St. Matthew Catholic Church

Weekly Message     

Divine Mercy in Daily Living

Dear brothers and sisters,   

       On Divine Mercy Sunday, the Church invites us to enter the Upper Room, where fear and failures have locked the doors, and guilt of broken promises has shamed the disciples. Into that room, Jesus comes giving the message of “Peace be with you”. Yes! It’s love and mercy.

No Accusations but Acceptance: Jesus didn’t ask Peter, “Why did you deny me?” He didn’t ask others, “Why did you flee?” Instead, He showed them His wounds and said, “Peace”. Justice is giving each person what they deserve; mercy is not giving what they deserve.

Turning Doubt to Trust: Peter’s denial and Thomas’ doubt of, “I will not believe.” are restored - by mercy. Peter will later be asked three times, “Do you love me?” Not to shame him - but to heal him. Thomas is invited to touch the wounds. Not to prove him wrong - but to draw him in. Divine Mercy does not humiliate. “The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive”, said Jesus to St. Faustina.

Blueprint to Mercy: Jesus met St. Francis in unexpected places: in the embrace of his despised leper, speaking to him from the Cross, sharing His five wounds, etc. The ‘Peace Prayer’ was his ‘blueprint’ of his daily life and revealed that Christ was in him.

Our Lives: We recognize ourselves in this story. Like Peter, we fail even after making sincere promises; like the disciples, we avoid suffering; like Thomas, we struggle to believe without seeing. But the message of Divine Mercy is clear; Failure is not the end of the story. It is often the place where mercy begins. Let the ‘Peace Prayer’ be our way of life and we become a vessel of mercy. Blessings!

Msgr. Xavier Pappu
                     Insert:  Giving to God/Dar a Dios.pdf

                                    Please pray for vocations to the priesthood,
                              for the Priests of our Diocese; & for our Bishop.

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