Second Sunday of Easter [Divine Mercy Sunday] April 28, 2019 – John 20:19-31<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today is the Divine Mercy Sunday. From the Gospel, Jesus\ninstitutes the sacrament of reconciliation as He bestows His Holy Spirit upon\nthe Disciples. He grants them the divine authority to forgive (and not to\nforgive) sins and charges them to be the agents of Mercy. While it is true that\nonly priests can minister the sacrament of confession, every disciple of Christ\nis called to be an agent of Mercy and forgiveness. Yet, how we are going to be\nthe bearers of Mercy and Forgiveness? I think we need to understand first the\ndynamic of fear and peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fear is one of the human most basic emotions. It makes us\nflee from impending danger and normally, it is good and necessary for our\nsurvival. Yet, what is unique with us humans is that the object of fear is not\nonly physical real danger like an earthquake, fire, or venomous animals, but it\nextends to moral judgment. When we commit a mistake, we are afraid of the\njudgment as well as the consequences. Quite often too, fearful of the judgment\nand condemnation, we are run away and hide. In fact, the story of fear is a\nprimordial story. We recall our first parents, Adam and Eve. After they\nviolated the Law of God, they realized that they have terribly sinned against\nthe Lord, and afraid of God\u2019s judgment, they hid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After the passion and death of Jesus we find out that Jesus\u2019\ndisciples themselves are afraid and hiding. The disciples lock themselves\ninside the room because they are afraid. However, the real fear is not from the\nJewish authority or the Roman troops, but from Jesus\u2019 judgment. We remember\nthat Judas handed over Jesus to the Jewish authority, Peter, the leader, denied\nJesus three times, and most of the disciples were running away. Even before the\ncrucial moments of Jesus, they have deserted their Master and Messiah. In a\ncourt martial, a soldier who deserts his army, especially during the pick of\nthe battle, is considered a traitor not only to the army, but to the entire\nnation, and he deserves no less than capital punishment. The disciples are\nhiding because of fear that Jesus will bring His severe judgment, and get back\non them. The disciples are afraid that Jesus may come anytime, condemn them,\nand throw a fireball on them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Indeed, Jesus comes to them, but he brings not condemnation\nbut the gift of peace, \u201cShalom\u201d. This peace only ensues from forgiveness. This\npeace, however, is not the absence of judgment, but rather it presupposes one.\nUnless the disciples recognize and own up their terrible mistakes, they will\nnot appreciate Jesus\u2019 forgiveness and mercy. The peace will be just a mirage,\nand fear still reigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To become an agent of Mercy, we first dare to pronounce\njudgment. If we pretend that the sin never happens, and keep telling ourselves\nthat everything is just fine, we deceive ourselves and never become sincerely\npeaceful. Indeed, it is difficult, but as we cannot heal unless there is\nprognosis, we cannot truly forgive unless there is judgment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just last week, several suicide bombers blew themselves up\nat several churches in Sri Lanka and killed hundreds of Christians. A religious\nsister, who lost several of her community members in the explosion, wrote an\nopen letter to the perpetrators. She judged that what they did was an act of\nterrorism, pure evil. Yet, she reminds them that Christians will not be cowed\nand afraid because we know how to forgive. She said that the Catholic Church\nremains an open-door Church because she is not afraid to welcome everyone\nincluding those who tried to destroy her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is no peace without forgiveness, and there is no\nforgiveness and mercy without true judgment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Deacon Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Second Sunday of Easter [Divine Mercy Sunday] April 28, 2019 – John 20:19-31 Today is the Divine Mercy Sunday. From the Gospel, Jesus institutes the sacrament of reconciliation as He bestows His Holy Spirit upon the Disciples. He grants them the divine authority to forgive (and not to forgive) sins and charges them to be the agents of Mercy. While it is true that only priests can minister the sacrament of confession, every disciple of Christ is called to be…<\/p>\n