Shikrot Mpwi – Sunday Synopsis with Fr. Justine J. Dyikuk
Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday) – April 07, 2024.
Readings: Acts 4:32-35; Ps 117:2-4.15-18.22-24; 1 John 5:1-6; Gospel – John 20:19-31.
Theme: Mercy As Post-Easter Mandate!
Sunday Synopsis
Our first reading details that the whole group of believers were united in heart and soul as they had everything in common. In the second reading, John reveals that only Jesus who came by water, blood and spirit testifies to the truth and has conquered the world. The gospel recounts how Jesus appeared to the Apostles on the first day of the week with a message of peace, thrice. After showing them his hands and his side, the Disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord. Like Sr. Faustina, we are charged to embrace the Easter mandate of being ambassadors of God’s mercy and peace!
Introduction
Friends in Christ, as an Easter people, the Alleluia mandate is one that we are still excited about. While the busiest week in the Church’s liturgical calendar has come and gone, the Second Sunday of Easter, also referred to as Divine Mercy Sunday, points to the unfathomable mercies of God. In the spirit of today’s liturgy, I would like us to reflect on the theme: “Mercy as Post-Easter Mandate.” I hope this message urges us to be Disciples of God’s mercies even as we proclaim the resurrection by being ambassadors of mercy and peace.
Background & Summary of the Readings
Our first reading (Acts 5:12-16) details that the whole group of believers were united in heart and soul as they owned everything in common. It narrates how they were given respect because they testified to the resurrection with power. No one was in want as those who had property sold them and brought the money to the apostles to distribute it to members who needed it.
In the second reading (1 Jn. 5:1-6), John states that only Jesus who came by water, blood and spirit testifies to the truth and conquered the world. It urges all to keep God’s commandments through a robust faith as his children who have been adopted.
The gospel (John 20:19-31) recounts how Jesus appeared to the apostles on the first day of the week with a message of peace three times. While she showed them his hands and his side, the disciples were filled with joy at seeing him – he then breathed on them and gave them the power to forgive sins. Jesus would appear again to challenge Thomas, who was absent when he visited to doubt no longer but believe.
Thomas’ profession of faith – “My Lord and My God” made Jesus exclaim: “You believe because you have seen me, happy are those who have not seen, yet believe.” The text states that there were many other things that Jesus did that were not recorded in the bible, but these were written so that we might believe that Jesus is the Son of God and by believing, we might gain eternal life. This leads us to the message of mercy.
Sr. Faustina and Divine Mercy
Sr. Faustina Kowalska who received the message of Divine Mercy was described by Pope John Paul II as “a gift of God for our time” and “to the whole Church.” He made this assertion in his sermon on the canonisation of Sister Faustina on 30 April 2000 while reminding the world about his great joy in presenting the life and witness of Sr. Faustina.
He recalled the words of Jesus to Sr. Faustina: “Humanity will not find peace until it turns trustfully to divine mercy.” The Holy Father also stated that “through the work of the Polish religious, this message has become linked forever to the 20th century, the last of the second millennium and the bridge to the third. It is not a new message but can be considered a gift of special enlightenment that helps us to relive the Gospel of Easter more intensely, to offer it as a ray of light to the men and women of our time.”
Pastoral Lessons
1. Be Merciful: On Divine Mercy Sunday, we are charged to be merciful like the Father whose mercy is boundless as revealed by God to St. Faustina.
2. Rely on God’s Mercy: Those who have been hurt by others and have lost the sense of divine mercy are charged to rely on God’s unfathomable divine touch which can transform their hearts and lives to bring inner renewal.
3. Stick to the Healing Ministry: As a contemporary Church, we are urged to keep the steam of the healing ministry of Jesus by paying attention to the sick and those troubled by evil spirits rather than the trend of talking only about mega-churches and money without corresponding compassion.
4. Be Ambassadors of Peace: By emphasizing “Peace be with you” three times, Jesus challenges world leaders especially the UN Security Council to mark concerted efforts at ending the war in Ukraine and Gaza even as we are charged to ensure peace in our hearts, homes and communities.
5. Hold fast to the Sacred Church’s tradition: Amid the pedestrian theology of sola scriptura (scriptures only), the gospel reminds us that the bible is not a literature book that contains all that Jesus did but rather, it points to Sacred Tradition when it insists that “these few were written for us to believe and so have everlasting life.”
Summary Lines
1. Our first reading details that the whole group of believers was united in heart and soul as they had everything in common.
2. In the second reading, John states that only Jesus who came by water, blood and spirit testifies to the truth and conquered the world.
3. It urges all to keep God’s commandments through a robust faith as his children have been adopted.
4. The gospel recounts how Jesus appeared to the apostles on the first day of the week with a message of peace, thrice.
5. While she shows them his hands and his side, the disciples are filled with joy at seeing him.
Conclusion
Sr. Faustina reminds us to keep a date with the Lord every three o’clock – the hour of mercy. Today, we are encouraged to recite the Chaplet of Divine Mercy daily. By displaying the Portrait of Divine Mercy in our homes and Churches, we become disciples of mercy who are challenged to live justly and act mercifully. It behoves one and all to translate God’s mercy into concrete action aimed at bringing others to Christ. In our homes, places of work, Church and world, we are charged to always recall the pious words of Pope John Paul II: “The light of divine mercy, which the Lord in a way wished to return to the world through Sr. Faustina’s charism, will illumine the way for the men and women of the third millennium” and beyond – For the sake of his sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and the whole world
