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Catholic Caucus: Sunday Mass Readings, 04-19-20, Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday
USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 04-19-20 | Revised New American Bible

Posted on 04/18/2020 9:35:46 PM PDT by Salvation

April 19 2020

Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday

Reading 1 Acts 2:42-47

They devoted themselves
to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life,
to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.
Awe came upon everyone,
and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.
All who believed were together and had all things in common;
they would sell their property and possessions
and divide them among all according to each one’s need.
Every day they devoted themselves
to meeting together in the temple area
and to breaking bread in their homes.
They ate their meals with exultation and sincerity of heart,
praising God and enjoying favor with all the people.
And every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24

R. (1) Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the house of Israel say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
Let the house of Aaron say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
Let those who fear the LORD say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
R. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I was hard pressed and was falling,
but the LORD helped me.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
The joyful shout of victory
in the tents of the just:
R. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.
R. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 1 Pt 1:3-9

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading,
kept in heaven for you
who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith,
to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time.
In this you rejoice, although now for a little while
you may have to suffer through various trials,
so that the genuineness of your faith,
more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire,
may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor
at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Although you have not seen him you love him;
even though you do not see him now yet believe in him,
you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,
as you attain the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Alleluia Jn 20:29

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You believe in me, Thomas, because you have seen me, says the Lord;
blessed are they who have not seen me, but still believe!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Jn 20:19-31

On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”

Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”
But he said to them,
“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nailmarks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”
Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples
that are not written in this book.
But these are written that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that through this belief you may have life in his name.



TOPICS: Catholic; General Discusssion; Prayer; Worship
KEYWORDS: catholic; divinemercy; easter; jn20; prayer
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To: All
7 Powerful Ways to Pray for Christians Suffering in the Middle East
21 posted on 04/19/2020 3:09:50 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Pray the Rosary!

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22 posted on 04/19/2020 3:10:21 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All

 
Jesus, High Priest
 

We thank you, God our Father, for those who have responded to your call to priestly ministry.

Accept this prayer we offer on their behalf: Fill your priests with the sure knowledge of your love.

Open their hearts to the power and consolation of the Holy Spirit.

Lead them to new depths of union with your Son.

Increase in them profound faith in the Sacraments they celebrate as they nourish, strengthen and heal us.

Lord Jesus Christ, grant that these, your priests, may inspire us to strive for holiness by the power of their example, as men of prayer who ponder your word and follow your will.

O Mary, Mother of Christ and our mother, guard with your maternal care these chosen ones, so dear to the Heart of your Son.

Intercede for our priests, that offering the Sacrifice of your Son, they may be conformed more each day to the image of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Saint John Vianney, universal patron of priests, pray for us and our priests

This icon shows Jesus Christ, our eternal high priest.

The gold pelican over His heart represents self-sacrifice.

The border contains an altar and grapevines, representing the Mass, and icons of Melchizedek and St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney.

Melchizedek: king of righteousness (left icon) was priest and king of Jerusalem.  He blessed Abraham and has been considered an ideal priest-king.

St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests.


23 posted on 04/19/2020 4:59:11 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Pray a Rosary each day for our nation.

1. Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

2. The Apostles Creed: I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

3. The Lord's Prayer: OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

4. (3) Hail Mary: HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. (Three times)

5. Glory Be: GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

6. Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.

Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer. Repeat the process with each mystery.

End with the Hail Holy Queen:
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Final step -- The Sign of the Cross

The Mysteries of the Rosary By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary. The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.

The Glorious Mysteries
(Wednesdays and Sundays)
1.The Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-8, Mark 16:1-18, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-29) [Spiritual fruit - Faith]
2. The Ascension (Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:6-11) [Spiritual fruit - Christian Hope]
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-13) [Spiritual fruit - Gifts of the Holy Spirit]
4. The Assumption [Spiritual fruit - To Jesus through Mary]
5. The Coronation [Spiritual fruit - Grace of Final Perseverance]

24 posted on 04/19/2020 4:59:52 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All

St. Michael the Archangel

~ PRAYER ~

St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle
Be our protection against the wickedness
and snares of the devil;
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God,
Cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits
who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen
+


25 posted on 04/19/2020 5:00:27 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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Pope’s Intention for April

Freedom from Addiction

We pray that those suffering from addiction may be helped and accompanied..


26 posted on 04/19/2020 5:13:08 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All


April Devotion: The Blessed Sacrament

Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. The Church traditionally encouraged the month of April for increased devotion to Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. "The Church in the course of the centuries has introduced various forms of this Eucharistic worship which are ever increasing in beauty and helpfulness; as, for example, visits of devotion to the tabernacles, even every day; Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament; solemn processions, especially at the time of Eucharistic Congresses, which pass through cities and villages; and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament publicly exposed . . . These exercises of piety have brought a wonderful increase in faith and supernatural life to the Church militant upon earth and they are re-echoed to a certain extent by the Church triumphant in heaven, which sings continually a hymn of praise to God and to the Lamb 'Who was slain.'" --Pope Pius XII

ACT OF ADORATION
I adore Thee, 0 Jesus, true God and true Man, here present in the Holy Eucharist, humbly kneeling before Thee and united in spirit with all the faithful on earth and all the blessed in heaven. In deepest gratitude for so great a blessing, I love Thee, my Jesus, with my whole heart, for Thou art all perfect and all worthy of love.

Give me grace nevermore in any way to offend Thee, and grant that I, being refreshed by Thy Eucharistic presence here on earth, may be found worthy to come to the enjoyment with Mary of Thine eternal and everblessed presence in heaven. Amen.


27 posted on 04/19/2020 5:14:50 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me, Christ below me, Christ above me, Christ at my right, Christ at my left, Christ in lying down, Christ in sitting, Christ in rising up, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks to me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.

St. Patrick of Ireland

28 posted on 04/19/2020 5:27:27 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary: 
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit. 

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen. 

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word. 

Hail Mary . . . 

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us. 

Hail Mary . . . 


Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

Let us pray: 

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen. 


"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28) 

 "Blessed are you among women,
 and blessed is the fruit of your womb"
(Lk 1:42). 


29 posted on 04/19/2020 5:28:16 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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The Word Among Us

Today's Meditation: John 20:19-31

Jesus came . . . and stood in their midst. (John 20:26)

Jesus had appeared to the disciples on Easter Sunday. So why did he come a week later to the exact same place? Perhaps it was because this time Thomas was there, and Jesus wanted to convince this doubt-ridden disciple that he had truly risen from the dead.

Jesus could have stayed away, but he didn’t want to leave Thomas in that state. So he invited Thomas to touch his wounds and see that it was really him. And that act of compassion and patience—that act of mercy—led Thomas to proclaim, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). Eventually, that mercy would lead Thomas to travel far and wide proclaiming the gospel and, in the end, give his life for his Lord.

Thomas’ story shows us that God’s mercy involves more than just the forgiveness of our sins, great as that is. It also involves his compassion for our weakness and his patience with our slow progress. It’s a wide mercy that frees us from our doubts, fears, and guilt as well as our sin. Like Thomas, it allows us to experience Jesus’ divine life more fully so that we can follow him wherever he leads us.

In the end, God’s mercy cannot be separated from his love. He is love and he is mercy—that is his very nature. Every day Jesus comes and stands in our midst, desiring to show us that he is our Lord and God. Every day he wants to take away our doubts and fears and forgive our every sin. Every day he wants to open us to more of his life and blessings.

Don’t ever underestimate the power of divine mercy! As you continue to read from the Book of Acts this Easter season, know that every miracle the apostles did, every word they spoke, was grounded in the mercy they had first received—and continued receiving to the end of their lives. God’s mercy is the foundation of your life too, a mercy that is new every morning, a mercy that will never, ever end (Lamentations 3:22-23)!

"Jesus, I trust in you!”

Acts 2:42-47
Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24
1 Peter 1:3-9

30 posted on 04/19/2020 6:27:45 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: annalex

That must be what happened with me when I tried to post the Devotion of the Month.


31 posted on 04/19/2020 6:28:57 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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Marriage = One Man and One Woman Until Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for April 19, 2020:

Written on the bottom of the Divine Mercy Image, “Jesus I Trust in You” is central to today’s feast. How can you and your spouse trust the Lord more during these difficult times?

32 posted on 04/19/2020 6:32:37 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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Jesus in the Book of Revelation

Pastor's Column

Mercy Sunday, 2020

I turned around to see who had spoken to me and when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and surrounded by them a figure like a Son of man, dressed in a long robe tied at the waist with a golden girdle. His head and his hair were white as white wool or as snow, his eyes were a burning flame , his speech like burnished bronze when it has been refined as in a furnace, and his voice like the sound of the ocean. In his right hand he was holding seven stars, out of his mouth came a sharp sword, double-edged, and his face was like the sun shining in all its force

                                                                  Revelation 1:13-16

I don’t know about you, but this description of Jesus does not sound like the same person as the Jesus of Nazareth who walked the earth, the Good Shepherd image we are so familiar with in the gospels.  No wonder that John writes that when he caught sight of this glorified Jesus, he fell as if dead at his feet!  Apparently Jesus’ glorified body is quite a bit different than how it looked during his time on earth.  As a matter of fact, we may not look quite the same either.

Jesus is fully God and fully human and, as God, he is both perfect justice and perfect mercy.  Jesus paid the price for our sins because of God’s perfect justice so that he could extend his hand out to us, that we might receive perfect mercy.  In fact, both images of Jesus are correct ones: Jesus remains the Good Shepherd and he is also God, whose striking countenance sent John into a dead faint!

Every precious moment on earth is a time to accept the mercy of God and to extend mercy to others by what we say and what we do.  We do this every time we go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, where God extends his hand out to us in mercy and forgiveness.  We are offered a lifetime in order to have the time to turn from our sins and seek the Lord.  Our time on earth is not just a time for accumulating treasures and experiences, but of seeking the Lord, turning to him for mercy and learning what it means to be merciful.

When our time on earth comes to an end, God will reveal himself to us and how many opportunities of grace and mercy he gave us throughout our lives.  We will be surprised and will wish we had recognized more of them.  The time after death is the time of God’s perfect justice, when our opportunity to come to Jesus in faith and trust will be at an end, so let us both receive mercy from the Lord every day and extend mercy to others by our words and deeds.                                                                                 

                                            Father Gary


33 posted on 04/19/2020 6:42:03 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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Reflections from Scott Hahn

His Mercy Endures: Scott Hahn Reflects on Divine Mercy Sunday

Download Audio File
Divine Mercy

Divine Mercy, Kazimirowski Eugeniusz, 1934

Readings:
Acts 2:42–47
Psalm 118:2–4, 13–15, 22–24
1 Peter 1:3–9
John 20:19–31

We are children of Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead. Through this wondrous sign of His great mercy, the Father of Jesus has given us new birth, as we hear in today’s Epistle.

Today’s First Reading sketches the “family life” of our first ancestors in the household of God (see 1 Peter 4:17). We see them doing what we still do—devoting themselves to the Apostles’ teaching, meeting daily to pray and celebrate “the breaking of the bread.”

The Apostles saw the Lord. He stood in their midst, showed them His hands and sides. They heard His blessing and received His commission—to extend the Father’s mercy to all peoples through the power and Spirit He conferred upon them.

We must walk by faith and not by sight, must believe and love what we have not seen (see 2 Corinthians 5:7). Yet the invisible realities are made present for us through the devotions the Apostles handed on.

Notice the experience of the risen Lord in today’s Gospel is described in a way that evokes the Mass.

Both appearances take place on a Sunday. The Lord comes to be with His disciples. They rejoice, listen to His Word, receive the gift of His forgiveness and peace. He offers His wounded body to them in remembrance of His Passion. And they know and worship Him as their Lord and their God.

Thomas’ confession is a vow of faith in the new covenant. As promised long before, in the blood of Jesus we can now know the Lord as our God and be known as His people (see Hosea 2:20–25).

This confession is sung in the heavenly liturgy (see Revelation 4:11). And in every Mass on earth we renew our covenant and receive the blessings Jesus promised for those who have not seen but have believed.

In the Mass, God’s mercy endures forever, as we sing in today’s Psalm. This is the day the Lord has made—when the victory of Easter is again made wonderful in our eyes.

34 posted on 04/19/2020 6:53:06 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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The Meaning of the Resurrection Is the Triumph of Mercy

Gayle Somers

Sunday’s Gospel records a post-Resurrection appearance of Jesus in which a flow of mercy to sinners starts that will not stop until we have all attained the goal of our faith, the salvation of our souls, as St. Peter tells us in the epistle.

Gospel (Read Jn 20:19-31)

The celebration of our Lord’s Resurrection on Easter Sunday usually focuses on the sheer ecstasy of His victory over death. All during Holy Week, we are absorbed with the details of His horrific Passion. When we reach Easter, our hearts nearly burst with joy that Jesus is alive and vindicated as God’s Son. In other words, it’s easy to dwell on the fact of the Resurrection and be so dazzled by it that we do not think much beyond that. The mercy of Divine Mercy Sunday (yes, intended pun) is that now we begin to meditate on the meaning of the Resurrection. Today’s Gospel gets us started.

When Jesus miraculously appears among the apostles, we find they are locked in a room “for fear of the Jews” (Jn 20:19).  These fellows have not lately impressed us, have they?  His closest friends (Peter, James, and John) slept instead of keeping watch and praying in Gethsemane.  All the apostles except John fled the Crucifixion, and they were all reluctant to believe the witness of the women to whom Jesus first appeared.  Yet the word Jesus speaks to them is, “Peace” (Jn 20:19).  Then He commissions them to continue the work the Father sent Him to do.  If the Gospel reading stopped right here, we would still have enough information to knock us over backwards with joy:  Jesus loves sinners!  These men were feckless, shifty, unreliable, and self-absorbed, yet when He goes to them, He gives them peace and joy (Jn 20:20).  Can any scene in the Gospels demonstrate more clearly than this one the meaning of Easter?

Jesus then does something truly astounding.  “He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.  Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained’” (Jn 20:22-23).  What??  Are we prepared to see this in the story?  Jesus breathed His own breath on the very people who failed Him in His hour of need.  This action reminds us of God breathing into Adam’s nostrils His own breath at Creation, confirming him in “the image and likeness of God.”  Jesus establishes the apostles as those who will continue His divine work on earth.  In them, God will forgive or retain sin.  What can explain Jesus building a Church that is both human and divine other than the boundless mercy of God?

 

We find that one of the apostles, Thomas, was missing from this momentous occasion. When he gets the report of it, he refuses to believe it. He must see and touch the wounds of Jesus to be convinced. We don’t know why Thomas doubted the men with whom he’d spent the last three years and who, along with himself, had been chosen as Jesus’ closest intimates. His refusal to believe makes us uncomfortable, doesn’t it? His doubt and cynicism don’t seem to come from a good place, yet Jesus appears and gives him precisely what he needs for faith. Mercy! This river of mercy is starting to gain momentum. Jesus then helps us to understand where the river is headed: “Have you come to believe because you have seen Me? Blessed are those who have not seen and believed” (Jn 20:29). This happy river is coming our way. It will flow out to everyone, everywhere, in all times. Those who believe in Jesus without ever seeing Him are going to be swept up in the torrent of God’s mercy for sinners.

If we have been slow on the uptake, St. John puts it all together for us: “These [signs of the Risen Jesus] are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief, you might have life in His Name” (Jn 20:31). The meaning of the Resurrection is the triumph of mercy and new life for sinners. Isn’t this a great Day?

Possible response: Lord Jesus, I know myself to be as weak, fickle, and hard-hearted as the apostles sometimes were; thank You for the mercy You offered to them and to me.

First Reading (Read Acts 2:42-27)

This reading from Acts gives us a “snapshot” of what the triumph of mercy looked like when the apostles began to do the work to which Jesus commissioned them. On the Day of Pentecost, St. Peter preached the Gospel to the very people responsible for Jesus’ death: “This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men” (Acts 2:23). When they heard this, they repented and were baptized. Look at the transformation!

They formed the infant Church, observing the same life we experience today: the apostles’ teaching (the catechesis of the Church), fellowship, the breaking of bread and the prayers (the Mass). There was great joy among them, and they made an impression on the surrounding community, leading to many more conversions. Imagine if we could step into this scene and ask the Church’s first converts, many of whom had consented to the Lord’s death, “What is the meaning of the Resurrection?” Do we think they would begin their answer with any word other than “mercy”?

Possible response: Lord Jesus, You offered mercy to Your murderers through the preaching of St. Peter. Help me to be a channel of Your mercy to others, too.

Psalm (Read Ps 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24)

This psalm is the same one we heard on Easter Sunday.  Why have we not moved on?  Surely it is because in today’s reading, slightly different from last week’s, we hear what is now becoming a familiar refrain:  “His mercy endures forever” (Ps 118:1-4).  Divine Mercy Sunday keeps us focused on the meaning of the Resurrection: “The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (Ps 118:22).  We might ask, “The cornerstone of what?”  Jesus, the Rock, has become the cornerstone of the new Temple made without hands.  In Him, God’s mercy makes it possible for us to approach His throne of grace (cf. Heb 10:19-22).  If we understand this, we will want to declare with the psalmist: “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love is everlasting.”

Possible response: The psalm is, itself, a response to our other readings. Read it again prayerfully to make it your own.

Second Reading (Read 1 Pet 1:3-9)

As is often the case, the epistle summarizes and elaborates on what we have seen in the other readings.  St. Peter immediately identifies the Resurrection of Jesus as the source of God’s mercy that gives “new birth to a living hope” (1 Pet. 1:3) for believers.  He helps us understand something else very important as well.  Just as the suffering of the Passion preceded the Lord’s rise to glory, suffering is to be part of our journey to glory, too.  We are to think of our sufferings as a refiner’s fire meant to purify, not destroy, us.  What a perfect moment this is for St. Peter to remind us of what he learned from Jesus in our Gospel reading—in our suffering, if we continue to believe and love Him, even though we can’t see Him, we will receive the blessing Jesus promised:  “the salvation of your souls” (1 Pet 1:8-9).  Mercy!

Possible response: Lord Jesus, help me know that suffering is also a part of God’s mercy to me, burning away the dross and making me ready for glory. Help me stay steady in my love for You, even though I can’t “see” You.


35 posted on 04/19/2020 7:01:21 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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One Bread, One Body

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Sunday, April 19, 2020

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Second Sunday of Easter
Divine Mercy Sunday


Acts 2:42-47
1 Peter 1:3-9
Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24
John 20:19-31

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Similar Reflections

the difference a week makes?

"A week later, the disciples were once more in the room, and this time Thomas was with them. Despite the locked doors, Jesus came." —John 20:26

The octave of the first Easter was disappointing and uneventful for the apostles. On the evening of the day of Jesus' Resurrection, Jesus sent His apostles to proclaim His Gospel (Jn 20:21), but eight days later they were still paralyzed by fear and behind locked doors (see Jn 20:26). You can see why Thomas, not present a week earlier, did not believe that Jesus was risen from the dead. However, the Lord had mercy on the apostles after they were unfaithful to Him so many times. He came to them once again and was even willing to subject Himself to Thomas prodding His wounds (Jn 20:27).

Possibly the octave of Easter has been disappointing for you also. You may have even sinned against the risen Lord. You may be concealing Jesus' Resurrection more than revealing it. Nevertheless, Jesus comes to you once again with rays of mercy coming from His wounded heart.

Jesus gives us mercy primarily by commanding us to "receive the Holy Spirit" (Jn 20:22) and receive a new Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is "the Spirit of truth" (Jn 16:13). He will make us true to the Lord and not unfaithful. The Holy Spirit will produce the fruit of love in us (Gal 5:22), and we will stop our sinful rejection of the Lord and our disobedience to Him. By Jesus' mercy and the power of the Holy Spirit, we will be witnesses for the risen Christ and truly celebrate Easter. "Lord, have mercy. Come, Holy Spirit!"

Prayer:  Father, make Divine Mercy Sunday one of the most important days of my life because of my love for You.

Promise:  "They devoted themselves to the apostles' instruction and the communal life." —Acts 2:42

Praise:  God "saved us; not because of any righteous deeds we had done, but because of His mercy" (see Ti 3:5).

36 posted on 04/19/2020 7:03:14 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All

37 posted on 04/19/2020 7:04:40 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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