Divine Mercy

Today the Church celebrates Divine Mercy Sunday, stemming from the instructions given by the Lord to Saint Faustina Kowalska in 1934.

Of her account of her mystical conversation with Jesus she records the following in “Notebook I” of her diary:

“These two rays issued forth from the very depths of my tender mercy when my agonized heart was opened by a lance on the Cross…happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter.”

Beautiful, poetic, and powerful words upon consideration.

In the Gospels Jesus references mercy in Matthew 9:13 as he quotes Hosea 6:6: “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’” The original Hebrew from Hosea uses the word Hosea, which we translate as “mercy”, but it means so much more than that. In the 248 times the word is used in the Old Testament it also means things like love, kindness, loyalty and goodness. All of these things are bound up in a true sense of mercy.

In the Gospel we heard this morning, Thomas was missing when the Risen Lord appeared to the Disciples, and he says he will believe when he is able to “insert his hand into his side.” Thomas wants to reach out and enter that very place that was “opened by a lance on the cross” and from which Christ’s unbounded mercy flowed. Thomas wants to reach out from the darkness of the Upper Room where they are drowning in fear and confusion and take refuge in the shelter of that open wound.

Are we much different than Thomas? Don’t we want to reach out from our place of confusion and refuge and dwell in the safety of Christ’s mercy: his love, kindness, loyalty and goodness?

In many ways we need this Feast of Divine Mercy now more than ever! These days we live in a world of face-masks, gloves, distancing, and in some cases isolation. We worship on live streams, and experience community via computer applications. We reach out to the Risen Jesus because there is hope and a sure promise in those sacred wounds!

Jesus goes on to say to Saint Faustina, “Oh, how much I am hurt by a soul’s distrust!” Trust him! We have to trust him! That’s why we repeat it over and over through the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and find it clearly written at the bottom of the famous painting: “Jesus, I trust in you!”

Upon inserting his hand in the fount of Jesus’ mercy, Thomas clearly trusted both that morning, and throughout his days. He would go on to boldly travel well beyond the boundaries of the Roman Empire all the way to India bringing the good news of the Risen Jesus!! (Some reports say he went into China and Indonesia). He would even end up giving his life as a Martyr.

An encounter with the mercy of the Risen Jesus can change our lives: it should change our lives! In fact, it may be the only way our lives can truly change! This Divine Mercy Sunday may we all pray for the grace to grow in our trust in Jesus, and that we may all find the certainty of his hesed when we reach out to that fount of “unfathomable Divine Mercy.”

Jesus, I trust in you!