Active Membership Pillar: Faithful Participation at Sunday Mass and Holy Days

On Divine Mercy Sunday, we are reminded to ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven then, and whose sins you retain are retained. What a wonderful reminder to stop and think about our relationships with others!

Through the years, I can easily focus on the times I have been hurt and hurt others. But, what good is it to ruminate on what has already happened? Forgiving does not mean that a person forgets the pain. Instead, it frees the individual and allows them to realize that we all are human, and we all are sinners in need of forgiveness and mercy.  

Jesus is the model for divine mercy, and even on the cross He stated, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do,” (Lk 23:34). Forgiveness is ultimately a form of love because it frees us from negative feelings that can hold us back from living a fruitful life. Loving our friends and family members does not mean that we need to like them all the time. But it does mean that we must navigate how to honor their innate dignity while simultaneously respecting our own. In the end, it is easier to move forward and forgive someone when we can truly accept them for who they are: another child of God in need of love and mercy. Perhaps then, they will do the same for us! 

With constant reflection and meditation on the sacrificial love of Jesus demonstrated on the cross, and one in which we commemorate each Sunday, through regular participation in the Sunday Eucharist, we can deepen our understanding of how Jesus’s sacrifice for us can and should transform our own lives.