The Imitation of Christ's Love

Click: (Readings for the Fifth Sunday of Easter)

The First and Second Reading give us a glimpse of the Church. The First shows us the Church in her early years, with St. Paul and Barnabas doing missionary work and exhorting the disciples: “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” The Second Reading presents to us a Church triumphant in heaven, with her Lord and God making “all things new”.

In the Gospel today, Jesus exhorts his Apostles to love one another. This is His commandment for His Church. By this love, all will know Jesus’ disciples. Indeed, the first Christian communities attracted attention because they practiced Jesus’ commandment of love.

To love as Jesus loved is how we must love as Christians. Christian love is loving even if it means having to sacrifice and to endure hardships. Christian love seeks to serve others and not to be served. Christian love is loving even one’s enemies and persecutors. Jesus commands His disciples to love one another before He died. And on the cross, He showed them how to do it the Christian way. On the cross, as Jesus loved sinful mankind until death, the Church was born and redeemed.

God created humanity out of love. Jesus redeemed men out of love. With the grace of the Holy Spirit, Jesus exhorts His redeemed people, His Church, to be a community of love. We cannot be Christians who just individually believe and love God. We must be Christians who believe and love God even as we love one another. This Church, this community of believers united in love, is the Church whom the Apostles lovingly ministered to. She is the heavenly Jerusalem, the people for whom there will be no more death, mourning or pain. She is the Bride of Jesus, her Lord whose love she imitates.

Ordination at the Vatican Basilica (Pictures and Pope's Homily)

Last April 21, 2013, World Day of Prayer for Vocations, Pope Francis ordained to the priesthood some deacons of the Diocese of Rome at the Vatican Basilica. Below are some pictures of the Ordination (from News.va facebook) and the Pope's homily (from The Vatican websibe)

The Pope's homily:

PRIESTLY ORDINATIONS

HOMILY OF POPE FRANCIS

Vatican Basilica

Fourth Sunday of Easter, 21 April 2013

The homily delivered by the Holy Father is based on the one that appears in the Pontificale Romanum for the ordination of priests, with one or two personal additions.

Beloved brothers and sisters: because these our sons, who are your relatives and friends, are now to be advanced to the Order of priests, consider carefully the nature of the rank in the Church to which they are about to be raised.

It is true that God has made his entire holy people a royal priesthood in Christ. Nevertheless, our great Priest himself, Jesus Christ, chose certain disciples to carry out publicly in his name, and on behalf of mankind, a priestly office in the Church. For Christ was sent by the Father and he in turn sent the Apostles into the world, so that through them and their successors, the Bishops, he might continue to exercise his office of Teacher, Priest, and Shepherd. Indeed, priests are established co-workers of the Order of Bishops, with whom they are joined in the priestly office and with whom they are called to the service of the people of God.

After mature deliberation and prayer, these, our brothers, are now to be ordained to the priesthood in the Order of the presbyterate so as to serve Christ the Teacher, Priest, and Shepherd, by whose ministry his body, that is, the Church, is built and grows into the people of God, a holy temple.

In being configured to Christ the eternal High Priest and joined to the priesthood of the Bishops, they will be consecrated as true priests of the New Testament, to preach the Gospel, to shepherd God’s people, and to celebrate the sacred Liturgy, especially the Lord’s sacrifice.

Now, my dear brothers and sons, you are to be raised to the Order of the Priesthood. For your part you will exercise the sacred duty of teaching in the name of Christ the Teacher. Impart to everyone the word of God which you have received with joy.  Remember your mothers, your grandmothers, your catechists, who gave you the word of God, the faith ... the gift of faith!  They transmitted to you this gift of faith.  Meditating on the law of the Lord, see that you believe what you read, that you teach what you believe, and that you practise what you teach.  Remember too that the word of God is not your property: it is the word of God.  And the Church is the custodian of the word of God.

In this way, let what you teach be nourishment for the people of God. Let the holiness of your lives be a delightful fragrance to Christ’s faithful, so that by word and example you may build up the house which is God’s Church.

Likewise you will exercise in Christ the office of sanctifying. For by your ministry the spiritual sacrifice of the faithful will be made perfect, being united to the sacrifice of Christ, which will be offered through your hands in an unbloody way on the altar, in union with the faithful, in the celebration of the sacraments. Understand, therefore, what you do and imitate what you celebrate. As celebrants of the mystery of the Lord’s death and resurrection, strive to put to death whatever in your members is sinful and to walk in newness of life.

You will gather others into the people of God through Baptism, and you will forgive sins in the name of Christ and the Church in the sacrament of Penance.  Today I ask you in the name of Christ and the Church, never tire of being merciful.  You will comfort the sick and the elderly with holy oil: do not hesitate to show tenderness towards the elderly. When you celebrate the sacred rites, when you offer prayers of praise and thanks to God throughout the hours of the day, not only for the people of God but for the world—remember then that you are taken from among men and appointed on their behalf for those things that pertain to God. Therefore, carry out the ministry of Christ the Priest with constant joy and genuine love, attending not to your own concerns but to those of Jesus Christ.  You are pastors, not functionaries. Be mediators, not intermediaries.

Finally, dear sons, exercising for your part the office of Christ, Head and Shepherd, while united with the Bishop and subject to him, strive to bring the faithful together into one family, so that you may lead them to God the Father through Christ in the Holy Spirit. Keep always before your eyes the example of the Good Shepherd who came not to be served but to serve, and who came to seek out and save what was lost.

Pagtalima sa Mapagkalinga

Click: (Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Easter)

Tayo ang tupa at si Jesus ang pastol natin. "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand." Napakasarap pakinggan ng mga sinabi ni Jesus sa Ebanghelyo ngayon. You just "feel safe in His arms," ayon nga sa linya ng mga babae sa kanilang mga boyfriend o asawa.

Tama nga naman, ang Panginoon ang ating masasandalan at gabay sa daang patungo sa ginhawa - ginhawang hindi lang makamundo, kundi ginhawa sa buhay na walang hanggan. Siya ang Mabuting Pastol at tayo ang Kanyang mga tupang lubos na minamahal, mga tupang pinag-alayan Niya ng buhay, ng Kanyang sariling Katawan at Dugo. Ang Simbahan ang Kawan ni Kristo, ang Pastol na Siya ring Kordero sa ating Ikalawang Pagbasa ngayon.

Ngunit ang relasyong pastol-tupa ay hindi lamang tungkol sa pagkalinga ng pastol. Bilang tupa, may tungkulin din tayo - ang tumalima sa tinig ng Mabuting Pastol. “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me," ika nga ng Panginoon.

Katangian ng tupa ang pagiging masunurin. Sa pastol siya nakadepende kaya't sumusunod siya dito. Ganoon rin tayo sa Panginoon. Because we are "safe in His arms" nga, because He provides for us and guides us, ang dapat nating maging tugon ay pagsunod sa Kanya.

Sa Unang Pagbasa ay makikita ang hindi pagtalima o pakikinig ng ilang mga Hudyo sa Salita ng Panginoon na pinahahayag nila San Pablo. Sa pagpapahayag ni San Pablo ng Salita ng Diyos ay naging malinaw na ang Kawan ni Jesus na "nakikinig sa Kanya" ay hindi lamang para sa mga Hudyo, kundi sa lahat ng tumatalima sa Kanyang tinig.

Bilang tupa, naririnig natin ang tinig ng Mabuting Pastol natin sa Salita ng Diyos, sa pangangaral ng Santo Papa, mga obispo at pari na mga tinalaga ni Jesus bilang pastol natin dito sa lupa. Paano tayo tumatalima sa tinig Niya? Sumusunod ba tayo sa mga aral ng Ebanghelyo at nagpapasailalim ba tayo sa paggabay ng Simbahan? Alam naman natin kung ano'ng nangyayari sa mga tupang may sariling daang sinusundan - naliligaw! Pero ang tunay na tupa ni Kristo, tumatalima!

P.E. Benedict XVI's Message for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations 2013

MESSAGE OF THE HOLY FATHER
FOR THE 50th WORLD DAY 
OF PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS

21 APRIL 2013 - FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

Theme: Vocations as a sign of hope founded in faith

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

On the occasion of the 50^th World Day of Prayer for Vocations, to be held on 21 April 2013, the Fourth Sunday of Easter, I want to invite you to reflect on the theme: “Vocations as a sign of hope founded in faith”, which happily occurs during the Year of Faith, the year marking the 50^thanniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. While the Council was in session, the Servant of God, Paul VI, instituted this day of worldwide prayer to God the Father, asking him to continue to send workers for his Church (cf. Mt 9:38). “The problem of having a sufficient number of priests”, as the Pope stated at the time, “has an immediate impact on all of the faithful: not simply because they depend on it for the religious future of Christian society, but also because this problem is the precise and inescapable indicator of the vitality of faith and love of individual parish and diocesan communities, and the evidence of the moral health of Christian families. Wherever numerous vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life are to be found, that is where people are living the Gospel with generosity” (Paul VI, Radio Message, 11 April 1964).

During the intervening decades, the various Christian communities all over the world have gathered each year on the Fourth Sunday of Easter, united in prayer, to ask from God the gift of holy vocations and to propose once again, for the reflection of all, the urgent need to respond to the divine call. Indeed, this significant annual event has fostered a strong commitment to placing the importance of vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life ever more at the centre of the spirituality, prayer and pastoral action of the faithful.

Hope is the expectation of something positive in the future, yet at the same time it must sustain our present existence, which is often marked by dissatisfaction and failures. On what is our hope founded? Looking at the history of the people of Israel, recounted in the Old Testament, we see one element that constantly emerges, especially in times of particular difficulty like the time of the Exile, an element found especially in the writings of the prophets, namely remembrance of God’s promises to the Patriarchs: a remembrance that invites us to imitate the exemplary attitude of Abraham, who, as Saint Paul reminds us, “believed, hoping against hope, that he would become ‘the father of many nations,’ according to what was said, ‘Thus shall your descendants be’" (Rom4:18). One consoling and enlightening truth which emerges from the whole of salvation history, then, is God’s faithfulness to the covenant that he entered into, renewing it whenever man infringed it through infidelity and sin, from the time of the flood (cf. Gen 8:21-22) to that of the Exodus and the journey through the desert (cf. Dt 9:7). That same faithfulness led him to seal the new and eternal covenant with man, through the blood of his Son, who died and rose again for our salvation.

At every moment, especially the most difficult ones, the Lord’s faithfulness is always the authentic driving force of salvation history, which arouses the hearts of men and women and confirms them in the hope of one day reaching the “promised land”. This is where we find the sure foundation of every hope: God never abandons us and he remains true to his word. For that reason, in every situation, whether positive or negative, we can nourish a firm hope and pray with the psalmist: “Only in God can my soul find rest; my hope comes from him” (Ps 62:6). To have hope, therefore, is the equivalent of trusting in God who is faithful, who keeps the promises of the covenant. Faith and hope, then, are closely related. “Hope” in fact is a key word in biblical faith, to the extent that in certain passages the words “faith” and “hope” seem to be interchangeable. In this way, the Letter to the Hebrews makes a direct connection between the “unwavering profession of hope” (10:23) and the “fullness of faith” (10:22). Similarly, when the First Letter of Saint Peter exhorts the Christians to be always ready to give an account of the “logos” – the meaning and rationale – of their hope (cf. 3:15), “hope” is the equivalent of “faith” (Spe Salvi, 2).

Dear Brothers and Sisters, what exactly is God’s faithfulness, to which we adhere with unwavering hope? It is his love! He, the Father, pours his love into our innermost self through the Holy Spirit (cf.Rom 5:5). And this love, fully manifested in Jesus Christ, engages with our existence and demands a response in terms of what each individual wants to do with his or her life, and what he or she is prepared to offer in order to live it to the full. The love of God sometimes follows paths one could never have imagined, but it always reaches those who are willing to be found. Hope is nourished, then, by this certainty: “We ourselves have known and believed in the love that God has for us” (1 Jn 4:16). This deep, demanding love, which penetrates well below the surface, gives us courage; it gives us hope in our life’s journey and in our future; it makes us trust in ourselves, in history and in other people. I want to speak particularly to the young and I say to you once again: “What would your life be without this love? God takes care of men and women from creation to the end of time, when he will bring his plan of salvation to completion. In the Risen Lord we have the certainty of our hope!” (Address to Young People of the Diocese of San Marino-Montefeltro, 19 June 2011).

Just as he did during his earthly existence, so today the risen Jesus walks along the streets of our life and sees us immersed in our activities, with all our desires and our needs. In the midst of our everyday circumstances he continues to speak to us; he calls us to live our life with him, for only he is capable of satisfying our thirst for hope. He lives now among the community of disciples that is the Church, and still today calls people to follow him. The call can come at any moment. Today too, Jesus continues to say, “Come, follow me” (Mk 10:21). Accepting his invitation means no longer choosing our own path. Following him means immersing our own will in the will of Jesus, truly giving him priority, giving him pride of place in every area of our lives: in the family, at work, in our personal interests, in ourselves. It means handing over our very lives to Him, living in profound intimacy with Him, entering through Him into communion with the Father in the Holy Spirit, and consequently with our brothers and sisters. This communion of life with Jesus is the privileged “setting” in which we can experience hope and in which life will be full and free.

Vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life are born out of the experience of a personal encounter with Christ, out of sincere and confident dialogue with him, so as to enter into his will. It is necessary, therefore, to grow in the experience of faith, understood as a profound relationship with Jesus, as inner attentiveness to his voice which is heard deep within us. This process, which enables us to respond positively to God’s call, is possible in Christian communities where the faith is lived intensely, where generous witness is given of adherence to the Gospel, where there is a strong sense of mission which leads people to make the total gift of self for the Kingdom of God, nourished by recourse to the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist, and by a fervent life of prayer. This latter “must on the one hand be something very personal, an encounter between my intimate self and God, the living God. On the other hand it must be constantly guided and enlightened by the great prayers of the Church and of the saints, by liturgical prayer, in which the Lord teaches us again and again how to pray properly.” (Spe Salvi, 34).

Deep and constant prayer brings about growth in the faith of the Christian community, in the unceasingly renewed certainty that God never abandons his people and that he sustains them by raising up particular vocations – to the priesthood and the consecrated life – so that they can be signs of hope for the world. Indeed, priests and religious are called to give themselves unconditionally to the People of God, in a service of love for the Gospel and the Church, serving that firm hope which can only come from an openness to the divine. By means of the witness of their faith and apostolic zeal, therefore, they can transmit, especially to the younger generations, a strong desire to respond generously and promptly to Christ who calls them to follow him more closely. Whenever a disciple of Jesus accepts the divine call to dedicate himself to the priestly ministry or to the consecrated life, we witness one of the most mature fruits of the Christian community, which helps us to look with particular trust and hope to the future of the Church and to her commitment to evangelization. This constantly requires new workers to preach the Gospel, to celebrate the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. So let there be committed priests, who know how to accompany young people as “companions on the journey”, helping them, on life’s often tortuous and difficult path, to recognize Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life (cf. Jn 14:6), telling them, with Gospel courage, how beautiful it is to serve God, the Christian community, one’s brothers and sisters. Let there be priests who manifest the fruitfulness of an enthusiastic commitment, which gives a sense of completeness to their lives, because it is founded on faith in him who loved us first (cf. 1 Jn 4:19).

Equally, I hope that young people, who are presented with so many superficial and ephemeral options, will be able to cultivate a desire for what is truly worthy, for lofty objectives, radical choices, service to others in imitation of Jesus. Dear young people, do not be afraid to follow him and to walk the demanding and courageous paths of charity and generous commitment! In that way you will be happy to serve, you will be witnesses of a joy that the world cannot give, you will be living flames of an infinite and eternal love, you will learn to “give an account of the hope that is within you” (1 Pt 3:15)!

From the Vatican, 6 October 2012

BENEDICTUS PP. XVI

This message is from The Vatican website.

Feed My Sheep

Click: (Readings for the Third Sunday of Easter)

The Apostles were again back to where they were before: fishing. But all of them there, especially Peter, will be reminded by the Risen Lord of the mission He called them for: being fishers of men. The miracle of the bountiful catch in today's Gospel must have reminded Peter of how he met the Lord. He and all the other disciples have been through a lot with the Lord. Peter, most especially, have been shown to have a wavering faith - strong now, then weak the next time. Everything, including his calling and his denial of Jesus, is probably coming back to him in today's Gospel story.

The beloved disciple also makes an inspiring remark in today's narrative: "It is the Lord!" He was the first to believe when He saw the empty tomb. Now he is the first to recognize Jesus. He recognized Jesus whom He saw on the cross. He recognized Jesus whom he saw die and pierced with a lance. The Apostle who witnessed the Lord's Passion and Death becomes the Apostle who first believed and recognized the Lord.

The Apostles' encounter with the Lord, their closeness to Him ever since they were called, and even their moments of failure in keeping the faith become their source of strength in their apostolic ministry. Jesus gives Peter the command, "Feed my sheep" thrice, after Peter professes his love for Him thrice. Peter's love for the Lord becomes a "making-up" for the three times that he denied him before; Jesus asks Him now to extend  to others this love he has for Him, not just as their brother, but as their shepherd.

The Apostles, with Peter as pope, became the shepherds of the Church which sprung from Christ's side as He was hanging on the cross. They truly became "fishers of men". Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost converted more than three thousand people. The Apostles' preaching reached many nations.

As shepherds, it was their duty to feed the Lord's flock. They are to nourish them with instruction in the faith, with a faithful witnessing of their encounter with Jesus and of His Words, with the celebration of the sacraments, especially of the Most Holy Eucharist in which Jesus is fed to us, and with exhortations on Christian life and prayer. Even to this day, the successor of Peter and of the Apostles continue to nourish us, bringing us the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, and teaching us about faith and morals.

As Catholic faithful, as sheep of our Lord Jesus, the Good Shepherd, we must heed the voice of our shepherds here on earth. Our pope, bishops and priests are commissioned by Christ to tend us and to feed us. We must humbly accept their instruction even as we strive to form our own consciences.

The Lord, in our Gospel today also foretells Peter's martyrdom. True enough, being servants of the Lord would mean having to face persecution and rejection. The First Reading today gives us a glimpse of how Peter and the Apostles were persecuted. There we see Peter with a faith strengthened by the Holy Spirit, proclaiming Jesus even amidst persecution. This is far from the Peter who denied Jesus thrice. Peter became brave because he had to feed the lamb. He had to proclaim the Word to those who hunger for it. He had to proclaim the name of Jesus and the salvation He has brought about. He was ordered to feed Jesus' sheep; he had to "obey God rather than men", even though these men (the Sanhedrin) threatened them.

Christians are indeed no strangers to suffering and persecution. The martyrs who have shown obedience to God even under the threat of death join in the suffering of Christ who was "obedient unto death" and they give witness to Jesus' Paschal Mystery. We too can offer our sufferings and unite them with Christ's, especially in the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Suffering for the sake of Jesus' name, for the sake of obeying God's commands is a way of witnessing to Jesus to the people around us.

When we think about it, like Peter, we also have "sheep" entrusted to us. We have our family, the people around us, friends and colleagues or people directly under our care. What do they get when they interact with us? Do we exude negative things like apathy and selfishness? Or do we "feed" them with the Word of God at work in our lives? We might not all be preachers, but we must all be witnesses to the people around us by our words and deeds. We might not be all bishops and priests commissioned to "feed sheep", but we are all Christians mandated to "love one another".

The Annunciation and Mary's Response

Click: (Readings for the Solemnity of the Annunciation)

Ngayon ipinagdiriwang ang Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord dahil ang original date nito, March 25, ay pumatak ng Monday of Holy Week. Ang buong Holy Week at ang buong week after Easter Sunday (Easter Octave) ay may liturgical precedence na tinatawag. Mas mataas ang rank ng mga liturgical observances na ito kaya't na-move ang Annunciation sa sumunod na araw na pwede, ang Monday of the Second Week of Easter, April 8.

March 25 nga ang original date ng Annunciation, exactly 9 months bago ang pagdiriwang ng Pasko. Sa sandali kasi ng pagsang-ayon ni Maria sa mensahe ng Anghel Gabriel, bumaba sa kanya ang Espiritu Santo and she conceived Jesus in her womb. Ang 9 months na pagitan ng Annunciation at Pasko ay tanda na si Jesus ay totoong Diyos at totoo rin namang naging tao; totoong ipinaglihi Siya at dinala sa sinapupunan ng Kanyang ina.

Ang imahe ng Annunciation ay talagang napakaganda. On the one hand, makikita natin dito ang pagkilos ng Diyos. Simula pa lang ng unang magkasala ang tao, inihayag na ng Diyos ang plano Niyang kaligtasan. Sa Annunciation, narito't nakikita natin ang "babae" na itinakda ng Diyos para maging ina ni Jesus. Sa eksenang ito, nakikita natin na papalapit na ang kaligtasang matagal nang inihahanda ng Diyos. Paparating na si Jesus, ang "Diyos na nagliligtas" na matagal nang hinihintay ng Israel.

Sa kabilang dako naman, makikita natin kay Maria ang pagsang-ayon sa kalooban ng Diyos. Dahil dito, naging mahalagang bahagi siya ng kasaysayan ng ating kaligtasan. Ipinakita ni Maria ang isang dakilang pagsunod sa Diyos sa kabila ng kawalang-kasiguruhan. Dapat nating tularan si Maria na marunong tumalima sa kalooban ng Diyos. Tulad niya, we need to learn to cooperate with God's plan in our life. Hindi man natin maintindihan ang lahat, dapat tayong magtiwala sa plano ng Diyos. Ganun dapat ang ating faith.

Sa panahon ngayon, marami na ang sumusuway at tumutuligsa sa kalooban ng Diyos na pinahahayag Niya sa pamamagitan ng Kanyang Simbahan. Binigyan ni Jesus ng authority ang Simbahan "to bind and loose". Binigyan Niya rin ng kasiguraduhan ang Simbahan na hindi siya magkakamali dahil gagabayan siya ng Espiritu Santo. Kaya't kung paanong naniwala si Maria at tumalima sa kalooban ng Diyos na sinabi ng anghel, dapat rin tayong tumalima sa kalooban ng Diyos na nalalaman natin sa mga turo at paggabay ng Simbahan.

"Be it done unto me according to your word." Nawa ito rin ang maging panalangin natin sa araw-araw. At nawa ito rin ang ating maging tugon sa kalooban ng Diyos. Kung magagawa natin ito, tunay na magiging bahagi tayo ng pagkilos ng Diyos sa mundo.

May Awa ang Diyos!

Click: (Readings for Second Sunday of Easter/Divine Mercy Sunday)

Matagumpay ang ating Panginoon! Maluwalhati Siyang nagpakita sa Kanyang mga alagad at pumasok sa kanilang silid kahit na nakakandado ito. Dala ng matagumpay nating Panginoon ang kapayapaan para sa Kanyang mga alagad na marahil ay takot at naubusan ng pag-asa sa mga nangyari sa tinuturing nilang Guro.

Sa kabila ng mga pagkukulang ng mga alagad Niya, may awa ang Diyos! Ipinagkaloob ni Jesus sa kanila ang Kanyang "hininga", ang Kanyang bagong buhay, ang Kanyang Espiritu. Kalakip nito ang kapangyarihang magpatawad ng kasalanan sa ngalan Niya. Kung paanong natamasa nila ang awa at pagpapatawad ni Jesus, sila naman ang ginawang tagapagbahagi ng awa at pagpapatawad ng Panginoon sa iba.

Kung noong bago Siya mamatay ay tinatag ni Jesus ang Banal na Eukaristiya, sa Kanyang Muling Pagkabuhay naman ay tinatag ni Jesus ang sakramento ng Kumpisal, ang sakramento ng Kanyang Awa. Sa sakramentong ito, sumasalok ang mga Apostol, at sa panahon ngayon, ang mga kaparian, mula sa 'di mauubos na Awa ni Jesus, mula sa mga merito ng pagdanak ng Dugo ni Jesus at ng Kanyang Kamatayan, at idinudulot nila sa atin ang kapatawarang bunga nito.

Ang tindi ng awa ni Jesus! Kapayapaan at kapatawaran ang dala Niya sa atin matapos gawin sa Kanya ng mundo ang pinakamalupit na kasamaan, matapos Siyang iwan ng mga Apostoles at itatwa ni Pedro! Sa krus, wala Siyang tinira sa sarili Niya. Nasaid para sa atin ang lahat ng Dugo at Tubig mula sa Kanya. All this dahil sa Kanyang awa sa atin at pagnanais Niyang iligtas tayo. Gaano man kalaking kasalanan ay mapapatawad ni Jesus, basta totoo tayong nagsisisi  at lumalapit sa sakramento ng Kumpisal. Wag nawa tayong matulad kay Santo Tomas Apostol na sa sobrang lungkot ay nawalan na ng pag-asa sa Muling Pagkabuhay. Buhay si Jesus at dahil doon, may pag-asa tayo na mabubuhay tayong muli mula sa pagkamatay sa kasalanan! May awa ang Diyos! Magtiwala lang tayo na kaya Niya tayong patawarin.

Gayunpaman, hinahamon tayo ng dakilang awa ni Jesus na magpursige sa kabutihan. Hindi tayo dapat maging lax sa ating buhay Kristiyano. Hindi porke't may awa ang Diyos ay hindi na rin tayo magsusumikap maging mabuti. Nariyan ang Kumpisal upang matamasa natin ang awa ng Diyos tuwing nadadapa tayo. Pero ang awa ng Diyos rin ang dapat magbigay-lakas sa atin na lumago sa pananampalataya at pagsasabuhay nito. Ang awa ng Diyos ang dapat maging sanggalang natin laban sa tukso na muling magkasala. Walang masama sa paulit-ulit na pangungumpisal. Ngunit dapat ay may paglago tayo sa bawat paglapit natin sa sakramentong ito, paglago "sa tulong ng mahal na grasya" at awa ni Jesus.

May awa ang Diyos! Nawa ang awa at kapayapaan ng Muling Nabuhay na Panginoon ay sumaatin, patawarin tayo at palakasin sa buhay Krsitiyano. At nawa'y suklian natin ng tiwala ang awa ng Diyos. Inihahain na sa atin ni Jesus ang lahat, lalo na sa mga banal na sakramento ng Kumpisal at Eukaristiya. Ang kulang na lang ay lumapit tayo sa Kanya, puno ng pananalig sa Panginoon at Diyos natin, tulad ng ginawa ni Santo Tomas Apostol. Magtiwala tayo, manalig at makikita natin Siya, makikita natin ang mga sugat Niya. Sa huli ay masasabi nga natin, "May awa ang Diyos!"

Indulgence Alert! May special indulgence na maaaring makamtan sa araw ng Divine Mercy Sunday. Ipinagkaloob ni Pope John Paul II ang plenary indulgence, under the usual conditions (Confession, Communion and Prayer for the Pope's intentions), sa mga makikiisa sa mga panalangin o debosyon in honor of Divine Mercy sa anumang simbahan o kapilya. Ipinagkakaloob din ito sa mga magdarasal ng Our Father, Creed at invocation sa Mahabaging si Jesus (halimbawa: Merciful Jesus, I trust in you!) sa harap ng exposed or reserved Blessed Sacrament.

Read more about the indulgence here: (Decree on indulgences attached to devotions in honor of Divine Mercy)