April 12th
Divine Mercy Sunday
“Divine Mercy”
On this Divine Mercy Sunday, I want you each to understand that God WANTS to forgive us… we don’t need to convince God of anything… we don’t need to manipulate, legislate, or lobby for God’s forgiveness! We do not need to negotiate, cajole, or barter for God’s forgiveness. God WANTS to forgive us. All we need to do is physically bring before God our sorrow for having sinned, and God will, through our sorrow, bestow Divine Mercy.
As Catholics we are blessed with our Jesus-instituted sacramental “sure paths” of experiencing God’s Divine Mercy… physical sacramental encounters that ensure our experience with God’s mercy is both individually freeing AND communally unifying. (Our sacraments ensure our experience of God’s mercy is not just some kind of head-trip we play with our minds.) We are blessed.
Now, naturally we think of the Sacrament of Confession as the greatest means of experiencing Divine Mercy, and it is the necessary sacrament for the forgiveness of mortal sin. But the most readily available sacrament of God’s Divine Mercy is in fact our weekly worthy reception of Holy Communion. (This is one of the reasons why going to Sunday Mass is an obligation for all Catholics.) The prayers of Mass provide the sacramental means by which our sorrow for most of our sin can be divinely transformed into forgiveness.
Let me show you what I mean…
Immediately upon opening the Mass we appeal to God’s mercy through our Penitential Act: “Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.”
Upon our appeal for mercy the priest declares, “May Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.” Then we all cry out, “Lord have mercy; Christ have mercy; Lord have mercy.”
Next, we sing the Gloria praising God… in the middle of which we sing, “You take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. You take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer. You are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us…”
Only after all of this do we pray the Opening Prayer! But our appeals for Divine Mercy do not stop here.
Did you know that throughout the Mass the priest or deacon is quietly praying on your behalf for God’s Divine Mercy? After the Gospel is proclaimed, the proclaimer kisses the Book as an act of prayer quietly saying, “Through the words of the Gospel may our sins be wiped away.”
After the gifts of bread and wine are placed upon the altar the priest quietly prays on your behalf, “With humble spirit and contrite heart may we be accepted by you, O Lord…”
Then washing my fingers, I pray, “Wash me, O Lord, from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.” Appeals for God’s mercy are ongoing through the Mass.
Our Eucharistic Prayer continues the appeal: From the consecration of the Blood (“This is the chalice of my Blood, the Blood of the new and everlasting covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins…”) To our petitions after the consecration (“Have mercy on us all, we pray, that with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, St. Joseph her spouse, etc., etc.”) Our appeals for God’s Divine mercy go on unabated!
After the Eucharistic Prayer we pray the Lord’s Prayer where we say, “forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us…” Then the priest concludes praying, “Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil… that by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin…”
Finally, just before you receive Holy Communion we pray together, “Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace,”
Even after all this, just before the priest starts the Communion Rite by receiving Jesus’ Body and Blood, he prays quietly as he genuflects, “May the receiving of your Body and Blood, Lord Jesus Christ, not bring me to judgment and condemnation, but through your loving mercy be for me protection in mind and body and a healing remedy.”
Can you see it? Throughout our Mass we appeal to God’s Mercy for the forgiveness of our sins. Upon receiving Holy Communion, therefore, when we have sorrow for our sins, God’s Divine forgiveness is given! So readily does God want to forgive us, we can receive this Divine Mercy as regularly as our daily bread! This eagerness of God the Father to forgive us is what we celebrate this Divine Mercy Sunday. Our trust in this love of Jesus for us is the foundation of our faith and discipleship.
Mother Church calls each of us today to trust in God’s desire to forgive and to bring our desire to be forgiven before Him. Then we will be sent to declare the words of our psalmist, “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting!”