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Dear Friends in the Risen Lord,
Our celebration of the resurrection of Jesus continues in an 8-day octave where every day is considered Easter Sunday! I would compare this to a newly married couple’s “Honeymoon” period where every day is a special continuation of the joy of this new covenant that bonds a couple together for life. Honeymoons are not meant to last forever, and the time comes when it is time to get about the business of living a married life. So, it is in the life of the church. We have work to do.
This weekend we celebrate the 2nd Sunday of Easter and hear in John’s gospel of the first appearance of the risen Jesus to his disciples. His first words to them are “Peace be with you,” reminding us that our mission as his disciples in our time is to be peacemakers in our world. Jesus shows the disciples the wounds of his crucifixion. They represent all the ways our sins divide and hurt us.
Jesus then gives his disciples what can be argued is the most significant gift that flows from his resurrection from the dead. He gives us the power to forgive and reconcile the sins that cause our lives so much grief and pain. That is why the church designates the 2nd Sunday of Easter as “Divine Mercy Sunday.” The challenge and test of our faith are how seriously we accept this gift to forgive one another as Christ has forgiven us. Thomas Merton put it his way. “It is not dutiful observance that keeps us from sin, but something far greater. It is love. And this love is not something that we develop by our own power alone. It is a sublime gift of the divine mercy.”
A peaceful and merciful Easter to all!
Fr. William Heric, Pastor
