With Opened Bible

Saint Pope John Paul II made the second Sunday of Easter Divine Mercy Sunday. In truth, he only had to establish the expression "divine mercy," but this Sunday's Gospel has always emphasized the grace of reconciliation in Jesus Christ.

This Sunday, which ends the Octave of Easter, reminds us that Jesus came and died on the cross to reconcile the world with his Father. His mission, the power of reconciliation, is a beacon of hope that can transform our lives. Indeed, the frst fruit of his resurrection is the gif of the Spirit of reconciliation: "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." (John 20:22-23) Before Pentecost, even before the official founding of the Church, Jesus offered his Spirit to forgive sins.

Thus, he reveals that the Church's only mission is to reconcile the world to God. Saint Paul understood this well when he wrote: "And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliaton. Namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not countng their trespasses against them and entrustng to us the message of reconciliaton. So, we are ambassadors for Christ as if God were appealing through us. We implore you, on behalf of Christ, to be reconciled to God." (2 Corinthians 5:18-20) The urgency of our mission is clear. A Church that does not reconcile the world to God is not the Church Christ intended.