APRIL 27, 2025

Dear Parishioners,

Today we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday following the joy of Easter. Easter has given us hope through His Resurrection and as Jesus has taught us, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Because of His love and sacrifice, we ALL will rise again.

This season may our hearts be filled with joy as we remember to live in His light and follow Him as we reflect on the true meaning of Easter. HE IS RISEN!!! We hope you enjoyed your Easter with all the traditions including a special Easter egg hunt followed by a delicious meal with family and friends.

Divine Mercy Sunday reflects on the numerous messages that were sent to St. Maria Faustina Kowalski in the 1930s on how to institute the Feast of Mercy. The reason Jesus wanted this feast to be celebrated was to remind us of His Mercy and infinite love. By the Lord appearing to the disciples after His Death on the Cross and His Resurrection, blessing them with peace and giving them the authority to forgive sins in His name, our priests carry out His plan to fulfill His promises for the graces and benefits of Mercy Sunday.

On the feast of the Divine Mercy Sunday, Jesus invites us all to this spiritual banquet to receive His mercy with the promises of graces that bring us comfort, love and forgiveness. By making a good confession, we receive Christ’s forgiveness and grace. The prayers, readings and gospel on this Feast also bring us strength to grow in our faith, to be filled with hope, a renewal of our baptismal grace and a cleansing of our souls that we received as gifts from the Holy Spirit at our baptism. And, when we receive Holy Communion on this day with TRUST in His Divine Mercy, we receive the complete spiritual renewal. With that trust, we open our hearts to Jesus so He can pour out ALL His graces upon us. God’s mercy has given us new life.

The image of the Divine Mercy reminds us of His death, and His forgiveness and love as we see the Blood and Water flowing from his chest as it did on the cross on Good Friday. On the inscription at the bottom of the image, “Jesus, I trust in You,” we see a sign of our faith.

We also need to be merciful to others through our words, what we do and in our prayers for those in need. As Jesus said to His disciples, “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” The mercy that we receive in our hearts on this day should be shared with others. We offer this to Jesus for His sacrifices and love for us. “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it for me.”

What a beautiful way to complete our celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday than to share it with others. At my former parish during Ministry Week, we had a banner that said, “Give back to God.”

God’s Blessings,
Fr. Ryan P. Brady
Pastor of St. Christina Parish