PASTOR’S NOTES

Throughout the history of the Church heaven has intervened in times of crisis, in times of human need, and in times of spiritual upheaval. We recall visitations to saints as they sought to establish religious communities, to confront heresies, and to reform the Church. We recall Saint Dominic receiving the guidance of the Blessed Virgin in developing the devotion of rosary recitation. Saint Margaret Mary Aloque welcomed the Sacred Heart of Jesus as she sought to combat the Jansennistic heresy and encouraged the people’s love of the Eucharist and their reception of the sacrament.   Closer to our times are visions of Mary to the children of Fatima supporting the faith community as nations were threatened by revolution and the world had been overtaken by war, to Saint Bernadette announcing to the people of Lourdes and to the Universal Church the truth of the Immaculate Conception and the healing power of God’s love, and to the youth of Medjugorje calling for conversion and reconciliation.

To a world on the threshold of a war that would test the very existence of humanity the Lord would reveal Himself to a young Polish nun with a message of mercy. In 1931 He began speaking to her about the needs of mankind and the nature of His providential care. Much of these exchanges are included in Sister Maria Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament’s diary. In 1935 she received a vision which would result in the formulation of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. The Marian Helpers of the Immaculate Conception whose United States headquarters is located not too far from our parish in Stockbridge, Massachusetts spread this devotion.

After some decades of controversy, the Archbishop of Krakow, and future Pope, would reexamine the assertions of the now long deceased religious woman. He became a promoter of her life and work. He saw to her beatification and even canonization on April 30, 2000. Cardinal Franciszek Macharski, his successor in Poland, said that the saint “reminds us of the gospel we had forgotten.” On Divine Mercy Sunday in 2001, Pope John Paul II declared “the message (she) brought is the appropriate and incisive answer that God wanted to offer to the questions and expectations of human beings in our time, marked by terrible tragedies”

The promulgation of the message of Sister Faustina would advise us: “Divine Mercy is simple. It is that God loves us –all of us. And He wants us to recognize that His mercy is greater than our sins, so that we will call upon Him with trust, receive His mercy, and let it flow through us to others. Thus, all will come to share His joy. The Divine Mercy message is one we can call to mind simply by remembering ABC: A – As for His Mercy. God wants us to approach Him in prayer constantly, repenting of our sins and asking Him to pour His mercy out upon us and upon the whole world. B – Be merciful. God wants us to receive His mercy and let it flow through us to others. He wants us to extend love and forgiveness to others just as He does to us. C – Completely trust in Jesus. God wants us to know that the graces of His mercy are dependent upon our trust. The more we trust in Jesus, the more we will receive.”

The tragic figure of Judas is such not because of his betrayal as much as his refusal to accept the fact that God forgives the repentant sinner. He convinced himself of the hopelessness of his situation. He pridefully declared that God was too small to be merciful. His offense he declared was beyond God’s ability to be compassionate. He has many successors in history and the present day. Too many people believe that they cannot approach the Sacrament of Reconciliation. They forget that no sin is unforgivable. Sad to say, there are still others who having attended Confession and receiving divine absolution fail to forgive themselves and trust in divine mercy. Additionally, some of our co-religionists fail to walk with us any longer because they find themselves in marital situations which are not and cannot be recognized by the Church. However, they never asked our faith community as to what are their options. If one is in a civil marriage because they had previously been married in the Catholic Church, they are still free and encouraged to investigate the validity of the initial union. (Of course, those who are divorced and have not attempted another marriage are still free and indeed urged to receive sacraments and maintain their spiritual commitments.) Our Lord reminds us through the prayers of the chaplet that as we have been recipients of mercy we must extend that gift to others. This part of the message is especially relevant for today when the public square is filled with vitriolic language. Motives are always questioned and issues are never addressed. In families, too, many members are written off because of offenses they may have committed. So often we expect to be forgiven and yet are slow to realize our responsibility to be open to the needs of others for mercy. Included in this group and perhaps the most difficult to encounter is the person who doesn’t realize the pain caused by their deeds or one who doesn’t perceive the need to seek forgiveness. We, ourselves, must recognize that at times we might be guilty of these offenses. Our words can very often trouble others and cause them sorrow. Finally, we must realize that when we harbor hurt because of another’s thoughtlessness we are the ones who are suffering more than the senseless.

On this Divine Mercy Sunday we should remember the central mantra of St. Maria Faustina: “Jesus, I trust in You.” Recalling the Paschal Mystery we are celebrating such a task should be easy for us. Seeing that Jesus was willing to hand over His life for us we can appreciate that He will not deny us His mercy. On this Sunday we invite all our parishioners to participate in a holy hour commencing at 3:00 p.m. which rejoices in the gift of Divine Mercy.

I close with a word of thanks to all who contributed to the beauty of our Holy Week and Easter celebrations. May we continue to bask in the glory of the Resurrection.

Vivat Jesus

Fr Brian