Corpus Christi Parish in Lexington, SC on Divine Mercy Sunday

Unschooled orphan children in Lufwanyama, Zambia

Last Sunday, Divine Mercy Sunday, I was down in Lexington, South Carolina for my father’s funeral.  I attended Corpus Christi Parish.  I went by myself as my wife was still in New York and could not be there, and my brothers and sisters living near there were not Catholic.  Even though I went by myself, the parishioners were very warm and welcoming and I felt at home.  The priest who said the mass gathered all of the children around him on the altar steps.  He asked them what they wanted to be when they grew up.  Each child responded and there were things like, Teacher, Astronaut (what I would have answered at that age), Police man or woman, Fire man or woman, etc.  The children were all excited at the personal attention the priest gave them and at his interest in their ideas.  After hearing from all of the children, he said that all of them could probably become what they wanted to be with a little bit of work.  Then he said, “what if your parents told you that age eight you had to leave school and help with the farm; or what if there was no school at all near you; or what if the school consisted of a metal shed with no books or blackboards or other learning tools.”  He told them that for a very large number of children in the world, that was what they faced.

When he said this it reminded me of my own mission trip down to Zambia in Africa last fall.  I went with a charity (HALO Missions) that helps bring medical and educational help to orphans throughout that area.  I remember the wonderful, happy children who could not attend school because they did not have the money to buy the government required school uniforms.  I remember visiting the local school that was definitely under sized and quite primitive compared to what we have.  I remember helping bring medical assistance to these orphans, sometimes saving their lives with less than $4.00 worth of medicine.  I remember the school headmaster’s smile when we told him we were giving him enough money to complete the school extension that the government had stopped due to lack of funds.  I also remember the joy on the faces of the 109 orphans that we dealt with telling them that we would purchase their school uniforms so they could attend school.  Helping others brings such joy, and there are so many who need help.  That was the message that the priest gave the children.  They were having a special fund raiser for a charity that helped children around the world.  I hope that the parents of these children heard that message and contributed generously.

So what does this have to do with Divine Mercy?  It has plenty do to with it.  John Paul II told us that Divine Mercy was twofold.  The emphasis we have most of the time is the first part:  God is Merciful; he is filled with unending Mercy.  We do need to hear that and take it in to our heart.  But we also have to live out the second part.  The second part is that we too are called to be like God and be filled with Mercy.  That means not only being forgiving, but also being generous in our dealings with others, especially the poor.  We need to touch the people around us by showing God’s Mercy in our everyday lives.  But we also have to be Merciful to those who do not have what we do.  We need to shower them with generous, merciful actions.  This Sunday, as we continue our Easter celebration and hear Jesus tell St. Peter that he must feed and tend the sheep, we too must think about how we can feed and tend God’s children who are in need.  This should be a time when we think about the other part of Divine Mercy, Divine Mercy Too, our response to God’s Mercy and our call to bring Mercy to others.  God bless.

To check out the the HALO missions website go to http://www.halomissions.org

This Sunday, the first Sunday after Easter, is Divine Mercy Sunday.  This is such an important day for us, especially during this YEAR OF MERCY.  We are called to see how the love of God is poured out upon us in His Mercy.  Now we especially see Divine Mercy in relationship to our death, but I think we should also see it in our day to day walk with Jesus.   We should experience all of life with a sense of gratitude for the Mercy God shows us.  The gift of life itself calls us to be filled with gratitude for what God has given us.

This last week I have personally seen God’s love and Mercy at work.  On Monday I received a call from my brother that my 90 year old dad had become seriously ill.  He lived in an assisted living home in Columbia, SC.  I live in Long Island, NY.  His care workers saw that he did not come out of his room for breakfast.  They knew that he never missed a meal, so they thought something was wrong.   They went in to find him unconscious on his bed and immediately called an ambulance.   He was rushed to the hospital and my brother was called.  After some testing they found that he had a bad infection caused by his divitriculitus.  It was severe enough that they believed he would not recover.  My brother told me I should come down as soon as possible.   Since the airfare was extremely expensive,  I planned to drive down, which would have taken me two days.  Fortunately,  God has given me a wife who had the wisdom to tell me that I should fly down.  I did that and came to dad Tuesday afternoon.

As soon as I got to the hospital, I  talked to my brother.   Dad was getting worse.  I went in to see him and dad was fairly awake because the nurses had just washed him.  He lit up as soon as I walked in and tried to talk, but could only mouth “Marty”.  His look on his face when he saw me is one I will never forget.   God, in His Mercy, allowed me to get there just in time.  Right after that,  he never fully awoke.  All four of his children,  and several of his grandchildren were gathered around him.  We stayed with him until finally,  on Wednesday morning, he breathed his last.  I see God’s Mercy in allowing all four of his children to be there for his last few days.

I also see God’s Mercy in his death.  Although the doctors told us that he could have a prolonged and difficult death, he didn’t.   On Wednesday  morning his blood pressure kept failing and the hospital allowed all four of us gather around him in his ICU bed.  We told him how much we loved him and we first prayed the Numbers 6 prayer and then prayed the Our Father.  As we prayed the last words of the Our Father, he breathed his last breath.  He died peacefully,  with his children and grandchildren around him.  I certainly saw God’s Mercy in this.

My dad was originally baptized a Methodist and when I was about 20 he became a Jehovah Witness.   This conversion of his has caused a great deal of difficulty within our family.  However,  the last few years have brought a lot of healing to us all and I see God’s Mercy at work in this.   I really believe the Jehovah Witnesses are very misled in their beliefs and I would certainly consider them to be in apostasy.   I have worried about my dad (and Mom’s) salvation , but I know that dad loved God and served Him in the way he thought was correct.   Because I know of God’s Mercy, I feel better about my Mom and Dad’s salvation.   I do believe that we all have to face God in judgment for our lives.  However,  it is good to know that we have a good and Merciful  judge.

The Second Greatest Act of Mercy

This is a picture that I took while we were out on the Sea of Galilee in a boat.  It was early in the morning and there was a low fog on the waters.  We started singing the song, “How Great Thou Art” and all of a sudden rays of sun came through the clouds.  It was a real Holy Moment.  God is good.

CHRIST THE LORD IS RISEN TODAY, ALLELUIA – What a day of Joy for the Church, for the world.  Today the victory over death has occurred.   Because of Jesus’s  resurrection we now have Hope and Joy and Peace and Love and Life.  God is so good!  For the next forty days the Church will CELEBRATE the resurrection of the Lord.  This echoes the forty days that Jesus spent with His disciples in His Resurrected Body.  He spent those days teaching them and getting them ready to form the Church and spread the GOOD NEWS throughout the world.  He prepared them for His own leaving (Ascension in to Heaven) and for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  Today the Church begins the Easter season where we too will be learning so much from the Lord through the scripture readings of mass.  It is a very Holy time for us.  We too need to learn about the gift that God will give us at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit.  In Romans, Paul tells us that the Spirit that lives within us is the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead.  Now that is true power.  We need to learn more about what God can do through us when we are open to His Spirit.  The Easter Season will help us do that.  Remember that Easter is a forty day process.  Make the best of it.  May our good Lord continue to bless you and yours and may you have the very best Easter season ever.

The church built around the empty tomb.  The church door is closed while the monks change their shift.  On Holy Saturday the rock closed the tomb.

During the day, the Church waits at the Lord’s tomb.  We think about how Jesus suffered and died just for us.  We do not celebrate any sacraments today until we come to the Easter Vigil this evening.  When the Vigil comes, we will finally be able to celebrate; and celebrate we do.  I would like to go over what happens during this most beautiful service.  I do not think that reading about it is enough; I really suggest that you attend one in your own parish.

The Vigil is divided in to four parts:  A service of LIGHT; The liturgy of the WORD; The liturgy of BAPTISM; and the Liturgy of the EUCHARIST.  Here is a breakdown of the major happenings within each part.

A service of LIGHT – The vigil begins in darkness. All of the members in the church receive their own small candle.  Outside of the Church (or in the vestibule) a fire is prepared and blessed.  The deacon holds the Easter candle near the fire.  The priest lights the Easter candle from the fire and places five grains of incense in to the candle on a sign of the cross calling to mind the five wounds of Jesus.  This Easter candle represents the Risen Jesus, the light of the world, but even in His resurrected body He shows the wounds of His crucifixion.  The deacon carries the Easter candle in procession in to the Church and up to the altar.  He stops at the door and sings, Christ our Light, and then again at the middle of the church and then again at the altar.  Everyone’s candle is lit from the Easter candle by people sharing the light given to them.  By the time the candle is at the altar, the whole church is lit by candle light.  It is very beautiful to see.  We can’t help to better understand how Jesus is the light that dispels all darkness and we are the ones who spread that light to each other.  The Easter Proclamation EXSULTET is then sung by the deacon (or singer).  This is a most beautiful ancient poetic song.  The church lights are put on, but the altar candle as left unlit.

The liturgy of the WORD – The Church provides us with nine readings for the Vigil (pastoral necessity allows it to be shortened slightly).  Seven are from the Hebrew scriptures and two from the New testament (one is a Gospel).   The readings are followed by a responsorial psalm and a prayer.  This evening we hear of the history of salvation as it leads to Jesus.  The readings are very important and a homily must be given.   The church candles are lit when the first new testament reading is read.

The liturgy of BAPTISM – The Easter Vigil has traditionally been the time when new people come in to the Church.   Our RCIA programs prepare converts and new people for this evening.  Very often Baptisms are necessary (converts from other Christian faiths do not need a baptism if the first is done with the Trinitarian formula).  The waters to be used for Baptism, and the sprinkling of the people, are blessed using the Easter candle.  The very beautiful singing of the Litany of the Saints is something everyone should experience.  The new people are baptized and confirmation is also done when it is indicated.  Not only do the new people state their baptismal promises, but all the faithful renew their baptismal promises and are sprinkled with water recalling their own baptism.

The liturgy of the EUCHARIST – The Vigil continues with the Eucharist prayers and all the faithful receive.  The mass is ended with a real sense of Joy of the Resurrection.

NOTE:  The Easter Candle is let at all liturgies during the Easter season.  It is also lit at all baptisms and funerals during the Church year.

In Catholic parishes throughout the world this coming Sunday, the words “He is risen, alleluia!” will be proclaimed.

But what will most Catholics have in their minds when they mutter, or speak, or even shout with joy, those words? Probably something along these lines: “Jesus Christ rose from the dead and now in him we have the forgiveness of sins. Thank you, Lord!” Or maybe, “Jesus Christ rose from the dead. This is a fact of history. Christianity isn’t a cleverly devised story but really true!”

These are both good and appropriate responses. But I want to add something here. When we look at the teaching of the New Testament, the resurrection isn’t only about the forgiveness of sins or evidence that Jesus was who he claimed to be and who the earliest believers claimed him to be. In the New Testament, the resurrection is about power to become holy.

Let me explain by taking you on a brief tour of Scripture.

Way, way back in the book of Deuteronomy, before the Israelites had even crossed into the Promised Land, speaking to a people who had shown themselves incapable of living in trusting obedience to God, Moses looked to a future day when

The Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, in order that you may live (Deuteronomy 30:6).

One day, Moses said, God will act to change his people so that they will love him and walk in his ways.

Some seven or eight centuries later, the Lord spoke through the prophet Jeremiah of a New Covenant he would at some point in the future make with his people. When that time comes, the Lord said, “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:33). God’s law will not be something merely etched on stone tablets. Instead it will be etched on human souls.

A little later the prophet Ezekiel, speaking in God’s name, described this same mysterious distant event in some of the most beautiful words in all of Scripture:

I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean . . . and from all your idols I will cleanse you. A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and given you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statues and be careful to observe my ordinances. Then you shall live in the land that I gave to your ancestors; and you shall be my people, and I will be your God (Ezekiel 36:25-28).

Scroll forward another five hundred years.

Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night, and our Lord speaks words that seem to him incomprehensible: “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit” (John 3:5). Now, this poor Jewish scholar was completely bewildered. But he shouldn’t have been. If only he had read Deuteronomy 30 and Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 36, he would have understood what the Lord was saying to him. Jesus asks Nicodemus, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?”

So when was this New Covenant put into effect? And how does it come to be effective in each of our lives?

Well, the New Covenant the prophets were pointing toward is the covenant Jesus established at the Last Supper when Jesus broke the bread and shared the cup saying, “This is my blood of the covenant . . .” (Matthew 26:28).

After this, he died, was buried and was raised from the dead on the third day. He ascended to sit at the right hand of power and on the Day of Pentecost he poured forth into his Church the promised Holy Spirit. St Peter stood and preached the first sermon of the Christian era and when the crowds were cut to the heart by his words and cried out, “What must we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized . . . and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” What’s Peter saying? He’s saying, “Repent and be baptized and you will receive what Moses talked about, and Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, and our Lord as well! What Ezekiel described in detail will happen to you!”

We know this is what Peter had in mind because in the first letter he wrote to the early Christians, he says in chapter 1, verse 3 that the “new birth” Jesus told Nicodemus about takes place “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (in other words, through the power unleashed by the resurrection) and in chapter 3, verses 21-22 he intimates that this takes place through our baptism.

And baptism . . . now saves you . . . through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities and powers made subject to him (1 Peter 3:21-22)”

Notice how Peter repeats those words “through the resurrection” when speaking of both the new birth and baptism. Peter is telling us that it is through the power of the resurrection that we are born again in our baptism.

One final witness. In Romans 6, St Paul says that in our baptism we were united with Christ in his death and in his resurrection in order that we “might walk in newness of life.” He says that in our baptism our bondage to sin was broken and that we no longer need to be slaves to sin. He’s saying that something actually happened to us in our baptism. He’s saying that God was acting and that he changed us! Two chapters later Paul says that in Christ the Holy Spirit has been given to us “in order that the just requirements of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1-4).

Ah, sounds just like Moses and Jeremiah and Ezekiel!

Connect the dots. Do the numbers. And this coming Sunday, when you shout out, “He is risen, alleluia!” here’s what I want you to be thinking: “Lord, it is the power of your resurrection that became active in me through baptism, granting me the new birth you told Nicodemus about, removing my heart of stone and replacing it with a heart of flesh, giving me your Holy Spirit in order that I might love the Lord my God with all my heart and with all my soul and walk in faithful obedience to your word. To this I commit myself this Easter Sunday. God, help me!”

Now there’s  a way to celebrate Easter.

About the Author

Ken Hensley is a former Protestant minister and convert to the Catholic faith. He’s an author, speaker and teacher.

“Having worked in the field of Catholic apologetics for nearly 30 years, I’ve been privileged to know and collaborate with many talented, inspirational, and effective teachers of the Faith. It’s no exaggeration to say that my friend Ken Hensley is among the very best of the best of the Catholic apologists serving Christ and His Church today.” Patrick Madrid

“Ken Hensley is a truly remarkable apologist, especially when it comes to Sacred Scripture, Reformation history, and taking complex theological issues and making them accessible to the average Catholic in the pew.” Tim Staples

“As an apologist, Ken Hensley has three secret qualities that, thankfully, aren’t so secret anymore: he’s an exceptionally engaging teacher who brings to the craft his own curiosity and love of the subject; he knows how to distill deep content for the average person; and he’s evangelically Catholic. And did I mention his relentlessly off-beat sense of humor?” Patrick Coffin

“I want to recommend my good friend, Ken Hensley, who is a very effective speaker on a wide variety of subjects, ranging from Scripture and Apologetics to Church History and the New Atheism… Ken is an expert pastor, with a pastor’s heart, who can make the Bible come alive. I’m looking forward to more of his teaching in the future.” Scott Hahn

Ken Hensley – http://www.callingallconverts.com

Today we recognize that Jesus, after being arrested and detained overnight, went to the officials and, by the demands of the people, was sentenced to crucifixion.  This is a most horrible form of death and torture.  Our word excruciating, as used in describing pain, comes from the same Latin root.  Today, because it is such a solemn day, I am posting only one short post, with pictures, to help you meditate on what Jesus did for us.  Remember that on Holy Thursday, after celebrating the Last Supper, Jesus and His disciples went to the Garden of Gethsemane where He was betrayed and arrested and taken in to custody.  That evening was spent in the holding pit in Jerusalem, with other criminals.  I visited that pit and it is deep, hollowed out from rock, and has only one hole that Jesus had to be let down in by ropes.  Here is a picture that I took of it:

While we were there, we read Psalm 88 which says:

LORD, the God of my salvation, I call out by day;

at night I cry aloud in your presence.

Let my prayer come before you;

incline your ear to my cry.

For my soul is filled with troubles;

my life draws near to Sheol.

I am reckoned with those who go down to the pit;

I am like a warrior without strength.

My couch is among the dead,

like the slain who lie in the grave.

You remember them no more;

they are cut off from your influence.

You plunge me into the bottom of the pit,

into the darkness of the abyss.

In the morning, Jesus was led to the officials traveling over these steps:

Before His crucifixion, He was scourged while tied to this pillar:

He was forced to carry His cross to Golgotha, and the stone it was placed in can be seen through the plexiglass at this altar in the Church of the  Holy Sepulcher:

His Mother, Mary, was present for the crucifixion and truly her heart was pierced by a sword as predicted.  Here is a statue showing this.  This statue is right next to the place of crucifixion:

When Jesus was taken off the cross, his body was anointed for burial.  Here is a picture of the anointing stone:

Jesus was then laid in the empty tomb.  Here is a picture of where He was laid.  The marble was placed on top of the actual place to protect it.

Mary and the disciples were devastated.  The church today waits anxiously for the Easter Vigil mass when we celebrate His resurrection.  The altars are bare and the tabernacles are empty until then.  We too are in sorrow.