![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/613\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-mDVWTJrTxUQ\/UWGpP0Hcg6I\/AAAAAAAACgA\/iAEUTE8iCts\/s320\/mercy.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div>\nLast year I celebrated Easter Mass at a state prison. \u00a0Usually about eight to ten men attended Mass when I\u2019d go, but for Easter about thirty-five came.<\/p>\n
I became skeptical at first: why so many? \u00a0Did they come just to get a free rosary to hang around their necks? \u00a0Did they come to get out of the heat of their cells into the cool air conditioning of the multipurpose room where Mass was held? \u00a0Maybe they actually wanted to join in our Easter celebration? \u00a0Why so many?<\/p>\n
They came because a guard had been stabbed in the eye earlier in the afternoon and there was a lot of commotion in the prison. \u00a0Half of the prison was on lock down as they investigated who had done it. \u00a0The men came hoping to hear some news, to mingle and chat about the incident. \u00a0Two guards remained in the room throughout Mass, usually only the chaplain\u2019s aid was present to keep order.<\/p>\n
During my homily (which I had quickly modified in my mind) I told the men, \u201cif one person at a time in the whole world had a change of heart by turning to Christ and received his mercy, the world would be a very different place; if one person at a time here at this prison had a change of heart, recognized his sinfulness and asked for forgiveness, for mercy, this prison would be a very different place.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some men in the back looked at me as if I were crazy. \u00a0One of them shook his head in disagreement before I even finished my statement, he already knew where I was going. \u00a0I told them to allow themselves to dream a bit: a prison where every heart turned to Christ and found forgiveness. \u00a0\u201cThere would be peace in this prison,\u201d I told them, \u201cif you repent and turn to Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n
I was surprised by the quick rejection of my proposal by the inmates, my proposal to allow themselves to imagine a prison where every heart turned to Christ and found peace. \u00a0Truth be told, I should not have been surprised: most of the men at that institution were young and serving several life sentences. \u00a0To the world they had absolutely nothing to look forward to, they had lost all hope. \u00a0Their experience was hell. \u00a0In their minds, there was no room for redemption. \u00a0They had no peace.<\/p>\n
In the 1930s, Jesus appeared to Faustina, a Polish religious sister in Krakow, Poland. \u00a0He said to her, \u201cmankind will not have real peace until it turns with trust to my mercy.\u201d<\/p>\n
The peace of Christ is tied to openness to receive his mercy.<\/p>\n
In the Gospel passage we just heard proclaimed, Jesus three times says the same thing to his apostles, \u201cPeace be with you\u201d and in that giving of peace, he also says, \u201cReceive the Holy Spirit, whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.\u201d \u00a0These words that assure us of forgiveness, of God\u2019s mercy, are the source of our joy and peace. \u00a0Peace and mercy go together.<\/p>\n
God desperately wants to forgive our sins so we may live free from the chains of sin and live in the freedom of the children of God. \u00a0Living reconciled with God and neighbor is finding true peace \u2013 though the world be falling apart, though we be imprisoned at the state prison, we can still find peace in God.<\/p>\n
If the peace of Christ is established one heart at a time, then the world would know peace. \u00a0A peace that is not simply the lack of conflict, but the joy that comes from living in harmony with God and those around us.<\/p>\n
There is a part of us that acts like Thomas. \u00a0We doubt the redeeming power of wounds of Jesus Christ. \u00a0We live as if they did not exist. \u00a0We doubt God\u2019s mercy and love. \u00a0We doubt his ability to forgive us. \u00a0We allow doubt to keep us away from the mercy God freely offers us through the cross and resurrection of his Son.<\/p>\n
But if we could only grasp a little the mercy God shows us. \u00a0Saint John Vianney wrote, \u201cOur sins are nothing but a grain of salt alongside the great mountain of the mercy of God.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peace is Jesus\u2019 Easter gift to us. \u00a0His mercy is His greatest attribute.<\/p>\n
None of us are too far from being that inmate shaking his head at the back of the room, rejecting the possibility for God\u2019s mercy to transform our hearts.<\/p>\n
A man in prison can become a free man with God\u2019s mercy, while a free man living a life of sin can certainly become a prisoner.<\/p>\n
On this Divine Mercy Feast when Jesus Himself promises to pour fourth innumerable graces, soften hardened hearts and manifest His mercy, open up your hearts. \u00a0Dream a little bit. \u00a0Allow God to surprise you with His mercy and love, and you will find peace, the true peace only Christ can give, and you will find joy.<\/p>\n
[Picture: Chapel at Saint Joseph, Augusta, courtesy of Anabel Cadena, all rights reserved]<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 Last year I celebrated Easter Mass at a state prison. \u00a0Usually about eight to ten men attended Mass when I\u2019d go, but for Easter about thirty-five came. I became skeptical at first: why so many? \u00a0Did they come just to get a free rosary to hang around their necks? \u00a0Did they come to get […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2533,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
Peace and Mercy: Divine Mercy Sunday<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\" Last year I celebrated Easter Mass at a state prison. \u00a0Usually about eight to ten men attended Mass when I\u2019d go, but for Easter about thirty-five\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2013\/04\/peace-and-mercy-divine-mercy-sunday.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Peace and Mercy: Divine Mercy Sunday\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\" Last year I celebrated Easter Mass at a state prison. \u00a0Usually about eight to ten men attended Mass when I\u2019d go, but for Easter about thirty-five\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2013\/04\/peace-and-mercy-divine-mercy-sunday.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Labyrinthine Mind\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-04-07T13:14:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-03-25T23:35:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/wp.production.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/files\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-mDVWTJrTxUQ\/UWGpP0Hcg6I\/AAAAAAAACgA\/iAEUTE8iCts\/s320\/mercy.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Father Pablo Migone\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Father Pablo Migone\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2013\/04\/peace-and-mercy-divine-mercy-sunday.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2013\/04\/peace-and-mercy-divine-mercy-sunday.html\",\"name\":\"Peace and Mercy: Divine Mercy Sunday\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2013-04-07T13:14:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-03-25T23:35:11+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/#\/schema\/person\/35ce8464416a4368561caf8ed8c2ba1b\"},\"description\":\" Last year I celebrated Easter Mass at a state prison. \u00a0Usually about eight to ten men attended Mass when I\u2019d go, but for Easter about thirty-five\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2013\/04\/peace-and-mercy-divine-mercy-sunday.html#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2013\/04\/peace-and-mercy-divine-mercy-sunday.html\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2013\/04\/peace-and-mercy-divine-mercy-sunday.html#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Peace and Mercy: Divine Mercy Sunday\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/\",\"name\":\"Labyrinthine Mind\",\"description\":\"Seeking God in the labyrinth\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/#\/schema\/person\/35ce8464416a4368561caf8ed8c2ba1b\",\"name\":\"Father Pablo Migone\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/305296c2dd82f71369f8808eb07ace26?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/305296c2dd82f71369f8808eb07ace26?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Father Pablo Migone\"},\"description\":\"Born in Lima, Peru and raised in Augusta, Georgia, Father Pablo Migone was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 2009 after studying at the Pontifical North American College and earning a Masters in Dogmatic Theology at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome, Italy. He currently serves as Vicar for Mission Advancement of the Diocese of Savannah, Georgia and Pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish and Corpus Christi Parish in the Savannah, Georgia area. The views expressed in this blog are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of his bishop or the Diocese of Savannah.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/author\/pmigone\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Peace and Mercy: Divine Mercy Sunday","description":" Last year I celebrated Easter Mass at a state prison. \u00a0Usually about eight to ten men attended Mass when I\u2019d go, but for Easter about thirty-five","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2013\/04\/peace-and-mercy-divine-mercy-sunday.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Peace and Mercy: Divine Mercy Sunday","og_description":" Last year I celebrated Easter Mass at a state prison. \u00a0Usually about eight to ten men attended Mass when I\u2019d go, but for Easter about thirty-five","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2013\/04\/peace-and-mercy-divine-mercy-sunday.html","og_site_name":"Labyrinthine Mind","article_published_time":"2013-04-07T13:14:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2016-03-25T23:35:11+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/wp.production.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/files\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-mDVWTJrTxUQ\/UWGpP0Hcg6I\/AAAAAAAACgA\/iAEUTE8iCts\/s320\/mercy.jpg"}],"author":"Father Pablo Migone","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Father Pablo Migone","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2013\/04\/peace-and-mercy-divine-mercy-sunday.html","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2013\/04\/peace-and-mercy-divine-mercy-sunday.html","name":"Peace and Mercy: Divine Mercy Sunday","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/#website"},"datePublished":"2013-04-07T13:14:00+00:00","dateModified":"2016-03-25T23:35:11+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/#\/schema\/person\/35ce8464416a4368561caf8ed8c2ba1b"},"description":" Last year I celebrated Easter Mass at a state prison. \u00a0Usually about eight to ten men attended Mass when I\u2019d go, but for Easter about thirty-five","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2013\/04\/peace-and-mercy-divine-mercy-sunday.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2013\/04\/peace-and-mercy-divine-mercy-sunday.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2013\/04\/peace-and-mercy-divine-mercy-sunday.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Peace and Mercy: Divine Mercy Sunday"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/","name":"Labyrinthine Mind","description":"Seeking God in the labyrinth","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/#\/schema\/person\/35ce8464416a4368561caf8ed8c2ba1b","name":"Father Pablo Migone","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/305296c2dd82f71369f8808eb07ace26?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/305296c2dd82f71369f8808eb07ace26?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Father Pablo Migone"},"description":"Born in Lima, Peru and raised in Augusta, Georgia, Father Pablo Migone was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 2009 after studying at the Pontifical North American College and earning a Masters in Dogmatic Theology at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome, Italy. He currently serves as Vicar for Mission Advancement of the Diocese of Savannah, Georgia and Pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish and Corpus Christi Parish in the Savannah, Georgia area. The views expressed in this blog are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of his bishop or the Diocese of Savannah.","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/author\/pmigone"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2533"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=263"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/613\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-mDVWTJrTxUQ\/UWGpP0Hcg6I\/AAAAAAAACgA\/iAEUTE8iCts\/s1600\/mercy.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div>\n