Divine Mercy

Today is Divine Mercy Sunday. Being merciful is about showing kindness or compassion. During Jesus’ time and in the first-century Roman culture, mercy was not seen as a virtue, but was seen as a sign of weakness. One Roman philosopher called mercy “a disease of the soul.” 

To the Romans mercy was a sign that you did not have what it took to be a real man and especially to be a real Roman. They glorified courage, discipline, and absolute power. They looked down on mercy because they saw it as weakness, and weakness was despised above all other human limitations. So, mercy was hard to find in that day and age. Some would say, in our day and age as well.

Therefore, the Jesus movement – those who found Jesus’ Way attractive and compelling – were not welcomed by the Roman rulers, government, and most citizens. I’ve always found it a bit ironic that we refer to ourselves as Roman Catholics. For those of us who have been to Rome to visit the Vatican, it’s likely we have toured Roman Colosseum – the largest amphitheater ever known. It was the site of many spectacles of slaughter and conquest staged for entertainment of the emperor and Roman citizens with Christians and Jewish prisoners of war being thrown to the lions.  Quite the contrast with Rome today as the home of Holy See and Pope.

I wonder what Jesus would have thought about us being Roman Catholics. Fortunately, we are Romans only by name and affiliation. Still, our Roman connection makes it even more important that as followers of Christ and members of his Body we emphasize mercy through kindness, compassion, and forgiveness – and that we are repulsed by hypocrisy, bullying, prejudice, persecution, racism, and hatred.

Our first reading from Acts gives us an example of how mercy was shown during and after Jesus’ time. “All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their property and possessions and divide them among all according to each one’s need.” Following Jesus’ lead, many early Christians offered help to those needing food, a place to stay, and dealing with illness. Mercy called them to come into the chaos of other people’s lives to provide some peace and comfort. We should be as merciful and not fearing to enter and blunt that chaos.

In our second reading from Peter we heard: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Yes, that’s our faith with an emphasis on mercy, hope, forgiveness, and overcoming doubt with belief.

This letter is followed by the Gospel reading from John who tells us Jesus said: “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you. Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” Jesus tells us about the personal power we each have when dealing with loved ones and our neighbors. It’s power we exert though the Holy Spirit. Here’s an example of that power.

A young man had to stand trial for a crime he was accused of committing. His father, a wealthy and well-known rancher, was present for the proceedings. After cross examination and a jury’s deliberation, the young man was found guilty as charged. His punishment was a prison sentence which would take years to complete.

As he was handcuffed to be led away to his prison cell, his father looked at his son one last time and said, “I will never forgive you. You have brought disgrace on this family. When you have done your time, you are not welcome home again.” The young man hung his head in shame and walked away.

Years passed and the disgraced son, no longer young, had paid for his crime. With shaking hands and a heart full of dread over the response he might receive, he wrote a letter begging for his father’s forgiveness as he sat in his prison cell in the weeks before his release. The few scrawled sentences started, “Daddy, I am almost ready to be released from prison. I will be on the train that will go right past the ranch. If you have forgiven me, please tie a white ribbon to the tree by the fence. If the white ribbon is not there, I won’t get off the train, but will keep on going and will never bother you again.”

The days passed and the newly released prisoner boarded the train. As the train neared his father’s ranch, he couldn’t bear to look out the window to see his father’s response to his letter. So, he asked the man sitting across the aisle if he would look for him. “Tell me if there is a white ribbon in the tree by the fence.”

The other passenger stared out the window as the train passed by the ranch. The man held his breath waiting to hear whether he had been accepted or rejected. He dared to ask, “Do you see a white ribbon in the tree?”

“No,” came the reply. The man’s heart fell into his shoes. He had so hoped that time and his words would have softened his father’s heart toward him.

“No,” the other passenger repeated. “There isn’t one white ribbon, but hundreds of white ribbons hanging from the tree, and all along the fence. What does it mean?” The forgiven rancher’s son jumped to his feet to collect his things.

“What does it mean?” he repeated, with tears streaming down his cheeks. 

He shouted, “It means that my daddy has forgiven me, and I am going home!” (end)

We all have received the Holy Spirit, so it is within our power to forgive each other for their sins against us. If we refuse, then those sins are retained by the one seeking forgiveness.  It’s as if we have left them prisoners in a jail cell. Whose sins we forgive are forgiven them. It’s as if we have opened the locks to their cells.

Like the dad in this story, when we show what can easily be called divine mercy, it’s as if we have hung hundreds of ribbons from a tree and along a fence in a vivid display.  So, for those of us who need to forgive someone, let’s get our ribbons, pick our colors, and start hanging.

It’s time to let those needing our forgiveness off their trains. Let’s remember what Jesus said from the cross, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” What’s more: To make mistakes is human; to forgive is divine, and that’s mercy.

Deacon David Pierce