Divine Mercy: The Only Way
First I would like to thank so many people for a beautiful Holy Week. From Palm Sunday through Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and to Easter Sunday, we had a beautiful experience of Christ’s victory over sin and death. In a special way thank you to Fr. Jedidiah, Deacon Rick Westbay, Deacon Terry Coleman, Alex Dugas, and our deacon candidate Jeff Little. It is an honor and privilege to get to serve alongside of them, especially during these most sacred days.
There are so many details with decorations, communications, gathering supplies, and emails that I couldn’t possibly name everyone who helped. However I really want to thank our staff who did an incredible job in coordinating so many of the details. Their dedication and devotion is remarkable. A couple small details were missed, but that’ll happen; it reminds us that Jesus Christ is perfect, not us. Also thank you to all those who sang or accompanied the music. So many hands went into decorating and cleaning our churches. Many parishioners donated flowers in honor of loved ones. Thank you so very much.
It was especially moving when compared to Holy Week last year. Last year was moving for different reasons; it made us realize how central the Sacred Liturgy is to our lives. Without Liturgical Worship, our lives are empty and lacking meaning. It was wonderful to get to celebrate these Masses with full churches.
However, the glory didn’t end Monday morning after Easter. We enter the Easter season which culminates in the Ascension of Our Lord into heaven and the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Today we also celebrate a wonderful feast, Divine Mercy Sunday. This weekend, we are invited to renew our appreciation of God’s Divine Mercy which is manifest in Jesus Christ.
This Sunday reminds us that God’s Divine Mercy is the only path to heaven. We don’t get to heaven by going to Mass every Sunday, by being kind, or a good person. The only way to heaven is through God’s Mercy. His Death and Resurrection, which we just celebrated, is the way to eternal life. This Sunday, we are invited to rediscover God’s initiative. Not through us, but through the Mercy of Jesus Christ, we are redeemed and renewed.
I invite you to the Divine Mercy Service at Immaculate Conception at 3:00pm this Sunday to renew this commitment to Jesus Christ and His Mercy. During this service we will pray the chaplet of Divine Mercy and thank God for the outpouring of Mercy that comes through His pierced heart. Also during the service, Fr. Jedidiah and I will be hearing confessions. You can have a firsthand, personal experience of God’s Divine Mercy.
May you have a blessed Easter Season!
Sincerely in Jesus Christ,
Fr. Sean Wilson