truly gave me very little to complain about.)

Our pilgrim group after landing in Poland

         Next, my reflections.  As I've been reflecting on my experience, I found that there were so many things that impacted me.  I don't know that I can share them all, however, so I thought I'd try to boil them down into some highlights that might summarize my experience.

1. Saint John Paul II

Without doubt, the face that dominated this pilgrimage was the face of Saint John Paul II.  This makes sense, of course, since we were staying in Krakow, which many have called "the city of John Paul II".  As the first Polish Pope and a canonized saint, it's no wonder that his face dominated our journey.  The Polish people are rightly proud of their saintly son and it certainly showed in every place that we visited.

I myself had to admit that I didn't know St. JPII very well before setting off on this journey.  I knew of him and some of the highlights of his life, but I didn't really know him.  I got to know him both in preparation for this trip and during the trip in a very special way.  He was a very special man who suffered greatly in his life, but who God had obviously destined for great things and who, through faith, achieved them.  Somehow, through all of the darkness he experienced, he continued to live with positivity.  He believed, even through the darkness, that Jesus had overcome it and that all we had to do was to continue to live with this confidence and share it with others to see the victory of Christ realized.  He truly was, as his biographer George Weigel called him, a "Witness to Hope".

From the Saint John Paul II Shrine, just outside of Krakow

Now that I know him better, I feel and understand the powerful devotion that so many people have to him.  I will now look to him as both an example and an intercessor as I strive to become a pastor after the heart of the Good Shepherd.

2. Devotion to Mary

In an article that I read on the way back to the States, it said that St. JPII was greatly responsible for restoring devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary after it had become something "passe" after the Second Vatican Council.  Although I know that Vatican II never downplayed who Mary is and her role in the life of the Church, I read those words and felt a sense that there truly has been a loss of devotion to Mary in many parts of the Church.

This pilgrimage, however, awakened in me my own devotion to Mary.  Our Lady of Czestochowa is a national icon in Poland and I cannot think of one church in which this icon wasn't found.  Poles definitely see her as their mother and John Paul II was no exception.  After his mother died at a young age, his father took him into the parish church in Wadowice where they knelt before the miraculous image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.  His father pointed to the image and said to young Karol, "She is your mother now." Praying before that very same image was powerful for me as I've had a particular devotion to Mary under the that same title.  Seeing that image along with visiting the shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa were powerful reminders to me both of Mary's maternal love for me and of her powerful presence in the Church.

Miraculous image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in the Minor Basilica of the Presentation of Mary in Wadowice, Poland, the childhood home of Pope Saint John Paul II

If all this wasn't enough, there was a museum right next door to our hotel in which an exhibit featuring different images of Mary under the title "Mother of Mercy" was opening while we visited.  Mary was a big part of our pilgrimage experience.

3. Merciful Love

We, of course, are in the middle of the Jubilee Year of Mercy.  No pilgrimage to Poland would be complete without a visit to the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy, where Saint Faustina Kowalska received her mystical visions of Jesus who asked her to reignite devotion to his Divine Mercy in the world.  To prepare ourselves for our visit to this shrine, we completed Fr. Michael Gaitley's "33 Days to Merciful Love" as a preparation to consecrate ourselves to Jesus' merciful love.  God's providence could not have been better as our consecration day fell on a Friday, which was the solemnity of the Birth of St. John the Baptist, and in which we could pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy with St. Faustina's sisters at the hour of mercy (3:00 p.m.) in the chapel in which St. Faustina is buried!  The day was overflowing with God's mercy as we (unintentionally) received Benediction from the Blessed Sacrament THREE TIMES that day: once after praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet and then, after returning to Krakow, two more times in two different churches that we visited!

Image of Divine Mercy in the Lower Church of the Sanctuary where we made our consecration to Merciful Love.

Convent and chapel where St. Faustina is buried.

Our hearts were definitely full of God's Mercy on this day and since then.  This is the time of Mercy and I myself know that it is now my task to share both what I've received (an outpouring of God's Mercy) and this devotion with everyone I encounter.

          Wrapping up this reflection, all I can say is how grateful I am to have been invited to be a part of this trip.  The Frassati Society was a big part of what re-integrated me into the Church and led to my discerning a vocation to the priesthood.  Being up in Logansport, I've felt somewhat separated from that group and so being able to be a part of this pilgrimage was a great gift to me.  That, coupled with the chance to celebrate Mass in these holy places did this priest's heart much good.

         My brothers and sisters, this is the time of Mercy!  We must proclaim it from the rooftops that darkness is not the end, but rather that God's goodness and mercy overcomes all.  May Mary, the Mother of Mercy, keep us in her heart and the heart of her Son, Jesus, so that we might have the courage live this message in our lives.

Verso l'alto!