Divine Mercy Sunday
Acts 5:12-16
Apo 1:9-11,12-13,17-1
Jn 20:19-31
“Peace be with you”
What’s one of the sure-fire ways to know if someone is Catholic? Simply go up to them and say, “Peace be with you”. If the response, “And also with you” comes immediately…Voila! That person is Catholic.
It is ironic how this phrase is so freely shared at Mass, yet just 10 minutes after Mass has ended, there are arguments and angry drivers trying to navigate their way out of the church’s carpark. Do we just pay lip service and not mean what we say? Is the sharing of a peace greeting so superficial? How do we feel when the sign of peace is shared with us?
I also wonder how the disciples felt when Jesus appeared to them and his first words were “Peace be with you.” He didn’t exclaim, “Hi friends!!”, or “I’m back!!” or even “Surprise!! It’s me!” Were the disciples filled with fear, for they themselves knew that Jesus was crucified and died just a few days before? Perhaps there was even a sense of guilt, since many of them ‘abandoned’ Jesus during his Passion and death.
I believe that Jesus wanted to give them the assurance that all was well, and so the greeting was to tell them that He forgave them, and that all of them had been reconciled with Him — that their moment of weakness wasn’t something that Jesus held on to. He made their relationship whole again.
On this Divine Mercy Sunday, the Church gives us this reading, reinforcing that God truly wants to have a whole relationship with us. It is only through His mercy that we can truly enjoy this. To share with Him our joys, our struggles, our hopes and our worries. God’s Mercy is like a well that can never run dry. Even if we feel like we have abandoned Him — through our sins — He will always welcome us back, if we desire it, through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Much has been written about this Sacrament of forgiveness — about how effective it is and how liberating it can be. But it is still not easy to approach the confessional booths. When I queue up for a confession before Mass, part of me silently wills the queue to be faster, but another part of me hopes that the priest will come out and say, “Sorry, I have to celebrate Mass now”.
But the first step needs to be made – to consciously want to turn to God and ask for His mercy and forgiveness. Once I take that first step, I pray for Our Lady’s intercession and for the Holy Spirit to guide my heart and make a good confession.
And when I receive the priest’s absolution, I know that it is Christ himself that has forgiven my sins and that I can faintly hear Him saying, “Peace be with you.”
(Today’s OXYGEN by Calvin Wee)
Prayer: You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty yourself out upon us. O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of Mercy for us, I trust in you! Amen. (Sr Faustina Kowalska)
Thanksgiving: All merciful Father, we bless and praise you for the gift of our Faith. Thank you for always giving us the opportunities to love you more, to trust you more and to seek your Mercy, We know that we are unworthy, but You can make us worthy through Your Mercy in whom we always have access to through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
OXYGEN 
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