Last week, on the occasion of Divine Mercy Sunday, Fr. Drake McCalister of Holy Family Parish in Steubenville, OH, gave a wonderful homily on God’s mercy.
With his permission, I re-post it here:
Peace, Go, Forgive
The older I get, the more I am amazed at God’s mercy and forgiveness. Often Catholics can get fixated on whether or not they have committed a mortal sin and live a life in constant fear of being cut off from God. While this is a real possibility, it is not as tenuous as some people make it feel.
In John’s account of the resurrection in today’s Gospel, Jesus appears to the disciples for the first time—and how terrifying would that anticipation of seeing Jesus have been. Once the disciples got wind that Jesus was alive, they must have wondered what Jesus would say to them. I imagine Peter in particular would have been terrified to see Jesus, knowing that he flat-out denied Jesus on the night of his arrest. Peter must have been sick to his stomach after the fact, knowing that Jesus said this would happen, while Peter insisted it would not.
How amazing it is that the first words out of Jesus’ mouth upon seeing the disciples are, “Peace be with you.” The second words out of his mouth are, “Peace be with you.” After all the disciples failed to do, Jesus’ first words are not those of condemnation or an act of retribution, but a divine gift of healing: peace.
More than offering them peace, instead of cutting them off, the next act of Jesus is to send them on mission. “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Instead of cutting them off because of their failure at the cross, Jesus says they will be sent to continue the mission that God the Father sent Jesus to do.
What is the mission that Jesus was sent to do? Forgive sins! As the disciples are still reeling in amazement at seeing the resurrected Lord and as they are still grappling with the word of peace, Jesus sends them to a lost, broken, and hurting world to be an extension of God’s divine mercy and forgiveness. Just as the disciples have received mercy and forgiveness for their failure, they are to take this message of mercy to the ends of the world, “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven.”
While mortal sin is real and it is possible for us to reject God, the encounter of how Jesus deals with the failure of the disciples should give us great comfort, knowing that God is far more merciful with us than we will ever know. There is a fundamental difference between the cold, calculated decision of Judas to deny Jesus and the failure of Peter in a moment of fear or passion. Peter’s disposition through the entire ministry of Jesus was one of wanting to follow Jesus at every turn, even if he was not yet able to follow through with that desire. There is great mercy for the disciple who is desiring to follow Jesus and stumbling along the way.
May we never live in constant fear of being cut off from God, as we actively seek to follow him, albeit imperfectly. Catechism 1385 says, when the time comes that we are conscious of a grave sin, get to confession before receiving the Eucharist. This teaching should not make us despair of our salvation; rather, it is a safeguard to ensure that we arrive at the Eucharist in a state of grace and receive the peace of God, just as the disciples did.
Living in the joy of the mercy of God, Fr. Drake
Father’s mention of Jesus instantly forgiving the disciples for their unfaithfulness reminds me of an experience I had with Him a few years ago:
At that time, I served as what I called “Jesus’s flower girl” in my parish in Vermont. Once a week, I’d buy a bunch of flowers and put small bouquets on each side of the tabernacle and in front of the statue of the Holy Mother. Being alone with Jesus in the empty church felt like such a privilege.
One week, our priest, Father J., was traveling, so there was no Mass for five days, and even though the church was open part of the day, I doubt many people went. Vermont is the most unchurched state in the US, and practicing Catholics are a smallish though tight-knit group.
At the end of the week, on Friday, I went to get fresh flowers to replace the old ones before the weekend Masses. I was completely unprepared for what happened as I entered the church.
As I genuflected in front of the altar, I felt a tremendous outburst of joy coming from the tabernacle. It was so overwhelming that it drove me to tears. In my mind, I heard a happy shout, “You’re here!”
He didn’t accuse or admonish me. There was no “Where have you been?” or “Why haven’t you visited me all week?” Just pure, unadulterated joy and gratitude that I, that someone, was coming to see Him.
Which also is a reminder that He does get lonely in the tabernacle, especially in churches that aren’t highly frequented. So please drop by as often as you can, even if it’s just for five minutes, to say hi and sit with Him for a little while. And remember that He’s not here to condemn you—He just wants to be with you.
God bless you!