Daily Retreat 04/23/06

2006 Apr 23 SUN: SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER /DIVINE MERCY

Acts 4: 32-35/ Ps 118: 2-4. 13-15. 22-24/ 1 Jn 5: 1-6/ Jn 20: 19-31

From today’s readings: "The community of believers was of one heart and mind.... His mercy endures forever.... In this way we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey His commandments.... Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained...."

The Sacrament of Peace

It’s interesting how well it was driven into my head (growing up in a Catholic family, attending Catholic schools) that Holy Thursday was such an important day: Jesus instituted the Sacrament of the Eucharist and He established the Sacrament of the Priesthood that holy night. But it wasn’t until I got older and was reading a bit of the Bible by myself when I realized: just a couple of days later – Easter Sunday – He gave His Church another sacrament: the Sacrament of Confession, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, or my favorite name for it, the "Sacrament of Peace!" Because Jesus introduced this sacrament with the Easter greeting "Peace be with you!" that’s the name that He gave to that sacrament, saying, in effect, "This is how I am going to have My peace be with you," breathing on the apostles and saying, "Receive the Holy Spirit: whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven! Whose sins you hold bound are held bound!"

When we turn to Jesus in the Sacrament of Peace, the Sacrament of Penance, we say, "You know, Lord, there’s all kinds if things that are taking away the peace that You gave me – my own sins take away peace! But sometimes, it’s the sins of others which I resent, and they eat into me – they take away the peace that You gave me! Other times, it’s just the problems of my life that I am faced with and seem so overwhelming...." All of that is matter for us to bring to the Sacrament of Peace and say "Lord, You gave me that gift of peace, and now, confiding in Your Divine Mercy, I lay at your feet these things that have taken that peace away. Renew Your peace within me!"

Renew, Lord, Your peace within us! Jesus has given His Church the marvelous sacrament of His peace and Divine Mercy – let us all turn to Him to receive so great a gift!