And Mercy Rose

it was His mercy that rose on the third day

Easter finally arrived and it seems like it was not a moment too soon. That is part of the wondrous beauty of it: God appointed a time and place from the very beginning in which to work the greatest act of mercy and love ever known. It is important to devote the same amount time as we did during Lent to ponder the Easter mysteries, because the reality of the Resurrection is nothing short of breathtaking. It affects everything we do, everything we are as God’s adopted children, how we live our lives, our eventual deaths, and our eternity. We now shift perspective: in the weeks that led up to the Resurrection we looked toward the cross and waiting tomb, and from Easter onward we look away from the cross and tomb to Easter glory. We look at the power of the Resurrection and therefore, the effect the Risen Jesus had on the disciples and the growing community. The mercy of God is central to it all, obvious in that there was no condemnation proffered by the Risen Lord
who instead wanted them to understand all He had done. It is fitting, then, that the week after Easter we celebrate the Sunday of Divine Mercy. We must remember that the entire time Jesus suffered, particularly when He was on the cross, mercy was flowing from His stricken heart: He forgave those who crucified Him, and He even granted the gift of eternal life to a criminal crucified beside Him when he asked it of the dying Jesus. It was His mercy that descended to the place of the dead and released the souls of the just, bringing them into Paradise. And it was His mercy that rose on the third day, spared the frightened guards, appeared (no doubt) to His Mother,* and then to Mary Magdalene. One cannot separate mercy from love, any more than evil could separate the Son of God from us. He conquered sin and death. Alleluia! 

---

the mercy of Jesus is evident in His first encounters with the disciples

The mercy of Jesus is evident in His first encounters with the disciples who fearfully went into hiding. When He appeared in the Upper Room, they were not yet able to grasp that He would offer mercy rather than judgment. How surprised they must have been! Therefore, it would be good to reflect upon what it must have been like for them during those days between Jesus’ death and reports of His resurrection since we, too, often struggle with mystery, especially in the face of adversity. How would we have responded to such a situation? Perhaps like the apostles at first, we might be fearful or even compare ourselves to others, judging them or bearing anger toward them. We can guess that in those first days, in addition to their fear, there may have been some resentment among them. Perhaps they initially blamed Judas for his betrayal. Some of them may have even resented John, Peter, and Mary Magdalene who claimed to see Jesus resurrected when they had not. And just as they began to let grace take hold, Jesus did appear to them, but without Thomas present. Thomas, one who was so faithful during the ministry of Jesus, subsequently went into turmoil trying to believe how it could be true. After he considered their joyful stories and perhaps had an inkling of hope, would Thomas have resented that they saw Jesus and he didn’t? We do not really know, but they were human and they had just experienced the worst time in their lives; they must have wrestled with so many conflicting emotions and thoughts, including self-recrimination due to their actions. It is probably safe to say that until Jesus appeared to all of them and breathed the Holy Spirit upon them, they were in some considerable turmoil.

---

we die to sin and rise from the waters with new life

Fear, blame, resentment, and self-recrimination all take place in the absence of mercy. Therefore, when Mercy appeared before them, that is, the Risen Jesus, all of those feelings were washed away and their spirits were flooded with the joy of grace, especially when Jesus explained everything to them. It was as if their old selves had died and their new selves were raised to life in Christ; it was a ‘baptismal moment’ just as at our Baptism when we die to sin and rise from the waters with new life and in new relationship with God our Father. The mercy of Jesus dispelled all of their inclination to be afraid, or to have resentment directed toward others or toward themselves. Instead, they were filled with courage, wisdom, humility, gratitude, joy, and love, which are the ‘offspring’ of Divine Mercy. That is, these are the graces that fill us when we allow Divine Mercy to release what needs to be emptied. 

---

it was Divine Mercy that opened the eyes of two disciples

It was Divine Mercy that opened the eyes of two disciples who were fleeing Jerusalem and heading to Emmaus. Mercy is what Jesus offered Thomas when He let Him touch His hands and side. It was mercy that Jesus offered to Peter at the Sea of Galilee when He said, “Feed my sheep.” Therefore, as the disciples of Jesus today, we need to embrace the same great gift of Mercy, not only accepting it for ourselves, but in offering it to others as the best response of love that we can offer Jesus to express gratitude for all that He did in love for us. We do not deserve it, but the nature of God’s Mercy is that it is freely given. Indeed, Mercy died on Calvary, but in victory, Mercy rose on the 3rd day and is forever offered to us. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

---

rejoice at the gift of Divine Mercy

May we rejoice at the gift of Divine Mercy! May we offer ourselves to serve Jesus as His disciples, renewed through the graces of Easter victory! And may we never fear to come before Jesus or to ask for the gift of His Divine Mercy which He lavishes upon all who ask! Let us meet in the heart of Divine Mercy! Peace!

                             ©Michele L. Catanese

* Tradition has it that Jesus appeared to His mother Mary before anyone else and that it is not recorded in Scripture because the moment would have been too personal and intimate to do so. Many theologians and saints, not the least of which was St. Ignatius of Loyola, believed that this encounter took place as such.

Final note: I must mention St. Faustina, the great saint of Divine Mercy insofar as Jesus appeared to her over a number of years explaining Divine Mercy and asked her to promulgate it. Her diary, known as The Diary of St. Faustina Kowalska, contains description of these appearances and all that Jesus told her. Of course, we cannot forget St. Pope John Paul II who established the Sunday after Easter as the liturgical feast of Divine Mercy. 

Images:
1. My photo of a Resurrection icon given to me as a gift. 
2. Icon, The Risen Lord Appears to St. Thomas, by Fr. William Hart McNichols. If you are interested in obtaining a copy, it can be found at https://fineartamerica.com/featured/the-risen-lord-appears-to-st-thomas-257-william-hart-mcnichols.html.
3. Photo, Sunrise Over the Red Sea, unknown photographer.
​4. Painting, Taking the Backroad, by Kim Casebeer.
5. Painting, Divine Mercy, "Jesus I Trust in You." This painting was made based on a vision of Jesus experienced by St. Faustina. In the vision Jesus instructed her to have it made.
Note: In compliance with GDPR rules, I wish to make it clear that I do not gather any information on any of my readers at any time. 

---