Blast from the Pastor: April 23, 2022

Divine Mercy
Easter's second Sunday

Announcements for April 23, 2022:

  1. If you need anything at all, please be in touch with me.

  2. Our Divine Mercy Celebration on Sunday will begin with Exposition of the Most Blessed Sacrament at 2:00pm. I will hear confessions until at least 3:00pm, at which point we will pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy together.

  3. Last weekend, we closed out our campaign in support of the Ukrainian people. The $27,000+ we raised is already assisting those who are most in need. Thank you!

  4. Visit the OLMC Parishioner Portal for all of our recent announcements.

Dear Saints,

This weekend, the Second Sunday of Easter, is known as Divine Mercy Sunday.

The Gospel passage we read to commemorate this feast is powerful. Jesus appears to his Apostles, identifying himself by the wounds of his crucifixion, and extends his peace to them. Jesus' forgives his closest friends - the men who abandoned and betrayed him - and restores them to friendship with God.

In the 1930s, Jesus appeared to Saint Faustina Kowalska, making her a champion of God’s mercy to all, especially sinners. Devotion to Divine Mercy - especially in the venerated image on which is inscribed, “Jesus, I trust in You” - has since spread through the Church to every corner of creation.

Divine Mercy
Eugeniusz Kazimirowski, 1934

The three main themes of the devotion - and the focus of the recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet - are 1. to ask for and obtain the mercy of God, 2. to trust in Christ's abundant mercy, and 3. to show mercy to others and act as a conduit of God's mercy towards them.

Here we see the power that comes from trusting in Jesus: in him we receive the mercy of God, and in him we are made vessels of his mercy (his bountiful and forgiving love!) to everyone we encounter.

Kyrie Eleison! Lord, have mercy!

In the Peace of the Risen Christ,
Father Daniel
δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ

PS How about a quote or five on mercy?

"Christians are those who let God clothe them with goodness and mercy, with Christ, so as to become, like Christ, servants of God and others." ~ Pope Francis

"Two works of mercy set a person free: Forgive and you will be forgiven, and give and you will receive." ~ Saint Augustine

"Even if we stand at the very summit of virtue, it is by mercy that we shall be saved." ~ Saint John Chrysostom

"Apart from the mercy of God, there is no other source of hope for mankind." ~ Pope Saint John Paul II

"For there are three ways of performing an act of mercy: the merciful word, by forgiving and by comforting; secondly, if you can offer no word, then pray - that too is mercy; and thirdly, deeds of mercy. And when the Last Day comes, we shall be judged from this, and on this basis we shall receive the eternal verdict." ~ Saint Maria Faustyna Kowalska

Preparing for Mass?
Check out this weekend's readings:
Sunday of Divine Mercy

The Doubting Thomas
Carl Heinrich Bloch, 1881

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