Weekly Reflection

- Weekly Reflection from Father Patrick
  
  2^nd Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday) Year C
  
  "A soul does not benefit as it should from the sacrament of confession if it is not humble. Pride keeps it in darkness. The soul neither knows how, nor is it willing, to probe with precision the depths of its own misery. It puts on a mask and avoids everything that might bring it recovery." St. Faustina Diary #113
  
  In today's first reading, many believed in the name of Jesus because of the apostles preaching and healing. In the second reading, St John narrates seeing the risen Lord who was dead but now alive. The gospel reading tells of Jesus's appearance to His apostles as he authorizes them through the Holy Spirit to forgive sins.
  
  The gospel reading points to today's reflection on God's mercy. Jesus empowers His Apostles to forgive sins. In the sacrament of penance, through the priests acting in the person of Christ, we receive God's pardon. On April 30, 2000, at the canonization of St. Faustina, Pope John Paul II declared the second Sunday of Easter as the Divine Mercy Sunday. This second Sunday of Easter invites us to gaze on God's mercy, pray for souls in purgatory, and trust in His mercy. Also, it is a day to share God's mercy and live it. Often, we find it difficult to forgive one another. As challenging as it is to forgive, we learn from the life of St. John Paul II, who pardoned a brother, Mehmet Ali Ağca, who attempted to kill him.
  
  God's mercy is the antidote to sin and fear. His nature is mercy. God's mercy cripples every fear and breeds peace; hence Jesus' first word to His disciple is, "Peace be with you." Only in Jesus, the Prince of Peace is peace and freedom guaranteed. In all these events, Thomas seeks to see the scars of Jesus as evidence. Jesus comes to show us He is the "Super-Scar" and not the "super-star" of our salvation. Therefore, we must seek the "Super-Scar" for healing because, by His wounds, we are healed.
  
  As we celebrate God's Divine Mercy, let us live the life of ABC: Ask for God's mercy because we constantly need His forgiveness. B – Be merciful just as our heavenly Father is merciful to us. C – Completely trust in God because the more we trust God, the more we receive from Him. JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU.
  
  Catechism of the Catholic Church
  CCC 2447: - The works of mercy are charitable actions for the aid of our neighbor in his or her spiritual and bodily necessities. Instructing, advising, consoling, comforting are spiritual works of mercy, as are forgiving and bearing wrongs patiently. The corporal works of mercy consist especially in feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead. Among all these, giving alms to the poor is one of the chief wit- nesses to fraternal charity; it is also a work of justice pleasing to God.
- Weekly Reflection Archive
  
  Easter Sunday
  
  "Faith in the resurrection of Jesus says that there is a future for every human being; the cry for unending life which is a part of the person is indeed answered. God exists that is the real message of Easter. Anyone who even begins to grasp what this means also knows what it means to be redeemed." Pope Benedict XVI
  
  In today's first reading, Peter boldly testified to the resurrection of Christ by telling the story of how Jesus was arrested, crucified, and resurrected. The resurrection of Christ gave Peter the confidence to proclaim the events fearlessly. He challenged the crowd to believe in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. In the second reading, St. Paul urged us to live like the resurrected people and focus on what is of the above. And in the gospel reading, Mary Magdala invited the apostles to encounter the empty tomb.
  
  The season of Lent is over. The anticipated passion of Christ has ended with His resurrection. Jesus has conquered the power of sin and darkness. We rejoice and are glad. The celebration of Easter is the most remarkable event in the Catholic Church. Our gathering today takes its root in the resurrection of Christ. Because of His resurrection, the title Christian is meaningful. Easter celebration assures us of our trust and hope in Jesus. Through His resurrection, we are confident of following the right path. Christ fulfilled his promise to rise after three days in the tomb. Thus, His resurrection reassures us of our resurrection.
  
  As we celebrate the most incredible feast of the Church, let us, like the apostles, witness to the resurrected Christ. And as St. Paul encouraged us in today's second reading, we must continue to think of what is above and not on earth. We must live like the people of the resurrection.
  
  Happy Easter. Keep the celebration till Pentecost Sunday, which is 50 days from Easter.
  
  Catechism of the Catholic Church
  CCC 638: - We bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this day he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus. The Resurrection of Jesus is the crowning truth of our faith in Christ, a faith believed and lived as the central truth by the first Christian community; handed on as fundamental by Tradition; established by the documents of the New Testament; and preached as an essential part of the Paschal mystery along with the cross:
  Christ is risen from the dead!
  Dying, he conquered death;
  To the dead, he has given life.
- Year A - Matthew's Gospel