Every Sunday, Bishop Edward Malesic writes a Scripture reflection for the faithful. Follow the bishop on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Click HERE for the readings.
The risen Jesus came to his disciples who were behind locked door because they were afraid. They were afraid of being found out by the same people who put Jesus to death. They must have also had the fear of God because they knew that most of them had not stood with Jesus at the time of his arrest and crucifixion.
Jesus returned to them, but — perhaps to their surprise — he did not scold them for their betrayal. He offered them words of comfort: “Peace be with you.” He replaced their fear with his mercy. Then he breathed on them and filled them with the Holy Spirit of God, the Spirit of love. He next empowered them to forgive the sins of others, “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them.” He sent them out as ambassadors of this Gospel of compassion, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
We can be filled with anxiety ourselves, afraid of so many things. Jesus tells us, “Peace be with you.” We can feel oppressed by our sins, past and present. Guilt can keep us from moving forward. Jesus says to us, “I forgive you”. Jesus wants to give us his mercy.
Then Jesus sends us out. Every believer is sent to be a witness in the world. In Confirmation we received the gift of the Holy Spirit so that we could be effective ambassadors of Jesus Christ, risen from the dead.
Today on Divine Mercy Sunday, we remember how good God has been to us. He has given us Jesus. Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has given us the gifts to be good witnesses of the Gospel. We thank God for all He has done for us. We are especially grateful for God’s mercy.
We are thankful that we can confess with Thomas, “My Lord and my God!” We tell others that we have found Jesus, who is our peace and our forgiveness.
Ultimately, we must say the prayer found at the bottom of the famous Divine Mercy image given to Saint Faustina: “Jesus, I trust in you.”
Have a blessed week everyone.