Readings: Acts 4:32-35; Ps 117:2-4,15-18,22-24; 1 Jn 5:1-6; Jn 20:19-31
Theme: ALL I SEE IS MERCY
Dearest in Christ, today we celebrate the divine mercy Sunday. God is not just merciful, He is mercy himself. God’s love and mercy are inseparable. Because he loves us unconditionally, His mercy follows us even when we do not take note of it.
THE MERCY THAT SEARCHES FOR
In his love to give mankind a share in his divinity, God created man. From nihilo (nothingness) God called man into esse (being). And he did not just create man but created man to be like him (cf Gen 1:26). But when man betrayed this love of God, striping himself entirely of the glory with which God beautified him, and hiding in shame, the mercy of God went in search of man, calling him, “where are you darling” (cf Gen 3:9). Even when man’s betrayal of God’s love brought God to curse the ground, God restrained himself from cursing man because “his mercy weighs more than his anger”.
THE MERCY THAT REMEMBERS AND FREES
When the people of Israel were suffering under slavery and hardship, the MERCY remembered them even before they came to know of him because he never forgets his promise (cf Ex 3:7-8). He did not only free them from the land of slavery, he led them to the land he himself has provided for them, not because they were totally faithful to him, but because he is faithful to his promise.
THE MERCY THAT CALLS US BY OUR NAMES
In the Bible, to call one by name in most cases implies to assure someone of divine protection (cf. Isa 43:1-7). As Mary Magdalene was crying out of frustration, Jesus called her “Maria” (Jn 20:16), and immediately, the story changed from “sir” of someone who is afraid and agitated (Jn 20:15) to “Rabbouni” of someone who is happy to meet her Love (cf. Jn 20:16). Desiring to see Jesus the Christ, but hindered both by his stature and the crowd, Zacchaeus sought for help among the trees. The Merciful love of God in Christ could not pass without calling him “Zaccheus” (cf Lk 19:5). In our fears and sins, he keeps calling us. Do you hear him?
THE MERCY THAT TOUCHES
Many were the sick people, dreaded and avoided by the society, but when the MERCY saw them, even in their dirtiness and leprosy, he extended his holy hand and touched them (cf Matt 8:3; Mk 1:40-41; Matt 8:15; 9:29; 20:34; Mk 7:33). He is not ashamed to deep his hands into our dirt, into our sickness, into our loads of sin, in order to bring total healing to us. When people are running away from even withstanding our closeness, he is running to us in order to embrace us, touch us and kiss us, no matter how dirty and smelling we are.
THE MERCY THAT BREAKS PROTOCOLS IN ORDER TO HEAL
On many occasions, Jesus was faced with either respecting the Jewish traditions and ignore a sick and suffering person, or to heal the sick and break the tradition of the Jews. On all those occasions, Jesus shows that our well-being is his greatest priority (cf Mk 3; Jn 9). He knows the danger he is putting himself by going against the tradition of the Jews, but he is always more concerned in bringing us from the danger illness and suffering pose to our happiness.
When he was to go to Judea to bring back his friend Lazarus from the dead, his disciples warned him of the pending danger in Judea, but Jesus was willing to risk his life in order to restore the life of his friend (cf Jn 11:7-16). The MERCY of God allows nothing to hinder his coming to us to restore us to glory.
THE MERCY THAT SITS AND EATS WITH
Jesus’ happiest moment is when he is at the table with the greatest sinners. Jesus teaches that conversion does not come from unnecessary insistence on legal justifications, but on act of mercy and love. No matter how sinful one is judged by the people, Jesus goes to associate himself with the person (cf Lk 19; Matt 9:10-13). No matter how far we have allowed sin to take us away from him, he still locates us, not to condemn us but to share our meal with us. Always and everywhere, the Merciful God sits and eats with us, and in that way, he opens us up to see his love for us.
THE MERCY THAT DOES NOT CONDEMN
The woman caught in adultery was still shaking, waiting to hear stones running up on her because of her sinful life, but what she heard was a soft, consoling, piercing and touchy voice saying to her, “neither do I condemn you” (cf Jn 8:11). Yes…never in our lives can God say those awful words: “I condemn you” because that is not whom he is. Rather he says to us, “Go and sin no more”. Yes, he first gives us freedom from sin, bondage, and condemnation, and then urges us to begin to live out of love.
Thomas was in today’s gospel, battling between seeing and believing. Because of Thomas, the Resurrected Christ visited his disciples again, not to express his anger on Thomas nor to condemn him, but to elevate his faith in love and to teach him in what lies greater blessing (cf Jn 20:24-29). The mercy of God is always patient with us. He deals individually with each and everyone of us, and patiently leads us to greater faith and love in him.
Dearest friends, at each moment of our lives, we see God’s mercy manifesting itself. We cannot live without the mercy of God. Our life story is first and foremost the story of love and mercy of God. But most importantly, God treats us that way for us to also treat others with love and mercy.
Christ gave the apostles the power to live this mercy of God through forgiveness of sins. We must know that unless we know how to approach the merciful throne of God, unless we frequent the sacrament of reconciliation, we can never know how to, nor understand why we must also forgive others. In faithfully acknowledging our sins and sincerely crying to God for mercy, we learn to understand the weakness of others and have the grace to forgive. On the last day, one of the questions God will ask us is “WERE YOU MERCIFUL JUST AS YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER IS MERCIFUL?” Let this question not be kept until the last day, rather let it be our everyday examination of conscience.
Fr. Nnamah Henry C
Catholic Diocese of Aguleri