Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting

Pastor’s Pen
St. Augustine Catholic Church
Sunday, April 11, 2021
Sunday of Divine Mercy

My brothers and sisters in Christ,

Permit me to say that today the 11th day of April is my happy day anniversary, the second Sunday of Easter. I therefore request your prayers as I give God thanks in many ways, which equally appeared in the responsorial psalm: “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting.”

Today also is the end of the Easter Octave meaning it is the last day of the peak of Easter where the celebration of holy Mass and praying of the Divine Office will return to Eastertide.

What is more significant is that today, the second Sunday of Easter, is called the Sunday of Divine Mercy, pointing to the totality of our Salvation history. God by his love and forgiveness saved his people from the slavery of Egypt and guided them to the promised land. From there Christ took over through his suffering, death, and resurrection to save his people by a life of grace in God.

Divine Mercy Sunday became the total summary of God’s love on us when in 2005 Pope John Paul II established the Divine Mercy Sunday to emphasize God’s love and forgiveness on mankind as made manifest by the revelations found in St. Faustina’s diary.  The Divine Mercy points to the merciful love of God that is behind the paschal mystery, that is, the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ.  It calls for the Confession of sins that we may enjoy God’s mercy and that all mankind may profit from the blood and water that gushed from his side to wash us clean and make us holy.

This day also calls on us to always pray the chaplet of Divine Mercy to benefit from all the promises and blessings one can derive from it.  Therefore, we pray: “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.”

Fr. Chris