Divine Mercy Sunday at St. Raphael

DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY MASS on Sunday, April 19, 2020, streamed live from St. Raphael Catholic Church with Fr. Kevin Mackin, and Deacon Jim Grevenites. Lector: Cherie Mainenti. Organist: Paul Dixon. Cantor: Elizabeth Ricketts. Recording posted afterward on Saint Raphael Messenger blog, YouTube and the parish website. Video shot in stunning black and white.

The scriptural quotations are taken from the Lectionary for Mass, Copyright ©1970, 1986, 1992, 1998, 2001 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; All rights reserved.

The prayers are from the English Translation of the Roman Missal © 2010 International Committee on English in the Liturgy Inc. (ICEL). All rights reserved.

Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-727773.

Directed by the grace, actions, and Good News of Jesus Christ, St. Raphael Catholic Church seeks to be an open, inviting, and spiritual community commissioned through our Baptism and the Eucharist.

http://st-raphaels.com

http://saintraphaelmessenger.blogspot.com

St. Raphael Catholic Church
1376 Snell Isle Boulevard NE
St. Petersburg, FL 33704

(727) 821-7989

Fr. Kevin's Homily: My Lord and my God

Homily for Divine Mercy Sunday, given by Fr. Kevin Mackin, OFM, on Sunday, April 7, 2018 at St. Raphael Catholic Church in St. Petersburg, Florida. Fr. Mackin serves as parochial vicar at St. Raphael Catholic Church. He is former president of Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, New York, and is president emeritus of Siena College in Loudonville, New York. Directed by the grace, actions, and Good News of Jesus Christ, St. Raphael Catholic Church seeks to be an open, inviting, and spiritual community commissioned through our Baptism and the Eucharist. Still photos for video by T. Allan Smith. Audio by Jeff Keller.

Divine Mercy Sunday — Holy Hour

Photos by Jane Winstead

Divine Mercy Sunday 2011

Photos by Jane Winstead

Pope John Paul II granted the Feast of Mercy to the Universal Church in 2000 when St. Faustina was canonized. St. Faustina was a nun in Poland to whom the Lord appeared in 1931. This is what she wrote in her diary for February 22:

"In the evening, when I was in my cell, I became aware of the Lord Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand was raised in blessing, the other was touching the garment at the breast. From the opening of the garment at the breast there came forth two large rays, one red and the other pale. In silence I gazed intently at the Lord; my soul was overwhelmed with fear, but also with great joy. After a while Jesus said to me, 'paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the inscription: Jesus, I trust in You.'"

Later, the Lord spoke to her again:

"The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous; the red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls. These two rays issued forth from the depths of My most tender Mercy at that time when My agonizing Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross. ... Fortunate is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him."

His Mercy endures

By Dr. Scott Hahn

We are children of Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead. Through this wondrous sign of His great mercy, the Father of Jesus has given us new birth, as we hear in Sunday’s Epistle.

Sunday’s First Reading sketches the “family life” of our first ancestors in the household of God (see 1 Peter 4:17). We see them doing what we still do–devoting themselves to the Apostles’ teaching, meeting daily to pray and celebrate “the breaking of the bread.”

The Apostles saw the Lord. He stood in their midst, showed them His hands and sides. They heard His blessing and received His commission–to extend the Father’s mercy to all peoples through the power and Spirit He conferred upon them.

We must walk by faith and not by sight, must believe and love what we have not seen (see 2 Corinthians 5:7). Yet the invisible realities are made present for us through the devotions the Apostles handed on.

Notice the experience of the risen Lord in Sunday’s Gospel is described in a way that evokes the Mass.

Both appearances take place on a Sunday. The Lord comes to be with His disciples. They rejoice, listen to His Word, receive the gift of His forgiveness and peace. He offers His wounded body to them in remembrance of His Passion. And they know and worship Him as their Lord and their God.

Thomas’ confession is a vow of faith in the new covenant. As promised long before, in the blood of Jesus we can now know the Lord as our God and be known as His people (see Hosea 2:20-25).

This confession is sung in the heavenly liturgy (see Revelation 4:11). And in every Mass on earth we renew our covenant and receive the blessings Jesus promised for those who have not seen but have believed.

In the Mass, God’s mercy endures forever, as we sing in Sunday’s Psalm. This is the day the Lord has made–when the victory of Easter is again made wonderful in our eyes.

Dr. Scott Hahn is professor of theology at Franciscan University at Steubenville, Ohio. He was formerly a Presbyterian minister who converted to Catholicism in 1986. Lighthouse Catholic Media has many of his talks on CD or for download.

Click image to enlarge.

The Gospel this Sunday

Sunday, May 1, 2011
Divine Mercy Sunday

John 20:19-31

On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”

Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”
But he said to them,
“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nailmarks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

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.”
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.”
Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples
that are not written in this book.
But these are written that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that through this belief you may have life in his name.

• Read the first and second readings and the Responsorial Psalm
– United States Conference of Catholic Bishops