Jesus’ Easter Gift of Mercy and Reconciliation

by Father Joe

Jesus’ Easter Gift of Mercy and Reconciliation

“Peace be with you.” This is the greeting most often spoken by the Resurrected Jesus, and in today’s gospel reading he even says it twice: “Peace be with you.” And when he said this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them.” Easter Sunday overflows into an eight-day feast, and this eighth day is known as Divine Mercy Sunday. When Jesus appeared to St. Faustina in 1931, he commissioned her to spread devotion to his Divine Mercy, and the image of Jesus’ mercy with his blood and water flowing from his side, which is displayed in both of our churches. It is the death and resurrection of Jesus that we celebrate at Easter that won this divine mercy for us, allowing us to have new life and a fresh start each time we turn back to his merciful love.

Today also marks the date a new translation of the Rite of Penance takes effect. The changes pale in comparison to the new Mass prayers from the revised Missal a dozen years ago. Still, this provides an opportunity to really focus on the words we use in this beautiful sacrament of God’s mercy. The “Prayer of the Penitent” (commonly referred to as an Act of Contrition) continues to allow for a variety of prayers to choose from, including the freedom to pray in your own words about your sorrow for sin and desire to lead a new life with God’s help. Some of these prayers are similar to traditional versions of the Act of Contrition, and some are based on Bible passages. Two examples of newly translated prayers follow here, and you can find all of them on our website and in the Reconciliation Room or Confessional.

O my God,
I am sorry and repent with all my heart
for all the wrong I have done
and for the good I have failed to do,
because by sinning I have offended you,
who are all good and worthy to be loved above all things.
I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to do penance, to sin no more,
and to avoid the occasions of sin.
Through the merits of the Passion of our Savior Jesus Christ,
Lord, have mercy.
- or -
Lord Jesus, who chose to be called the friend of sinners,
through the mystery of your Death and Resurrection,
free me from my sins.
May your peace grow strong in me,
that I may bear the fruits of charity, justice, and truth.
- or -
“…simply express contrition and the resolve to lead a new life in [your] own words.”

The priest’s Prayer of Absolution has also changed slightly, including the beautiful phrase that God “poured out the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins.”
As we continue to rejoice in the graces Christ’s Resurrection has won for us, may our celebration of God’s Divine Mercy today always fill us with hope for us - and our loved ones - to experience the root meaning of the word “reconciliation”: a closeness with Christ that allows us to lovingly “look each other in the eyes” again!