DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY.
DIVINE MERCY MANIFESTS ITSELF ESPECIALLY THROUGH THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION.
THE GOODNEWS:
"On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again,
"Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, even so I send you."
And when he had said this,
he breathed on them, and said to them,
"Receive the Holy Spirit.
If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."
Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples told him,
"We have seen the Lord."
But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe."
Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them.
The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said,
"Peace be with you."
Then he said to Thomas,
"Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side;
do not be faithless, but believing."
Thomas answered him,
"My Lord and my God!"
Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;
but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20: 19 - 31).
Sunday April 12th, 2nd Sunday of Easter. Sunday of Divine Mercy.
The universal Church celebrates today the Solemnity of Divine Mercy. (Always 2nd Sunday of Easter).
Jesus is the Face of Mercy of Abba Father.
Mercy is the name and essence of God the Father revealed to us through His Only Son, Jesus the Christ.
The open Heart of Jesus is the symbol and seat of Mercy.
Mercy is promised to all.
To demonstrate that the powerful gift and message of Mercy that Jesus shared in His public ministry will remain in the Church after His Ascension, Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation and gave His Apostles and their successors the power to forgive sins.
To prepare ourselves to receive and retain Mercy, the ABC OF MERCY is very useful.
It is called ABC because, it is an acronym that can be remembered easily and secondly it is as simple as ABC.
A: Ask for Mercy.
B: Be Merciful.
C: Completely Trust Jesus for Mercy.
God is rich in mercy and is waiting for us to turn to Him to blot out all our sins and receive us in His merciful love.
Mercy, mercy. Nothing but mercy!
"Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to you for protection.
I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until the danger passes by." (Psalm 57: 1)
"Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself." (The Diary of St Maria Faustina, #950).
To learn how to recite the Divine Mercy Rosary, click the link below:
The Church learns more and honors the HOLY EUCHARIST in APRIL.
Here are a couple of Quotes by Saints on the Holy Eucharist.
St. MaximilianKolbe:
"If angels could be jealous of men, they would be so for one reason: Holy Communion."
St. Padre Pio:
"A thousand years of enjoying human glory is not worth even an hour spent sweetly communing with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament."
For Teachings, Prayers and Prayer intentions click the link:
REFLECTION ON THE EASTER SEQUENCE.
Victimae paschali laudes
"Christians, to the Paschal Victim
Offer your thankful praises!
A Lamb the sheep redeems;
Christ, who only is sinless,
Reconciles sinners to the Father.
Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous:
The Prince of life, who died, reigns immortal.
Speak, Mary, declaring
What you saw, wayfaring.
“The tomb of Christ, who is living,
The glory of Jesus’ resurrection;
bright angels attesting,
The shroud and napkin resting.
Yes, Christ my hope is arisen;
to Galilee he goes before you.”
Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining.
Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning!
Amen. Alleluia.
." (The Easter Sequence).
Saturday April 11th in the Octave of Easter.
The Lord Jesus in the Gospel (Mark 16: 9 - 15), rebuked the Apostles for not believing the credible witnesses who informed them of His Resurrection.
Our reflection today however is from the rich Easter Sequence. (It is in the Roman Missal).
"We offer the Paschal Victim [Jesus] our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving through our prayers but especially through immersion in His word and the Eucharist.
At Calvary, we the Sheep are ransomed by the Lamb[Jesus].
What does Ransom mean? It means Redemption. Because of our sins, we owe a debt to God that no man or all men can redeem. Jesus paid the Ransom through His death. This is the meaning of Redemption.
Now we are reconciled to God and therefore qualified for the fruits of Salvation.
At Calvary, we are redeemed but now wait for the Promise of the Father in Pentecost to enjoy the fruits of Salvation. What is Salvation?
"The Lord led his people to freedom and they shouted with joy and gladness. Alleluia!"
This is Salvation.
Salvation is freedom from slavery to sin, fear, worry, doubt.
Redemption plus Salvation equals Spirit-filled Christian. This is the Good News we must share.
Praise to You Lord Jesus Christ, our Redeemer and our Savior.
As we march towards the Promise of the Father in Pentecost, let us sing:
"Alleluia, alleluia!
This day was made by the Lord:
we rejoice and are glad.Alleluia! Alleluia!
THE EUCHARIST IS THE CHURCH. THE CHURCH IS THE EUCHARIST.
The Church learns more and honors the HOLY EUCHARIST in APRIL.
Here are a couple of Quotes by Saints on the Holy Eucharist.
“For not as common bread nor common drink do we receive these; but since Jesus Christ our Savior was made incarnate... the food which has been made into the Eucharist... is the flesh and the blood of that incarnated Jesus Christ.” — St. Justin Martyr.
- “For just as the bread and the wine of the Eucharist... become the Body of Christ and the wine the Blood of Christ.” — St. Cyril of Jerusalem.
For Teachings, Prayers and Prayer intentions click the link:
CAST THE NET ON THE RIGHT SIDE.
"Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias.
He revealed himself in this way.
"Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples.
"Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.”
They said to him, “We also will come with you.”
So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
"When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?”
"They answered him, “No.” So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.”
"So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish.
So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.”
"When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea.
The other disciples came in the boat, for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards, dragging the net with the fish.
"When they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread.
"Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.”
"So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore full of one hundred fifty-three large fish.
Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.
"Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.” And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they realized it was the Lord.?
"Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish.
This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the dead." (John 21: 1 - 14).
Easter Friday. 10th April 2026 in the Octave of Easter.
Our Gospel of today (John 21: 1 - 14) is one of my favorite passages in the Gospel. It is one of the post Resurrection appearances of Jesus to His brothers.
He seeks them out everywhere to be with them and encourage them. He prepares a breakfast for His disciples in this occasion.
Why do I find this passage comforting?
#1. As a salesman, I know what it means to toil a whole week and catch nothing.
Isn't it comforting to know that Jesus knows the hideouts of all the fish? He knows who is your best client and He has the contact details.
The fishermen obeyed the advice of the stranger on the shore and their disappointment was turned into comfort and joy.
#2. “Come, have breakfast.”
In the Gospels, a number of important teachings of Jesus happened around the dinner table.
Good food and eating are essential to a healthy spirituality.
Jesus invited the Apostles to come and eat and there was an unforgettable party there at the shore.
Can thunder strike twice in the same place?
Jesus reveals Himself to His disciples through familiar words and actions.
John was the first to make the connection of this miraculous catch of fish to the earlier incident when Jesus called them to the ministry. "Come follow Me and I will make you fishers of men."
Jesus is constantly invading our spaces trying to catch our attention. He is the great Hound of Heaven.
THE EUCHARIST IS THE CHURCH. THE CHURCH IS THE EUCHARIST.
The Church learns more and honors the HOLY EUCHARIST in APRIL.
Here are a couple of Quotes by Saints on the Holy Eucharist.
“For not as common bread nor common drink do we receive these; but since Jesus Christ our Savior was made incarnate... the food which has been made into the Eucharist... is the flesh and the blood of that incarnated Jesus Christ.” — St. Justin Martyr.
- “For just as the bread and the wine of the Eucharist... become the Body of Christ and the wine the Blood of Christ.” — St. Cyril of Jerusalem.
For Teachings, Prayers and Prayer intentions click the link:
WHY ARE YOU TROUBLED?
"The two disciples recounted what had taken place on the way, and how Jesus was made known to them in the breaking of bread.
"While they were still speaking about this, he stood in their midst and said to them,
“Peace be with you.”
"But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost.
"Then he said to them,
“Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts?
Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.
Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.”
"And as he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.
While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed, he asked them,
“Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of baked fish; he took it and ate it in front of them.
"He said to them,
“These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you,
that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.”
Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
"And he said to them,
“Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things.” (Luke 24: 35 - 48).
Thursday 9th April in the Octave of the Solemnity of Easter.
I was struck by this verse in our Gospel of today:
“Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts?"
This is my spiritual problem. I want to see and touch like the Apostles.
I have not learned to accept the word of Jesus as truth even when it is contradicted by circumstances.
"Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts?"
Lord Jesus deepen my faith. Remove the fears, worries and doubts in my heart. Amen!
THE EUCHARIST IS THE CHURCH. THE CHURCH IS THE EUCHARIST.
The Church learns more and honors the HOLY EUCHARIST in APRIL.
“The devotion which God sends to the succor of His Church and of the nations at the present time is the devotion to the Most Holy Eucharist. It is the highest of all devotions.” (Pope Leo XIII).
For Teachings, Prayers and Prayer intentions click the link:
THE FULL TRUTH ABOUT THE GOSPEL.
THE GOODNEWS:
"Peter and John were going up to the temple area for the three o’clock hour of prayer.
"And a man crippled from birth was carried and placed at the gate of the temple called “the Beautiful Gate” every day to beg for alms from the people who entered the temple.
"When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked for alms. But Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.”
"He paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them. Peter said, “I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.”
"Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong. He leaped up, stood, and walked around, and went into the temple with them, walking and jumping and praising God.
"When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the one who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with amazement and astonishment at what had happened to him." (Acts 3: 1 - 10).
Easter Wednesday April 8, 2026 in the Octave of Easter.
I am inspired to reflect on the key Scripture below:
"Peter said, “I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.”
I too have lacked silver and gold as my primary endowment from the Creator.
I have known from my youth that I am not excited by silver or gold.
God the Giver of all good gifts did not favor me with silver or gold. Instead He gave me an inquisitive mind especially with regard to eternal truths.
I am most happy in searching for useful facts and information and sharing them freely with people who may need them.
I recognize that some people prefer I give them money rather than information they can use. I became ashamed when I could not. Then the Holy Spirit opened my mind to the Scripture we read today: Acts 3: 1 - 10.
I became thankful with all the gifts God has given me. I envy no one their gifts of gold and silver.
Our Gospel today (Luke 24: 13 - 35) contains a great revelation. I call it:
THE FULL TRUTH ABOUT THE GOSPEL.
SIN, SUFFERING, SALVATION are intertwined. Sin causes suffering. Suffering creates the condition for Salvation.
"And he[Jesus] said to them,
“Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the Scriptures."
In other words, there is a divine necessity for Jesus Christ to suffer as He did for our Salvation. There is a divine necessity for the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is conceived without sin and did not commit a single sin to suffer what we call her Seven Sorrows.
St Paul teaches that it is through faith and suffering that we enter into the Kingdom of God. (Cf Acts 14: 22).
The Church learns more about the Eucharist in April. April is the Month the Church honors the HOLY EUCHARIST.
St Thomas Aquinas, OP, Doctor of the Church is the greatest teaching authority on the Eucharist. He teaches:
“The Eucharist is the true Passover, in which Christ, the true Lamb, is sacrificed for our sins, and His body and blood are given to us as food and drink, for our spiritual nourishment and redemption.”
For Teachings, Prayers and Prayer intentions click the link:
MARY MAGDALENE PROCLAIMS - I HAVE SEEN THE RISEN JESUS.
“ ‘I have seen the Lord!’ she announced.” —
"Mary Magdalene stayed outside the tomb weeping.
And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb
and saw two angels in white sitting there,
one at the head and one at the feet
where the Body of Jesus had been.
And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
She said to them, “They have taken my Lord,
and I don’t know where they laid him.”
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there,
but did not know it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her,
“Woman, why are you weeping?
Whom are you looking for?”
She thought it was the gardener and said to him,
“Sir, if you carried him away,
tell me where you laid him,
and I will take him.”
Jesus said to her,
“Mary!”
She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,”
which means Teacher.
Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me,
for I have not yet ascended to the Father.
But go to my brothers and tell them,
‘I am going to my Father and your Father,
to my God and your God.’”
Mary went and announced to the disciples,
“I have seen the Lord,”
and then reported what he had told her. "(John 20: 11 - 18).
To meet the risen Christ and have a true Easter, we must be baptized in the name of Jesus (Acts 2:38).
This not only means that we must receive the Sacrament of Baptism; it also means that we must live our Baptism by being immersed into the person of Jesus.
Like St. Mary Magdalene, we should be so preoccupied with and focused on Jesus that we hardly notice “two angels in dazzling robes” (Jn 20:12).
As St. Patrick prayed, we are to be very conscious of Jesus within us and around us, above and below us, to our right and to our left, etc.
We who are baptized into Jesus must say with St. Paul that to us, “ ‘life’ means Christ” (Phil 1:21).
As the deer “longs for the running waters” (Ps 42:2), we should seek, pine for, and thirst for Jesus (Ps 63:2).
How can we be so immersed in Jesus?
We must reform and have our sins forgiven. (Acts 2:38).
Then we will have a new Pentecost.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, we will meet the risen Christ and be His witnesses.
Baptism is the key to Easter. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to live our Baptism.
Repentance, expressed in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, opens us to the Spirit.
Thus, on the first Resurrection night, Jesus gave His apostles both the Spirit and the authority to forgive sins in His name (Jn 20:22-23).
Start the fifty-day season of Easter with Confession, leading to a new Pentecost and a renewal of your Baptismal Vows. Then you will meet the risen Jesus.
Father, make me another Mary Magdalene. Grant me the grace to seek Jesus until I find Him.
The Church honors the Most Holy Eucharist in April.
Pope Leo XIII Quotes on the Eucharist.
1. “The devotion which God sends to the succor of His Church and of the nations at the present time is the devotion to the Most Holy Eucharist. It is the highest of all devotions.”
2. “Our own belief is that the renovation of the world will be brought about only by the Holy Eucharist.”
For Teachings, Prayers and Prayer intentions click the link:
THE BIG LIE ABOUT THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS.
The GoodNews:
"Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce the news to his disciples.
"And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them.
They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage.
Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
"While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had happened.
The chief priests assembled with the elders and took counsel;
then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them,
“You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.’
And if this gets to the ears of the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”
"The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed.
And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present day." (Matthew 28: 8 - 15).
The Big Lie!
"You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep." (Matthew 28: 13).
Easter Monday, April 6th 2026 in the Octave of Easter.
Many people today are familiar with the term "fake news."
These are deliberate falsehood, misinformation and lies sown by the opposition to destroy the truth.
The chief priests and elders confronted with the news of the Resurrection of Jesus, bribed the soldiers to lie and sow disinformation that the Body of Christ was stolen by His disciples. This is the Big Lie.
Jesus said that the good seed was sowed by the Sower during the day but the Enemy came at night and sowed tares.
Pope Benedict XVI said that one of the great threats to Christianity today is the existential threat to truth.
Never before in human history has man been confronted by untruth and falsehood from every quarter in such a large scale.
Although the Church has Sacred Scriptures, Sacred Tradition and Magisterium which work together as deposit of faith and source of truth, the Church is still buffeted constantly by flood of disinformation and fake news even from inside the Church.
Every Christian is bound to know the faith in other to bear witness to the truth.
Not just to bear witness to the truth but very importantly to protect himself from falsehood.
Many Catholics leave the Church because they "discovered scripture and the truth" somewhere.
The Church has great Saints that have combatted heresies and falsehood in the Church and about the Church.
These Saints are called Hammers of Heretics.
Some of them are:
St Augustine of Hippo and St Anthony of Padua. Pray to them to protect you from the Big Lie and heresies.
Do not believe them when you hear "His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep."
The Holy Catholic Church honors the Most Holy Eucharist in April.
The Church teaches:
“The Eucharist is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life." (CCC 1324).
My flesh is real food and My blood is real drink says the Lord.
“Since Christ Himself has said, ‘This is My Body,’ who shall dare to doubt that it is His Body?” (St Cyril of Jerusalem).
Here are quotes from recent Pontiffs on the Eucharist:
“The Eucharist is the secret of my day. It gives strength and meaning to all my activities of service to the Church and to the whole world.” — St. John Paul II.
“The Eucharist, although it is the fullness of sacramental life, is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak.” — Pope Francis.
For Teachings, Prayers and Prayer intentions click the link:
