This Sunday is the Feast of Divine Mercy where our Lord invites us to share in bringing His Mercy into our lives and into the lives of those around us. The feast and the devotion to Divine Mercy are relatively new but very necessary for our times. It is important for all of us to know of this amazing devotion. Most of us have a cellphone, we are keeping up to the technology of the world. Cellphones aren’t that old yet most of us enjoy the convenience of them. But how are we at keeping up with God’s new technology, God’s living message, God’s ever new plans of saving His people?
Last Sunday, I told you that we are going to unfold the idea of prayer. Over the last week I received some insights that I have never really thought of or considered. I was thinking that we often have a Lenten program where we look to overcome some vice to learn greater trust and that is a good thing. But then in the feasting of Easter, we go back to our lives and really never live the Resurrection. Last week I talked about the reign of sin being over, that we have been set free but how do we live that freedom. Last week I gave you the charge to read Scripture each day because we can only live the freedom when we encounter the Risen Christ in a personal way. How can we do that but by spending time in Scripture. The fascinating thing is that Jesus did the same thing with the Apostles as I am encouraging you to do. Often we hear Jesus opening their minds to Scripture. Fascinating that for the three years they were with Jesus, they didn’t really meditate on what Jesus said, though after He died and rose back to life they all did. To me, this is the Easter program you and I must undertake if we want to live the Resurrection in our lives.
Last week I told you to daily meet the resurrected Jesus by reading the daily Mass readings each day and setting aside time to focus on at least one point of Scripture and ask God what He is trying to teach you. You were to obtain a note book. This is a great exercise because you are allowing Jesus to open the Scriptures to you. Just as Jesus opened His side to Thomas, today Jesus wants you and I to put ourselves into the side of Christ and hear Him. Giving Him time is very important to live the freedom. When you are giving Him the time, you might be asking how can you hear Him. Great question. I often start with a few questions around the verse I have selected, such as, “Why is this significant for me?” if there is something I don’t understand or something that is odd about the wording or a odd detail that doesn’t seem to fit. Really watch your heart when you read Scripture. Are there areas that your heart recoils from or delights in? These are things to bring to the Lord. Trust your heart. If a weird thought comes to mind ask the Lord if it has significance. Don’t be introspective, that means to look in to yourself, rather let Jesus bring those things out. If you ask questions of the Lord you may not get an answer right away but it will come in time. Write down what strikes you. Remember you are not doing the work here, you are placing yourself in God’s presence and seeing what He brings. Let distractions go, don’t fight them, pray and go back to the text.
Look at today’s Gospel. There are very exciting points, such as why the Lord chose to appear when Thomas wasn’t there. Why was Thomas so unwilling to believe the words of his brother Apostles? What is significant personally to you and I that He wasn’t there and made the demand that, “Unless I put my hands in his side and in the nail marks I won’t believe.”? Why is it so important that none of the Apostles expected Jesus to come back to life? You see, there are many questions we should explore in this text. But the question you and I have to ask is, “Lord, what do you want me to personally know about this text?”
To recap:
Get a book.
Read through the readings and look for something or a few things that strike you. I take three. I read the Scripture the night before and pick them out and write them down.
Then set aside time for the points you have chosen.
Ask questions, look for weird things about the text and ask, “Lord, how is this personally important to me now?”
Be prepared for distractions and things that will take you away from your encounter with the Risen Lord.
This is the Easter Plan, to give the Lord time each day to open your mind to the Scriptures and make them personal in your life.
The last thing is to share, if you are able, with someone what the Lord has revealed, how He has opened the Scripture to you.