Homily (2) Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday) ABC: Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Homily (2) Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday) ABC: Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Readings: Acts 2:42-47; Ps 118:2-4,13-15,22-24; 1 Pet 1:3-9 (A); Acts 4:32-35; 1 John 5:1-6 (B); Acts 5:12-16; Rev 1:9-11a, 12-13,17-19 (C) and John 20:19-31(ABC)

Christ-Conduits of Divine Mercy!

Today the Church celebrates “Divine Mercy Sunday” which commemorates Jesus’ revelations to Saint Faustina on the Divine Mercy.  Blessed Pope John Paul II whose canonization is today ( April 27, 2014) along –side Blessed John XXIII,  granted this Feast to the Universal Church on the occasion of his raising Sr. Faustina, a young Polish woman to Sainthood on April 30, 2000 and was decreed to be celebrated on the 2nd Sunday of Easter. 

(As you all know from May 12-20, 2014 I will be privileged to lead a spiritual pilgrimage to Poland. We hope to visit Lagiewniki- where the message of the Divine Mercy originated- particularly the Sanctuary where image of the Merciful Jesus and the relics of Saint Faustina are housed).

 Today is a special day and a unique Sunday for us in the Church to contemplate, celebrates the saintly virtues of Blessed John XXIII, the Pope who convoked the Vatican II, and those of John Paul II. Both of these men imitated Christ very closely in their ministries courageous evangelization and sufferings.

 Ultimately, today is a teaching Sunday when we are invited to embrace Christ’s enthronement on the Cross, his Resurrection and his multiple appearances to his seemingly disillusioned and doubting disciples  as nothing, but acts of love and divine mercy towards us. Christ went to the cross freely to save us! (Song- "all the way to Calvary... went for us..."). Peter in the Second reading, particularly of Year A recognizes this when he says,

“Blessed be the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead….in this your rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through trials….” (1 Pet 1:3-9).

 Christ’s disciples, particularly those who lived through the events and the trials of Palm Sunday to Easter needed the power of Christ’s Peace to calm their fears and be strengthened in the supernatural gifts of faith and fortitude through the Holy Spirit., wherever they were hiding for fear of the "Jews."

 I am sure we still recall the other day, in Luke Chapter 24: 13-35, at Emmaus, when Jesus walked besides Cleopas and his friend on their return from Jerusalem, clouded in sad conversation they did not recognized Jesus until the Risen Christ spent time breaking bread with them. Besides, walking with his disciples, or breaking bread with them in other appearances, he ate baked fish with them (Lk 24:35-48) and also gave them encouraging instruction by the beach at the Sea of Tiberias (John 21:1-14)

Today again in John 20:19-31 the Risen Lord appears to the restless and frightened disciples with blessings of Peace (Shalom)! He breathed on them and commissions them on preaching mission with the power to forgive sins, “whose sins you forgive are forgiven them and whose sins you retain are retained” (John 20:23).

On a day like this, Divine Mercy Sunday, I would think that Our Lord encourages us to be merciful to one another, in our homes, families and communities, and to continue to appreciate the gift of the sacrament of reconciliation in the Church. And when this celebration in done in a Seminary, a house of formation of future priest for our parishes and dioceses we cannot but continue to pray for our priests and would be priests to see themselves as ministers of Divine Mercy.  And this is confirm in the 2011’s document from the Congregation for the Clergy, The Priest, Minister of Divine Mercy….p. 3 which says, ‘the priest is a minister, that is to say that he is at the same time both a servant and a prudent dispenser of Divine Mercy…”

 The Holy Father, Pope Benedict the XVI in his 2010 Pastoral Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, which is also applicable to every priests and anyone who have wrong others, “not to be “despair of God’s Mercy,” that “Christ’s redeeming sacrifice has the power to forgive even the gravest of sins, and to bring forth good from even the most terrible evil.”

Divine Mercy is sufficient unto each of us, all the disciples- mom, dad, children, clergy, priests, Seminarians, as it was for all men, and women we hear in Scriptures.

 Besides  the call to be merciful, Christ blesses us with peace and invites us like Thomas to touch his wounds (John 20:19-31); wounds that  would heal Thomas’ wounds of disbelief and faithlessness; wounds that replaces lack of peace with Peace of Christ; wounds that replaces the spirit of darkness with God’s Spirit of Light. Christ’s wounds, a catalyst for testimony of the healing truth, courage, unlimited mercy and the spreading of the inexhaustible love and peace of Christ.  Thomas touches wounds of love, faith and unity; wounds that would empower peace, communion, the sharing (konoinia) and the preaching of the early Christian Community. Of course, shalom implies our neighbor’s well-being. Wishing our neighbor peace and is not only a sign of compassion and mercy, but also of the communion and togetherness of the early Christian Community.

This Spirit of Communion is exhibited in the first reading of today, Acts of the Apostle which says; “All who believed were together… (as we are today in this church) they devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life (Konoinia), breaking of bread and praying together….” (Acts 2:42-47).  Moreover, “They were of one heart and mind and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common…they bore witness to the Resurrection of Christ…” (Acts 4:32-35).

Like Thomas, Mary Magdalene, Peter, Cleopas, and the Eleven Disciples we all do have moments of doubt, uncertainties, confusions, disbelief, hopelessness, selfishness and frustrations.  Conscious also of those moments we might have acted uncharitably or mercilessly towards our neighbors, we are invited today to deep our hands into those wounds of Christ!  And be filled with faith and strengthen by Christ, our wounded healer! 

The Eucharist we daily celebrate provides us a fitting opportunity to deep our fingers into these wounds of Christ.  As we come up today to receive, May we be strengthen with mercy, peace, love (1 John 5:1-6), hope (1 Pet 1:3-9), faith and unity to say with Thomas “my Lord and My God.”   

And may our families, streets and neighborhoods, churches and workplaces continue to be true channels and conduits of Divine Mercy and a source of faith and love in the Risen Christ.

 

 

Homily (2) Alternate- Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy) ABC:  Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo

Readings: Acts 2:42-47; Ps 118:2-4,13-15,22-24; 1 Pet 1:3-9 (A); Acts 4:32-35; 1 John 5:1-6 (B); Acts 5:12-16; Rev 1:9-11a, 12-13,17-19 (C) and John 20:19-31(ABC)

Deeping our Hands into the Wounds of Christ!

 From Easter Sunday to Pentecost the Church celebrates those fifty days that the Risen Jesus goes around by his appearances strengthening the faith of his “seemingly” disillusioned disciples over the events of the victory of the Cross; that supernatural event beyond the powers of Anna, Caiaphas, the Sanhedrin and Pilate other opponents of Jesus. Even it took a while, for friends of Christ, his mother, Mary Magdalene, his disciples, the apostles, especially Thomas, being human like any of us to come to  terms with the mystery of the Resurrection (John 20:24-29). He needed to deep his hands in his wounds!

 They needed the power of Christ’s Peace to calm their fears and be strengthened in the supernatural gifts of faith and fortitude by the Holy Spirit, wherever they were hiding for fear of persecution. You will recall the other day, in Luke Chapter 24: 13-35, at Emmaus, when Jesus walked besides Cleopas and his friend on their return from Jerusalem, clouded in sad conversation they did not recognized Jesus until the Risen Christ spent time breaking bread with them. Besides, walking with his disciples, or breaking bread with them in other appearances, he ate baked fish with them ( Lk 24:35-48) and also gave them encouraging instruction by the beach at the Sea of Tiberias (John 21:1-14)

In today’s Gospel the Risen Lord appears to his disciples in their hiding place. He brings them peace (shalom). He wishes them well. He inquires about their well-being.  He encourages them not to be afraid. He  invites Thomas to touch his wounds (John 20:19-31); wounds that  would heal Thomas’ wounds of disbelief and faithlessness; wounds that replaces lack of peace with the Peace(shalom) of Christ; wounds that replaces the spirit of darkness with God’s Spirit of Light. Thomas touches wounds of testimony to the healing truth, courage, unlimited mercy and inexhaustible love of Christ.

It is this Divine Mercy that we celebrate today which Christ gave us through Sister Faustina. Blessed Pope John Paul II whose canonization is today (April 27, 2014), along –side with the Blessed John XXIII, granted this Feast to the Universal Church on the occasion of his raising Sr. Faustina, a young Polish woman to Sainthood on April 30, 2000 and was decreed to be celebrated on the 2nd Sunday of Easter. 

(As you all know from May 12-20, 2014 I will be blessed with a privilege to lead a spiritual pilgrimage to Poland. We hope to visit Lagiewniki- where the message of the Divine Mercy originated- particularly the Sanctuary where image of the Merciful Jesus and the relics of Saint Faustina are housed).

 Ultimately, today is a teaching Sunday that invites us to embrace Christ’s enthronement on the Cross and his ultimate Resurrection. The wounds we experience in life for the sake of Christ are temporary. Peter in the Second reading, reminds us of this when he says;

“Blessed be the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead….in this your rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through trials….” (1 Pet 1:3-9).

Our identification with the wounds of Christ gives us a new birth of living hope, courage, peace, love and unity. It empowers our communion, forgiving spirit and inspire our sharing in the spirit of the early believing Christian community. We are told in the first reading about this community that, “All who believed were together… (as we are today in this church) they devoted themselves to teaching of the apostles and to the communal life (Konoinia), breaking of bread and praying together….” (Acts 2:42-47).

Moreover, “They were of one heart and mind and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. With great power the Apostles bore witness to the Resurrection of Christ…” (Acts 4:32-35).

 The two great saints, John XXIII and John Paul II canonized today in Rome, though humans, touched the wounds of the Risen Christ in their various ministries.

Thomas, in today’s Gospel also finally touched the wounds of Christ. But prior this like, Mary Magdalene, Peter, Cleopas, and other disciples, Thomas had his own long and protracted moments of doubt, uncertainties, confusions, disbelief, hopeless and frustrations.

 Today, in our own different situations we have our own moments to belief or not to belief, moments to be merciful to our neighbors or to be nasty to them, moments to love or not to love, moments to forgive or not to forgive, and moments to promote peace and unit or to sow division. Conscious of these moments we are invited today to deep our hands into those wounds of Christ!  And be faith- filled, healed and strengthen by Christ our wounded healer and source of Divine Mercy.

May the Eucharist we celebrate and receive today be a source of strength for us. May Saints Faustina, John XXIII and John Paul II intercede for us in our struggle to love, to forgive, to be merciful and love others as the Risen Christ as first loved us.