Divine Mercy Sunday

At times like these, we must remember that as Christians we place our faith in Jesus Christ. If we place our faith on human beings alone, we will always be disappointed. The Church is the Body of Christ. As an institution it will always prevail because Jesus has promised us that the Holy Spirit will always be with his Church. However, the Church is made up of individuals who make mistakes and sin. This is the great mystery of the Church: the human and divine coexist, just as they do in Jesus himself.

The Catholic Church has existed for 2000 years. It is the longest-standing, continuously functioning institution in history. It is also the largest, counting about 1.1 billion members. This is not due to human efforts, it is divine guidance. Left to human hands, it would have shattered centuries ago.

For example, in the 4^th century, nearly all bishops taught that Jesus was not God, the Arian heresy, but that was overcome. In the 14^th century there were three men claiming to be Popes at the same time, the Great Schism, but that was overcome. In the 18^th century, about 30,000 priests in France left the priesthood willingly or were killed during the French Revolution, but that was overcome. In the 20^th century, millions were forced into an underground church throughout the Soviet Union, but that was overcome.

The Church has weathered many storms because it has the great ability to reform itself from the inside at a time of crisis. This renewal and reform has already begun during this time of crisis to ensure that these terrible actions and betrayals of trust that have emerged will not happen again.

May God bless us and strengthen us during this time of trail!