Last Sunday we celebrated the greatest feast of the Church Year — Easter Sunday — the day of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
Of course, it is not enough that Jesus simply rose to life. He raised up the dead son of the widow of Nain (Lk 7: 11-17). So too did Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead (Jn 11:1-44). And both of them resumed their normal earthly life, which meant having to die once more.
In His resurrection, Jesus was raised in the fullness of His humanity; body, mind and will. But His appearances following the resurrection were also accompanied by the glorification of His humanity. Most especially, He was never to die again. Our celebration of Easter is filled with the joy that we are called to join Jesus, both in His death but also in that undying glory of the Resurrection.
The death of Jesus on the cross was the sign of God’s love for His sinful people. Even after all that Jesus suffered on Holy Thursday and Good Friday, He continued to forgive. In this Jesus fulfilled the faith and promise of the Old Testament: “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his mercy endures forever.” (Ps 118: 1). There was no one to whom Jesus did not offer mercy.
As a further and deepened reflection by the Church on God’s mercy, on April 30, 2000, Pope St. John Paul II declared that henceforth, the Second Sunday of Easter, (for us this coming Sunday), will also be known as Divine Mercy Sunday.
Pope St. John Paul II made this announcement during the homily on that day when he celebrated the canonization of Sister Faustina Kowalska, a Polish sister who in the 1930’s received private revelations that highlighted the Church’s existing faith regarding God’s mercy. As Pope St. John Paul II noted, “It is not a new message but can be considered a gift of special enlightenment that helps us to relive the Gospel of Easter more intensely, to offer it as a ray of light to the men and women of our time.”
Pope St. John Paul II underscored the link between the Resurrection and mercy. Pope Francis has taught similarly in stressing this point. In a homily he gave on Divine Mercy Sunday of 2022, the late Holy Father spoke of the appearances of Jesus after His resurrection. Jesus, he said, first gave to His despondent followers the joy of His presence. They became the witnesses for all time that Jesus was truly alive. His promises and teaching had not been in vain, not then, not today.
Secondly, Jesus gave to the apostles God’s forgiveness that brings peace. As Pope Francis noted, the apostles were locked in a room, cowering and agonizing at their tremendous failure by abandoning Jesus in His hour of trial. They can forgive neither themselves nor the others. But Jesus’s presence gives them freedom, allowing them to forgive others and themselves.
Finally, Jesus gives comfort to His followers. In His mercy, Jesus does not remonstrate with them. Instead, He turns His wounds into reminders of His love for them. Even doubting Thomas is invited to touch the wounds and believe.
The message of Divine Mercy Sunday is an embodiment of the Easter Mercy of Jesus in our own time. It encourages the faithful to make a good confession and to receive the holy Eucharist worthily. These two sacraments separate us from sin and draw us closer to Jesus.
The salvific mission of Jesus is already complete precisely because of the Resurrection. In any age it does not need anything new. But by the grace of the Holy Spirit, the message can be refined and presented in response to the challenges of faith in each age.
The Holy Fathers have encouraged a profound reflection on God’s mercy in our sad and confused age. Mercy Sunday reminds us to fully appreciate the forgiveness of Christ to all of His followers that was an essential aspect of His rising from the dead.
