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Today the Church concludes the Easter Octave, a series of eight days celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. One physical day is not enough for Easter. The Church needs eight physical days to celebrate the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ and His victory over sin and death.
Today was once called the Second Sunday of Easter or Low Sunday, but was renamed “Mercy Sunday” by Pope St. John Paul II. The new name fits as we live in a world that has forgotten the power of mercy and liberation. The new name is a call and a challenge to all of us to become people of mercy, compassion and kindness.
Are we seeking to be people of mercy in our own lives? Are our families centers and symbols of mercy?
Throughout the fifty days of the Easter season, the Church concludes its liturgical readings of the Old Testament during Sunday Mass. Instead of the Old Testament, the second liturgical reading is taken from Acts. The Church gives us these readings from the Acts of the Apostles to remind us what it means to live as disciples of the Lord Jesus.
Such biblical reminders emphasize the Christian call to mercy and selfless service.
Mercy is not an abstract reality. It is a difficult and dirty business. Mercy is not just a judicial act. It requires rolling up our sleeves and putting our faith into action. Mercy is about relationship. It is about healing so that we and others can be uplifted and flourish. Mercy leads to reconciliation. Mercy is about restoration and hope. Mercy is the way we receive God’s peace and share it with one another.
Sacred work of mercy is one of the visible characteristics of the Church. He shows us the way of the Lord Jesus. It reveals to us what Christian community should look like and what its mission is in the midst of a fallen and damaged world.
It is the way of the Lord Jesus that calls us to mercy and to be humble, to serve the poor, to reach out to the sick, to care for the injured, to love the forgotten and to give mercy to all those who are hurt or injured. It has hurt us or our loved ones.
The focus on the work of the Christian community originates from the life of the Lord Jesus and the first community he created with his apostles. It is this first community that the Lord wanted after the resurrection. They were dear to him as we are dear to him today. And, in the same way, he wants us and wants to be with us.
But after the resurrection, the apostles were afraid, confused and the doors were closed. The Lord passed through the gates and proclaimed peace, showed them His wounds, breathed on them, and then sent them out into the world to continue His mission until the end of the world.
As Pope Francis taught us: “Let us be healed by the merciful Jesus of peace, forgiveness and wounds.” Let’s ask for the grace to be Witnesses of mercy. Only in this way will our faith come alive and our lives become one. Only in this way can we preach the gospel of God, which is the gospel of mercy.
Only in the context of the resurrected Christ can life and the holy work of mercy be lived actively and faithfully in the Christian community. Mercy flows from resurrection.
It is the risen Christ who has generously given us mercy and given us the gift of peace. Having received these heavenly gifts, we are called to give the same gifts to others.
As Pope Francis said about the apostles: “The peace of Jesus passed over them.” From regret to mission. The peace of Jesus that animates the mission does not require comfort and consolation, but the challenge of stepping out of ourselves.
If we accept the yoke to be witnesses of mercy, we can truly be salt, light and leaven to our world, because what fallen humanity needs most is mercy. Through the grace of the resurrection, Christians can offer a special gift of mercy to our fallen world. It’s our way of life. It can be our special gift.
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