Mercy-Touching
Homily on the 2nd Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday); 27 April 2025, FSpIF Chapel, Talamban
Several years ago, I got a message from our seminary doctor asking for prayers for a four year old patient who was suffering from a dengue shock. She said that this girl was brought to her clinic because she had difficulty in breathing but it was already a little too late because she found out that the girl practically had no more pulse. So she immediately had the girl sent straight to the ICU of South General Hosp.
On my part when I came to know what happened, I too went to the hospital to pray over the girl who was still unconscious with all the tubes attached to her body. After the doctors had tried to stabilize a bit her condition, I approached her, and laid my hands on her. Then after praying over her I went home assuring the mother that prayers will be offered for her intentions. But I wasn’t really quite sure if the child would still survive that critical moment, since what I have seen with my eyes seemed a hopeless situation.
Don’t you sometimes also feel very sad, anxious and hopeless because of the trials and tribulations you are facing? Today is the seventh day that we have been mourning the death of Pope Francis. Yesterday afternoon while watching the funeral Mass taking place in St. Peter’s Square attended by a large crowd of dignitaries and a multitude of people from all walks of life, I can’t but sigh and say, “Oh wow, this is truly overwhelming! Pope Francis has certainly made a great impact on the world. He has indeed rekindled the hope of humanity.” But who could be the next Pope? And will he be like Pope Francis? We can only hope and pray that the next Pope would be a Francis II who is able to sustain the burning hope that he has brought to the entire world.
Today on this feast day of the Divine Mercy and the Eighth Day within the Octave of Easter we continue to celebrate joyfully our faith and our hope in the Risen Lord. In the first reading proclaimed for us today, we see how the early church led by the apostles made such an enormous impact on the people of Jerusalem that “great numbers of men and women, believers in the Lord, were added to them.” It was because the apostles were so impassioned by Christ that they proclaimed the good news fearlessly and tirelessly everywhere. Amazingly, it was the Spirit of the Lord that empowered Peter not only to preach the Gospel of Christ but also to do so much good and work so many wondrous deeds, like healing the sick and delivering those who were possessed or disturbed by evil spirits. Those who were brought to Peter “were all cured.”
We may ask, where did the Apostles and the early Christians get their incredible power to preach the good news and to heal the world? The answer is found in Christ, the Risen Lord. It was their personal encounter with him that impassioned them and empowered them to get out of the upper room and unleash their courage and zeal to make Disciples of Christ everywhere in accordance with his urgent command.
The gospel passage we have just heard today shows this very clearly. While the apostles were still hiding behind locked doors at the upper room, on the evening of that first day of the week “Jesus came and stood in their midst. And after greeting them “Peace be with you” he bestowed on them the unimaginable gift of the Holy Spirit. Similarly on the eighth day when they were again gathered in the upper room this time with Thomas, “Jesus came and stood in their midst. And after greeting them “Peace be with you” he allowed Thomas the doubter to touch him and even feel his wounds.
Brothers and sisters, today the Lord is again standing in our midst as we gather to celebrate this Eucharist. Let us allow him to speak to us and fill us with peace. Let us open our hearts to receive his gift of the Holy Spirit that empowers us to proclaim him everywhere and continue working out the same wondrous deeds he had done to all those in need.
I’d like to end with the continuation of the story I narrated at the beginning. Around two weeks later, the doctor updated me. She said that si Kriscyl kuno wala na… I mean wala na siya sa ospital; she had already been discharged by the doctor because she has recovered. Some days later the mother came to the seminary bringing Kriscyl along with her looking so healthy again in order to express their “Thank you father” for our prayers.
Then the mother shared with me what happened inside the ICU. Nag-ingon ang Mama nga samtang tua pa sila sa ospital ni-abot kuno ang Lola ni Kriscyl para mobisita. By that time medio arang-arang na ang bata, nagmata na ug makasulti na siya. Unya sa dihang nakita ni Kriscyl ang iyahang lola, nag-ingon siya sa iyang Lola nga naa kuno’y usa ka lalaki nga nisulod sa iyahang kwarto samtang ga solo sya sa ICU. Puti kuno ang gisul-ob sa maong tawhana, ug bungoton ang iyahang nawong. Unya gikuptan kuno siya sa lalaki, dayon nawala na siya’g kalit. Ang iyang Lola nakahinumdum nga nangadye sya kada-adlaw sa Divine Mercy alang kang Kriscyl. Busa gikuha niya ang usa ka picture sa Divine Mercy gikan sa iyang bag, ug gipakita niya sa bata. Pagkakita sa ni Kriscyl sa picture, mi-ingon siya, “Mao na siya, Lola; Mao na siya ang mibisita nako.”
Brothers and sisters, from this true-to-life story nahibaw-an nato kining kahibulongan: nga ang atong Ginoo tinuod nga maloloy-on kanatong tanan ug tinuod nga labing makagagahom sya sa bisag unsang atong mga sakit. More amazingly we realized nga naminaw gayod siya sa atong mga pag-ampo nagpadayon siya sa paglakaw uban kanato. He visits us in our homes and continues to walk along with us wherever we go, even when we are admitted in the hospital so that we may feel that he loves us and cares for us. With Him and for Him the impossible becomes possible. GiGsss!
