Divina Misericordia/Divine Mercy Sunday
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We read in the Constitution Gaudium et spes: “Christ the new Adam … fully reveals man to himself and brings to light his lofty calling,” and does it “in the very revelation of the mystery of the Father and of his love.”1486
He didn’t have to, He could’ve passed us by. On Holy Saturday Christ went to a certain place, could be called Hell, or “not Heaven” or Limbo or Sheoul, or Abraham’s Bosom to free those pious and good Jews, and probably good Pagans too, then after preaching to those souls and Resurrecting on Easter Morning… why did he go and gather His Church again? Why didn’t He just Ascend then? Why does He do this whole dance with the disciples and Thomas? Thomas is frustrating because he’s been walking with these guys and gals, and he needs proof his way. But when he is separated from the Church, he doesn’t see Christ, when he comes back to be with the Church, then Christ appears to him and the others.
So here’s one spiritual lesson, We aren’t saved by ourselves, we don’t come to faith alone, we come as a family to God, and when we leave the family, its not nothing, its a cutting off of self from the community, the Church is our greater family.
Faith isn’t just, “OK I believe Mary Magdalene and Thomas saw Christ so thus I believe everything that the Church teaches.”
No, its a wrestling with, using your intellect, and an entire pursuit of truth with your life. Belief in Christ exposes areas of our life, now we can stay in the error obstinately, or we can move closer and closer to Christ and His wounds as we age.
Because Believing in Christ and touching His wounds is the start. There is much to do! Thomas touched and believed, then he went off to India for his apostolic work and he was eventually run through with a spear… just like his Lord!
Believing is the start, looking like Christ is the end for which we are made, in our soul and our body.
Now Let’s turn our attention to some of the revelations from Christ to St. Faustina
Diary 163
I want to be completely transformed into Your mercy
and to be Your living reflection, O Lord. May The
greatest of all divine attributes, that of Your
unfathomable mercy, pass through my heart and soul to my neighbor.
Help me, O Lord, that my eyes may be merciful, so that I may never suspect or judge from appearances, but look for what is beautiful in my neighbors' souls and come to their rescue.
Help me, that m(ears may be merciful, so that I may give heed to my neighbors' needs and not be indifferent to their pains and moanings.
Help me, O Lord, that me tongue may be merciful, so
that I should never speak negatively of my neighbor, but have a word of comfort and forgiveness for all.
Help me, O Lord, that my hands may be merciful and filled with good deeds, so that I may do only good to my neighbors and take upon myself the more difficult and toilsome tasks.
Help me, that my feet be merciful, so that I may hurry to assist my neighbor, overcoming my own fatigue and weariness. My true rest is in the service of my neighbor.
Help me, O Lord, that my Heart be merciful so that
myself may feel all the sufferings of my neighbor. I will refuse my heart to no one. I will be sincere even with those who I know, will abuse my kindness. And I Will lock myself up in the most merciful Heart Of Jesus.
Fr. Michael Gaitley defines Mercy as: Love when it encounters suffering…Love that feels compassion for those who suffer ([with the] heart) and reaches out to help them ([with the] arm).
Because what is the wound in his side, if not our birthmark? The place where we were born? The mark of pain when people don't want to receive what the Lord has given us to give them? The mark on our feet that when it seems that we have wasted our efforts.
I know that my mother likes to show us the wound on her side of my birth, the marks that she has on her own body that I exist!
But not only her torso, her hands are trespassed, feet to run after me, her mind to worry about me. And I say, "I'm sorry," or is it an expectation of the mothers?
Well, the Lord has expectations of us too.
The whole goal of our faith is to get to the side of Christ, so that we can enter his heart. He wants to share his heart with us. Do not stop at knowing about the Church, or what the Church teaches, keep going through them to discover the merciful and beautiful heart of Christ, which is our God! My Lord and my God, I trust you, make my heart like yours!
One of Christ's most painful sorrows is that we do not trust in his mercy. We have killed God, and we think there are sins that he can't forgive?
3) The Lord told Faustina once that a sister greatly saddened him because she still didn’t believe she was forgiven even after confession it reminded me of the story of Saint Claude DeColumbiae that to prove that the visions were true that Margaret Mary Alacoque was having about the Sacred Heart he asked Saint Margaret what his last mortal sin was and the Lord responded “I don’t remember”
And if God has forgiven us, how arrogant of us to say we aren’t forgiven! How much that hurts Christ, who told St. Faustina:
“..My heart is even more wounded by their distrust after a fall” (Diary, 1532).
In her beautiful Conversation of the Merciful God with a Despairing Soul St. Faustina records the following words of Jesus:
“My child all your sins have not wounded my heart, as painfully as your present lack of trust does, that after so many efforts of my love and mercy, you should still doubt my goodness tell me all my child hide nothing from me, because my loving heart, the heart of your best friend is listening to you”” (Diary, 1486).
Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you."
Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe."
Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."
The 8th day! We are not at passion Friday, but The resurrection has not done away with Good Friday, but resurrected it. Divine Mercy Sunday isn’t a return to Good Friday, but an acknowledgment of the wounds, a touching of Jesus’ side and head and feet.
The whole goal of our faith, is to get to the side of Christ, so that we can get into His heart. He wants to share His heart with us. Don’t stop at knowing about the Church, or what the Church teaches, keep going through those to discover the merciful and beautiful heart of Christ, who is our God! My Lord and my God, I trust in you, make my heart like unto thine!
St. Agustín — 'En mi herida más profunda vi tu gloria, y me deslumbró.'
We are fortunate to have such a Church, a mother who so many of us take for granted:
Divine Mercy, unfathomed in the institution of the Sacred Host, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, in the founding of Holy Church, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, in our justification through Jesus Christ, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, accompanying us through our whole life, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, embracing us especially at the hour of death, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, endowing us with immortal life, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, accompanying us every moment of our life, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, shielding us from the fire of hell, I trust in You.
Leemos en la constitución de Vaticano Segundo, “Cristo nuestro Señor, Cristo, el nuevo Adán, en la misma revelación del misterio del Padre y de su amor, manifiesta plenamente el hombre al propio hombre y le descubre la sublimidad de su vocación.”
Él no tenía que hacerlo, mostrarnos nuestra vocación… podría habernos pasado. En el Sábado Santo Cristo fue a un lugar determinado, podría ser llamado Infierno, o “No Cielo” o Limbo o Sheoul, o el seno de Abraham… para liberar a esos judíos piadosos y buenos, y probablemente buenos paganos también, luego después de predicar a esas almas y resucitar en la mañana de Pascua… ¿Por qué fue a reunir a su Iglesia de nuevo?
¿Por qué no ascendió entonces? ¿Por qué hace toda esta danza con los discípulos y Tomás? Thomas es frustrante porque ha estado caminando con estos chicos y chicas, y necesita pruebas de su camino. Pero cuando está separado de la Iglesia, no ve a Cristo, cuando regresa para estar con la Iglesia, entonces Cristo se le aparece a él y a los demás.
Aquí hay una lección espiritual, no somos salvos por nosotros mismos,
no llegamos a la fe solos, venimos como una familia a Dios,
y cuando dejamos la familia, no es nada, es una separación de sí mismo de la comunidad, la Iglesia es nuestra familia más grande.
La fe no es simplemente: "Está bien, creo que María Magdalena y Tomás vieron a Cristo, así que creo todo lo que la Iglesia enseña”.
No, es una lucha, usando tu intelecto, y una búsqueda completa de la verdad con tu vida. La creencia en Cristo expone áreas de nuestra vida,
ahora podemos permanecer en el error obstinadamente, o podemos acercarnos cada vez más a Cristo y sus heridas, las heridas que nos curan.
Porque creer en Cristo y tocar sus heridas es solo el comienzo. ¡Hay mucho que hacer! Tomás tocó y creyó, luego se fue a la India para su mission apostólico y finalmente fue atravesado por una lanza... ¡Al igual que su Señor!
Solo el comienzo… parecerse a Cristo es el fin para el que estamos hechos, en nuestra alma y en nuestro cuerpo
Ahora dirijamos nuestra atención a algunas de las revelaciones de Cristo a Santa Faustina
“Oh Señor, deseo transformarme toda en Tu misericordia y ser un vivo reflejo de Ti. Que este supremo atributo de Dios, es decir su insondable misericordia, pase a través de mi corazón al prójimo.
Ayúdame, oh Señor, a que mis ojos sean misericordiosos, para que yo jamás recele o juzgue según las apariencias, sino que busque lo bello en el alma de mi prójimo y acuda a ayudarla.
Ayúdame, oh Señor, a que mis oídos sean misericordiosos para que tome en cuenta las necesidades de mi prójimo y no sea indiferente a sus penas y gemidos.
Ayúdame, oh Señor, a que mi lengua sea misericordiosa para que jamás hable negativamente de mis prójimos sino que tenga una palabra de consuelo y perdón para todos.
Ayúdame, oh Señor, a que mis manos sean misericordiosas y llenas de buenas obras para que sepa hacer sólo el bien a mi prójimo y cargue sobre mí las tareas más difíciles y más penosas.
Ayúdame, oh Señor, a que mis pies sean misericordiosos para que siempre me apresure a socorrer a mi prójimo, dominando mi propia fatiga y mi cansancio. (...)
Ayúdame, oh Señor, a que mi corazón sea misericordioso para que yo sienta todos los sufrimientos de mi prójimo (...)
Que Tu misericordia, oh Señor mío, repose dentro de mí” (Diario, 163).
El P. Michael Gaitley define la Misericordia como: Amor cuando se encuentra con el sufrimiento... Amor que siente compasión por los que sufren ([con] el corazón) y se extiende para para ayudarlos ([con] el brazo).
Porque ¿cuál es la herida en nuestro costado, sino nuestra marca de nacimiento? ¿el lugar donde nacimos? La marca de dolor que cuando la gente no quiere recibir lo que el Señor nos ha dado para darles? La marca en nuestros pies que cuando parece que hemos malgastado nuestros esfuerzos.
Yo sé que mi madre, la gusta mostrarnos la herida de su costado du mi nacimiento, las marcas que ella tiene en sus propio cuerpo que existo yo!
Pero no solamente de su torso, sus manos están casados, pies de correr tras de mi, su mente de preocuparse de mi. Y he dicho, “lo siento,” o es una expectación de las madres?
Pues, el Señor tiene expectaciones de nosotros también.
Toda la meta de nuestra fe, es llegar al lado de Cristo, para que podamos entrar en su corazón. Él quiere compartir su corazón con nosotros. No se detengan en saber acerca de la Iglesia, o lo que la Iglesia enseña, sigan pasando por ellos para descubrir el corazón misericordioso y hermoso de Cristo, que es nuestro Dios! ¡Señor mío y Dios mío, confío en ti, haz mi corazón semejante al tuyo!
Una de las penas más dolorosas de Cristo es que no confiamos en su misericordia. Hemos matado a Dios, y pensamos que hay pecados que no puede perdonar?!
"Hija mía, todos tus pecados no han herido mi corazón, tan dolorosamente como lo hace tu actual falta de confianza, que después de tantos esfuerzos de mi amor y misericordia, aún dudes de mi bondad, dime todo, hija mía, no me ocultes nada, porque mi corazón amoroso, el corazón de tu mejor amigo te está escuchando” 1486
St. Agustín — 'En mi herida más profunda vi tu gloria, y me deslumbró.'
Esta imagen, de divina misericordia, no es simplemente un regreso al Santo Viernes, pero Santo Viernes glorificado, en su acción total! Pero, mucha gente no quieren Jesus, entonces, no reciben las gracias de la Pascua, En este imagen, vemos la Pascua que mueve hacia ellos!