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Divine Mercy Sunday
Kim: Welcome and Theme - Good morning and welcome to the Upper Room. Today we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday. This feast day is on the second Sunday of Easter because it is an invitation to trust our brother Jesus and to commit ourselves to living the gospel message in all circumstances of life.
Dave: Opening Prayer - As we come into awareness of the presence of the Spirit living in, through and around us, we open ourselves to the invitation to live as people who have been resurrected, the same way the apostles and Jesus were resurrected. We are ready, we are open, we are listening.
Opening Song: Invocation by Christopher Grundy
https://youtu.be/A95UbOPVQKc
LITURGY OF THE WORD
Readings
They devoted themselves
to the apostles instructions and to the communal life,
to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.
A reverent fear overtook them all for
many wonders and signs were performed by the apostles.
Those who believed lived together and shared all things in common;
they would sell their property and goods
sharing the with each other as each had need.
They met in the temple area and broke bread together in their homes every day.
With joyful and sincere hearts they took their meals in common, praising God and winning the approval of all people.
Day by day, God added to their number those who were being saved.
Alleluia Celtic Alleluia by Christopher Walker
https://youtu.be/o1rc7ojQtJU
Gospel: John 20 (19-31)
In the evening of that same day of the week,
the doors were locked in the room where the disciples were,
for fear of the Temple authorities.
Jesus came and stood among them and said “Peace be with you.”
Having said this, the savior showed them the marks of the crucifixion.
The disciples were filled with joy when they saw Jesus who
said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As Abba God sent me, I’m sending you.”
After saying this, Jesus breathed on them and said
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
If you forgive anyone’s sins they are forgiven,
If you retain anyone’s sins they are retained .”
It happened that one of the twelve, Thomas, nicknamed Didymus or “Twin”, was absent when Jesus came.
The other disciples kept telling him, “We’ve seen Jesus. ”
Thomas’ answer was
“I’ll never believe it without putting my finger in the nail marks and my hand into the spear wound.”
On the eighth day the disciples were once more in the room
and this time Thomas was with them.
Despite the locked doors Jesus came and stood before them saying
“Peace be with you.”
Then he said to Thomas, “Take your finger and examine my hands.
Put your hand into my side.
Don’t persist in your unbelief, but believe.” Thomas said in response, “My Savior and my God!” Jesus then said, “You’ve become a believer because you have seen me. Blessed are who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Jesus preformed many other signs as well as signs not recorded here-in the presence of the disciples. But these have been recorded to help you believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the only Begotten, so that by believing you may have life in Jesus’ name.
Shared Homily
We are using the readings that are recommended by the US Conference of Bishops, including John 20 (19-31) for the Gospel but we wanted to note that in the verse that immediately precedes this we learn that it was Mary Magdala who informed the disciples that the tomb was empty; she the first person to whom Jesus appeared. We think this is an important reminder, particularly in view of the efforts, starting in the of the 6th century church, to cast Mary Magdala as a prostitute and a woman possessed by demons. Commentators have also noted that more recent efforts to cast Mary in a more positive light (e.g., as Jesus’ close female companion) continue to minimize and stereotype her as the supportive partner of a great man. What is most likely closest to the truth is that she was “an intelligent, persuasive, and influential advisor to Jesus—an equal among other Apostles.” (https://www.cognicity.com/mary-magdalene-a-victim-of-backlash/). And today we think it appropriate note that since she was the first person to spread the good news, she is also the original spark and founder of Christianity.
Our primary focus today is on the Gospel, beginning with Thomas, who many believe is misunderstood and may have an important but overlooked role in this story. Usually when we read that Thomas wants to see Jesus’ wounds, this is interpreted as a character flaw and reflects his lack of faith. But alternative views of this suggest that perhaps what Thomas is saying is that he will not accept a savior unless that person has suffered, like all people suffer. (https://homebynow.blogspot.com/2019/04/seeingand-believing-faith-of-doubting.html.) Thomas was seeking his shared humanity with Jesus. I found this to be a beautiful reframing of Thomas’ motivation. Rev. Penny Nash (2021) suggests that Thomas’ role in the story is to reveal that “the response to the truth of Jesus is to touch others’ wounds with compassion,” another beautiful perspective.
One commentator explores Thomas’ possible mindset by using a story—maybe even a parable-- of his own. https://stannchurch-stl.org/did-doubting-thomas-get-a-bad-rap/
A tight rope walker sets up a little demonstration over a busy street. He asks a passerby, “Do you believe that I can cross this busy street on the tightrope? The passerby says Maybe. The tight rope walker walks across and then walks back and then asks the passerby “Now, do you believe that I can walk across the tightrope pushing a wheelbarrow?” The passerby replies: It will be tougher, let me see if you can. The tightrope walker walks across and back. Still no problem. The tightrope walker then asks the passerby again: So, you believe that I can walk across the street on the tight rope pushing the wheelbarrow?” The passerby replies: Yes, I just saw you do it” to which the tightrope walker replies: “Good. Now let’s do it with you in the wheelbarrow.”
We suddenly realize that “it is one thing to move from doubt to belief in our heads and hearts” and an entirely different thing to “get into the wheelbarrow by living the consequences of that belief in all the situations of our life.” Rev. Penny Nash (2021) adds that Thomas needed to have that direct interaction with Jesus because it allowed him to see Jesus as more than his teacher and friend; he now sees him as Divine. She suggests that Thomas’ expression of belief was not to demonstrate belief in the resurrection but rather belief and trust in Jesus and in spreading his message.
Interestingly, in addition to being the second Sunday of Easter today is also Divine Mercy Sunday. I was not familiar with this feast day but after my conversations with Kim I leaned about Sister Faustina, who inspired this feast day. She was a humble nun living in a convent in Poland who one day experienced a vision of Jesus. In that vision she was asked to draw the image of what she was seeing and inscribe it with the words “Jesus, I trust in you.” And isn’t this very similar to the experience of Thomas; he was moved from belief in a cause to trust in Jesus’ life, death and ongoing mission.
Rev. Dawn Hutchings (2022; https://pastordawn.com) acknowledges that most common explanation for the dramatic transformation of the disciples from fearful Jesus followers to powerful participants in a daring movement has been the belief that Jesus has been physically resuscitated from the dead. She notes that one of the problems with this is that it suggests that this personal transformation from fear to action requires belief in a feat of physical impossibility. It also places the emphasis of the story on casting away doubts and believing in Jesus’ physical resurrection, rather than on how we can practice resurrection.
Hutchins writes that she is sure who rose on that day, and it was the followers of Jesus who were lifted from their cowering positions so that they could continue on with the mission. Hutchins adds that arguments about Jesus rising from the dead are only relevant if they lead us to work for peace and justice. She believes that “practicing resurrection begins when we… gather to build communities of compassion, …. share our gifts, talents, and treasure, and empower one another to rise… so that all people will be all that they were created to be.” In the first reading we see that members of the early church lived this way.
In verse 22 of the Gospel Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit onto the disciples to give them the new life needed to carry out his work. Some have suggested that in doing this the disciples were uniquely commissioned to live out the gospel which raised them above the level of the average believer. This hardly sounds consistent with what we know of our own calling and how we all make up the Body of Christ. In fact, the disciples were very much like us—asked to do much more than they were capable of but somehow capable of doing great things (https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries). We are all commissioned by the Divine. Jesus breathed his own spirit into the disciples and does the same for us. God is present in the work of Jesus; Jesus is present in the work of all of us.
Rev. Penny Nash (2021) acknowledges that the understanding resurrection is a challenging because we live in a world where people die and do not physically come back to life. Let this gospel free us to be wounded and also to be healed and raised to something new. Andrew Prior (2019) invites us to let his gospel remind us that death need not have the last word and new life is always possible if we are willing to let go of fear and focus less on what happened 2000 years ago and more on what we are doing today for our brothers and sisters.
Statement of Faith:
We believe in the Holy One, a divine mystery
beyond all definition and rational understanding,
the heart of all that has ever existed,
that exists now, or that ever will exist.
We believe in Jesus, messenger of the Divine Word,
bringer of healing, heart of Divine compassion,
bright star in the firmament of the Holy One's
prophets, mystics, and saints.
We believe that We are called to follow Jesus
as a vehicle of divine love,
a source of wisdom and truth,
and an instrument of peace in the world.
We believe in the Spirit of the Holy One,
the life that is our innermost life,
the breath moving in our being,
the depth living in each of us.
We believe that the Divine kin-dom is here and now,
stretched out all around us for those
with eyes to see it, hearts to receive it,
and hands to make it happen.
Presider 1: As we prepare for the sacred meal, we are aware that just as Jesus is anointed, so is each of us. We bring to this table our blessings, cares and concerns. Please feel free to voice your concerns beginning with the words “I bring to the table….”
We pray for these and all unspoken concerns. Amen.
Liturgy of the Eucharist
adapted from Diarmuid O’Murchu
Presider 2: With open hands let us pray our Eucharistic Prayer together:
Gracious God, source and sustenance of life, redeeming presence to the pain and brokenness of our world, Holy Spirit, who enlivens and inebriates all that exists, we beseech your healing power upon us and all we pray for today.
Down through the ages, you rescue us from darkness.
you light up our ways with wise and holy people. You restore our spirits and you revive our dwindling hope.
May the Spirit of life and wholeness transform us that we may be refreshed in our inner being and be empowered to bring mercy, love, and healing to those whose lives we touch.
For all you bring to our lives, and for all we seek amid
pain and suffering, we acclaim your love and greatness,
and we join with all creation to sing our hymn of praise:
Holy, Holy, Holy: Here in this Place –by Christopher Grundy
Presider 1: Please extend your hands in blessing.
Source of our health and wholeness, healer of body, mind, and spirit, we bring before you the darkness of our world, and the pain and suffering of your people.
We seek to be healed and made whole; we seek to be reconciled and united; we seek peace in our hearts and in our world.
We ask you to awaken anew in our hearts the empowering grace of your abundant Spirit, who infuses these gifts of bread and wine with the transforming energy of life, to nourish and sustain us in our time of need.
As we gather around this friendship table, we recall God’s
blessing and love from ages past, and we celebrate anew
the gift of life which we share among us at this Eucharistic feast.
The bread we break and the cup we share are symbols of our world of abundance where all are invited to partake of the fullness of life. But that life we often impede by our greed and selfishness and by our exploitation of other people.
On the night before he died, Jesus gathered for supper with the people closest to him. Like the least of household servants, he washed their feet. Once again, he showed us how to love one another.
All lift the plate and pray:
When he returned to his place at the table, he lifted the bread, spoke the blessing, broke the bread and offered it to them saying:
Take and eat, this is my very self.
(pause)
All lift the cup and pray:
Then he took the cup of the covenant, spoke the grace, and offered it to them saying:
Take and drink.
Whenever you remember me like this,
I am among you.
(pause)
Presider 1: We share this bread and cup to proclaim and live the gospel of justice and peace. We choose to live justly, love tenderly, and walk with integrity.
Please receive communion saying: “ I Choose Trust”
Communion Song: Rise Up by Andra Day
https://youtu.be/lwgr_IMeEgA
Prayer After Communion
Presider 2: In faith and hope we are sustained,
In grace our dignity reclaimed,
In praise we thank our God.
Grant that we may strive to create a world where suffering and pain are diminished, where justice and peace are restored, and where all people can live in health and wholeness, united in acclaiming the God of life, whose abundance is offered to each and to all, until the Kin-dom arrives in the fullness of time.
This prayer we make in the name of our healing and nurturing God through, with, and in whom we offer these gifts, sources of life, love, and goodness, now and forever. Amen.
Reader: Let us pray as Jesus taught us:
O Holy One, who is within, around and among us,
We celebrate your many names.
Your Wisdom come.
Your will be done, unfolding from the depths within us,
Each day you give us all we need;
You remind us of our limits, and we let go.
You support us in our power, and we act with courage.
For you are the dwelling place within us,
the empowerment around us,
and the celebration among us, now and forever. Amen (Miriam Therese Winter)
Blessing
Presider 1: Let us raise our hands and bless each other.
Holy One, we to choose to support and challenge one another in living a resurrected life of bravery and trust. Jesus our brother changed the world with no more than himself, his community and trust in you. Those same precious relationships are ours. With them, may we heal ourselves, each other and our hurting waiting world. Amen
Closing Song: Love Large by Joyce Johnson Rouse
https://youtu.be/8ehQRPknqtg
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