Divine Mercy for you and me...

04-07-2024Pastor's LetterVery Rev. Richard C. Wilson, VF, Pastor

Dear Friends in Christ,

Today, on the Second Sunday of Easter, we complete the octave of this liturgical season, one of the two octaves —together with Christmas— that remain in the liturgy as changed by the Second Vatican Council. For eight days, we contemplate the same mystery and try to deepen our understanding of it in the light of the Holy Spirit.

By the design of Pope Saint John Paul II, this Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday. It is something that goes far beyond a particular devotion. As explained by the Holy Father in his encyclical Dives in Misericordia (Rich in Mercy), Divine Mercy is the loving manifestation of God in a history wounded by sin. In Latin misericordia (which means “mercy”) comes from two words: “miser” (misery) and “cor, cordis” (heart). Jesus puts our unhappy situation due to sin in His Father's heart, which is faithful to His plans. Jesus Christ, dead and risen, is the supreme manifestation and action of Divine Mercy.

“God so loved the world that he gave his only Son” (Jn 3:16) and sent Him to death so that we might be saved. “To redeem the slave, He sacrificed the Son,” we proclaimed in the Easter Vigil. And once resurrected, He made Him a source of salvation for all who believe in Him. Through faith and conversion, we receive the treasure of Divine Mercy.

Holy Mother Church, which wants her children to live the life of the Risen One, commands that we receive Holy Communion and do so in a state of grace —at least during the Easter season. Indeed, the Easter season is the opportune time for paschal fulfillment. It is a good time to confess our sins and to receive the forgiveness of our sins through the faculties that the risen Lord has conferred on his Church, when he said only to the Apostles: “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them.” (Jn 20:22-23). Thus, we can always go to the source of Divine Mercy. And may we never hesitate to bring our friends to these sources of life: the Eucharist and Penance. The risen Jesus commands us to do so!

All the best…in Christ,

Father Wilson