Being Merciful: In Imitation of Jesus

Homily: Second Sunday of Easter / Divine Mercy Sunday

John 20:19-31 

11 April 2021

Fr. Ricky C. Montanez, AA

I would like to start this reflection by posing a few questions to all of you. Do you believe God is merciful?  Do you pray for God’s mercy? Are you in need of God’s mercy? Today the Second Sunday of Easter is also the Sunday of Divine Mercy. Jesus presents Himself to us as the image of unfathomable mercy — the font of blood and water springing forth for all who immerse themselves seeking forgiveness and the salvation of their souls. It is a loaded statement and quite a mouthful to say. Today, let us attempt to reflect on what God’s mercy means for us. It is such a broad concept that it could mean different things to people. 

Surprisingly, there are some of us who do not think or feel they need God’s mercy. They are quick to reason that they do not consider themselves as sinners. “Di naman ako makasalanan.” “What is there for me to apologise for?” Is mercy exclusively for grave sinners? This is the default excuse of some people who choose not to go to confession as often as possible. (These days it is understandably more difficult to receive the sacrament considering the health restrictions.) They say, “I only have my usual venial sins so God will understand.” When they approach the sacrament, if at all, they spend most of their time justifying their faults and end up confessing the sins of others.  I actually get a lot of this in Confessions. A wife intends to confess how she has been neglecting her children but ends up rationalizing her failings by emphatically enumerating her traumas from the exploits of her philandering husband. There is no true contrition there because the penitents do not even think they are to blame for anything. 

Others would say that everything we do is encompassed, covered by God’s mercy even without our asking for it. Because our God is loving and merciful, He showers us with the graces and blessings we need and constantly guides us in life. The German theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, called this “cheap grace” in his book, “The Cost of Discipleship”. In that book, Bonhoeffer defines “cheap grace” as “the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline. Communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ.” Notice that other Christian sects preach that one simply needs a verbal acceptance of Jesus as Lord and personal Saviour — just a passive submission to God’s mercy. Is this really all one needs to be saved? In the Catholic Christian tradition, we believe that we struggle with sin all our lives. We find comfort in the Sacrament of Reconciliation by which we are given opportunities to recommit ourselves to a life of grace. St. Ambrose says there are two conversions “water and tears”: the water of Baptism and the tears of repentance. (Catechism of the Catholic Church #1429)   

Others perceive mercy as pity for their misery. In Filipino, we commonly translate “mercy” as “awa”.  When we commiserate with those suffering or in distress, we urge them to persevere and believe in a God who will not abandon them by saying “May awa ang Diyos.”  When we pray at mass, when we pray our devotions, when we pray the Oratio Imperata — we ask for God’s mercy. It is an acknowledgement of our lowliness as humans vis a vis the almighty and all powerful God.  We beg Him to cast a merciful gaze upon us that in His condescension, His heart may be moved to send us relief from our sufferings.  

As followers of Jesus, we ought to see God’s mercy as the outpouring of excessive LOVE. The Hebrew word for mercy is (HESED). This theological term denotes God’s steadfast love for those in a special relationship with Him. As we have proclaimed in the Psalm: “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His love endures forever.” (Psalm 118:1) This love of God is best revealed by the Father in Jesus Christ. In Misericordiae Vultus, Pope Francis says that “Jesus Christ is the face of the Father’s mercy.” In taking on human flesh, Jesus, the Incarnate Son reveals to us the mercy and love of God the Father. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.’ (John 3:17) Through God’s mercy, we who deserve the wrath of God have been refashioned into the sons and daughters of God in Jesus Christ, restoring us to the right relationship with God.  We are not mere slaves of a ruler but children of a loving Father. His mercy is given freely and never forced on us. In His love, He takes every chance to draw us closer to Him and gives every opportunity for us to be reconciled with Him. 

Having received of the tremendous gift of His mercy, what are we to do?  God expects us to dispense of what He has given us justly and charitably. God’s mercy compels us to act, to forgive, to console, to help. Unfortunately, with COVID cases on the rise, many people are getting more scared for themselves and their loved ones.  Out of fear for their lives, those who have the means, choose to cut themselves off from any contact with the outside world, voluntarily placing themselves in their comfortable bubbles, safe from these critical days of the pandemic. It reminds me of the disciples who were all huddled up in the Upper Room after the resurrection, still fearing for their lives. The good news is that Jesus is always ready to embolden us and empower us with His presence. In the same way that walls and closed doors did not prevent Him from being with His disciples, He meets us in the ordinariness of our lives to reassure us of His presence. It is with the eyes of faith that we shall recognize Him. Jesus tells Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” (John 20:29)

This Sunday’s readings centre on the bountiful mercy of God and our responsibility as believers to extend this same forgiving love to our brothers and sisters. It is the experience of the abundance of God’s mercy that is fundamental to our forgiving one another. This realization has the power to reverse our human tendency to hold grudges against those who have wronged us. We can choose to prepare ourselves spiritually by making amends with God and consequently seeking forgiveness from the people we have wronged, or by forgiving those who have hurt us. We live in uncertain times. We are learning so painfully that life is too short. Many of those who die these days are unable to make amends with those they have hurt or who have hurt them. Some of them never make it back from the hospitals while others die so suddenly. We cannot tell, when we or people we love will find ourselves in that situation. Why waste what precious time we have?

In His recently published book, “Let Us Dream”, Pope Francis says, “In the trials of life, you reveal your own heart: how solid it is, how merciful, how big or small.”  As we continue to struggle through this pandemic, let us choose to never close our hearts to others nor withhold mercy from one another.  Despite all our woes, God has been extremely merciful to all of us. We all need God’s mercy, and in gratitude for that which we receive as a gift, we must also give and share. On this Divine Mercy Sunday, let us take recourse in the love and mercy of our Risen Lord and may we always act mercifully toward one another in imitation of Jesus Christ.

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