Divine Mercy Sunday
The Divine Mercy Image, painted by Eugeniusz Kazimirowski, as described from a vision by Saint Faustina; 1934; Public Domain; additional artwork and collage by Juliette Pierce Kent.
A day when the Church celebrates the unfathomable nature of God’s mercy and love for His children.
Readings from the Book of Hours, 7th April 2024
First Reading
From the letter of the apostle Paul to the Colossians
3:1-17
Your new life in Christ
Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory …
… So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so must you do also. In addition to all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ, to which you were indeed called in one body, rule in your hearts; and be thankful -
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you.
Second Reading
From a sermon by Saint Augustine, bishop
A New Creation in Christ
I speak to you who have just been reborn in baptism, my little children in Christ, you who are the new offspring of the Church, gift of the Father, proof of Mother Church’s fruitfulness. All of you who stand fast in the Lord are a holy seed, a new colony of bees, the very flower of our ministry and fruit of our toil, my joy and my crown. It is the words of the Apostle that I address to you: Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh and its desires, so that you may be clothed with the life of him whom you have put on in this sacrament. You have all been clothed with Christ by your baptism in him. There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor freeman; there is neither male nor female; you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Such is the power of this sacrament: it is a sacrament of new life which begins here and now with the forgiveness of all past sins, and will be brought to completion in the resurrection of the dead. You have been buried with Christ by baptism into death in order that, as Christ has risen from the dead, you also may walk in newness of life.
You are walking now by faith, still on pilgrimage in a mortal body away from the Lord; but he to whom your steps are directed is himself the sure and certain way for you: Jesus Christ, who for our sake became man. For all who fear him he has stored up abundant happiness, which he will reveal to those who hope in him, bringing it to completion when we have attained the reality which even now we possess in hope. …
And so your own hope of resurrection, though not yet realized, is sure and certain, because you have received the sacrament or sign of this reality, and have been given the pledge of the Spirit. If, then, you have risen with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your hearts on heavenly things, not the things that are on earth -
For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, your life, appears, then you too will appear with him in glory.
St. Augustine writes to us, from across the centuries, reminding each of us that we are pilgrims on the way. We go little by little, stepping stone by stepping stone, guided by the Light of Christ, the lamp of our hearts. I pray to make this pilgrimage faithfully, each day committing myself anew to this journey home; and to walk with joy and gratitude.
An iconic symbol from one of the most famous pilgrimages, the Camino de Santiago, is the scallop shell. It is used as a sign along the road, guiding pilgrims as they make their way to the tomb of Saint James in Santiago de Compostela. The shell, with its pattern of lines and grooves joining at the bottom, is a metaphor for the many routes pilgrims travel, across space and throughout time, that lead to the same point: the destiny we are called to in Christ.
As St. Paul writes in his letter, we are called to clothe ourselves with kindness, compassion, and patience as we make our way through life. These are our travel clothes. He tells us to set our minds and hearts on the ‘higher things’, the end point of our pilgrimage; and to find refuge along the way, shelter from the storms and respite from the long journey, in the peace of Christ’s mercy.
May we continue to walk faithfully and may His grace be our constant companion!
