NOTE: Christ in Our Neighborhood is a parish-based program consisting of small Christian communities that gather in the home weekly to prayerfully discuss the upcoming Sunday Mass readings. It’s easy to form a community and you can find out more by searching “Christ in Our Neighborhood at the Diocese of Phoenix website, dphx.org.
This coming Sunday, we celebrate the Feast of Divine Mercy. The question the Christ in Our Neighborhood Commentary asks us is: Think of a time you experienced Jesus’ peace. How do you share that peace that was given to you?
As we’ll hear in the Gospel from John this coming Sunday, Jesus’ first gift to the Apostles when He greets them after the resurrection is the gift of peace. After sharing His peace with them, He says He is sending them out and gives them the Holy Spirit. He then grants them — and by extension, their successors — the authority to forgive sins in His name.
The peace that we experience after humbling ourselves and confessing our sins is beyond the temporary, empty promises the world offers. God promises us life in Him. His gift of mercy restores us, heals us and frees us. If we’ve fallen into serious sin, the forgiveness we encounter brings us back into a state of grace.
As we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday, we do well to recall the words of Our Lord to St. Faustina: “When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself but radiates them to other souls. (St. Faustina’s Diary, #1074.)
The peace we find in God’s mercy should flow from us toward everyone we encounter.
If you haven’t joined a Christ in Our Neighborhood small group yet, perhaps you are being called to start one yourself. It’s easy! Check out our website today to find out more: dphx.org/Christ-in-our-neighborhood.
Watch the video of the weekly podcast segment featuring Christ in Our Neighborhood with Bishop Dolan by clicking HERE.
To sign up for our weekly Christ in Our Neighborhood newsletter that has everything you need for your next meeting, visit: https://phoenixdiocese.flocknote.com/CION
