This Sunday, we have two important celebrations to note. First, since the year 2000, at the direction of Pope John Paul II, the second Sunday of Easter is also Divine Mercy Sunday. Based in the revelations given to St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, the natural connection between Christ’s resurrection and God’s mercy in forgiving our sins is emphasized.

It might seem to be stating the obvious that the Easter season, with its unshakeable connection to Jesus’ death on the cross, is linked to the forgiveness of sins. But both Pope John Paul II and our Holy Father Pope Francis have obviously seen the need to speak of God’s mercy. Both Popes highlight it as an antidote to the pleasure and power seeking humanism of our day that is leading so many souls astray.

That brings us to the second celebration. At the Vatican on Sunday, Pope Francis will canonize the two newest saints in the Church: Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II. The declaration of their sainthood is a recognition of the personal holiness of each man. It is based in the life that each led and the devotion to Christ that they inspired. That is true of all of the saints.

But the lives of those two popes have impacted and strengthened the practice of the faith of believers all over the world for the last five decades.

Pope John XXIII was elected pope in 1958 and served until his death in 1963. During that time Pope John convened the Second Vatican Council that has, in so many ways, served as the articulation of our Catholic faith to the modern world. It is sometimes forgotten or at least overlooked that the idea of the council did not begin with Pope John.

The need for it had long been recognized and preparatory work had already begun under the previous pope, Pius XII. Still, it was Pope John XXIII who made the decision, convened the meeting of the bishops of the world and set the tone for the council.

He famously said that its task was not to change the Church’s faith. The faith was and is settled, having been given us by Christ. Rather, the task of the council was to find a way to speak of that faith in a manner that was updated and understandable to the modern world. Many have remarked that the joy and personality of Pope John XXIII is similar to that of Pope Francis.

If Pope John XXIII was the convener of the Second Vatican Council, I think we can say that Pope John Paul II was the one whom God gave the Church to implement and explain the teaching of Vatican II. He himself was one of the bishops who attended and voted during the council. He knew the council and its teachings intimately. And with his background of suffering under the totalitarian oppression of Poland in the 20th century, he well understood the challenges that we face today.

His brilliant encyclicals and his homilies as well as his travels and his connection with young people are a legacy that strengthens our faith today.

I had the privilege of working in the Vatican Diplomatic Service during Pope John Paul II’s pontificate. I had a number of opportunities to meet and observe him. What I always found most striking was that humanly he always seemed to me to be a man deeply engaged in the world but yet somehow distracted from it. And the source of that distraction was Jesus Christ.

To have privilege of concelebrating his morning Mass was to be instructed by his example about how to pray and to focus on Jesus. Even when he was working or teaching, despite his joy and his humor, his focus was always present on Jesus Christ and on his Church.

It is not a mystery as to why Pope Francis set the date for the canonization of these popes on the second Sunday of Easter or Divine Mercy Sunday. Properly understood, it is God’s mercy that we are celebrating in the Easter season. And it is that same mercy that ties together the pontificates of John XXIII, John Paul II and Francis.