Divine Mercy Sunday

04-07-2024Pastor's CornerVery Rev. Robert J. Deehan, VF

Today, Divine Mercy Sunday, ends the Octave of Easter. The Church celebrates our Lord’s Resurrection not just on one day, but it continues for eight days, hence the description, the Octave of Easter. Each day of the Octave is ranked as a Solemnity in the Church’s liturgical calendar, the highest ranking of liturgical feasts. The idea of an Octave of a great feast has its roots in the Old Testament where many Jewish feasts lasted for eight days.

In the Catholic Church, we celebrate eight days of Christmas as well as eight days of Easter. Still, this Octave only begins to celebrate what transpired at Easter. It begins a whole season that lasts a total of 50 days, which will conclude on Sunday, May 19 with the feast of Pentecost, the day we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus’ disciples after He ascended into heaven. And so, for the coming weeks of the Easter season, the Church will highlight the power and effects of the risen Christ on people He encountered by looking at Scripture passages that unfold what happened after Jesus rose from the dead including His post-Resurrection appearances.

But, we’re not only celebrating what happened in history. The joy of Easter comes from a personal and deep realization that Jesus is alive and with us now in the power of the Holy Spirit. The power of the risen Christ can be felt in many and various ways: through His mercy and forgiveness in time of guilt and shame, His comfort and courage in time of trial, His consolation and hope in time of sorrow, His healing and strength in time of illness and injury, his guidance and peace in time of doubt and uncertainty. Jesus is with us in a profound way in the Sacraments of our Church, in the Scriptures we read, and He is with us at every moment of every day… longing for our hearts to be open to Him in personal, conversational prayer. Miracles are particular moments that Jesus makes Himself known to us in extraordinary ways – sometimes small and sometimes big! In these moments, we come to understand that God’s power is at our disposal. These are reminders that Jesus is risen from the dead and is alive, and seeks to extend His love and powerful grace to us right here and now! Share your “God-moments” with others, especially with those who are looking for reasons to hope. There’s more evidence out there of the risen Jesus than one might think!