Homily For The Second Sunday Of Easter (Divine Mercy), Year C.

 Acts 5:12-16; Psalm 118:2-4. 12-15, 22-24; Apocalypse 1:9-13, 17-19; John 20:19-31.

 “THE MERCY OF GOD THAT BRINGS PEACE!”

         By: Rev. Fr. Charles Onyeka Ezejide

• Happy Easter to you all!

• As we rejoice in Christ rising from the dead, we commend the soul of our Holy Father, Pope Francis to the power of Christ resurrection. May Christ whom he so passionately served raise him up and grant him eternal rest.

• Continue to rejoice, for through the death and resurrection of Jesus our debt of sin has been paid in full and the corresponding punishment for our sins blotted out. We are an Easter people, and Alleluia is our song! May the redemption and joy which flows from this Easter season remain with us now and forever. Amen!

• Today, the church puts before us; for our reflection, the Divine Mercy of God that should bring us peace and inspire us for actions and works of mercy. The Sunday following the Easter Sunday celebration has been solemnly proclaimed by Pope Johnpaul II in the year 2000 as the Divine Mercy Sunday, to celebrate the boundless and priceless mercy of God. It is a great opportunity for us to reflect on God’s loving mercy for us, and how we ought to respond to it.

• When celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday, the faithful are called to reflect more personally on the graces won through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In this way, our hearts may be more fully aware of the mercy of God for us personally, and for the sake of the world.

• Mercy and love are the testimonies of the risen Christ. It is a continuation and spreading of the blood and water which gushed forth from the heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us. There is a divine command on us to let that mercy of God flow to the utmost bound of the world. When we move around as those redeemed by the blood of Christ, we are to carry on the message of God’s mercy and forgiveness, no matter how difficult it seems.

• The disciples betrayed Jesus – they ran away just when he needed them the most. And now they were huddled together in one room, with the doors locked, for fear of the Jews. But what really troubled them was the news about the resurrection of their Master. They were ashamed to face him and afraid to be reprimanded by him. But when he appeared to them, he did not have any trace of bitterness, anger, or accusation against them.

• His greeting was, “Peace!” Then he breathed on them the Holy Spirit, and gave them the power to forgive others as well. Some of them, especially Thomas, entertained doubts, but Jesus patiently led him to the truth of his resurrection. There was no reprimand and condemnation, only an abundance of mercy, forgiveness, and love.

• What is truly amazing is that this experience of forgiveness and mercy from the Risen Lord moved and inspired his followers to do likewise. In the first reading (Acts 5:12-16), we hear about the wonders done by the apostles in the name of Christ out of mercy for those who are suffering (corporal and spiritual works of mercy). And through the service of the Church, this has continued to this day, in the world. Sinners receive God’s mercy and pardon through the sacrament of reconciliation in the Church.

• A Countless number of us visited various hospitals, orphanages, and various charitable institutions established by the Catholic Church as concrete expressions of the mercy of God for the poor and the underprivileged during this Easter season. That is exactly what it ought to be.

• But as we look around us, the picture is not that encouraging. It is so sad to see Christians hurting one another, being caught up in the vicious circle of violence and vengeance, instead of reconciliation and peace. Indeed, selfishness has made us callous and insensitive to the needs and pains of others. Our proud egos have made our hearts hard and unforgiving to people who wronged us. In short, we are so far from the Gospel values of love, mercy, and forgiveness. Now, more than ever in the Church and in the world, we need mercy.

• The resurrection of Jesus is essentially linked to his great mercy; his victory is the fruit of his Passion. That is why, in his appearances after his resurrection, Jesus showed his hands pierced by the nails, and his side torn open by the soldier’s lance; and from which flowed out blood and water. He purposely did not erase these cruel wounds as concrete proofs of his great mercy for the entire humanity, that won our victory over sin and death.

• As we celebrate the resurrection of Christ, we too must pierce our ego, pierce our stubborn habits of unforgiveness, and pierce our insensitivity to the plight of the poor and needy. We must put on the apron of love, mercy, and forgiveness. We must enliven the mercy of God in our society, because where there is mercy and forgiveness there is peace!

• The first greeting and gift of Jesus to his disciples is ‘peace’, despite the fact that some betrayed him, some denied him, and many others ran away. We too having triumphed with Christ must now go about preaching that forgiveness and mercy; bringing peace to all around us. We must be ready to allow the resurrection of Christ calm our anger and frustration. We must be ready to offer people a second chance, and we must be ready to begin to trust again. We must be ready to allow the blood and water which flowed from the side of Jesus clean us from every bitterness and pain.

• When we refuse to forgive or to show God’s mercy, we are not at peace with ourselves, we are not at peace with God, and we are not at peace with friends and neighbours. After the resurrection, ‘peace’ was the first gift of God to us, hence we must forgive to have that peace; because the measure of mercy we show is the measure of peace we receive.

• And so, we joyfully sing in the Responsorial Psalm: “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting.” In some translations, it says, “For his mercy endures forever.” Love and mercy are one and the same. The other name for love is mercy, when it is directed towards sinners, the rejected and the unlovable. Mercy is what the world and the Church need now more than ever. It is the only effective way to reconcile, unity and peace.

• As Christians, we are the light of the world. We are not supposed to be hidden. We ought to be seen and known as bearers of the light. In this world enveloped by the darkness of the culture of death, where materialism and egoism reign supreme, let us be shining examples of God’s love and mercy. Jesus said: “Your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father” (Mt. 5:16).

• Dear friends in Christ, because Jesus has risen, we are not left alone. Because Christ has overcome death, our own grief at death is broken. Because Jesus has come back from the dead, the pain of our loss is healed. We are not left as orphans because Christ is alive in His Church. Just as Thomas touched Christ’s wounds, so we touch the same life-giving wounds of Christ in the sacraments, above all in the Eucharist. From the altar we too receive our Lord and our God, the Living One whom Thomas touched, the One who took flesh for our sake, to heal us.

• May God the alpha and omega grant us the heart to be merciful as the heavenly father and that we may enter his peace both now and forever, Amen!

• Happy Sunday!!!