Divine Mercy Sunday 2008

[Fr.Paul Weinberger]

Divine Mercy Sunday
Father Paul Weinberger
Saint William the Confessor Catholic Church
Greenville, Texas
March 30, 2008

Jesus came although the doors were locked, stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands and bring your hand and put it into my side and do not be unbelieving but believe.

In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit

Amen

About the time I was born someone began to publish books on how to raise children. I am so glad my parents did not read the books by Dr. Benjamin Spock. He wrote these books and his theories became widespread and then about twenty years later he married late in life and then had his own children, trying these theories on his own children and guess what? They didn’t work so all the money he’d earned from the book he gave back to the people. [Laughter] Yea right!

The fact is that theories abound; they may be true or they may be as light as a led balloon; they will never fly. So many people stake their eternal life on theories they hear from other people. Parents are always telling their teens,

“You heard this from so and so; how do they know? They are teenagers as well”

Parents learn very quickly from the school of hard knocks how easily other children and teens influence their children and teens. In fact, it is very common for children and teens to listen to everyone else and then in desperation, finally listen to mom and dad.

So… today we must admit that it is very common for theories to displace what has been the constant teaching of the Church down through the centuries. In a sense, to raise up doubt as somehow exalted above what has brought us to this point. St. Thomas the Apostle is the example of someone, who was near Christ and saw everything but still doubted. The angel appeared to the Blessed Virgin Mary and although she did not understand every aspect of what the angel was asking of her, she believed. Contrast this with this Gospel and you see someone whose default position was always to believe even if she didn’t understand.

Parents are continually assaulted with the same question. “WHY?” Parents should turn and ask them,

“Why do you keep asking me why?”

But parents are so overwhelmed and grandparents are overwhelmed twice as much. But hopefully you are patient with your children’s questions. A child asking a question is a good thing but “why” pops up all the time.

Today is Divine Mercy Sunday and this is the image of Divine Mercy Divine Mercy is Jesus Christ. The Sacrament of Divine Mercy is the Sacrament of Confession, where Jesus allows us to get ready to go before God. He actually allows us to get ready to go before God through the Sacrament of His Divine Mercy. We have to admit that today so many Catholics do not believe in the Sacrament of God’s Divine Mercy, but we do believe in getting ready.

“Oh I can’t go, I am not ready.”

But as far as going before God it is a done deal, right? No, it is not! If Christ has given us everything to prepare us to go before God and we choose not to, it will fall upon no one else but you. Parents are always getting their children ready for this or that, but the church is Mother and Teacher and She is getting us ready. Think about this; how many Catholics say they don’t believe in confession just by the sheer numbers of those who do not go to Confession? Many people do go to Confessions and it is amazing that when Confession is offered how many people go.

Now, I want you to realize that, like yourselves I have a fallen human nature. So, by talking about the Sacrament of Confession I am giving myself more work. There is not even a place in there (the confessional) for a collection. [Laughter] So, why in the world would I promote Confession if it were not from God…if it is not one of His Sacraments?

Maybe you have had an experience like I have had driving along the interstate. You are passing someone’s car and you notice the person has both hands on the wheel; there is nothing in either ear and the person is talking. You are thinking you’d better get past him real fast. Then you realize that he must have one of these “hands free” telephones so he can keep both hands on the wheel. The last thing we would ever presume that the person is doing is what? Praying! Uh huh! Now, what is prayer? Prayer is talking to God. Now, I can’t see Him. All the Christians in the world who pray are lifting their voices to God, usually for their children and teens, and speaking to someone who is not here. Look at the beginning of the Gospel.

Receive the Holy Spirit

“Hey, well where is He? I don’t see Him!”

The stained glass window over there is the Holy Spirit window but that is not the Holy Spirit. So many Christians do not believe in the Sacrament of Confession but they believe in prayer.

“Well father, how can any priest take away sins?”
How many people today don’t believe in prayer? So… you are talking to nobody. How many Catholic Christians believe in the power of Baptism? Through Baptism we were made adopted sons and daughters of God the Father and brothers and sisters in Christ.

“So, if I just pour water over someone and say those words, that is what happens?”

Yes!

“How Father?”

It is because that is what we believe. Those who believe in Baptism believe in something visible and invisible. The visible water is poured and the audible words are spoken and then the grace of Baptism enters the soul. So this is something visible and invisible and this is something that we are going to say in just a few minutes when we pray the Creed.

The Sacrament of the Eucharist is when the priest takes the bread and wine and calls upon the Holy Spirit and the bread and wine are changed into the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ. I remember a few years ago I was explaining something about this to Carlton, who was four years old at the time. There was this beautiful picture of angels and in the center was the Eucharist in the monstrance, which the angels were adoring. Below that was a book with seven seals and on top of the book was a lamb that was slain. Jesus is the Word of God, which the book (bible) represented, Jesus is the Lamb, Who was slain, and Jesus is present in the Eucharist, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity there in the monstrance. So I was showing this to Carlton and I started at the top. “Now this is Jesus.” I pointed at the bible and said, “This is Jesus.” Then I pointed to the lamb and said, “This is Jesus.” All the while Carlton was following me and was smiling as I pointed to the first and second picture but when I pointed to the third, Carlton turned to me and he said, “Uh UHHHHH!” [Laughter] But, Carlton has learned and he recently made his First Communion here.

We have to keep talking about these things. They sound too good to be true, but they are true. The visible and the invisible are true. Just look at this Gospel today.

Now a week later His Disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”

Now…how did that happen? How many Christians believe that Jesus appeared, and not as a ghost but in His Glorified Body? How many believe that but not in what will take place in just minutes on the Altar? We cannot presume that everyone is going to arrive at the same place, but this has been the constant teaching of the Church and when Catholics begin to peel off things they don’t believe in like St. Thomas did, you are putting the Lord to the test. A Catholic that does not believe in Confession is in heresy. You are in formal error. It is not something along the cafeteria line that you’d rather leave at Luby’s or somewhere else. This is a teaching of the Church, which Catholics must believe in. If you don’t, then tell this to the men and women that came into the Church at Easter because they have to believe in it.

God does not want us to go before Him unprepared. No parents want their children to go out into the world without breakfast. What if your teenager told you that they were overweight so they weren’t going to eat anything for a month? No parent would allow that to happen. You would know that someone was really obsessed in this one area and yet, there are people who stay away from Holy Communion for a month when they could return to Confession and return to receiving the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

Thanks be to God for St. Thomas, but Pope Benedict points out in his most recent book, “Jesus of Nazareth”, that ours is an age that demands a sign. We want to put Jesus to the test as if He were a product in the laboratory. We want to take Him for a test drive and then we will believe. This is not good! Psalm 95, which we pray every morning in the Divine Office talks about how we should not put God to the test as they did in the desert at Meribah and Massah. God days,

They challenged Me and provoked Me although they had seen all of My works. Forty years I endured that generation. I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray”. They do not know My ways therefore I said in My anger, “They shall not enter into My rest.”

Hey wait a minute; I thought everybody went to Heaven.” What is God saying, that they shall not enter into His rest? Somebody needs to tell God!”

Dr. Spock, call your office. Right? These are theories, that everybody gets to go to Heaven. Tell that to God! Tell that to Psalm 95! Tell that to the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament! Jesus is dead set and convinced that there is a Heaven and there is a Hell.

That Sacrament of Divine Mercy is there so that you and I do not flitter like leaves on a tree in a strong wind out of nervousness because we are not ready to go before God.

“Gee, I am not ready!”

Well, get ready! Ten out of ten people die and if you go before God and you are not ready don’t bring up my name. Don’t blame it on your parents; it is your decision.
On this Sunday, Divine Mercy Sunday, His heart is open to me and to you and all of the other sinners of the world. So, if you think I am up here on a high horse forget it. Mother Teresa went to Confession everyday, but then again what does she know about the spiritual life or helping people?

The Sacraments and prayer are Divine realities that God has condescended to give to you and to me. Jesus says,

Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.

That is me! That is you, if we have believed.

Jesus came although the doors were locked, stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands and bring your hand and put it into my side and do not be unbelieving but believe.

In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit

Amen