Divine Mercy Reflection by Fr. John

This weekend we hear proclaimed in the Acts of the Apostles, the accounts of the Lord’s Resurrection lived out among the people. In God’s Word, the message of His healing touch was seen in Christ making all things new through His Apostles and His disciples by many     coming to the faith and many being cured.
 
In the Gospel account of John, Jesus comes to the Apostles who have fearfully huddled together in the Upper Room and He walks through the door and says Peace (Shalom) be with you. He then shows them His hands and His side and breathes on them with the very Breath of God, and a transformation of strength, courage, inspiration, and virtue become their reality as they were made new. After His Resurrection, Jesus took our humanity (the frailty and suffering of the human condition) with Him to Heaven and made it pure. Christ brings all of our woundedness and washes it through His Spirit into His  love and we enter into harmony as we experience His Resurrection.
 
This Divine Mercy Sunday, we learn of the beautiful image that St. Faustina  Kowalska saw in a vision as Jesus appeared to her telling her of His forever love for us and how this Sunday in  particular (a week after the Solemnity of His Resurrection, should know with   confidence that an ocean of mercy and forgiveness will flow from His sacred heart unto the World. Additionally, the images of Divine Mercy that she experienced as He appeared to her should be venerated on this day. As you observe from the image above, the two rays streaming from Jesus’ heart denotes His Blood (red)  and Water (white). The pale ray represents the water that makes souls righteous (for purification). The red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls (God’s very life, the life line to all of us). His Love and Mercy flows from His Most  Sacred Heart.
 
Jesus said to Faustina, “I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish. I also promise victory over [its] enemies already here on earth,  especially at the hour of death. I myself will defend it as my own glory.” (Diary of St. Faustina, 47-48).
 
Our Lord said “Humankind will not have Peace, until they turn to My Mercy.”   The inscription on the bottom of the painting of the image of Our Lord, states “Jesus, I trust in You.” “Jezu, Ufam, Tobie” written in Polish, is seen in the actual, personal signature of Christ as he signs it  saying Trust in My Mercy. Trust is foundational to any relationship, Trust is the vessel of Love and is foundational to our Faith.  Trust in God’s love.
 
Just as Jesus said to the Apostles “Peace be with You,” two thousand years ago, He states His promise of peace to us this very day. He offers us wholeness. Thomas, like many of us, doubted. He tells Thomas, You see Me and touch My wounds but blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.  Trust is the foundation of faith, trusting in God’s  mercy is the   foundation for Love. Pope Francis, five years ago, celebrated Divine Mercy Sunday during the Year of Mercy. I concelebrated at the altar with Pope Francis where he stated: “Jesus’ friendship with us, his faithfulness, his mercy, are a priceless gift which encourages us to follow him, trustingly . . . “  St. Faustina also said that on our journeys we are never alone as the Lord walks with us. In the images of the Divine Mercy, it is said that St. Faustina believed that the gaze in Christ’s eyes mirror the gaze of Jesus from the Cross. Let us look at this image and, when we worry, when we feel fear, anxiety, anger, guilt and discouragement, may we trustingly experience His enduing Love, God’s mercy. Through our trust, let us be open to His embrace where He makes all things new —  Trust in Him!