Today is the final day in the Octave of Easter. Easter is such a special occasion that we celebrate it for 8 days.
Today we also celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday. Pope John Paul II declared that the Second Sunday of Easter would always be designated as Divine Mercy Sunday. Its origins come from the devotion of St. Faustina Kowalska and her encounters with Jesus. I am sure you have seen the image in St Francis Xavier Church of the Divine Mercy with rays coming from within Jesus. The image comes from what St. Faustina witnessed and what she wrote about in her diary. She had a vision of Jesus on February 22, 1931 and she recorded it in her diary. She wrote: “In the evening, when I was in my cell, I saw the Lord Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand [was] raised in the gesture of blessing…the other was touching the garment at the breast. From beneath the garment, slightly drawn aside at the breast, there were emanating two large rays, one red, the other pale. In silence I kept my gaze fixed on the Lord; my soul was struck with awe, but also with great joy. After a while, Jesus said to me, "Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: Jesus, I trust in You. I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and [then] throughout the world" (Diary, 47).
We are blessed that St. Faustina shared her vision with the world. We, too, are called to follow her example and fix our eyes on Jesus. The prayer, “Jesus, I trust in You” is one of the most important prayers we can pray. Do we truly put all our trust in Him? It is easier said than done.
We, as human beings in general, like to be in charge…we like to call the shots. However, much of our lives are lived in the unknown, and we do not know for certain what tomorrow will bring…so we need to trust that Jesus will be there to guide us and help us. Placing our trust in the Lord allows us to be at peace and not have the anxiety that so often hangs over our heads. There will always be times when things do not seem to be going the way we think they should. There will be times when bad things happen to good people, but that is when we need to trust all the more. Jesus, I trust in You. I pray that as we journey through this Easter Season and as we journey through each day of our lives, we may put our complete trust in Jesus!
We got a big surprise this week as Fr. Maria’s trip to India has been postponed. He will leave for India on April 25th. He will return June 2nd.
We welcome Father Jayanna Kanna to our parishes. Father Kanna arrived in the US on April 5th. However he has been in the US before. He served a parish in Florida from 2003 – 2008. We are excited to have Father Kanna here with us to celebrate the sacraments with us while Father Maria is in India. Once Father Maria returns from India, the Bishop will assign Father Kanna to a parish in the Diocese of Superior.
Today, we will celebrate Divine Mercy at 3pm in the St Francis church. We will have Benediction/Exposition, music, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and confessions. Everybody who participates, goes to confession, and receives Holy Communion at Mass that day shall obtain a Plenary Indulgence (complete forgiveness of sins and punishment). What is a Plenary Indulgence? A plenary indulgence is the "full remission of the temporal punishment due to sins already forgiven." Through the sacrament of confession, our sins are forgiven, but some of the worldly effects of those sins may remain. A plenary (full) indulgence completes the healing process. To receive a plenary indulgence, you must go to confession, receive Holy Communion and pray for the intentions of the pope. That should be done in the days leading up to the feast. Then, on Divine Mercy Sunday, you must “in any church or chapel, in a spirit that is completely detached from the affection for a sin, even a venial sin, take part in the prayers and devotions held in honor of Divine Mercy, or who, in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament exposed or reserved in the tabernacle, recite the Our Father and the Creed, adding a devout prayer to the merciful Lord Jesus”
(Apostolic Penitentiary Decree).
Last week, we looked at the mission of Jesus. We approached that topic in this way: “God became a man in order to…do what exactly?” It’s crucial that we have clarity on this matter, if we are ever going to understand the mission of the disciple and the mission of the Church. These missions are urgent in a culture that is becoming ever more divided, violent, and despairing, despite all the calls for “unity,” “tolerance,” and “progress.”
St. John Paul II once said that the result of hearing the initial ardent proclamation of the gospel should be that a person is gradually overwhelmed and brought to a decision to entrust his life to Jesus in faith (cf. Catechesi tradendae, 25). Does that actually happen? Are we overwhelmed enough by the gospel…to entirely entrust our lives to Jesus? That is a discussion for another time…but…let’s just presume that has happened. What are we supposed to do now? What’s the mission of the disciple? Or, asked another way, “Jesus sends us out in order to...do what exactly?”
The call to discipleship is a call to be with Jesus…even before it’s a call to do anything. For some inexplicable reason, God delights in our company. The Creator of a universe that is 46 billion light years across, infinitely happy, and lacking in nothing, enjoys being with us. That’s incredible news!
But…let’s turn our attention to the mission. What are we sent to do? What are we supposed to be doing with our lives until the Lord returns or we leave this world…whichever comes first? I’ve had a hard time coming up with a clear answer to this question. I think all of us have a hard time answering this question. Other than pursuing holiness and virtue, is there anything else? Having clarity on the mission of Jesus…brings clarity on our mission, as well.
Jesus tells us, “You are the light of the world...we do not light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house” (Mt 5:14-15). Who is the lamp? We are. Whose is the hand that moves the lamp? Jesus! What is the stand on which He places it? Wherever we happen to be at any given moment. And what is the house? This world in which we live.
Until next week…Happy Easter!