Divine Mercy Sunday Homily 2026: Resurrection Joy, Mercy, and Hope
Readings for Mass, April 12, 2026, Second Sunday of Easter; Easter Greetings From Morocco; April 25 Day of Reflection; Maybe I Should Have Gone to New Orleans; San Gabriel Media Marks a Major Milestone; One Weekend of April Schedule
Readings for Mass this Sunday:
Acts of the Apostles 2:42-47
Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24
1 Peter 1:3-9
John 20:19-31
Dear Friends and Family,
Sometime in the course of his long reign, Pope St. John Paul II officially declared the Second Sunday of Easter to be Divine Mercy Sunday. This designation has to do with the apparitions of Our Lord to St. Faustina, the young Polish sister at a convent in Cracow who gave the world the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy almost a century ago. Millions of people around the world are celebrating this devotion this week, in praying the Divine Mercy Novena (which starts Good Friday and runs through this Sunday.)
I am always cognizant of what I have already written about, in these homilies, even when the business involves a once-a-year event, like Divine Mercy Sunday. I know that I have given substantial background, in previous written homilies on this devotion, and so, absolutely important as I believe the devotion to be, I want today to just explore the readings, all of which may be connected to the theme of God's inexhaustible mercy.
Acts of the Apostles is my favorite book in the Bible. Never mind why -- it would take a book, not a written homily, to fully unpack that statement. But one of the reasons I so love the book is the passage we have from it today. Luke (who wrote Acts) gives us our first insights into the worship of the original Christians. And the structure of that worship looks a lot like the structure of the Mass.
The members of the first Christian community there in Jerusalem met daily, Luke tells us, first "in the temple area" where they would listen "to the teaching of the apostles," after which they would communally celebrate the breaking of the bread in their homes (vss. 42, 46). This sounds like the Liturgy of the Word followed by the Liturgy of the Eucharist. And of course, before the end of the first century, we have a number of non-Scriptural (but reliable) descriptions of Christian worship which clearly evidence the development of the Mass.
Psalm 118 is once again among the readings this Sunday; in its joy it is quintessentially an Easter Psalm. It initially describes a situation for the psalmist bordering on death, so dire are the circumstances, and then goes on to extol God's redeeming mercy and love; God's saving power. And the word 'power' matters here as mercy is inevitably linked to power. Mercy is granted only by one who has the power to show it. The psalm exults in the merciful and saving love of God; the psalmist describes a personal restoration, a renewal of strength and joy, as a result of that saving love.
The reading from the First Letter of Peter likewise exults in joy, this time very specifically in the joy of the Resurrection. It connects that joy with the mercy of God, as it effects our salvation. "...You rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, as you attain the goal of faith, the salvation of your souls" (vss. 8-9).
The passage from John's Gospel is unmistakable in its connection to Divine Mercy Sunday. This is the Catholic (and Orthodox) proof text that Jesus gave his disciples (and their heirs) the power to forgive sins. "Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained" (vs. 23).
I mean, if you think about it, really, why not? What did Jesus hang on the Cross to accomplish, but the forgiveness of sin? The Sacraments, understood to be the extension of Jesus' ministry through time and space, would of course have to include the forgiveness of sin. The power is from and through the Holy Spirit (vs. 22). That Jesus grants this power to the disciples in this Gospel passage is not, to my knowledge, denied by any of the Christian denominations. The difference, of course, is that most Protestant churches argue that the power to forgive sins died with the apostles. It was a one-time gift to the infant Church; not something to be handed on to the successors of the apostles down through the centuries.
I am not going to analyze the premise for this argument, nor even look at its repercussions -- such analysis is beyond the scope of this homily. I merely point out that many "Bible Christians" -- who must acknowledge the clear meaning of this passage, that is, that Jesus handed on to his successors the power to forgive sins, deny that that power exists today.
The sacramental nature of the Catholic/Orthodox branch of the faith, of course, interprets this passage differently, and always has. For fifteen hundred years before the Protestant Reformation, the accepted understanding of this passage from John's Gospel was that the successors to the apostles (that is bishops, and through the bishops, priests) had the power (through the Holy Spirit) to forgive sins. This understanding made enough of an impression upon the British essayist and convert G. K. Chesterton that he said it was the reason he became Catholic. He became Catholic, Chesterton said, "to get my sins forgiven."
The Sacrament of Reconciliation may in fact be thought of as the ongoing embodiment of God's mercy, of God's saving love. Jesus died to forgive our sins; this sacrament achieves precisely that. The forgiveness of sins IS the mercy of God in action. It is that mercy which we celebrate today.
Among the many Easter greetings I received the past two weeks were two from what might seem an unlikely venue: Morocco. Two of my young guys in Casablanca sent me "Happy Easter" (well, one was "Felices Pascuas") messages via WhatsApp, over the course of the Triduum. Both are Muslim. It impresses me how much many Moroccan Muslims know about Christian religious celebrations. I mean, of course, the whole world celebrates Christmas. But my young guys in Morocco also know such religiously significant dates here in America as Thanksgiving and Easter. And they want to make sure I know that they are thinking of me, on those dates.
I think that is really cool. And it makes me want to pay more attention to the dates each year for Ramadan, for Eid, for other great Muslim observances and feasts. My experience of the faith of my young Moroccans is that they are eager to show the bridges between Islam and Christianity. They have often reassured me how blessed they feel themselves, to have a Catholic priest as a friend.
I also think that is really cool. And it says something, I suppose, about my own provincial outlook, that I was, at first, really surprised by it.
I will be giving a Day of Reflection here at St. Clement on Saturday, April 25. The topic is the Resurrection prophecies -- Old Testament predictions of the events we are celebrating this week. Some of the psalms offer stunning insights into such subjects as the descent to the dead and the joy of Easter Sunday morning; several of the prophets do, as well. It will be the usual relaxed and breezy format, starting with a continental breakfast at 830, two morning talks with a "late breakfast break" in between, a substantial lunch followed by a final talk early afternoon. We will be done by 230. You may rsvp with Lisa Fisher at Lmf7544@gmail.com
I mentioned a couple weeks back that I had thought about going to New Orleans, this week. And that I decided to stay here and finish a new book, instead. This goal had but one requirement -- that I keep my schedule clear for a large part of the Easter break. Holy Week was fine; this week might have been designed by the devil himself. Never mind the details; it would only aggravate me to recount them. My concentration was repeatedly broken by completely unforeseen demands on my time and energy that could not be put off. There was a point where I just threw up my hands in surrender -- not very graciously, either.
By Wednesday I was thinking that I should have gone to New Orleans. I would not have gotten the book finished in the French Quarter, but it was clear by Wednesday that I was not going to get it finished in Hayward, either. Spending a few days in NOLA this week, at least I'd be finishing the Easter break refreshed and ready to return to campus on Monday. Instead of which, I feel the need for...well, for a vacation.
I am not going to get one. There was nothing to do all week but handle the "incoming" as it came and there is nothing to do now but take a deep breath Sunday afternoon and plunge back into the high school routine Monday. It's the "downhill run" of the academic year; just six weeks 'til June. I'll make it.
Wanting to end on a bright note, I'll conclude with the fact that I woke up this morning (Friday) to the news from YouTube that San Gabriel Media had overnight hit the one million mark, in terms of subscribers. The news put a smile on my face, maybe for only the second or third time all this past witheringly frustrating week.
One million subscribers around the globe is an achievement. I am pleased with the achievement. But as far as I am concerned, as far as anyone else at San Gabriel is concerned, one million subscribers is no more than a promise of things to come. To pick back up with the airplane metaphor, we are no longer taxi-ing. We have reached the runway -- that is, we have reached the queue lined up for the runway. We are nowhere near in the air yet; nowhere near maximizing our potential.
But we are in the queue for take-off. I'll raise a glass to that!
Take care and God bless.
Fr. Brawn
Sunday Mass Schedule this weekend:
8, 1115 AM (both English)
Though Fr. Jesus has completed the schedule into June, I do not yet have a final copy. I will post the rest of this month's Masses next week.