Gospel-Homily for Divine Mercy Sunday (2026)

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Fixing the Flaws.

My brother gained a lot of weight over the years. The reason is because his daughter is a fantastic baker. My brother was the official taste-tester, and he paid a price. When I went home to see the family, between the Easter Masses, I opened the door, and my brother greeted me, saying, “Look.” I was amazed. The beach ball around his waist is completely gone. Now you do not just wake up and lose forty pounds in one night, so I had to ask, “What happened?” He said, “High blood pressure. The doctor told me to lose the weight.” Isn’t it funny that we develop healthy habits from negative reasons. The reason I started to exercise and train for marathons is that I had insomnia. Sitting around all day writing homilies doesn’t exactly make you tired at night. My friend stopped a fifty-year smoking habit when the doctor told him about his cancer. The reason I point this out is that when Jesus died on the cross, every one of the disciples was flawed. After the resurrection, Jesus fixed them. Peter ran away in fear after he denied the Lord three times. After the risen Lord appeared to him after the Resurrection, Peter will never fear again. Thomas had doubts and questions. Not any more after the risen Lord appeared. And Mary Magdala sort of forgot that Jesus was God. After Jesus appeared to her, she will never forget that again.   

One Lent a Hindu decided to become Catholic so he entered a program. Halfway through, He said to his instructor, “Let me get this straight; you are blessed if you are poor; you are blessed if you’re persecuted.  If someone strikes you on one side, turn and give him the other.  You have to love your enemy. I must pick up my cross every day. I must forgive seven times seventy. I am not sure I can do this. Christianity is for extraordinary people like Gandhi and Mother Teresa.”  The instructor replied, “Just hang in there. We are not done yet.” When he entered the Church on Easter, he said, “Now I understand Christianity. Christ takes ordinary people like fishermen and me and  empowers them to do extraordinary things.” That is what the resurrection means to us. Jesus fixes us. We are all ordinary and flawed. Well, not anymore.