32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time 2024 - Jesus, I trust in You.

 

Every year on the Sunday after easter we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday. You have likely seen the Divine Mercy image. It is a picture of Jesus dressed in a white garment, with rays of red and pale light emanating from his heart.

The Divine Mercy image of Jesus comes from a vision of St. Faustina, the polish nun who received a series of visions of Our Lord in the 1930s. According to her diary, Jesus instructed her to have an image painted, promising that “souls who venerate this image will not perish.”

St. Faustina initially struggled to find an artist capable of capturing her vision. Eventually, a painter named Eugene Kazimierowski from Lithuania, completed the Divine Mercy image under her guidance in 1934. She expressed disappointment initially, feeling that no earthly image could truly convey the beauty of her vision, but Jesus reassured her that great graces would plow from the image and its message of mercy.

Additionally, Jesus instructed St. Faustina to inscribe the words “Jesus, I trust in You” at the bottom of the painting. “Jesus, I trust in You” This phrase captures the central message of the Divine Mercy devotion: that, despite human frailty and sinfulness, we are invited to place our complete trust in Christ’s boundless mercy. “Jesus, I trust in you”

I bring up the Divine Mercy image and its message of trust because “trust” is a common theme in our readings this weekend.

In the first reading, we have the story of the widow of Zarephath, who is visited by the prophet Elijah. She and her son are basically starving to death when Elijah directs her to cook him some bread. This would have made her already desperate situation even worse, but Elijah asks her to trust him, “do not be afraid” he says. And due to her trust, there was a miracle, “she and her son were able to eat for a year, the jar of flour did not go empty nor the jug of oil run dry”

In the Gospel, we have another story of trust. Another widow of Jesus’ day, moved by her devotion to God, trusted that God would provide for her, and gives to the Temple collection not from her surplus wealth, but from her livelihood. The widow’s example of trust is enshrined in the holy scriptures and serves as a reminder of the sort of trust all of us are to cultivate. Trust God with our time, trust God in our generosity, trust God in our devotion to Him.

Trust. Trust is difficult for a lot of us. Not just with God but with others. Why is it so difficult to trust? Trust becomes difficult because of past betrayals. When someone we trust—a sibling, a parent, a friend breaks our trust, that betrayal leaves a lasting wound. 

Past betrayals make trust feel risky. No one likes to trust someone only to be made a fool. No one likes to trust someone and have them swindle you or break a promise or breach a confidence. Trusting authority figures can be especially difficult. Teachers, religious leaders, bosses, these people exercise power, and untrustworthy authorities are terribly dangerous. 

But trust is important. Without trust, or giving people the opportunity to earn our trust, we cannot form healthy bonds, healthy friendships, healthy romantic relationships. One of the reasons the marriage rate among young people is significantly low is due to difficulties in trust.

But trust is so important for healthy relationships. Trust allows us to be ourselves around others, to share our true selves, to seek comfort in the company of safety. Trust is also an important principle economically, socially, politically, in the workplace, and in families. Growing in maturity is about becoming more trustworthy. And being trustworthy makes us better neighbors, better workers, better spouses. 

Now of course, trust has its limits. Scripture says, “put not your trust in princes.” A healthy mistrust of our government representatives helps us to keep our government accountable. We aren’t called to put absolute blind trust in any human or any human institution.

But Jesus Christ is not merely human, and the Church is not a merely human institution. Jesus is God, and the Magisterium—the teaching authority of the Church—authoritatively teaches in His name.

We can and should put our absolute trust in Jesus Christ—in God. For God always wills and does what is best for us. In God there is no deception, no pettiness, no betrayal, no lack of knowledge that causes him to make mistakes, no fickleness, or self-doubt. In God, there is only perfect and unconditional love that wills and does the absolute best for every human being ever made. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and resurrection is the ultimate proof of God’s trustworthiness. Jesus demonstrated His absolute commitment to humanity’s salvation, when he embraced the suffering of the Cross—taking upon himself the sins of the world. We trust in his promises because he bore our sufferings and rose victorious. Had he not rose, our faith would be in vain. But he did, as he said he would.

And so we put our trust in God because it is the most logical thing we could possibly do. And if we cannot trust God, we will never have a healthy trust of anybody. Because if you can’t trust the most benevolent being in existence, you won’t be able have healthy trust in less benevolent beings, like your fellow man. 

But when we have trust, and again, our scripture readings point to this, miracles occur. When we trust God, the hungry our fed, charity flows, the gospel is spread, the mustard seed grows to encompass the world. 

For those of us with a weakened ability to trust, trusting God is an ongoing process that requires real effort. Growing to trust God—and healing our mistrust of God—requires regular prayer from the depths of our wounded hearts, meditation on God’s promises and reflection on the words of sacred scripture. It means seeking to trust God as Jesus trusts His Father, and the Saints trust Jesus.  Trust grows when we let go of the need to control everything and allow God to work in His timing and way—surrendering every moment to God “not my will, but thy will be done” in my life, in all things, in the life of my family, my nation, and my Church, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

Divine Mercy Sunday 2019 - The Wounds of the Risen Christ

It was nineteen years ago, that Pope Saint John Paul II surprised the world, and even many of his cardinals, by declaring this second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday.

Though the title for this Sunday is relatively new, the message of God's merciful love is certainly not a new concept.  It's the central message of the Christian faith preached for almost 2000 years.  God has mercy upon sinners; we are loved by God even when we are unlovable because of our sins—no matter how sinful, God's forgiveness is available to all who turn to Him.

The celebration of Divine Mercy is a fitting conclusion to the octave of Easter.  On Easter Sunday we celebrated the triumph of God's love over the powers of sin and death.  Jesus' resurrection shows that Sin and death do not get the last word.  God did not counter our sin with fiery wrath from heaven.  Rather, God defeated man’s sin in a totally unimaginable and unexpected way, Mercy.

Think about it.  On Mount Calvary, we violently rejected God in the flesh.  The crucifixion, in a sense, is man's ultimate rejection of God.  At that moment, more than any in human history, wouldn't God have been justified in simply ending this whole project, condemning us as too sick, too depraved, so corrupt we’d rather kill God than admit our errors.

Yet from the cross Jesus pronounces not wrath, but forgiveness, and from his side blood and water flowed as rays of divine mercy. The resurrection of Jesus on Easter then is a stamp of approval from God, that mercy is granted.

Pope Benedict XVI said, Jesus Christ is divine mercy in person: Encountering Christ means encountering the mercy of God.  Jesus willingly gave himself up to death so that we might be saved and pass from death to life.  Mercy has a name, mercy has a face, mercy has a heart. 

The Gospel reading for this Divine Mercy Sunday, is wonderful message for people of every place and time. Even though the investigation into the Gospel message might begin with some doubt, some hesitation, those who seek the Risen Christ, shall find Him, those who seek to honestly verify the Gospel, shall find it to be true.

Last Year, on Divine Mercy Sunday, Pope Francis, preaching from St. peter’s square, reflected upon this Gospel.  Listen to the Holy Father’s Words: “in today’s Gospel, we hear, over and over, the word “see”.  The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord (Jn 20:20).  They tell Thomas: “We have seen the Lord” (v. 25).  But the Gospel does not describe how they saw him; it does not describe the risen Jesus.  It simply mentions one detail: “He showed them his hands and his side” (v. 20).  It is as if the Gospel wants to tell us that that is how the disciples recognized Jesus: through his wounds.  The same thing happened to Thomas.  He too wanted to see “the mark of the nails in his hands” (v. 25), and after seeing, he believed (v. 27).

“How can we see him?” the holy Father asks. “Like the disciples: through his wounds.  Gazing upon those wounds, the disciples understood the depth of his love.  They understood that he had forgiven them, even though some had denied him and abandoned him. To enter into Jesus’ wounds is to contemplate the boundless love flowing from his heart. This is the way. It is to realize that his heart beats for me, for you, for each one of us.  Dear brothers and sisters, we can consider ourselves Christians, call ourselves Christians and speak about the many beautiful values of faith, but, like the disciples, we need to see Jesus by touching his love.  Only thus can we go to the heart of the faith and, like the disciples, find peace and joy (cf. vv. 19-20) beyond all doubt.”

For Pope Francis, the wounds of Christ, is a key to faith, believing the Gospel message. For the wounds of Jesus are a result of his love for us. You can see Jesus, you can come to know him, and know his love for you, by contemplating his wounds.

As you may know, there is an ancient devotion to the five wounds of Jesus. That devotion can be traced back to today’s Gospel. The apostles, and Thomas, as the Holy Father Pope Francis explains, turn their gaze to the wounds of Christ in order to know him, and see Him, to see His love, better.

The very beginning of the Easter season, in fact, includes a liturgical act, memorializing the five wounds of Jesus. As the priest blesses the new easter candle at the easter vigil, he inserts five grains of incense into the new candle in the form of the cross, and says, “by his holy and glorious wounds, may Christ the Lord guard us and protect us.” You can see these five grains of incense inserted into our own easter candle here.

In the middle ages, St. Bernard and St. Francis of Assisi encouraged devotions in honor of the five wounds. Perhaps, Pope Francis’ Divine Mercy homily on the wounds of Jesus was inspired by his namesake. Later in life, St. Francis of Assisi, in fact, would be marked by the holy stigmata, receiving the five wounds of Jesus in his own flesh.

In your easter prayer, in addition to lifting up your petitions to God every day, praying for the courage to preach the Easter Gospel: take a moment to meditate upon the wounds of Jesus. Ask Jesus to help you to see his love for you, through his wounds. Ask him to bring the healing power of his resurrection to your own wounds, to the wounds in our parish, to the wounds in our families.  For as Isaiah the prophet said, “by his wounds we are healed.”

Jesus, bearing his wounds, enters the upper room, and announces Peace to his disciples. Much peace, the fullness of peace, is offered to us through Faith in Him, recognizing him bursting into the locked doors of our own lives, inviting us to contemplate his wounds, his love.

Recognizing Jesus’ great love and his victory over death, filled the apostles with great courage. Recognizing the Risen Christ, wrote Pope Francis, “casts out fear from the hearts of the apostles and pushes them out of the Upper Room, to bring the Gospel. We also must have more courage to witness to faith in the Risen Christ! Let us not be afraid to be Christian and live as Christians!” for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Divine Mercy Sunday 2017: The Facebook Killer and Mercy

As you may know, last Sunday, Cleveland became the center of national news again. Sadly, a 74-year old man, Robert Godwin Sr, was shot and killed while walking on a sidewalk in the Glenville neighborhood. His murderer posted a cellphone video of the shooting on his Facebook account, leading many media outlets, to dub him the "Facebook killer".

Well, this week, Mr. Godwin’s family appeared on television. And in front of the entire nation, they forgave the murderer. Speaking for the family, his daughter Tonya said, “Each one of us forgives the killer… I forgive you and love you, but most importantly,” she said, “God loves you. God can heal your mind and save your soul.” She says, We want the killer to know, “that God loves him, we love him. Yes we’re hurt, but we have to forgive him because the Bible says if we don’t then the heavenly father won’t forgive us.” Of course she is referring to Matthew chapter 6 verse 15 which says “But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

Mercy, forgiveness, healing. This is what we celebrate today on this Feast of Divine Mercy. And the Godwin family proclaimed this truth, lived this truth so beautifully this week.

God loves us. God can heal our minds and save our souls. God calls us to forgive, and by that act of forgiveness, we ourselves are forgiven.

Mr. Godwin's son, Robert Jr, echoed the sentiment shared by his sister. He said,  “One thing I do want to say [to the killer] is I forgive him. Because we are all sinners…I’m not happy with what you did, but I forgive you.”

Here is a family, devastated by the senseless death of a dear loved one, but filled with the mercy of God.

This is our vocation as Christians: to be filled with the Mercy of God. Mercy was at the heart of Good Friday, Mercy was at the Heart of Easter Sunday. Today’s Feast celebrates the mercy lavishly poured out upon us by God and the mercy we are in turn to pour out for others.

Today’s feast of Divine Mercy stems from a series of private revelations given by our Lord in the 1930’s to a simple Polish nun by the name of Sister Maria Faustina Kowalska. Now canonized, St. Faustina recorded these private revelations in a diary of about 600 pages detailing a whole program of devotion to the mercy of Jesus Christ. Consider the Lord’s timing in appearing to St. Faustina! The 1930s was the beginning of an era of unparalleled cruelty of man toward his brother, it saw the rise of totalitarian atheistic governments and rampant materialism, and the trampling of basic human freedoms like the right to life.

So, Our Lord himself gave to the Church this special and important gift, right when we needed it, to help us survive an era of darkness—an era which continues still.

In the pages of St. Faustina’s diary we learn of the Image of Divine Mercy. The Lord explained how this image is to help us remember God’s mercy and the need to show mercy. I encourage you to place the image of Divine Mercy somewhere in your homes.

In the Diary, we hear about the Divine Mercy Chaplet, which the faithful should pray with great devotion: asking God to show mercy upon our troubled world. The Lord said to St. Faustina, “Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy.” So, we do well to pray the Chaplet. If you don’t know how to pray the Chaplet, I’ve just given you homework. Learn it and pray it. Don’t turn on a television until you’ve done your homework!

Also in the diary St. Faustina writes about the Hour of Mercy, how our Lord desires that every day at three o’clock, his death on the Cross—the supreme sign and source of God’s mercy—be recalled in prayer and devotion. Every day we should stop at 3pm, and thank God for the gift of our salvation.

St. Faustina records in numerous places in her diary Jesus’ desire that a liturgical feast be instituted in honor of his mercy on the second Sunday of Easter. Thanks to St. John Paul II who instituted this feast, we honor our Lord’s wishes today.

Finally, Jesus told St Faustina, "I demand from you deeds of mercy... You are to show deeds of mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere."

Always and everywhere. To terrorists, show mercy. To murdering facebook killers, show mercy. To annoying neighbors and inconsiderate drivers, show mercy.  To people who you disagree with 

politically, show mercy and patience. To people who betray your trust, show mercy. To rude shoppers at the grocery store, show mercy. To God’s poor ones who reach out to you for help, show mercy. For souls trapped in cycles of sin and souls in danger of hell, pray for mercy.  For bishops, priests, and religious who so often fail in our solemn duties, pray for mercy. For children whose parents do not raise them in the faith, pray for mercy. “Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy.” You and I will not have peace until we become people of mercy for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Good Friday 2017 - Morning Prayer Reflection: The Penitential Psalms

Every Friday morning, the Church in her morning prayer recites Psalm 51, one of the seven Penitential Psalms, called such because they beseech God’s mercy for the forgiveness of sins. The Church prays Psalm 51 every Friday, to remind us of THIS Friday, Good Friday.

Prayerfully reciting the penitential psalms helps us to recognize our sinfulness, express our sorrow and ask for God’s forgiveness.

In Psalm 51, King David, guilty of adultery tearfully turns to God for mercy. King David is a symbol of all mankind guilty of sinning before God, but also a symbol of faithful Israel who turns to God for mercy. From the Psalm’s first line: David, isn’t making excuses for his sin, he isn’t bringing to mind his own past deeds to exonerate himself, he isn’t trying to weasel out of his guilt due to any extenuating circumstances. He is guilty, he admits it, and he knows only God’s mercy can save him.

We do well to pray with the Penitential Psalms today, particularly Psalm 51. Do so meditatively and earnestly: pleading to God for the purifying and washing that only he can accomplish. Perhaps pray one Psalm per hour until we meet again at 3pm at the hour of mercy.

Today also begins The Divine Mercy Novena, which is prayed from Good Friday until Divine Mercy Saturday.

Today is a powerful day for pleading God’s mercy, for ourselves, for all mankind, for priests and religious, for those who reject God, for those who seem to be stuck in cycles of sin, for those who have become lukewarm, for little children and for those who near death, and the souls in purgatory.

Good Friday is the source of all mercy. In union with faithful Israel, with believers through the centuries we cry out: have mercy on us, O God, in your kindness. In your compassion blot out our offense.



The Seven Penitential Psalms can be found here.

Psalm 51

1
For the leader. A psalm of David,
2
when Nathan the prophet came to him after he had gone in to Bathsheba.a

I
3
Have mercy on me, God, in accord with your merciful love;
in your abundant compassion blot out my transgressions.
4
Thoroughly wash away my guilt;
and from my sin cleanse me.
5
For I know my transgressions;
my sin is always before me.b
6
Against you, you alone have I sinned;
I have done what is evil in your eyes
So that you are just in your word,
and without reproach in your judgment.c
7
Behold, I was born in guilt,
in sin my mother conceived me.*d
8
Behold, you desire true sincerity;
and secretly you teach me wisdom.
9
Cleanse me with hyssop,* that I may be pure;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.e
10
You will let me hear gladness and joy;
the bones you have crushed will rejoice.
II
11
Turn away your face from my sins;
blot out all my iniquities.
12
A clean heart create for me, God;
renew within me a steadfast spirit.f
13
Do not drive me from before your face,
nor take from me your holy spirit.g
14
Restore to me the gladness of your salvation;
uphold me with a willing spirit.
15
I will teach the wicked your ways,
that sinners may return to you.
16
Rescue me from violent bloodshed, God, my saving God,
and my tongue will sing joyfully of your justice.h
17
Lord, you will open my lips;
and my mouth will proclaim your praise.
18
For you do not desire sacrifice* or I would give it;
a burnt offering you would not accept.i
19
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a contrite, humbled heart, O God, you will not scorn.
III
20
*Treat Zion kindly according to your good will;
build up the walls of Jerusalem.j
21
Then you will desire the sacrifices of the just,
burnt offering and whole offerings;
then they will offer up young bulls on your altar.