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Archdiocesan Shrine and Parish of The Divine Mercy - Tuguegarao, 41 Amistad Street, Leonarda, Tuguegarao City (2026)

18/05/2024

May 19, 2024
Pentecost Sunday (B)

First Reading
Acts 2:1–11

Second Reading
1 Corinthians 12:3b–7, 12–13

Gospel
John 20:19–23

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.”

Reflection on the Readings

When did the Holy Spirit descend on the apostles? The popular notion is that the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles through tongues of fire during the Pentecost celebration, days after the ascension of Jesus. But the same event, as the evangelist John argues in his gospel, happened during the first meeting of the apostles with the glorified Lord, after showing them his wounds. John was deeper in his outlook of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gushed out of Jesus’ body in the form of “water” during his death. The Lord’s death which was his glorification marks the outpouring of divine power. Jesus showed them his wounds, as if telling them that they should see the crosses they would encounter in their mission as their moments of glorification, atime that they would be so full of the Holy Spirit that their preaching and words would pe*****te hearts and minds.

The “Johannine Pentecost” happens during the stories of martyrdom, when Christians are put to trial for their faith. The stories of Christian martyrs are remembered in the history of the Church as her glorious moments. the effective preaching of Peter. These stories continue in our times, when the brave words of these martyrs reverberate in our modern challenges and sensibilities. Who can forget the immortal words of St. Oscar Romero, the martyred archbishop of San Salvador, after he received a death threat? He talked about this in an interview with a Mexican journalist a week before Romero’s assassination. “I have received a call from someone telling me that my days are counted. I believe in their words. They normally do that. I wish to tell them that I have already forgiven them. I consider martyrdom a gift which I do not deserve. But if God allows me to receive this gift, I wish to tell my killers these words: You may kill a bishop, but my words—which are the words of God—remain.” This is the Johannine Pentecost at work in history and among the martyrs whose powerful words the Church treasures in her memory.

The power to forgive sins given to the apostles, which is the first consequence of the Johannine Pentecost (as differentiated from and the apostles in St Luke’s Acts) emerges from the world of sin. Oscar Romero did not want to become a martyr knowing that his killers would commit murder, a mortal sin. That is the reason why he advanced his forgiveness to his would-be assassins. The Holy Spirit manifests divine power that renews humanity and the world, a work that can only be done through the forgiveness of sins. Humanity is always at the beginning. Without divine forgiveness, there can never be renewal.

Mission is not a walk in the park, not only about encounter among cultures, but a passage through suffering and death. A missionary is only prepared to leave his/her country behind if he/ she knows that what awaits him/ her is not a glorious welcome. From a constant meditation on the suffering and death of Jesus, the missionary receives the Holy Spirit that strengthens him/her to face all hardships and hostilities, knowing that sacrifice is the path toward experiencing the presence of the Holy Spirit, the fullness of God that enables the missionary to share the divine to others.

Source: Saint Paul’s Media Publication

Tomorrow, May 19, 2024 our Sunday Schedules of Masses here at Divine Mercy Parish-Main Church will be as follows:

6:30 AM,
8:00 AM
10:30 AM; and
5:00 PM.

Thank you.

- The Divine Mercy Parish.

11/05/2024

May 12, 2024
Solemnity of the Lord’s Ascension (B)
World Communications Day

First Reading
Acts 1:1–11

Second Reading
Ephesians 1:17–23

Gospel
Mark 16:15–20

Jesus said to his disciples: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.

Reflection on the Readings

After a day’s work, a trip, a journey, or a vacation, we always long for home. When we reach home, we say “home sweet home.” Home is not just where our heart is, it is where we can be ourselves and be with our loved ones!

Ascension is Jesus’ grand homecoming! In the mystery of the Incarnation “He left His Father’s home” and entered into time and space. In his condescension as a human being the Creator experienced how to be a creature. He did all these because of a mission: to inaugurate the Kingdom of God on earth and to let man know that he is heir to that Kingdom. Since the beginning of human existence, human beings did not know for sure where would go after death. The religions before and after Christianity could only offer some directions toward the after-life. Some of these beliefs are manifested in the Great Pyramids of Egypt, the terracotta warriors in China, the temples in South America and many others around the world. Some religions propose reincarnation, others speak of a transformation into a part of cosmos, others still of simply arriving at a state of pure consciousness. Jesus’ Ascension was both an historical and a transcendental event. It is historical because it happened in a specific time in history; it is transcendental because it is an event that pierces time and defines Fr Vladimir Echalas, SOLT everything beyond it. It is historical in a sense that it was the end of his earthly life; transcendental in a sense that it ushers the beginning of another life for humanity beyond this world.

Ascension was the final exaltation of Jesus after fulfilling the mission given him by his Father. He could say “Father, mission accomplished!” And, before his Ascension, he gave the mission to his apostles: “Proclaim the Gospel to all the nations!” This mission will be accompanied by signs which we call charisms. It is through these charisms that the God’s gifts to the Church will be manifested through the Holy Spirit in the work of the believers. This is the reason why each of us has been gifted with charisms: some have more, others have less, depending on the mission entrusted to the person. These charisms are gifts to us but they are meant to be shared. It is only by fulfilling this mission that a disciple will be able to prove himself worthy of being an heir of the Kingdom.

The first lesson I learned in my catechesis class when I was seven years old was: Why did God create me? There are three reasons: 1) to know God 2) to love Him and 3) to be with Him forever.

Here are the beautiful lyrics of the song: “Go the Distance” from the animated movie Hercules:

I have often dreamed, of a far off place
Where a hero’s welcome would be waiting for me
Where the crowds will cheer, when they see my face
And a voice keeps saying, this is where I’m meant to be
I’ll be there someday, I can go the distance
I will find my way, if I can be strong
I know ev’ry mile will be worth my while
When I go the distance, I’ll be right where I belong...

The Ascension of Jesus is a sign of hope for all of us. After our life’s pilgrimage, we are going home! Like Jesus it is our grand homecoming together with our family and friends and all our other loved ones. It is where our Father, who has been anxiously awaiting for us, will greet us: “Welcome home!”

Source: Saint Paul’s Media Publication

Tomorrow, May 12, 2024 our Sunday Schedules of Masses here at Divine Mercy Parish-Main Church will be as follows:

6:30 AM,
8:00 AM
10:30 AM; and
5:00 PM.

Thank you.

- The Divine Mercy Parish.

04/05/2024

May 5, 2024
Sixth Sunday of Easter (B)

First Reading
Acts 10:25–26, 34–35, 44–48

Second Reading
1 John 4:7-10

Gospel
John 15:9-17

Jesus said to his disciples: “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy might be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another.”

Reflection on the Readings

How does it feel to be in love? Is it really like you are on cloud nine? Our generation today can easily fall in love. Most of the time we feel that someone did good for us we immediately say “I think I am in love.” The hard part of being in love is how to remain in love during difficulties and obstacles.

Jesus is saying to us today in our Gospel that he loves us as the Father loves him and invites us to remain in love with him. This is the hardest part of being in love: the remaining in love. But how?

We can remain in love by keeping his commandments. We can also remain in love by following Jesus as we approach him and offer him our everything. We should follow the way Jesus loves us.

How does Jesus love us? First, Jesus’ love is free: this does not mean being free from any debt but being free from any form of coercion. Our love should be free as Jesus’ love for us is free. We love not because we are afraid of being judged but because it is the right thing to do. We love because we choose to, no matter what the cost.

Second, Jesus’ love is total: means that his love is full; there are no reservations in the love that he is giving. When jesus loves a person, he accepts the entirety of that person, strengths and weaknesses and all in between He even carries the person’s sins, for Jesus is God’s very own mercy. This is how he remains throughout a person’s life—not just a contractual love by which Jesus and the person gain something from each other, but a covenantal love in which they gain from each other.

Third, Jesus’ love is faithful. He is always with us even until the end of everything his love will remain.

Lastly, Jesus’ love is fruitful. His love for us bears much fruit that we are now enjoying. If we remain in love we should bear fruit not only for us but also for the other people. We should also allow them to bear fruit in love. This fruit should also become a gift not only for the people who are close to us but also to others whom we do not know personally.

Jesus commanded us that we should love one another the way he loves us, a love that is willing to lay down his own life for others.

After Jesus showed how we should love and remain in his love, we are now challenged to do exactly that. Like friends confident of each other, we now decide to love one another—strengths and weaknesses and all in between knowing that no distance, no upheaval, can ever separate us from Jesus and our neighbor. Amen.

Source: Saint Paul’s Media Publication

Tomorrow, May 5, 2024 our Sunday Schedules of Masses here at Divine Mercy Parish-Main Church will be as follows:

6:30 AM,
8:00 AM
10:30 AM; and
5:00 PM.

Thank you.

- The Divine Mercy Parish.

27/04/2024

April 28, 2024
Fifth Sunday of Easter (B)

First Reading
Acts 9:26–31

Second Reading
1 John 3:18–24

Gospel
John 15:1–8

Jesus said to his disciples: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a f ire and they will be burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”

Reflection on the Readings

As we gather to celebrate the Liturgy of the Fifth Sunday of Easter, the readings point us more closely to the approaching Solemnity of the Lord’s Ascension—forty days after his glorious resurrection. We reflect on the early Church’s experience after the Ascension, as well as ponder on Jesus’ farewell discourse as contained in the Gospel and First Letter of John.

We learn from the Acts of the Apostles of the young Church progressing in their work of evangelization, being strengthened by the witness of the apostles and the constant consolation of the Spirit of the Risen Lord.

In both the Second Reading and the Gospel, the Apostle and Evangelist John reminded his congregation of Jesus’ exhortation to remain closely connected to him: to be truly “implanted” in Christ, as the branches are so intimately connected to the vine. The proof of one‘s deep connection to Christ is the fruit of the Holy Spirit in the Christian’s life. Indeed, as Jesus said, “Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me... without me you can do nothing.”

A funny YouTube video perhaps draws the point closer to home: a small dog was very fierce, barking so loudly and dominantly over two other dogs that are bigger in size than it. The small dog’s barking was incessant until… its owner let go of it. Aware that its owner is no longer holding it, the dog’s barking began to fade, and it became meek as a lamb. But when the owner touched it again, the small dog resumed its loud and fool—around— and—find—out barking.

I think in the spiritual life, we may be likened to that small dog. For as long as we are closely connected to the Lord, we possess the courage and strength to surmount all hurdles and difficulties in living the Christian life. But apart from the Lord, we are too weak and feeble to say “no” to temptation and sin.

Let us therefore pray, that we may never let go of our grip on the Lord Jesus, that we may firmly take hold on him, deeply in touch with him. For apart from Jesus, we can do nothing. Amen.

Source: Saint Paul’s Media Publication

Tomorrow, April 28, 2024 our Sunday Schedules of Masses here at Divine Mercy Parish-Main Church will be as follows:

6:30 AM,
8:00 AM
10:30 AM; and
5:00 PM.

Thank you.

- The Divine Mercy Parish.

20/04/2024

April 21, 2024
Fourth Sunday of Easter (B)
Good Shepherd Sunday / World Day of Prayer for Vocations

First Reading
Acts 4:8–12

Second Reading
1 John 3:1-2

Gospel
John 10:11–18

Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one f lock, one shepherd. This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again. This command I have received from my Father.”

Reflection on the Readings

God’s will is not arbitrary. Oftentimes, we attribute many things to his will, even things that are evil or difficult to accept—sufferings both due to us and beyond our control. In some respects, this outlook absolves us from responsibility. Worse, this somehow suggests that God is responsible for the evil we experience.

The image of the Good Shepherd, so beloved in the Gospel of John, paints a different picture of God’s will. Here, Jesus sets for us the plan of God for our lives. Unlike thieves and robbers, the Good Shepherd desires not death and destruction for the sheep. Rather, he has come so that we might have life, and life that is abundant. The will of God for us is life. But it is a life that is not only physical existence or material comfort. This abundant life that Jesus speaks of is life in its fullness, life beyond the physical, life that is divine. It is a life lived for eternity, in the love and companionship of God. Jesus the Shepherd is characterized by two important qualities: intimate companionship and selfgiving love. He knows the sheep in an intimate, personal manner (just as he and the Father know each other) and so loves them with the love of the Father even to the end.

Thus, the life to which the Shepherd leads us is not a selfish, sad existence, but one lived in relationship—a life that is toward deeper living and loving. Jesus wrenches us away from a life of selfishness and loneliness, and thus ultimately of death, toward greater loving and therefore greater meaning. It is only this life, in the end, that is abundant, for only a life lived in this intimacy and love that endures.

This is the test of the will of God for us: greater living and loving. In seeking his will for us in our lives, in both great and small decisions, we must discern if we are being led to greener pasture, to life in abundance, to deeper relationship and love. Are we moving from mere existence toward a greater spiritual life? Are we being led to greater unity and love with others? And in the end, do we also desire and work for this same abundant life for others? If this is the case, we can know more deeply that we heed the voice of the Shepherd and do his will, for sharing in the life of God ultimately means becoming like him.

This does not mean that the road will be easy. Oftentimes, the Shepherd leads us to what seems to be dark valleys and not green pasture. But if we do know and hear his voice, and trust that he is leading us, we may be sure that no matter how arduous the road is, it is not the end. If we truly follow the will of God, we believe that the end is a full and gracef illed life.

Source: Saint Paul’s Media Publication

Tomorrow, April 21, 2024 our Sunday Schedules of Masses here at Divine Mercy Parish-Main Church will be as follows:

6:30 AM,
8:00 AM
10:30 AM; and
5:00 PM.

Thank you.

- The Divine Mercy Parish.

13/04/2024

April 14, 2024
Third Sunday of Easter

First Reading
Acts 3:13–15, 17–19

Second Reading
1 John 2:1–5a

Gospel
Luke 24:35–48

The two disciples recounted what had taken place on the way, and how Jesus was made known to them in the breaking of bread.

While they were still speaking about this, he stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost. Then he said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.” And as he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed, he asked them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of baked fish; he took it and ate it in front of them.

He said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And he said to them, “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”

Reflection on the Readings

In today’s Gospel reading, the reunion between Jesus and his disciples can be compared to an awkward reunion between estranged friends. Like people who were once very close but drifted apart due to some falling out tragic events, this reunion evokes tension, anxiety, and uncertainty. What do you do when you meet a loved one whom you have hurt so badly?

And what do you do when you meet a loved one who has hurt you so badly? We get hurt when people leave us, all the more if it is someone dear and close to us. Sometimes, we get left without an explanation, while others leave us with a list of reasons why. Nonetheless, being left by friends or loved ones often leaves a mark on us. These experiences might give us sad memories, which reflect the disconnect that the discontinued communication and relationship with our friends or loved ones cause. However, there might be unexpected moments when we see these people again. These moments might make us awkward because of a hurting feeling. Also, it might be an awkward reunion because of how things have ended before. We usually get speechless or startled when these kinds of situations occur.

Knowing this situation, Jesus himself initiates the encounter and breaks the ice by greeting the disciples: “Peace be with you.” Three times, he repeats this same greeting in the Gospel passage: “Peace be with you.” His reassuring message takes away the disciples’ initial shock and fear, their awkwardness and apprehension. He does not come to remind them of his deep hurt or their horrible failure. He comes with an offer of healing, forgiveness, and a new beginning.

In a very interesting gesture, Jesus tells them to look at his hands and feet so that they can tell that it is truly him. Jesus’ hands and feet are visible reminders of all that he suffered, including the betrayal of his friends. But now, in their healed and glorified state, these wounds witness not only Jesus’ death but also the power of his resurrection. Sometimes in our relationships, we tend to keep going back to past hurts and misunderstandings. This can be likened to the constant scratching of our wounds, so that they are always infected and never heal. On the other hand, when we open our hearts to Jesus, we allow the power of his resurrection to heal our deepest wounds. This long but possible process of forgiveness does not always mean being able to forget. But just like Jesus who continues to bear the scars of his suffering and death, forgiving can transform our painful experiences into wisdom and strength that we can carry into the future with new perspective.

The reunion of Jesus with his disciples exemplifies the transformative capacity of the Resurrection. This is the Good News of Easter: we may not always get a reset but we can always have a fresh start with the Lord’s grace.

Source: Saint Paul’s Media Publication

Tomorrow, April 14, 2024 our Sunday Schedules of Masses here at Divine Mercy Parish-Main Church will be as follows:

6:30 AM,
8:00 AM
10:30 AM; and
5:00 PM.

Thank you.

- The Divine Mercy Parish.

06/04/2024

April 7, 2024
Second Sunday of Easter
Divine Mercy Sunday (B)

First Reading
Acts 4:32–35

Second Reading
1 John 5:1–6

Gospel
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.

Reflection on the Readings

One can say that a lot of wonderful things transpired on Easter Sunday. Among them was the appearance of Jesus before the ten in the upper room that conferred on them the ‘peace’ that they needed the so badly at that time. Jesus breathed on them the Spirit that Yahweh had imparted on Adam on the last day of Creation. All these had occurred to show that indeed, once and for all, Jesus, the One sent by the Father to redeem the world, has overcome the power of death, thereby bringing back creation to God’s original vision.

Thus, the Day of the Lord’s Resurrection is about the restoration of the original destiny that God envisioned his creatures to enjoy, which, unfortunately, a plan abandoned by humankind, who was created in the image and likeness of God, in exchange for the mere lures of the devil. The darkness that people had consequently experienced for millennia, as symbolized in today’s Gospel by the fear of the disciples huddled in the upper room, was extinguished by the appearance of the Risen Lord, which was the ultimate expression of unconditional and immeasurable Divine Mercy.

This Eucharistic celebration on the Second Sunday of Easter, dubbed as the Divine Mercy Sunday, is meant to refresh our memories of God’s unfathomable mercy as we are brought back to what happened on Easter Sunday. As we conclude the Easter Octave, we are directed once again, lest we forget, to how God has shown mercy upon all of us: his mercy that, as fulfilled in the entire Christevent, has undone the long history of slavery to sin and death; his mercy that has brought peace to the world by the forgiveness of sins bestowed upon us by Jesus; His mercy that has given us the Holy Spirit as our Advocate and the “power” to forgive others as well — to love most especially our enemies; his mercy that transforms an unbelieving heart like Thomas’ to a heart full of faith and confidence; his mercy that gives us life eternal by divine adoption.

This Sunday is an invitation for us to come home to Jesus, to come home to peace.

Like Thomas who initially doubted because he was not with his fellow disciples, may we also declare Jesus always to be “our Lord and our God” as we find refuge in the Eucharistic celebration in union with the whole Church.

Like the disciples who were initially overshadowed by fear, may we also find peace in Jesus who is our Bread of Life and Spiritual Drink whenever we partake of the Holy Communion. Like the upper room that initially served as a hiding place for the disciples who were enveloped in fear, may we also ask Jesus to transform our communities and countries, especially those nations that are at war with each other and, as a deplorable consequence, have destroyed myriads of innocent lives, to become havens of peace, solidarity, and forgiveness.

Let’s come home to him as he comes to us daily, offering us peace, love, mercy, hope, and salvation. Let us come home to one another as we forgive each other and take care of each other. Let Divine Mercy rule our lives and shine on the whole world.

Source: Saint Paul’s Media Publication

Tomorrow, April 7, 2024 our Sunday Schedules of Masses here at Divine Mercy Parish-Main Church will be as follows:

6:30 AM,
8:00 AM
10:30 AM; and
5:00 PM.

Thank you.

- The Divine Mercy Parish.

30/03/2024

March 31, 2024
Easter Sunday of the Lord’s Resurrection (B)

First Reading
Acts 10:34a, 37–43

Second Reading
1 Corinthians 5:6b–8

Gospel
John 20:1–9

On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.” So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead.

Reflection on the Readings

As Jesus’ started his journey to Jerusalem, he began intimating to his disciples that he would be handed over to men, they would kill him, and three days after his death he would rise. But they did not understand the saying; they did not understand what resurrection means (cf. Mk 9:31-32). So when Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus sealed the entrance of the tomb where they had laid the body of Jesus, the followers of Jesus really thought that the phenomenon that was the Rabbi of Nazareth was closed, finished. Their hopes —“that he would be the one to redeem Israel” (Lk 24:21)—were totally dashed. They now found themselves gathered behind closed doors in the Upper Room, probably listening to the Beloved Disciple sadly narrate the events of Golgotha that he alone witnessed; the others had fled at Jesus’ arrest.

Then, early morning on the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to them in panic. She had come to the tomb and saw the stone removed from it. Her conclusion was that someone stole Jesus’ body: “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.” Peter and the Beloved Disciple then went out to the tomb.

The Easter event is the most glorious in the history of salvation. It is the core of the Christian faith; the Christian religion rises and falls on the belief that Jesus rose from the dead. If this is false, the faith is empty, the believers are still in their sin, and death still is the last word on human existence. But if it is true, then Jesus’ claim has been proven true: that he is the resurrection and the life. In him death is swallowed in victory, and he is the firstborn from the dead.

Easter did not come to the disciples as an overpowering light that dispels all darkness but as something that burns slowly and surely within their hearts. It had to come through signs, confirmed by the appearance of the risen Christ in his glorified body. Aided by his intimacy with Jesus, the Beloved began to believe when he saw the burial clothes. This would be made firm by the appearances of the Lord. Mary of Magdala recognized Jesus only when he called her by name. In Luke, the disciples felt their hearts burning as Jesus—still the unrecognized Wayfarer—was explaining to them that the Messiah should suffer first before entering into his glory. Only at the breaking of the bread at Emmaus were their eyes opened, and they recognized him.

Our life can be compared to a walk to the tomb on Easter morning. It can be a walk in the dark—given our problems, our unmet expectations, our cowardice, and unfaithfulness. We feel that Jesus is entombed as we left him after the Good Friday liturgy. But hope springs eternal, and that this line in a song is true: “There’s got to be a morning after, if we hold on through the night.” Along the way, the rays of the morning sun brush away the darkness. Everywhere are signs of life, of hope, of new beginnings. The struggle still continues, but the stone that burdens our hearts has been removed. When we return from the tomb, we have become alive. We, too, are risen with Christ!

Pope Francis says that the name of Christianity is HOPE. Easter morning gives us this hope.

Source: Saint Paul’s Media Publication

Tomorrow, March 31, 2024 our Sunday Schedules of Masses here at Divine Mercy Parish-Main Church will be as follows:

6:30 AM,
8:00 AM
10:30 AM; and
5:00 PM.

Thank you.

- The Divine Mercy Parish.

Archdiocesan Shrine and Parish of The Divine Mercy - Tuguegarao

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