April 27, 2025 - Divine Mercy Sunday
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Today we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday, a feast that flows straight from the heart of the Risen Christ. Instituted by Saint John Paul II at the canonization of Saint Faustina Kowalska in year 2000. In today’s Gospel, we encounter the disciples hiding behind locked doors, afraid and ashamed. They’ve abandoned Jesus. They’ve denied Him. They’re confused and broken. And yet—what are the first words Jesus speaks when He appears in their midst? “Peace be with you.” Not “Where were you?” Not “How could you abandon me?” But “Peace.” This is Divine Mercy in action. Jesus doesn’t come with reproach. He comes with wounds—visible signs of love, not accusation. These wounds speak of suffering, yes, but also of victory. He breathes the Holy Spirit on them, and in doing so, entrusts them with the power to forgive sins. Mercy received becomes mercy shared.
And then there’s Thomas. Doubting Thomas. Honest Thomas. He demands proof—not because he’s a cynic, but because he’s wounded too. Jesus doesn’t reject him. He invites him. “Put your finger here… Do not be unbelieving, but believe.” The Risen Christ meets us where we are. Mercy stoops low to lift us high.
Divine Mercy Sunday is not just a day to celebrate a devotion; it is a call to enter into a relationship of trust. The image given to St. Faustina shows Jesus with two rays flowing from His heart—red for the Blood which is the life of souls, and pale for the Water which justifies souls. Below it are the words: “Jesus, I trust in You.” This is the heart of the Christian life: trusting Jesus enough to let Him love us even in our sin, and to let His mercy change us. It means recognizing that no sin is too great for His forgiveness, and no wound is too deep for His healing.
We remember with gratitude the life and witness of our beloved Pope Francis, of happy memory, who so often reminded us that “the name of God is mercy.” He opened wide the doors of the Church to the wounded, the forgotten, the marginalized—because he saw, like Jesus in today’s Gospel, that behind every locked door is a soul longing for peace. May he now rest in that mercy he so often preached.
But Divine Mercy is not meant to be hoarded. It must flow through us. The Church is called to be a vessel of mercy in a world so often locked behind doors of fear, anger, division, and despair. Forgive one another. Be patient with the weak. Speak peace into conflict. Show compassion even when it’s inconvenient.
Let me leave you with these simple challenges today: If you’ve been carrying the weight of sin—go to confession. Don’t wait. If you’ve been holding a grudge—choose mercy. Forgive.And if your heart is doubting like Thomas—pray, simply and sincerely: “Jesus, I trust in You.”
Because He is risen, and His mercy endures forever.
God bless you always!!!
Fr. Stan
