By the age of 45, as many as 1 in 4 women have had an abortion, and a similar number of men and family members have been involved. Those who have participated in abortion suffer guilt, grief, and regret—often in silence—wrongly believing abortion to be “the unforgivable sin” and fearing they are beyond God’s mercy.
Yet, the Sunday of Divine Mercy is an opportunity to share the message of Christ’s infinite mercy with all suffering under the weight of sin. In the 1930s, Jesus appeared to a humble Polish nun, St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, who recorded His messages in her Diary. On one such occasion, Jesus said to St. Faustina, “My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners” (Diary, no. 699).
On this Solemnity, we contemplate the fullness of the Paschal Mystery. From the beginning of creation, throughout Scripture, and most perfectly in the life, Passion, death and Resurrection of Jesus, God has revealed himself as love itself. In his infinite love for us, God desires nothing more than to wash away our sins and offer us his mercy. Our celebration of the Sunday of Divine Mercy is a celebration of the forgiveness now available to all of us, by virtue of Christ’s Resurrection. We must only run toward the outstretched arms of Christ. God desires to take the greatest of sinners and transform them into the greatest saints. No sin is beyond his mercy. He makes “all things new” (Revelation 21:5) through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Let us never fail to seek the mercy that God desires to freely give us. Jesus, we trust in you! 
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