It’s God’s wonderful mercy!

Today we celebrate the second Sunday of Easter, which the Church dedicates to the Divine Mercy. Actually, the Bible is a story that tells us about God’s mercy to all people. It is not enough for us to celebrate God's mercy once a year. We have to remember God's mercy during every moment of our life. Why? Because we need this mercy constantly in our lives; because we have to accept the mercy of Jesus, which is a gift of love. But a gift is not received if it is not accepted. Jesus told us: "I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing." ( Jn 15: 5 )

When we receive a gift, it is a sign of good manners to thank the giver. Are we good mannered with Jesus? Do we thank Him for His mercy? Do we participate in the Mass as a sign of gratitude? There are many people who only know how to ask for things but do not know how to thank and praise. Perhaps, they are not true Christians?

Today's Gospel tells us how Jesus showed himself to his disciples on the Sunday of his resurrection. The doors of the house where the disciples met were closed because they were afraid of the Jews. I believe that the disciples were also confused and ashamed because they had betrayed their Master. They were sad! In the room where they met, the disciples were definitely talking about what had happened, about the passion and death of Jesus, and also about their apparently frustrated hope of resurrection.

In this loaded atmosphere Jesus came, stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" These words were not just a greeting, a pleasant way of saying “Hello!” He really wanted to bring peace to their troubled hearts and minds.  He wanted to assure them that their sins were forgiven. He wanted them to forgive themselves and to live in peace. 

Many people find it difficult to forgive themselves and some even think that God will not forgive them. This is too bad because God always forgives those who seek forgiveness. He wants all of us to live in peace. Jesus himself reminded his disciples what is written in the Holy Scriptures: “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things" ( Luke 24. 46-48 ). 

The disciples of Jesus are not only witnesses of the resurrection of Christ; they are also co-workers with Christ. After his greeting, he breathed on them and told them: "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained”. Forgiveness of sins, in fact, is a kind of resurrection, because confession proclaims the death of the sins committed. It cleanses our hearts and gives us a new life.

Why did Jesus give this power to his disciples? He did not want to pronounce forgiveness only to the apostles. In his mercy, Jesus knew that all of us sinners need to hear words of consolation and forgiveness. Priests pronounce these words in the name of Christ, through the power he gave to the community of disciples, his Church, on the day of his resurrection.

Confession then is the first Easter gift that Jesus gave to the community of the faithful. It is very important that we accept and appreciate this gift and use it frequently in order to keep our hearts clean and healthy. In this way, we can live in peace during our life on earth with a very strong hope of salvation, when the time arrives for us to leave this world.

Let us thank the Lord for his mercy. He offers us forgiveness of sins at any moment we need it. Let us ask him the grace to be able and truthful to say with St. Thomas: "My Lord and my God!" and to hear Jesus tell us: “Blessed are you who have not seen and yet have come to believe."