I.
On February 22, 1931, the Risen Lord Jesus appeared to
a Polish nun named Sr. Faustina. Sr.
Faustina later wrote in her Diary: “I saw the Lord Jesus clothed in a white
garment. One hand was raised as though blessing,
the other was touching the garment of his breast. … There were two large rays, one red, the
pale. After a while, Jesus said to me, ‘Paint
an image according to what you see, with the signature, ‘Jesus, I trust in
You. I want this image to be solemnly
blessed on the first Sunday after Easter; that Sunday is to be the Feast of
Mercy’” (Diary #49).
The Gospel for today, then, the Sunday one week after
Easter, is on this mercy of Jesus through the Sacrament of Reconciliation and
Penance. A week after the Resurrection
of Jesus, the Apostles were gathered in fear when the Risen Jesus appeared to
them. Jesus said to them, “As the Father
sent me, so I send you.” He breathed on
them and then said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven. Whose sins you retain, they are retained”
(John 20).
In other words, Jesus entrusts the great Sacrament of
Penance to his Apostles. In the Bible,
Jesus gives the authority to forgive sins to ordinary human beings. Jesus chooses sinful and weak men to absolve our
sins. [The Greek word for the apostles
that replaced the first Twelve Apostles is episkopoi,
or in English overseer or bishop.] This
is why it is necessary to go to a priest for Confession. The Apostles continue the work of Christ to
heal and build the Church. In today’s
First Reading, the Word of God says that the mere shadow of Peter, the first
papa of the Church, was enough to heal (cf. Acts 5). Then in today’s Second Reading, John the
Beloved is now an old man, and the last of the Twelve Apostles alive, exiled on
Patmos Island, where he wrote the Book of Revelation (Rev. 1). [Just and Peter and John continued the work
of the Resurrection, so too in our own time Jesus continues in His Church today.]
Now, today, we may know some people, family and
friends, that have been away from this Sacrament of Forgiveness for many
years. That person may even be us
sitting here. It is significant that
Jesus chose to appear to the Apostles when the doubting Thomas was not
present. It is significant because
Thomas is you and me! We have moments when we doubt and do not
trust Jesus. We have moments when we are like the first disciples who gathered
in fear. We experience the same things the first Apostles did. Thomas couldn’t wrap his head around the
Resurrection. Then, when Jesus appears
to us doubting Thomases, he says, “Blessed are those who have not seen me and
believe.” And in that simple, childlike
trust, Thomas is our model where we too renew trust in Jesus and exclaim with
love once again, “My Lord and my God!”
Thomas’ confidence takes us back to the prayer,
“Jesus, I trust in You,” no matter what.
Today, Divine Mercy Sunday, Jesus asks us to trust him no matter what we
and the Church are going through. Sr.
Faustina’s wrote in her Diary, “Jesus complained to me, ‘The distrust of a
chosen soul causes Me even greater pain; despite my inexhaustible love for them
they do not trust Me. Even my death is
not enough for them…’” (#50). So it
wasn’t atheists and unbelievers that hurt Jesus the most, but it was us, the chosen ones, those closest to
him, that don’t trust him who hurt His tender Heart. Thomas is our model of trusting Jesus. [If time permits, say steps for
Confession.]
Jesus said that the soul that shall go to Confession
around Divine Mercy Sunday and receive Holy Communion in the state of grace
shall receive complete forgiveness of sins AND punishment due to sin in Purgatory. This is complete baptismal innocence again! “Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even
though its sins be as scarlet” (#699).
II.
Speaking of priests and innocent ones, dear brothers
and sisters, I need to shift gears to a related topic for the second main part
of my homily. It is a more uncomfortable
but necessary topic of our entire Diocese this week, and it will be addressed
next week, too. This Tuesday, April 30,
the Bishop of the Sacramento Diocese will release to the public the names of priests
and deacons credibly accused of abusing minor, these innocent ones. Like Thomas who couldn’t wrap his head around
the Resurrection, we too may not be able to wrap our heads around the truth of
the abuse that had occurred. We are like
Thomas who touched the wounds of the Body of Christ. These wounds in the Body of Christ did
happen. These betrayals by men of the
cloth did happen. And there were leaders
of the Church that covered it up. So
there were 2 major sins by members of the Church’s hierarchy: First, the abuses
by priests and, second, the cover-ups by the bishops [and cardinals]. Pope Emeritus Benedict called this a form of
moral relativism even among the shepherds, even among shepherds with a lack of
a deep prayer life, among other reasons, even among shepherds whom we look to
for spiritual and moral guidance. With
the releasing of the list of the list of names on Tuesday, we will get a
glimpse at the full extent of the pain caused by clergy. It’s time for us, like Thomas, to open our
eyes to the truth, so that the Church can be changed by it. It’s time to ask ourselves, “What can I do to
make sure this doesn’t happen again?”
More than ever, we need to be a Body of Christ that prays for priests
and work together. We’re not out of the
woods yet after Tuesday. What we do know
is that the way forward needs to be bathed in the light of Christ’s Resurrection
and his Divine Mercy, to overcome the darkness of this night in the Church. Jesus,
have mercy on us in ordained ministry!
The leaders of the Church have failed you. We failed to protect you as children, and we
failed to tell the truth as adults by shameful, sinful crimes. While the overwhelming number of sins
occurred before 2002, when the new system (called the Dallas Charter) was put
into place, the releasing of the names by Bishop Soto on Tuesday is still a
step forward to confront the past and make a public accounting in the present. The Diocese has strict safeguards in place to
protect children and vulnerable adults in the future. Let us pray for the victims and take concrete
action for them. We need your help and
input in building a clerical culture dedicated to celibate, generous service. And may the Catholic Church, which is going
through a period of painful purification, be renewed in her priesthood. May Thomas the Doubter help us open our eyes
to this moment in the Church. And may
the rays of the Divine Mercy shine upon this situation in the Church so badly
in need of Jesus’ touch. Jesus, I trust
in you. Amen.
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