Divine Mercy and propagation of Faith
My Dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
When Jesus appears to His apostles, he says to them, "Peace be with you." They were not at peace. In the second reading, we hear Our Lord say, "Do not be afraid." Why should we be afraid? The only reason we would be afraid, the only reason we would not be at peace is because we don’t trust Jesus. In our heads, we know; but in our hearts, we don’t accept.
Today the Church celebrates Divine Mercy Sunday. The mercy of God is greater than anything we can do; that is what Our Lord wants us to know. He wants, more than anything, to forgive our sins.
What is the worst thing anybody could ever do? Saint Therese of Lisieux tell us, that is like one little drop of water in the ocean of God’s mercy. The worst thing, the biggest thing that we could ever commit is like one little drop of water in the ocean because God’s mercy is infinite. His love for you is infinite; it is beyond anything we could ever grasp or imagine. As big as our sins might be, they are nothing for the Lord. If you have confessed the sin, it is gone, it is not there anymore.
In his book, A Forgiving God in an Unforgiving World, Ron Lee Davis tells the true story of a priest in the Philippines, a much- loved man of God who carried the burden of a secret sin he had committed many years before. He had repented but still had no peace about it. In his parish was a woman who deeply loved God and who claimed to have visions in which she spoke with Christ. The priest, however, was skeptical about that. To test her he said, "The next time you speak with Christ, ask him what sin I committed while I was in the high school." The woman agreed. A few days later the priest asked, "Well, did Christ visit you in your dreams?" "Yes, he did," she replied. "And did you ask him what sin I committed back in high school?" "Yes." "And what did he say?" She smiled and answered, "Christ said, 'I don't remember. '"
We need to learn to trust in Jesus. Trust is one of the most difficult areas in the spiritual life to develop because it will only grow by doing it. One night in 1935, Fiorello H. La Guardia, mayor of New York, showed up at a night court in the poorest ward of the city. He dismissed the judge for the evening and took over the bench. One case involved an elderly woman who was caught stealing bread to feed her grandchildren. La Guardia said, "I've got to punish you. Ten dollars or ten days in jail."
As he spoke, he threw $10 into his hat. He then fined everyone in the courtroom 50 cents for living in a city "where an old woman had to steal bread so that her grandchildren should not starve." The hat was passed around, and the woman left the courtroom with her fine paid and an additional $47.50.
Our Lord told Sr. Faustina, “The first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must be also acts of mercy... I demand from you deeds of mercy which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it.” (#742)
Once the late Cardinal Hickey of Washington D.C. appealed to the community to support the Archdiocesan program for the homeless. He was asked, 'Why is this the work of the Church? Are these people Catholic'?' Cardinal Hickey replied, 'We shelter the homeless not because they are Catholic, but because we are Catholic. We shelter the homeless, we feed the hungry we educate the young, and we care for the sick because we believe we are sheltering, feeding, educating and caring for Jesus.' Yes, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I am here today to remind you about our mission as catholic. About our duty to recognize Christ in others. If you take first words of this sentence “My Eyes recognize Christ in You.” You get the word Mercy.
We are called to be missionaries by our sacrament of baptism. Through the offering of Catholics worldwide, the Propagation of the Faith provides ongoing support for the pastoral and evangelizing programs of the Catholic Church in Africa, Asia, the islands of the pacific and remote regions of Latin America. This includes aid for the education and support of seminarians, religious novices and lay catechists; for the work of religious communities in education, health care and social services; for communication and transportation needs and for disaster and emergency relief when necessary. Help them to help others.
I am sure that you are very generous. There is nothing big or nothing small in giving, even a small sacrifice you make today for the Missions in the world will prayerfully be remembered by someone who is in utter need of your help. Mother Theresa teaches us "None of us can do anything great on our own, but we can all do a small thing with great love." Whatever small things we can do, God will take them and fit them into his own big picture.
Before the Mass started, someone told me Father if you make it short we will make it up for you. I will end up with a true story.
One day one Mother and a child were walking home after their weekend outing. They buy their dinner packet when they come home. The pious mother was teaching the child about God’s mercy and abundant love and if she needs anything, she could ask God and God will send the angels to help her. On their way back home from an evening walk, the child saw a poor man fighting with a dog to get his meal from a waste barrel. She felt sorry for this poor man and asked her mother “Mummy, why didn’t God send an Angel to help this poor man to find a meal a day?” Mummy said, “Honey who told you God did not sent an Angel today? He send you today to be an Angel for this poor Man. Take our dinner packet; go to him and be an angel for him today!” Dear brothers and sisters, Are you ready to become an Angel for someone who is utterly need of help?
On behalf of the Propagation of faith, I would like to thank you all very sincerely for your prayers and generous contributions. I promise my prayers for all the members of this parish especially for all those who are grievously and seriously ill, and suffering from desperate hardships in their daily lives. I thank you all once again for your patient attention; may God bless you all.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
My Dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
When Jesus appears to His apostles, he says to them, "Peace be with you." They were not at peace. In the second reading, we hear Our Lord say, "Do not be afraid." Why should we be afraid? The only reason we would be afraid, the only reason we would not be at peace is because we don’t trust Jesus. In our heads, we know; but in our hearts, we don’t accept.
Today the Church celebrates Divine Mercy Sunday. The mercy of God is greater than anything we can do; that is what Our Lord wants us to know. He wants, more than anything, to forgive our sins.
What is the worst thing anybody could ever do? Saint Therese of Lisieux tell us, that is like one little drop of water in the ocean of God’s mercy. The worst thing, the biggest thing that we could ever commit is like one little drop of water in the ocean because God’s mercy is infinite. His love for you is infinite; it is beyond anything we could ever grasp or imagine. As big as our sins might be, they are nothing for the Lord. If you have confessed the sin, it is gone, it is not there anymore.
In his book, A Forgiving God in an Unforgiving World, Ron Lee Davis tells the true story of a priest in the Philippines, a much- loved man of God who carried the burden of a secret sin he had committed many years before. He had repented but still had no peace about it. In his parish was a woman who deeply loved God and who claimed to have visions in which she spoke with Christ. The priest, however, was skeptical about that. To test her he said, "The next time you speak with Christ, ask him what sin I committed while I was in the high school." The woman agreed. A few days later the priest asked, "Well, did Christ visit you in your dreams?" "Yes, he did," she replied. "And did you ask him what sin I committed back in high school?" "Yes." "And what did he say?" She smiled and answered, "Christ said, 'I don't remember. '"
We need to learn to trust in Jesus. Trust is one of the most difficult areas in the spiritual life to develop because it will only grow by doing it. One night in 1935, Fiorello H. La Guardia, mayor of New York, showed up at a night court in the poorest ward of the city. He dismissed the judge for the evening and took over the bench. One case involved an elderly woman who was caught stealing bread to feed her grandchildren. La Guardia said, "I've got to punish you. Ten dollars or ten days in jail."
As he spoke, he threw $10 into his hat. He then fined everyone in the courtroom 50 cents for living in a city "where an old woman had to steal bread so that her grandchildren should not starve." The hat was passed around, and the woman left the courtroom with her fine paid and an additional $47.50.
Our Lord told Sr. Faustina, “The first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must be also acts of mercy... I demand from you deeds of mercy which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it.” (#742)
Once the late Cardinal Hickey of Washington D.C. appealed to the community to support the Archdiocesan program for the homeless. He was asked, 'Why is this the work of the Church? Are these people Catholic'?' Cardinal Hickey replied, 'We shelter the homeless not because they are Catholic, but because we are Catholic. We shelter the homeless, we feed the hungry we educate the young, and we care for the sick because we believe we are sheltering, feeding, educating and caring for Jesus.' Yes, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I am here today to remind you about our mission as catholic. About our duty to recognize Christ in others. If you take first words of this sentence “My Eyes recognize Christ in You.” You get the word Mercy.
We are called to be missionaries by our sacrament of baptism. Through the offering of Catholics worldwide, the Propagation of the Faith provides ongoing support for the pastoral and evangelizing programs of the Catholic Church in Africa, Asia, the islands of the pacific and remote regions of Latin America. This includes aid for the education and support of seminarians, religious novices and lay catechists; for the work of religious communities in education, health care and social services; for communication and transportation needs and for disaster and emergency relief when necessary. Help them to help others.
I am sure that you are very generous. There is nothing big or nothing small in giving, even a small sacrifice you make today for the Missions in the world will prayerfully be remembered by someone who is in utter need of your help. Mother Theresa teaches us "None of us can do anything great on our own, but we can all do a small thing with great love." Whatever small things we can do, God will take them and fit them into his own big picture.
Before the Mass started, someone told me Father if you make it short we will make it up for you. I will end up with a true story.
One day one Mother and a child were walking home after their weekend outing. They buy their dinner packet when they come home. The pious mother was teaching the child about God’s mercy and abundant love and if she needs anything, she could ask God and God will send the angels to help her. On their way back home from an evening walk, the child saw a poor man fighting with a dog to get his meal from a waste barrel. She felt sorry for this poor man and asked her mother “Mummy, why didn’t God send an Angel to help this poor man to find a meal a day?” Mummy said, “Honey who told you God did not sent an Angel today? He send you today to be an Angel for this poor Man. Take our dinner packet; go to him and be an angel for him today!” Dear brothers and sisters, Are you ready to become an Angel for someone who is utterly need of help?
On behalf of the Propagation of faith, I would like to thank you all very sincerely for your prayers and generous contributions. I promise my prayers for all the members of this parish especially for all those who are grievously and seriously ill, and suffering from desperate hardships in their daily lives. I thank you all once again for your patient attention; may God bless you all.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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