Reflection for our Celebration of the Eucharist on Divine Mercy Sunday.
Friends, though frail, obviously unwell, and struggling, little did we think this day last week that we would be saying goodbye so soon, to our Holy Father Francis. Last Sunday, he blessed, greeted, and journeyed amongst his people one last time.
His death the following morning came as a shock to the world, but from the moment it was announced, the thoughts, the prayers, and the praises of so many came flooding in, and rightly so. He deserved them all. Many Catholics, and believers from every denomination added their thoughts, memories and thanksgivings to countless others that came instinctively and sincerely from so many, over every continent.
What was very heartening and humbling was the remembrances of non-Catholics and non-believers too, who saw in Francis a genuine man of God, a man of deep faith, and humility. They appreciated and were inspired by his humanity and gentleness, and his deep concerns for the issues of the world which they shared. They clearly saw that here was a person who lived the faith-filled ideals that he presented; that he gave witness to what he believed in, especially his care for those at the periphery – the poor, the migrant, the prisoner, the refugee, the outcast. He made real, God’s love for the world, especially those in need.
One such person inspired and challenged to do better in his own life through the example of Pope Francis, was the US-based Jewish novelist Jonathan Safran Foer who described Pope Francis as the most inspiring and disturbing leader of his lifetime. He reflected on the legacy of Pope Francis saying: “There are people who do not merely walk the earth, but whose steps leave footprints for us to follow. Francis reminded us of what we continually forget: goodness is not an idea but a practice.” He said that Pope Francis had started “a revolution of tenderness, asking us to risk opening one’s eyes enough to see the world as it is, and to ache for what it must become.”
It was a good a summarising of Francis as anyone could have offered.
But at the heart of that revolution of tenderness were Francis’ lessons of inclusion and mercy. Throughout his pontificate, he continually reminded us that “The name of God is mercy.”
And so, here we are, on this Divine Mercy Sunday, celebrating mercy, and spreading the work and beauty of Divine Mercy within our communities because as Saint John Paul II reminded us: only through mercy ‘will we know even better the face of God and the true face of our brethren.’
However, in promoting Divine Mercy, in promoting St. Faustina, we promote, as lived in the life of Pope Francis, not an idea but a practice. We live what we revere, and we pray that many will follow; will follow the way of mercy and extend it to all whom they meet.
As he beautifully summed up Pope Francis, the words of Jonathan Safran Foer ring true for us too as we celebrate Divine Mercy: we see the world as it is, but we ache for what it must become. We ache for it to be more merciful and through mercy, that the world and its people will see and acknowledge God.
We live in a troubled, violent, unforgiving world. One look at news on television, one turn of a newspaper page, one news alert on our phone and for the most part it is bad news. Wars, attacks, displacement, poverty, greed. It can be overwhelming at times. Yet, beauty, humanity, and faith pervade everywhere. In the worst of situations, love and God, in some way are found. When it is found, and wherever it is seen, that is Divine Mercy at work through so many people.
We pray today, that through our active and lived faith, that we will continue to strive together to transform our society and world by bringing to life in a tangible way the mercy of God in our lives. We not only speak or pray words of mercy, but we also ask for the grace to give mercy our hands, our heart, our time, and our energy.
We seek to embody mercy, as best as we can, as often as we can; and may the lives of St. Faustina, John Paul II, and now Pope Francis, be just some of the people to continually inspire us to know the mercy of God and to put it into practice.
Fr. Richard
