The second Sunday of Easter is also the
feast of Divine Mercy. Merciful
is how God first describes himself to Moses on Mt. Sinai. The Lord passed before [Moses on Mt. Sinai]
and cried out, “The Lord, the Lord, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger
and rich in kindness and fidelity…” (Ex 34:5-7). There is great need in the
world for God’s mercy. Poverty, violence,
and oppression are the daily bread of many.
Today’s feast inspires our confidence that divine mercy will oppose and
conquer such evil.
Our confidence stems from the
greatest act of mercy that God has ever shown.
He sent his Son into the world to show us how to live according to God's
plan of love, mercy and forgiveness. Just
as God gave the Promised Land to the Israelites, not because of any good deed
of theirs, but because of his mercy (Dt 9:4-6), so too the God of Mercy sent
his only Son to show us the path to eternal life.
In his letter to Titus, St. Paul
says “…the kindness and generous love of God our savior saved us, not because
of any righteous deeds we had done, but because of his mercy…” (Titus 3:4-5). In this way, Paul reminds us to follow the simple
command of Jesus, “Be merciful, just
as your Father is merciful” (Lk 6:36).
This God’s challenge to us: be
merciful.
Indeed, divine mercy gives each of
us the opportunity to start over once again, and the mercy we show others
allows them the same opportunity to start over.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Mt 5:7). We are blessed when we show mercy because it
is the right thing to do for others and for ourselves. Such an approach finds favor with our Father
in heaven, for the Lord assures us that he takes pleasure in those who hope in
his mercy (Ps 147:11).
Divine mercy brings not only forgiveness
and eternal life; it also brings us peace in the here and now, for mercy and
peace go hand in hand. Our God of Mercy
is also the God of Peace. Jesus comes not
only as the personified mercy of God; he also comes as the Prince of
Peace. “Peace be with you” is a familiar
greeting Jesus often uses with his disciples.
Jesus also uses this greeting as a
reminder that his gift of peace is different from the peace the world offers. The world has nothing to offer hearts that
are troubled. The peace that Jesus gives,
however, is the peace of God, the only true peace because it brings tranquility
of heart. Only the peace of God can
guard our hearts and sustain us in times of trouble (Phil 4:7; Col 3:15).
This reality motivates Jesus to tell
his disciples, “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid…I have told you
this so that you might have peace in me.
In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered
the world” (Jn 14:23-27). We know that
not everyone enjoys peace. But, Jesus brings
peace to all who are troubled, because he brings peace of heart.
This gift of peace requires a
response on our part. Our first response
is to accept God’s gift by trusting in Him as children who trust in a loving father. As children of God, our further response is
to pursue peace for others. Jesus calls
for this further response in his Sermon on the Mount when he says, “Blessed are
the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Mt 5:9).
This
is not a lofty ideal or a hard teaching.
For, seeking peace is an indispensable part of ordinary living. We do this all the time with our friends and
families. Although bringing peace to countries
at war may be beyond our reach, we can stop fighting with those we love. We can live in peace with our neighbors. There is no need to return insult with insult. We can resist evil without seeking revenge or
harming others. We can heal the wounds
that destroy and relieve the hurt that divides.
This is what Jesus did, and this is what we can do in imitation of him. This is how we truly serve the God of Peace
and Mercy. This is how we find the peace
and mercy that we all need.
