There is so much we are celebrating today.  We celebrate not only the 2nd Sunday of Easter and the fact that Christ is risen from the dead for the forgiveness of our sins, but also we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday.  Do you know the story?   In the 1930’s, Jesus appeared to a humble nun, St. Maria Faustina in Poland.  Jesus called her to be the secretary and apostle of His mercy, and instructed her to keep a diary and record His Words of Mercy for the whole world, of which I will quote a little from. It is Jesus himself who asked that this day be the Feast of Mercy, and so Pope John Paul II announced, the Sunday after Easter is Divine Mercy Sunday. In April 2000 John Paul II canonized Sr. Faustina. Pope John Paul II committed his Papacy to spreading the message of Sr. Faustina and God’s unfathomable mercy through the Sacrament of Reconciliation Christ gave to His Church. John Paul II himself went to confession every week and spent 1 to 2 hours in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament every single day. After he was shot in 1981, the Saint asked that Sr. Faustina’s diary be re-read to him in its entirety. And God honored His servant by calling him home in the beginning hours on the vigil of the Feast of Divine Mercy on April 2nd, 2005.

So why is today, the 2nd Sun of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday?  In our Gospel, and this is the Gospel every year, the apostles had isolated themselves and locked the door, afraid that the suffering and death Jesus endured would happen to them too.  But amazingly the Risen Christ came through the locked doors and revealed himself to his disciples, he told them not to be afraid but to have peace.  He revealed to them his hands and side, he showed that it really was Him who is risen from the dead.  By doing so, he showed the disciples that their faith is not in vain, but that their faith is real, that He is real. Christ showed them that his resurrection from the dead for the forgiveness of sins is real!  My brothers and sisters, do we know that… is Christ’s Resurrection for the forgiveness of your sins active and prominent in your life?  That is what Christ desires for every person, especially the worst sinners, to receive and know God’s infinite Mercy.

In order to make Christ’s death and resurrection and mercy tangible in the lives of all of God’s people, after Christ revealed himself to his apostles, he then gave his apostles the power to bring his forgiveness and mercy to every person.  Our Gospel says, just as Jesus was sent by the Father, so Christ is sending out his apostles, the first bishops of His Church, to bring people back to the Father.  Christ breathed on the Apostles, giving the Holy Spirit to ordain and empower them to be the instruments of His mercy to all his people.  Jesus then said to his apostles, “whose sins you forgive are forgiven, and whose sins you retain are retained”.  In doing so, Christ instituted the Sacrament of Reconciliation and gave His apostles, the first bishops of His Church, the power to be the instrument, the primary way through which God’s people can receive God’s mercy. 

Jesus himself said to Sr. Faustina, “Daughter, when you go to confession, to this fountain of my mercy, the Blood and Water which came forth from My Heart always flows down upon your soul and ennobles it.  Every time you go to confession, immerse yourself entirely in My mercy, with great trust, so that I may pour the bounty of My grace upon your soul.  When you approach the confessional, know this, that I Myself am waiting there for you.  I am only hidden by the priest, but I Myself act in your soul.  Here the misery of the soul meets the God of mercy” (1602).

Listen to the advice that God gives to Saint Faustina in order to help us make good confessions and really experience God’s mercy: “I would like to say three words that is determined to strive for sanctity and to derive fruit, that is to say, benefit from confession (132).    “First- complete sincerity and openness.  Even the holiest and wisest confessor cannot forcibly pour into the soul what he desires if it is not sincere and open.  An insincere, secretive soul risks great dangers in the spiritual life, and even the Lord Jesus Himself does not give Himself to such a soul”.  My brothers and sisters, are you really open, have you and I thoroughly and prayerfully examined the sins on your soul? Have you surrendered everything to God’s mercy? 

“Second word- humility.  A soul does not benefit as it should from the sacrament of confession if it is not humble.  Pride keeps it in darkness.  The soul neither knows how, nor is it willing, to probe with precision the depths of its own misery.  It puts on a mask and avoids everything that might bring it recovery”.  My brothers and sisters, are you trying to hide your misery and shame, hide your sins and weaknesses, so as to not let God or anyone else see how imperfect you are?  Do you put on a smile and act as if you have everything all together?  Are you humble enough to run to Jesus for grace and mercy?

“Third word- obedience.  A disobedient soul will win no victory, even if Lord Jesus Himself, in person, were to hear its confession.  The disobedient soul exposes itself to great misfortunes; it will make no progress toward perfection, nor will it succeed in the spiritual life.  God lavishes His graces most generously upon the soul, but it must be an obedient soul”.  My brothers and sisters, are you trying your hardest, with God’s grace, to follow all of God’s commandments and teachings?  Do you really strive to sin no more and avoid the near occasion of sin?  If not, perhaps that is part of the reason why we commit the same sins over and over again.

If you would like to go to Confession, I will make myself available before the next Mass, or you can always call and we can schedule an appointment. God’s love and mercy is waiting for us, how will you respond?