Divine Mercy from our Lord

04-12-2026Pastor's LetterFather Wilson

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Today, on the Second Sunday of Easter, we complete the octave of this liturgical season, one of the two octaves —together with Christmas— that remain in the liturgy renewed by the Vatican Council II. For eight days, we contemplate the same mystery and try to deepen our understanding of it in the light of the Holy Spirit.

By the design of Pope Saint John Paul II, this Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday. It is something that goes far beyond a particular devotion. As explained by the Holy Father in his encyclical Dives in Misericordia, Divine Mercy is the loving manifestation of God in a history wounded by sin. In Latin Misericordia (which means “mercy”) comes from two words: “miser” (misery) and “cor, cordis” (heart). God puts our unhappy situation due to sin in His Father's heart, which is faithful to His plans.

Jesus Christ, dead and risen, is the supreme manifestation and action of Divine Mercy. “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son” (John 3:16) and sent Him to die so that we might be saved. “To redeem the slave, He sacrificed the Son,” we proclaimed in the Exsultet at Easter Vigil. And once resurrected, He made Him a source of salvation for all who believe in Him. Through faith and conversion, we receive the treasure of Divine Mercy.

Holy Mother Church, who wants her children to live the life of the Risen One, commands that we receive Holy Communion and do so in the grace of God — at least during the Easter season. Indeed, the Easter season is the opportune time for paschal fulfillment. It is a good time to confess our sins and to receive the forgiveness of our sins through the faculties that the risen Lord has conferred on his Church, when he said only to the Apostles: “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them” (John 20:22-23). Thus, we can go to the source of Divine Mercy. May we not hesitate to bring our friends to these sources of life: the Eucharist and Penance. The risen Jesus counts on us to witness for Him.

All the best...in Christ,

Father Wilson