Father Nate's Letter

As our Holy Father Pope Francis is laid to rest, a request that he so often made of you and me and the Church universal was to “please pray for me!” How many times did he conclude an audience, finish an address, or make a side remark with this request – to pray for him in the tasks that were entrusted to him as St. Peter’s successor, carrying the Gospel to the many corners of the earth. Please pray for me! St. Ambrose gives us the beautiful reminder to pray for the deceased - to not abandon them, but to accompany them with our prayers into the house of the Lord. Being that it was what the Holy Father often asked of you and me, how happy he would be if we did as he asked. We can accompany the late Holy Father yet still with our prayers, as he won’t make this final portion of his journey alone. May he rest in peace!
 
Congratulations to the young people of our parish who received the Sacrament of Confirmation this weekend. I’m sure their families are proud of them, as is their parish. These youngsters give us so many reasons for hope. Our prayer is that the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit always burn brightly in their lives so that they continue to be an example, to their peers and to all of us, of what it means to know, love and serve God.
 
On this Second Sunday of Easter, we hear the Gospel account of the apostle Thomas’ encounter with the Risen Jesus, and one that usually gives him a bad rap. Some years ago, I saw a painting called the Madonna of the Girdle, which is housed in the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, Italy. The painting depicts St. Thomas receiving a special gift from Our Lady on the occasion of her Assumption. I found the painting to be rather unusual and I learned that in the Cathedral of Prato, there’s a venerated article called “Our Lady’s Cincture.” The story is told that when our Blessed Mother knew her time was coming, the apostles summoned Thomas, telling him to not delay. Thomas did set out but once again, he arrived late. By the time he arrived, the Blessed Mother was already assumed body and soul into heaven. As the story relates, Thomas, struggling with the skepticism that seemed to be so much a part of him, knelt at the place where she had rested. Thomas then received an apparition of Mary in glory, in which she gave him this cincture as a symbol of her blessing and protection. (Of course, time and history have further embellished the story and how the cincture came to be in the city of Prato, but it’s a cherished relic in that city, and has been venerated by a number of saints including St. Francis of Assisi, and in more recent times,  St. John Paul II.) 

When I learned of this little story, I have to admit that I came to see Thomas in a little bit of a different light. On that Easter day, when the Lord came into the upper room and Thomas was NOT with them, Thomas is often chided for his absence and then for his skepticism. Yet if that second story is true, it occurred to me maybe   St. Thomas was just one of those people who struggled to be on time! Maybe it wasn’t so much that he didn’t want to be there, but perhaps he was just always running a bit late! What a comfort for those of us who struggle to be on time in our own lives. 
 
This Second Sunday of Easter is also the beautiful feast of Divine Mercy! The Lord must desperately want to communicate something to us since he asked for this Sunday to be specifically devoted to His Mercy! In his revelations to 
 St. Faustina, a young nun in Poland in 1931, he used the image of the “ocean” to describe the depths of his mercy. If you have ever stood on the shore of an ocean and looked out on the vast body of water, you, as a single individual, can feel so small in comparison. Our Lord instructed St. Faustina to tell mankind to “plunge themselves in this ocean… let them approach that sea with great trust… I cannot punish even the greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to my compassion…my mercy is greater than your sins, and those of the entire  world.” But our Lord also goes on to remind us, “that anyone who does not have recourse to his mercy, will experience his justice.” We should plunge ourselves into that ocean, asking mercy of the Lord for ourselves, and for the whole world!
 
The Lord asked us to observe this Sunday of Divine Mercy because now is the time of mercy (perhaps a good time to change what needs changing or even make a good confession), and his mercy is greater than our sins. And this, my friends, gives us so many reasons for hope! 
 
Wishing all God’s blessings this week!
 
Keeping you in prayer, and say one for me!
 
- Fr. Nate