2ND SUNDAY OF EASTER A/ DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY

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LIVE IN MERCY





Imagine this scenario:



Your three kids and a cousin asked your permission to buy ice cream just around the corner.



But on their way home, a drunk driver slammed into them killing them all instantly.



How would you feel? Towards the children? Towards the driver?



This incident really happened in February 2020 in Australia, to the family of Danny and Leila Abdallah, parents of six young kids.



If you look at their photos, if you see the videos, you will see how they felt. The grief of the family was unimaginable.



Danny and Leila expressed how much love and longing they have for their kids, Anthony, Angelina and Sienna, and their cousin Veronique.



But what about the driver? They have all the reason in the world to hate him, to wish him dead, to press for the gravest punishment, to demand his blood for the blood he spilled through negligence and carelessness.



In her first public statement, Leila however said: “I think in my heart, I forgive him… I’m not going to hate him–it is not who we are, and it is not what our religion tells us.” 





The Abdallah family was from Lebanon and belonged to the Catholic rite called Maronites. They were very devout members of their parish.



Even for Christians, forgiveness is a very difficult challenge. But hearing the words of a grieving mother, full of compassion, love and mercy, so many people around the world realized how important it is to live the example of Jesus.



Today is Divine Mercy Sunday, a week after the celebration of Easter. Jesus reminds us that his Death and Resurrection are the most important acts of mercy in all history.



For all the sins of humanity, God did not retaliate with violence but with the offering of his Only Son. For the death of Jesus on the Cross, the Father responded not with hate but with new life, by the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus from the dead!



In Easter, Jesus shares the gift of peace, not an illusory or idealistic peace, but a real one.



This peace comes from forgiveness. After saying “Peace be with you,” he spoke of forgiveness to his disciples (Jn 20).



Because Jesus has forgiven, the disciples too, must be instruments of pardon and reconciliation.



This enabled the Christian community to flourish, to grow, to live in charity and peace with their neighbors, and to become strong in faith (Acts 2: 42-47).



Believing in the Resurrection means sharing the peace of Jesus through forgiveness, an act that is one of the most difficult things to do. Forgiveness is an act of God’s mercy. Forgiveness is our experience of the most tender and courageous act of love in history.



Can you speak of forgiveness in your life today?



Is there a pain you continue to harbor in your heart?



Are you still angry about something done to you in the past?



Have you offered to the Lord your difficulty to forgive?



Are you ready to experience peace, by sharing peace through your forgiveness?



Jesus reminds you of his mercy on your sins and weaknesses. Be his instrument of mercy to others today!




Pls share with a friend…


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