Pastor Notes April 7, 2024
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April 9, 2024Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” (JN 20:26-27) On this Divine Mercy Sunday, illustrated by the passage of Doubting Thomas, we recognize how dependent we are on God’s mercy through his Son. Christ willingly came back to the disciples locked in the room “for fear of the Jews,” offering mercy to Thomas, and witnessing to all of them who were ‘locked in their fears’, to always, always minister in the name of God’s mercy. As Pope Francis reminds us, “the Church does not exist to condemn people but to bring about an encounter with the visceral love of God’s mercy.” Jesus’ appearance before Thomas a week later was for the benefit of those of us who, like Thomas, struggle within our own doubts. Certainty of faith is not the goal of our journey with Christ; rather, the openness to recognize our doubts and seek His presence, assurance—His mercy. Less reliant on our own answers, and more dependent on Christ’s persistent grace to receive our anxieties, our apprehensions, questioning. Nothing we do or question or struggle with—or doubt—can diminish God’s will to extend the grace of mercy through His Son’s presence. As the Risen Christ did for his fearful disciples, ultimately He chooses to offer each of us in our particular moments of doubt: “Peace be with you.” Mother Teresa, the model of sacrifice, faithfulness, prayer—holiness within her humanity—experienced lingering doubt, times of darkness as she describes in her own words: "Please pray specially for me that I may not spoil His work and that Our Lord may show Himself -- for there is such terrible darkness within me, as if everything was dead. It has been like this more or less from the time I started 'the work’. . . .Such deep longing for God -- and ... repulsed -- empty -- no faith -- no love -- no zeal(Saving) souls holds no attraction -- Heaven means nothing -- pray for me please that I keep smiling at Him in spite of everything." Yet, reaching out and trusting in God’s mercy she found her purpose and Peace through times of darkness and blessings, as the inscription on the wall of her abode in Calcutta describes:
“Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God; It was never between you and them anyway.” Welcome anyone to our Divine Mercy Prayer Service to be held this Sunday afternoon, 3:00pm, at St. Malachy church. With the praying of the Divine Mercy Chaplet, the Sacrament of Reconciliation will be offered. In 2000 Pope John Paul II declared the Second Sunday of Easter to be Divine Mercy Sunday, promoting the image of Jesus illustrated in the gospel passage, embracing the anxious disciples with His mercy and peace. Within the picture of Jesus, relevant to this day, the rays streaming out of his left hand symbolize his blood (the life of Souls) and white for water (justifying souls). Forgiveness and charity, stemming from God’s unconditional love, “the Fountain of Mercy.” symbolic meaning: red for the blood of Jesus (which is the Life of Souls), and pale for the water. Please feel welcome to share in the prayers beginning at 3:00pm this Sunday at St. Malachy Church. Congratulations to our second graders who are receiving their First Holy Communion this Sunday afternoon and next Sunday afternoon. They are prepared, and they are more than just a little bit anxious to receive the Body and Blood of Christ Jesus. My gratitude extended to the parents. You have made the choice to share the Catholic faith with your family, giving them the foundation of prayer, our Christian values and virtues, while fortifying their character spiritually. In our world abrupt with change and self-serving attitudes, faith and prayer humbly centers our abilities, personality, and openness to share. Thank you parents, for sharing the real presence, the Eucharist, as a family. May our Ascension Parish of St. John church, St. Malachy church, and Sacred Heart, always be your home.
God Bless, Fr. Tim
FYI: “The quality of mercy is not strained. It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven. Upon the place beneath. It is twice blessed: It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.” (William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice)
