Divine Mercy Sunday - 2nd Sunday of Easter
VOCATION: Jesus calls us - He calls you to follow Him, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and become a missionary disciple....
Homily MP3 version Homily PDF version
What are the offerings that we bring to God? What is the meaning of "HOSANNAH!" We acclaim God for his greatness and praise Him, while at the same time calling upon Him to rescue us in our distress.... "HOSANNAH!" MP3 version
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!”
You know, brothers and sisters, you know that we are all called by the Lord Jesus to be his disciples and to be missionary disciples with our arms and our hearts wide open; but we hesitate. So, what is it that we need in order to give full vent to our heart's desire to be with the Lord?
My sisters! My brothers! Do you enjoy dancing? Great! Whether it is social dancing where the man and the woman hold each other’s hand and back to dance together, or whether it is line dancing in a group, to really enjoy the full delights of the occasion, of the music, and of one’s partner or group…you need two things.
First, you have to go along or let yourself be led by your partner or by the group. Then, and this is equally important, you need to participate, to make efforts, you have to do your part. You can’t expect other people to carry you like a baby is carried. Now, think back and remember your good memories of dancing… remember the benefits of having let yourself be led by a partner or by a group. What joy to enter into the dance and the festivity….
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!”
So, hopefully you have known the benefits of letting yourself be led in the dance, or at least you have seen others dancing. Now, remember all the efforts that you made to follow your partner or the group, your efforts to learn the various dances, the steps, and the great satisfaction you enjoyed for your success in dancing. What joy and fun to be able to join in the festivity!
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!”
Well, either you know how to dance or at least you accept that in order to dance you need to let yourself be led, but you also need to participate and make efforts. Now, I may surprise you with my next statement. Your experience and understanding of dancing are assets that now you can apply with advantage in your relationship with God. Surprised? If you want to know and love God more, well then, simply accept his invitation to dance with Him!
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!”
Fr. Gilles, are you nuts proposing that we dance with God? No, I'm not crazy. To dance, what do you need? You need an occasion, you need music, and you need either a partner or a group. To dance with God, every moment is an opportune occasion. Whether it is when going to bed or when rising in the morning, when preparing for the day or preparing for sleep; whether it is before, during, or after meals; at work or at school, doing housecleaning, groceries, laundry, gardening, or when it is about being together as a family or especially an intimate moment between spouses, or any other occupation, the moment is always right to enter into the presence of God. God is always and everywhere present. All we have to do is open our heart to Him.
“Christ is risen! Alleluia!” “He is truly risen! Alleluia!”
You don't sound very convinced.
“Christ is risen! Alleluia!” “He is truly risen! Alleluia!”
You need to stand up; you're not breathing properly. Try standing for a moment.
“Christ is risen! Alleluia!” “He is truly risen! Alleluia!”
Much better. Sit down, please.
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his steadfast love endures forever!”
All right then; so, if every moment is a good moment to dance with God, what's the music? What is the music to which we can dance with God? It is a celestial music… the music of the Holy Spirit… it is the music of the love of God which flows like a river inside of us, flowing from the vitality of the love within the Most Holy Trinity… that music of intimate love between the Father and his Son Jesus and the Son to the Father, the loving bond of the Holy Spirit. This music - mysterious, but true, celestial within us, is a glimpse of Heaven which rises within us at any time when we contemplate beauty – a lovely landscape, each person who loves us and whom we love, the abundance of living creatures on the earth, in the waters, and in the air – we have only to stop for an instant and take the time to breathe quietly… and behold the celestial music gently rising within us.
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!”
Well then, we have plenty of occasions every day to dance with God, we have this mysterious music of God flowing within us, all right. So, do I hear this celestial music? He says we are never without music for dancing with Him; for He causes this very mysterious celestial music to arise within us from the very depths of our spirit. It is also like a fire, a heat of love which comes to warm us; it is the Divine Mercy. This gentle fire of Mercy is Jesus who will never cease loving us.
Thus, with God, we never lack a dancing partner or group to dance with. The group which dances to God’s music is our faith assembly, yes, but it is also our family, our neighbourhood, our friends, our work colleagues, our school acquaintances, and every person opening their heart and their spirit to the Divine Mercy, to the love and knowledge of God.
At every moment, the dance partner par excellence given to us by the Father is his Son Jesus, risen from the dead, and now living forever in Heaven with the Father, but still forever present to us here on Earth. Jesus is the Divine Mercy of God.
Well then, how exactly do we do this? How do we dance with Jesus? To dance with Jesus, all we have to do is pray, and what is praying? It is simply visiting with God. As soon as I open my mind and heart and look towards God, towards Jesus, I'm already at prayer. We visit with God when we contemplate God, in the Scriptures, reading the Gospel, the Psalms, the letters of the Apostles, and all the books of Sacred Scripture in the Bible. As soon as we turn the eyes of our spirit to Jesus, we are already at prayer and behold, Jesus is there taking us into his arms for the dance. Jesus is always ready, and at every moment it is up to us to enter into the mystery. Lord, I don't understand it, I don't get it, but, I want. Here I am.
“Christ is risen! Alleluia!” “He is truly risen! Alleluia!”
“O my Jesus, I trust in You!” Thanks be to God, the
Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In silence now, the Holy Spirit continues to pour the Divine Mercy
deeply into our spirit..
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2006-2022 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate of Madonna House
Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC © 2006-2022 Tous droits
réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate
& Poustinik, Montréal QC
