Pope: Having received mercy from the wounds of Jesus, let us now become merciful
On Divine Mercy Sunday, Pope Francis celebrates mass in the church of Santo Spirito in Sassia with a congregation of missionaries of Mercy, prisoners and detainees, migrants and refugees, nurses and hospital nuns. "Jesus brings about “the resurrection of the disciples” through his mercy. The peace of Jesus makes the disciples pass "from remorse to mission". Pooling resources "is not communism, it is pure Christianity". " Let us not live a oneway faith, a faith that receives but does not give, a faith that accepts the gift but does not give it in return." The Regina Caeli and the greeting to those present.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - " Having received mercy, let us now become merciful ": continually pronouncing a neologism coined by himself, Pope Francis today celebrated Divine Mercy Sunday in the church of Santo Spirito in Sassia, already dedicated by John Paul II to Merciful love, according to the revelations to Saint Faustina Kowalska.
Today's celebration is closely related to the Jubilee of Mercy, established by Francis in 2015-2016. In fact, some missionaries of Mercy, instituted during that Jubilee, with special powers of absolution concelebrated with the pontiff.
The congregation present at the Mass also included representatives of various groups who need mercy or who offer mercy: prisoners and inmates of Rome’s jails and those of the surrounding area; Sisters Hospitallers of Mercy; nurses; the disabled; migrants from Argentina; refugees from Syria, Nigeria and Egypt; representatives of Caritas Syria and the Syriac Church.
In his homily, the Pope explained that after the resurrection, Jesus brings about the "resurrection of the disciples", precisely through his mercy, which is offered to them "through three gifts: . First, Jesus offers them peace, then the Spirit and finally his wounds."
The disciples - the pontiff recalls - “were not only huddled together in a room; they were also trapped in their own remorse. They had abandoned and denied Jesus. They felt helpless, discredited, good for nothing. Jesus arrives and says to them twice, “Peace be with you! … The peace of Jesus made them pass from remorse to mission. The peace of Jesus awakens mission. It entails not ease and comfort, but the challenge to break out of ourselves. The peace of Jesus frees from the self-absorption that paralyzes; it shatters the bonds that keep the heart imprisoned… Today Jesus also tells us, “Peace be with you! You are precious in my eyes. Peace be with you! You are important for me. Peace be with you! You have a mission. No one can take your place. You are irreplaceable. And I believe in you”.
“Second, Jesus showed mercy to his disciples by granting them the Holy Spirit. He bestowed the Spirit for the forgiveness of sins... Forgiveness in the Holy Spirit is the Easter gift that enables our interior resurrection. Let us ask for the grace to accept that gift, to embrace the Sacrament of forgiveness. And to understand that Confession is not about ourselves and our sins, but about God and his mercy. Let us not confess to abase ourselves, but to be raised up.”
“, Jesus gave his disciples a third gift of mercy: he showed them his wounds. By those wounds we were healed (cf. 1 Pet 2:24; Is 53:5). But how can wounds heal us? By mercy. In those wounds, like Thomas, we can literally touch the fact that God has loved us to the end. He has made our wounds his own and borne our weaknesses in his own body... in his tender love all our weaknesses are accepted. This happens at every Mass, where Jesus offers us his wounded and risen Body. We touch him and he touches our lives. He makes heaven come down to us. His radiant wounds dispel the darkness we carry within... . Only if we accept the love of God, will we be able to offer something new to the world.”
The "merciful" disciples became "merciful". The pontiff recalls the first reading of the Mass (Acts 4: 32-35), in which it is said that " no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common” (4:32). This is not communism, but pure Christianity. It is all the more surprising when we think that those were the same disciples who had earlier argued about prizes and rewards, and about who was the greatest among them (cf. Mt 10:37; Lk 22:24). Now they share everything; they are “of one heart and soul”(Acts 4:32) ".
“Sister, brother - he concluded - Dear sister, dear brother, do you want proof that God has touched your life? See if you can stoop to bind the wounds of others. Today is the day to ask, “Am I, who have so often received God’s peace, his mercy, merciful to others? Do I, who have so often been fed by his Body, make any effort to relieve the hunger of the poor?” Let us not remain indifferent. Let us not live a oneway faith, a faith that receives but does not give, a faith that accepts the gift but does not give it in return. Having received mercy, let us now become merciful… So let us be renewed by the peace, forgiveness and wounds of the merciful Jesus. Let us ask for the grace to become witnesses of mercy.”
After the Mass, the Pope recited the Regina Caeli with those present. Before the Easter Marian prayer, he wished to thank "those who collaborated to prepare it [the celebration] and to broadcast it live", together with "all those who are connected through the media".
Then greeting those who are present (faithful, nurses, prisoners, refugees and migrants,…), he said: “You represent some realities in which mercy becomes concrete, closeness, service, attention to people in difficulty. I wish you to always feel mercy in order to be merciful in turn. May the Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, obtain this grace for everyone”.
After the prayer, Francis greeted those present one by one, starting with the sick and disabled.
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