Divine Mercy Sunday, 2025

Two-Thousand and Eight, my final year at college, was a very tumultuous time: I was approaching graduation, and I had no idea what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.

I was filled with anxiety; I was actually having anxiety attacks for the first time in my life, and a lot of it also had to do with the fact that I hated how I was living: I was living a very worldly, superficial lifestyle. I was just doing what felt good and wasn’t worried about the consequences.


But, that year, I realized I desperately needed guidance for my life. And, so, because I was raised to understand that Jesus is the creator of the universe; that He is the source of life, and has a plan for my life, I decided to take Him serious.


So, I started going to daily Mass, I stopped missing Sunday Mass, started going to confession, reading the scriptures, praying the rosary, and visiting Jesus in the tabernacle.


As we know, the little round Host at Mass becomes Jesus Himself. And, since that’s Jesus Himself, of course I’m going to visit Him and ask Him what He wants me to do with the rest of my life.


So, I started visiting Him regularly every week for an hour in a tiny Eucharistic chapel at my parish. While in that chapel, I came across this thick red book. And, as I was flipping through it, I was struck by some of the things that Jesus was saying to this nun.


You see, the book I was looking through was the published diary of Saint Faustina in which the Divine Mercy message is contained. The Divine Mercy message is simply the words of Jesus to Saint Faustina about His tremendous mercy for even the greatest of sinners.


These are some things Jesus said to Saint Faustina: “A soul's greatest wretchedness does not enkindle me with wrath but, rather, my heart is moved towards it with great mercy.” In another place Jesus said, “The greater the sinner, the greater right they have to my mercy.” And, in another place Jesus said, “No soul that has called upon my mercy has been disappointed.”


I was shocked at how merciful God really is. His words brought me a deep peace during a time in my life that was emotionally very difficult.


…And we hear in the Gospel, the Apostles, despite hearing that Jesus was raised from the dead earlier in the day, were still locked in that room out of fear. They themselves must have been filled with anxiety. They must’ve had no idea what they were supposed to do now with their lives. 


But what changed? Jesus physically appeared to them and breathed on them the Holy Spirit. Jesus brought comfort to their anxiety, and direction to their lives, giving them a mission. 


…Like the Apostles, we have the benefit of Jesus being physically with us. In the midst of our anxieties, Jesus can give us great peace. Visiting Jesus in the tabernacle is a source of peace for everybody. 


I was living a terrible life most of my college career, and I am still a sinful person, but Jesus was able to speak to me even when I hated what I was doing; even when I felt so stuck in my sin, Jesus spoke so much peace into my life and gave me direction and, not only a direction, but the courage to follow that direction. 


Jesus did the same for the Apostles and He can do the same for you because we have that same Jesus right here, right now, right there.


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