∫ [Music playing] ∫
The following presentation is made possible
by the generosity of the viewers
of Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls in Chicago.

Good morning and welcome
to Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.

Today, we celebrate the Second Sunday of Easter,
Divine Mercy Sunday.

My name is Dan Riley.
I am joined by Tom McNamara and Maudette Carr,
and our celebrant is Father James Wallace.

∫ How firm a foundation you saints of the Lord, ∫
∫ is laid for your faith in Christ Jesus, the Word! ∫
∫ what more can God say than to you has been said, ∫
∫ to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled? ∫

In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

The Lord be with you.

And with your spirit.

Good morning, everyone.
Happy Easter, again.

Welcome on this Second Sunday of Easter,
also Divine Mercy Sunday.

We give thanks to God for our faith,
for coming together here to worship Him,
for the Resurrection.

So let us prepare ourselves for this Mass
by calling to mind our sins.

You were sent to heal the contrite of heart.
Lord, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

You came to call sinners.
Christ, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.

You are seated at the right hand of the Father
to intercede for us.
Lord, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

May Almighty God have mercy on us,
forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.

Amen.

∫ [Music playing] ∫
∫ Glory to God in the highest, ∫
∫ and on earth peace to people of good will. ∫

∫ Glory to God in the highest, ∫
∫ and on earth peace to people of good will. ∫

Let us pray.

God of everlasting mercy,
who in the very recurrence of the Paschal Feast,
kindled the faith of the people you have made your own.
Increase, we pray, the grace you have bestowed
that all may grasp and rightly understand
in what font they have been washed,
by whose Spirit they have been reborn,
by whose Blood they have been redeemed.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God forever and ever.

Amen.

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles.

They devoted themselves to the teaching of the Apostles
and to the communal life,
to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers.

Awe came upon everyone,
and many wonders and signs were done through the Apostles.

All who believed were together and had all things in common.
They would sell their property and possessions,

And divide them among all according to each one’s need.
Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together
in the Temple area and to breaking bread in their homes.
They ate their meals with exultation
and sincerity of heart,
praising God and enjoying favor with all the people.
And every day the Lord added to their number
those who were being saved.

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

∫ [Music playing] ∫
∫ Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, ∫
∫ his love is everlasting. ∫
∫ Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, ∫
∫ his love is everlasting. ∫
∫ Let the house of Israel say, ∫
∫ “His mercy endures forever.” ∫
∫ Let the house of Aaron say, ∫
∫ “His mercy endures forever.” ∫
∫ Let those who fear the Lord say, ∫
∫ “His mercy endures forever.” ∫
∫ Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, ∫
∫ his love is everlasting. ∫

A reading from the First Letter of St. Peter.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope
through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
to an inheritance that is imperishable,
undefiled, and unfading, kept in Heaven for you,
who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith,
to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time.

In this you rejoice, although now for a little while
you may have to suffer through various trials,
so that the genuineness of your faith,
more precious than gold that is perishable,
even though tested by fire,
may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor

At the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Although you have not seen him, you love him.
Even though you do not see him now yet believe in him,
you rejoice with indescribable and glorious joy
as you attain the goal of your faith,
the salvation of your souls.

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

∫ [Music playing] ∫
∫ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia ∫
∫ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia ∫
∫ You believe in me, Thomas, because you have seen me ∫
∫ says the Lord, ∫
∫ blessed are they who have not seen me but still believe. ∫
∫ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia ∫
∫ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia ∫

The Lord be with you.

And with your spirit.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John.

Glory to you, O Lord.

On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked
where the Disciples were for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them,
“Peace be with you.”

When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The Disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

When he had said this,
he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”

Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.

So the other Disciples said to him,
“We have seen the Lord.”

But he said to them,
“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nail marks,
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

Now a week later, his Disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.

Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here
and see my hands, and bring your hand
and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”

Thomas answered and said to him,
“My Lord and my God.”

Jesus said to him,
“Have you come to believe because you have seen me?

“Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his Disciples
that are not written in this book,
but these are written that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that through this belief
you may have life in his name.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Again, happy Easter, everyone.
Hope you had a wonderful Easter week.

We’re in the Octave of Easter, the eighth day.
Also, Divine Mercy Sunday,
which was instituted a few decades ago
by St. John Paul II.

Some of you are familiar with this Divine Mercy image.
I believe we have an image here at Mercy Home.

Christ pointing to his heart and two rays or two beams,
white and red, kind of coming out of them,
showing about his love and his mercy.

I don’t know if there’s a feast day.
Most Parishes have a feast day when they were founded.

I don’t know if there’s a feast day for Mercy Home.
Father Donahue, you can correct me on this,
but if there isn’t, then maybe today could be the feast day
because this is Divine Mercy Sunday.

Our wonderful home here is obviously based on mercy.
We pour out mercy.

You all pour out mercy to us
because Christ has given us mercy as well.

It’s an image, and especially with St. Thomas,
another icon today,
that just shows how much God cares about us.

I think we know this intellectually,
but sometimes we need to pray with this reality,
really let it sink into our souls.

That God cares for us.
He notices us.

Even when things are difficult,
things don’t go the way we want them to in life,
that God hasn’t abandoned us,
but he’s actually put us on a blessed path.

In fact, the path of suffering and the Cross
is God’s way of really favoring us.

It might seem kind of contradictory or even wrong,
but God pours out his grace and his mercy
to those who are suffering,
just like a parent would care for their child who’s sick
in an even special, more radical way.

So we see this with Thomas.

You might think that Thomas made some mistake
or that he blew this and kind of earned this kind of mishap.

He’s not there with the other Apostles
on Easter Sunday evening.

They’re all gathered in the upper room
where they had been a couple nights earlier
to celebrate the Last Supper
because they’re all terrified.

The doors are locked.

Jesus appears to them after the Resurrection.

They’ve seen Mary Magdalene and the others
who’ve told them that Jesus is alive, but they doubt.

And Jesus, in fact, kind of scolds them for this.

But why isn’t Thomas in that upper room?

In my own imaginative prayer,
I have several reasons for this
and kind of it’s the flavor of the day
why Thomas is in the upper room for me.

But let’s just say he was upset about something.

You know, maybe like the Disciples on the road to Emmaus
who were walking away sort of sad.

Thomas was frustrated by this.
He’s hurting.

Remember earlier when Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead,
which we had on the Fifth Sunday of Lent,
Thomas gives that great line.

He says, “Let’s go to die with him.”

So Thomas isn’t afraid of dying.
He isn’t afraid of the Cross.

He wants to go back to Jerusalem with Jesus to die with him.

Maybe he was hurt that Jesus didn’t let him die with him,
that Jesus went through this by himself.

Who knows?

But either way, Thomas is out in the city.
He misses out on that Easter Sunday evening.

They tell him about it
when he finally returns to the upper room.

He doesn’t believe, as we all know.

And so for that week, that Easter week, he’s lost.

The other Disciples have seen the Lord, but not Thomas.

And you wonder the conflict he was going through.

He was almost living in hell in that moment,
having not experienced the Resurrection.

As lost as he might be, Jesus never lost Thomas.

Thomas was always the apple of Jesus’ eye.

Jesus was noticing him,
caring for him, providing for him,
and giving him what he needed that week,
and then finally showing up the Second Sunday of Easter
and giving him his hands and his side.

Thomas was then brought into an incredible intimacy with God.

So even if you feel lost in your own faith,
or you’re struggling in your spiritual life,
struggling with God, it’s okay.

You might have even kind of done away with God,
but God hasn’t done away with you.

He’s going to find you.
He loves you that much.

Okay?

So I know, again, back to Divine Mercy Sunday, the feast day,
I figure I’ll sing one song for y’all.

I sang a song way back at the beginning of Lent.

I didn’t get rejected from
the Mercy Home subscription here.

So it’s one of my favorite hymns.

It’s like an old kind of spiritual.
It’s called “Blessed Assurance.”

I don’t know.
I think this is going to be a hymn
that’s sung on my funeral day.

Hopefully I don’t die anytime soon, but it just goes.

As I sing the lyrics, hopefully, again,
it’s not torturing you too badly.

It’s just the fact that God cares for us this much,
that he died for us.

He’s not going to let us go.

And that when we can be found in God, we have our salvation,
and that’s really the joy of our life,
being in union with God.

Maybe you’re familiar with this hymn, but it goes like this:

∫ Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. ∫
∫ Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine. ∫
∫ Heir of salvation, purchase of God, ∫
∫ born of his Spirit, washed in his Blood. ∫
∫ This is my story. This is my song. ∫
∫ Praise him, my Savior, all the day long. ∫
∫ This is my story. This is my song. ∫
∫ Praise him, my Savior, all the day long. ∫

I’ll sing a couple other verses if you haven’t tuned out yet.

∫ Perfect submission, perfect delight, ∫
∫ visions of rapture now burst on my sight. ∫
∫ Angels descending bring from above ∫
∫ echoes of mercy, whispers of love. ∫

∫ Perfect submission, all is at rest. ∫
∫ I in my Savior am happy and blessed, ∫
∫ watching and waiting, looking above, ∫
∫ filled with his goodness, lost in his love. ∫

∫ This is my story. This is my song. ∫
∫ Praise him, my Savior, all the day long. ∫
∫ This is my story. This is my song. ∫
∫ Praise him, my Savior, all the day long. ∫

Amen.

Together now we’ll profess our faith.

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty,
maker of Heaven and Earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father.

Through him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation,
he came down from Heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit
was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into Heaven

And is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the Prophets.

I believe in one, holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins,
and I look forward to the Resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

We pray for all the needs now
of our Church and of our world.

Our response to each prayer will be,
“Lord, hear our prayer.”

For our Church leaders,
as they preach to the world that Jesus Christ
conquered sin and death by his Resurrection,
we pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer.

For those who mourn the death of a loved one,
may they find comfort in the joy of Christ’s Resurrection.
We pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer.

For the children of Mercy Home for Boys and Girls,
may this Easter season fill their lives with hope.
We pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer.

For those who seek Jesus’ Divine Mercy,
may we always trust in Jesus,
be drawn into his compassionate heart,
and celebrate his mercy by extending it to others.
We pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Loving and merciful Father, pour your grace out unto us
and answer now these prayers through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

∫ [Music playing] ∫
∫ [Music continues] ∫

Pray, brothers and sisters,
that my sacrifice and yours
may be acceptable to God, the Almighty Father.

May the Lord accept this sacrifice in your hands,
for the praise and glory of his name,
for our good and the good of all his holy Church.

Accept, O Lord, we pray, the oblations of your people,
that renewed by confession of your name and by Baptism,
they maintain unending happiness through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

The Lord be with you.

And with your spirit.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right and just.

It is truly right and just,
our duty and our salvation,
and at all times to acclaim you, O Lord.

But in this time above all to laud you yet more gloriously,
when Christ our Passover has been sacrificed.

Through him the children of light rise to eternal life,
and the halls of the Heavenly Kingdom
are thrown open to the faithful.

For his death is our ransom from death,
and in his rising the life of all has risen.

Therefore, overcome with Paschal joy,
every land, every people exalts in your praise,

And even the Heavenly Powers with the Angelic Hosts
sing together the unending hymn of your glory as they acclaim.

∫ [Music playing] ∫

∫ Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts, ∫
∫ Heaven and Earth are full of your glory. ∫
∫ Hosanna in the highest. ∫
∫ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. ∫
∫ Hosanna in the highest. ∫

You are indeed holy, O Lord, the fount of all holiness.

Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray,
by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall,
so that they may become for us
the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

At the time he was betrayed
and entered willingly into his Passion,
he took bread and, giving thanks, broke it,
and gave it to his Disciples, saying:

“Take this, all of you, and eat of it,
for this is my Body,
which will be given up for you.”

In a similar way, when supper was ended,

He took the chalice and once more giving thanks,
he gave it to his Disciples, saying:

“Take this, all of you, and drink from it,
for this is the chalice of my Blood,
the Blood of the new and eternal Covenant,
which will be poured out for you and for many
for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this in memory of me.”

The mystery of faith.

∫ [Music playing] ∫

∫ When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, ∫
∫ we proclaim your death, O Lord, ∫
∫ until you come again. ∫

Therefore, as we celebrate the memorial
of his death and Resurrection,
we offer you, Lord,
the Bread of Life and the Chalice of Salvation,
giving thanks to you who have held us worthy
to be in your presence and minister to you.

Humbly we pray that, partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ,
we may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit.

Remember, Lord, your Church spread throughout the world,
and bring her into the fullness of charity,
together with Leo, our Pope, and Blasé, our Bishop,
and all the clergy.

Remember also our brothers and sisters
who have fallen asleep in the hope of the Resurrection,
and all who have died in your mercy.
Welcome them into the light of your face.

Have mercy on us all, we pray,
that with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God,
Blessed Joseph, her spouse,
with the Blessed Apostles,
and all the Saints who have pleased you throughout the ages,
we may merit to be co-heirs to eternal life,
and may praise and glorify you through your Son, Jesus Christ.

Through him, and with him, and in him,
O God, Almighty Father,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honor is yours forever and ever.

∫ [Music playing] ∫

∫ Amen, Amen, Amen. ∫

Let us all join our voices now
and pray for the coming of God’s Kingdom.

Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done
on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil,
graciously grant peace in our days,
that by the help of your mercy
we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress,
as we await the blessed hope
and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
now and forever.

Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles,
“Peace I leave you, my peace I give you,”
look not on our sins but on the faith of your Church,
and graciously grant her peace and unity
in accordance with your will,
who live and reign forever and ever.

Amen.

The peace of the Lord be with you always.

And with your spirit.

Let us all offer each other the sign of peace.

Peace be with you, brothers and sisters.
Happy Easter.

Hope you had a wonderful Easter.

And please know of our gratitude for you and our prayers for you.

Thank you for your support of Mercy Home
and the great work we do for so many children.

So many people here.
On behalf of Father Scott Donahue and Cardinal Cupich,
God bless you and have a wonderful Easter season.

∫ [Music playing] ∫

∫ Lamb of God, ∫
∫ you take away the sins of the world. ∫
∫ have mercy on us. ∫
∫ Lamb of God, ∫
∫ you take away the sins of the world. ∫
∫ have mercy on us. ∫
∫ Lamb of God, ∫
∫ you take away the sins of the world. ∫
∫ grant us peace. ∫

Behold the Lamb of God.
Behold him who takes away the sins of the world.
Blessed are those called to the Supper of the Lamb.

Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof,
but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

∫ [Music playing] ∫

For those of you at home,
please turn to page six in your TV Mass Guide
and join in singing our Communion Song,
“The Love of the Lord.”

∫ All that I counted as gain, ∫
∫ now I consider as loss, ∫
∫ empty and worthless to me, ∫
∫ in the light of the love of the Lord. ∫

∫ What more could bring us hope, ∫
∫ than to know the power of his life? ∫
∫ What more could bring us peace, ∫
∫ than to share in his suffering and death? ∫
∫ What more could be our final wish, ∫
∫ than to live in the love of the Lord? ∫

Let us pray.

Grant, we pray, Almighty God, that our reception

Of this Paschal Sacrament
may have a continuing effect in our minds and hearts
through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

The Lord be with you.

And with your spirit.

May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son,
and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Go in peace.

Thanks be to God.

∫ [Music playing] ∫

∫ Love divine, all love’s excelling, ∫
∫ joy of Heaven to Earth come down. ∫
∫ fix in us your humble dwelling, ∫
∫ all your faithful mercies crown. ∫

My friends, I just want to thank you for the ways
in which you support the Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.

Let us continue to pray for one another.

Please consider making an offering so that we can keep
the Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls on the air.

May God bless you, your family members, and your friends.

The music for the broadcast of Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls
is generously provided by GIA Publications Incorporated
and its World Library Publications Division.

∫ [Music playing] ∫

∫ [Music playing] ∫
The following presentation is made possible
by the generosity of the viewers
of Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls in Chicago.

Good morning and welcome
to Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.

Today, we celebrate the Second Sunday of Easter,
Divine Mercy Sunday.

My name is Dan Riley.
I am joined by Tom McNamara and Maudette Carr,
and our celebrant is Father James Wallace.

∫ How firm a foundation you saints of the Lord, ∫
∫ is laid for your faith in Christ Jesus, the Word! ∫
∫ what more can God say than to you has been said, ∫
∫ to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled? ∫

In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

The Lord be with you.

And with your spirit.

Good morning, everyone.
Happy Easter, again.

Welcome on this Second Sunday of Easter,
also Divine Mercy Sunday.

We give thanks to God for our faith,
for coming together here to worship Him,
for the Resurrection.

So let us prepare ourselves for this Mass
by calling to mind our sins.

You were sent to heal the contrite of heart.
Lord, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

You came to call sinners.
Christ, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.

You are seated at the right hand of the Father
to intercede for us.
Lord, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

May Almighty God have mercy on us,
forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.

Amen.

∫ [Music playing] ∫
∫ Glory to God in the highest, ∫
∫ and on earth peace to people of good will. ∫

∫ Glory to God in the highest, ∫
∫ and on earth peace to people of good will. ∫

Let us pray.

God of everlasting mercy,
who in the very recurrence of the Paschal Feast,
kindled the faith of the people you have made your own.
Increase, we pray, the grace you have bestowed
that all may grasp and rightly understand
in what font they have been washed,
by whose Spirit they have been reborn,
by whose Blood they have been redeemed.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God forever and ever.

Amen.

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles.

They devoted themselves to the teaching of the Apostles
and to the communal life,
to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers.

Awe came upon everyone,
and many wonders and signs were done through the Apostles.

All who believed were together and had all things in common.
They would sell their property and possessions,

And divide them among all according to each one’s need.
Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together
in the Temple area and to breaking bread in their homes.
They ate their meals with exultation
and sincerity of heart,
praising God and enjoying favor with all the people.
And every day the Lord added to their number
those who were being saved.

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

∫ [Music playing] ∫
∫ Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, ∫
∫ his love is everlasting. ∫
∫ Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, ∫
∫ his love is everlasting. ∫
∫ Let the house of Israel say, ∫
∫ “His mercy endures forever.” ∫
∫ Let the house of Aaron say, ∫
∫ “His mercy endures forever.” ∫
∫ Let those who fear the Lord say, ∫
∫ “His mercy endures forever.” ∫
∫ Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, ∫
∫ his love is everlasting. ∫

A reading from the First Letter of St. Peter.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope
through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
to an inheritance that is imperishable,
undefiled, and unfading, kept in Heaven for you,
who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith,
to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time.

In this you rejoice, although now for a little while
you may have to suffer through various trials,
so that the genuineness of your faith,
more precious than gold that is perishable,
even though tested by fire,
may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor

At the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Although you have not seen him, you love him.
Even though you do not see him now yet believe in him,
you rejoice with indescribable and glorious joy
as you attain the goal of your faith,
the salvation of your souls.

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

∫ [Music playing] ∫
∫ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia ∫
∫ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia ∫
∫ You believe in me, Thomas, because you have seen me ∫
∫ says the Lord, ∫
∫ blessed are they who have not seen me but still believe. ∫
∫ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia ∫
∫ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia ∫

The Lord be with you.

And with your spirit.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John.

Glory to you, O Lord.

On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked
where the Disciples were for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them,
“Peace be with you.”

When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The Disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

When he had said this,
he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”

Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.

So the other Disciples said to him,
“We have seen the Lord.”

But he said to them,
“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nail marks,
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

Now a week later, his Disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.

Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here
and see my hands, and bring your hand
and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”

Thomas answered and said to him,
“My Lord and my God.”

Jesus said to him,
“Have you come to believe because you have seen me?

“Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his Disciples
that are not written in this book,
but these are written that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that through this belief
you may have life in his name.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Again, happy Easter, everyone.
Hope you had a wonderful Easter week.

We’re in the Octave of Easter, the eighth day.
Also, Divine Mercy Sunday,
which was instituted a few decades ago
by St. John Paul II.

Some of you are familiar with this Divine Mercy image.
I believe we have an image here at Mercy Home.

Christ pointing to his heart and two rays or two beams,
white and red, kind of coming out of them,
showing about his love and his mercy.

I don’t know if there’s a feast day.
Most Parishes have a feast day when they were founded.

I don’t know if there’s a feast day for Mercy Home.
Father Donahue, you can correct me on this,
but if there isn’t, then maybe today could be the feast day
because this is Divine Mercy Sunday.

Our wonderful home here is obviously based on mercy.
We pour out mercy.

You all pour out mercy to us
because Christ has given us mercy as well.

It’s an image, and especially with St. Thomas,
another icon today,
that just shows how much God cares about us.

I think we know this intellectually,
but sometimes we need to pray with this reality,
really let it sink into our souls.

That God cares for us.
He notices us.

Even when things are difficult,
things don’t go the way we want them to in life,
that God hasn’t abandoned us,
but he’s actually put us on a blessed path.

In fact, the path of suffering and the Cross
is God’s way of really favoring us.

It might seem kind of contradictory or even wrong,
but God pours out his grace and his mercy
to those who are suffering,
just like a parent would care for their child who’s sick
in an even special, more radical way.

So we see this with Thomas.

You might think that Thomas made some mistake
or that he blew this and kind of earned this kind of mishap.

He’s not there with the other Apostles
on Easter Sunday evening.

They’re all gathered in the upper room
where they had been a couple nights earlier
to celebrate the Last Supper
because they’re all terrified.

The doors are locked.

Jesus appears to them after the Resurrection.

They’ve seen Mary Magdalene and the others
who’ve told them that Jesus is alive, but they doubt.

And Jesus, in fact, kind of scolds them for this.

But why isn’t Thomas in that upper room?

In my own imaginative prayer,
I have several reasons for this
and kind of it’s the flavor of the day
why Thomas is in the upper room for me.

But let’s just say he was upset about something.

You know, maybe like the Disciples on the road to Emmaus
who were walking away sort of sad.

Thomas was frustrated by this.
He’s hurting.

Remember earlier when Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead,
which we had on the Fifth Sunday of Lent,
Thomas gives that great line.

He says, “Let’s go to die with him.”

So Thomas isn’t afraid of dying.
He isn’t afraid of the Cross.

He wants to go back to Jerusalem with Jesus to die with him.

Maybe he was hurt that Jesus didn’t let him die with him,
that Jesus went through this by himself.

Who knows?

But either way, Thomas is out in the city.
He misses out on that Easter Sunday evening.

They tell him about it
when he finally returns to the upper room.

He doesn’t believe, as we all know.

And so for that week, that Easter week, he’s lost.

The other Disciples have seen the Lord, but not Thomas.

And you wonder the conflict he was going through.

He was almost living in hell in that moment,
having not experienced the Resurrection.

As lost as he might be, Jesus never lost Thomas.

Thomas was always the apple of Jesus’ eye.

Jesus was noticing him,
caring for him, providing for him,
and giving him what he needed that week,
and then finally showing up the Second Sunday of Easter
and giving him his hands and his side.

Thomas was then brought into an incredible intimacy with God.

So even if you feel lost in your own faith,
or you’re struggling in your spiritual life,
struggling with God, it’s okay.

You might have even kind of done away with God,
but God hasn’t done away with you.

He’s going to find you.
He loves you that much.

Okay?

So I know, again, back to Divine Mercy Sunday, the feast day,
I figure I’ll sing one song for y’all.

I sang a song way back at the beginning of Lent.

I didn’t get rejected from
the Mercy Home subscription here.

So it’s one of my favorite hymns.

It’s like an old kind of spiritual.
It’s called “Blessed Assurance.”

I don’t know.
I think this is going to be a hymn
that’s sung on my funeral day.

Hopefully I don’t die anytime soon, but it just goes.

As I sing the lyrics, hopefully, again,
it’s not torturing you too badly.

It’s just the fact that God cares for us this much,
that he died for us.

He’s not going to let us go.

And that when we can be found in God, we have our salvation,
and that’s really the joy of our life,
being in union with God.

Maybe you’re familiar with this hymn, but it goes like this:

∫ Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. ∫
∫ Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine. ∫
∫ Heir of salvation, purchase of God, ∫
∫ born of his Spirit, washed in his Blood. ∫
∫ This is my story. This is my song. ∫
∫ Praise him, my Savior, all the day long. ∫
∫ This is my story. This is my song. ∫
∫ Praise him, my Savior, all the day long. ∫

I’ll sing a couple other verses if you haven’t tuned out yet.

∫ Perfect submission, perfect delight, ∫
∫ visions of rapture now burst on my sight. ∫
∫ Angels descending bring from above ∫
∫ echoes of mercy, whispers of love. ∫

∫ Perfect submission, all is at rest. ∫
∫ I in my Savior am happy and blessed, ∫
∫ watching and waiting, looking above, ∫
∫ filled with his goodness, lost in his love. ∫

∫ This is my story. This is my song. ∫
∫ Praise him, my Savior, all the day long. ∫
∫ This is my story. This is my song. ∫
∫ Praise him, my Savior, all the day long. ∫

Amen.

Together now we’ll profess our faith.

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty,
maker of Heaven and Earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father.

Through him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation,
he came down from Heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit
was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into Heaven

And is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the Prophets.

I believe in one, holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins,
and I look forward to the Resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

We pray for all the needs now
of our Church and of our world.

Our response to each prayer will be,
“Lord, hear our prayer.”

For our Church leaders,
as they preach to the world that Jesus Christ
conquered sin and death by his Resurrection,
we pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer.

For those who mourn the death of a loved one,
may they find comfort in the joy of Christ’s Resurrection.
We pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer.

For the children of Mercy Home for Boys and Girls,
may this Easter season fill their lives with hope.
We pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer.

For those who seek Jesus’ Divine Mercy,
may we always trust in Jesus,
be drawn into his compassionate heart,
and celebrate his mercy by extending it to others.
We pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Loving and merciful Father, pour your grace out unto us
and answer now these prayers through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

∫ [Music playing] ∫
∫ [Music continues] ∫

Pray, brothers and sisters,
that my sacrifice and yours
may be acceptable to God, the Almighty Father.

May the Lord accept this sacrifice in your hands,
for the praise and glory of his name,
for our good and the good of all his holy Church.

Accept, O Lord, we pray, the oblations of your people,
that renewed by confession of your name and by Baptism,
they maintain unending happiness through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

The Lord be with you.

And with your spirit.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right and just.

It is truly right and just,
our duty and our salvation,
and at all times to acclaim you, O Lord.

But in this time above all to laud you yet more gloriously,
when Christ our Passover has been sacrificed.

Through him the children of light rise to eternal life,
and the halls of the Heavenly Kingdom
are thrown open to the faithful.

For his death is our ransom from death,
and in his rising the life of all has risen.

Therefore, overcome with Paschal joy,
every land, every people exalts in your praise,

And even the Heavenly Powers with the Angelic Hosts
sing together the unending hymn of your glory as they acclaim.

∫ [Music playing] ∫

∫ Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts, ∫
∫ Heaven and Earth are full of your glory. ∫
∫ Hosanna in the highest. ∫
∫ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. ∫
∫ Hosanna in the highest. ∫

You are indeed holy, O Lord, the fount of all holiness.

Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray,
by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall,
so that they may become for us
the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

At the time he was betrayed
and entered willingly into his Passion,
he took bread and, giving thanks, broke it,
and gave it to his Disciples, saying:

“Take this, all of you, and eat of it,
for this is my Body,
which will be given up for you.”

In a similar way, when supper was ended,

He took the chalice and once more giving thanks,
he gave it to his Disciples, saying:

“Take this, all of you, and drink from it,
for this is the chalice of my Blood,
the Blood of the new and eternal Covenant,
which will be poured out for you and for many
for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this in memory of me.”

The mystery of faith.

∫ [Music playing] ∫

∫ When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, ∫
∫ we proclaim your death, O Lord, ∫
∫ until you come again. ∫

Therefore, as we celebrate the memorial
of his death and Resurrection,
we offer you, Lord,
the Bread of Life and the Chalice of Salvation,
giving thanks to you who have held us worthy
to be in your presence and minister to you.

Humbly we pray that, partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ,
we may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit.

Remember, Lord, your Church spread throughout the world,
and bring her into the fullness of charity,
together with Leo, our Pope, and Blasé, our Bishop,
and all the clergy.

Remember also our brothers and sisters
who have fallen asleep in the hope of the Resurrection,
and all who have died in your mercy.
Welcome them into the light of your face.

Have mercy on us all, we pray,
that with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God,
Blessed Joseph, her spouse,
with the Blessed Apostles,
and all the Saints who have pleased you throughout the ages,
we may merit to be co-heirs to eternal life,
and may praise and glorify you through your Son, Jesus Christ.

Through him, and with him, and in him,
O God, Almighty Father,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honor is yours forever and ever.

∫ [Music playing] ∫

∫ Amen, Amen, Amen. ∫

Let us all join our voices now
and pray for the coming of God’s Kingdom.

Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done
on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil,
graciously grant peace in our days,
that by the help of your mercy
we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress,
as we await the blessed hope
and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
now and forever.

Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles,
“Peace I leave you, my peace I give you,”
look not on our sins but on the faith of your Church,
and graciously grant her peace and unity
in accordance with your will,
who live and reign forever and ever.

Amen.

The peace of the Lord be with you always.

And with your spirit.

Let us all offer each other the sign of peace.

Peace be with you, brothers and sisters.
Happy Easter.

Hope you had a wonderful Easter.

And please know of our gratitude for you and our prayers for you.

Thank you for your support of Mercy Home
and the great work we do for so many children.

So many people here.
On behalf of Father Scott Donahue and Cardinal Cupich,
God bless you and have a wonderful Easter season.

∫ [Music playing] ∫

∫ Lamb of God, ∫
∫ you take away the sins of the world. ∫
∫ have mercy on us. ∫
∫ Lamb of God, ∫
∫ you take away the sins of the world. ∫
∫ have mercy on us. ∫
∫ Lamb of God, ∫
∫ you take away the sins of the world. ∫
∫ grant us peace. ∫

Behold the Lamb of God.
Behold him who takes away the sins of the world.
Blessed are those called to the Supper of the Lamb.

Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof,
but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

∫ [Music playing] ∫

For those of you at home,
please turn to page six in your TV Mass Guide
and join in singing our Communion Song,
“The Love of the Lord.”

∫ All that I counted as gain, ∫
∫ now I consider as loss, ∫
∫ empty and worthless to me, ∫
∫ in the light of the love of the Lord. ∫

∫ What more could bring us hope, ∫
∫ than to know the power of his life? ∫
∫ What more could bring us peace, ∫
∫ than to share in his suffering and death? ∫
∫ What more could be our final wish, ∫
∫ than to live in the love of the Lord? ∫

Let us pray.

Grant, we pray, Almighty God, that our reception

Of this Paschal Sacrament
may have a continuing effect in our minds and hearts
through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

The Lord be with you.

And with your spirit.

May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son,
and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Go in peace.

Thanks be to God.

∫ [Music playing] ∫

∫ Love divine, all love’s excelling, ∫
∫ joy of Heaven to Earth come down. ∫
∫ fix in us your humble dwelling, ∫
∫ all your faithful mercies crown. ∫

My friends, I just want to thank you for the ways
in which you support the Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.

Let us continue to pray for one another.

Please consider making an offering so that we can keep
the Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls on the air.

May God bless you, your family members, and your friends.

The music for the broadcast of Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls
is generously provided by GIA Publications Incorporated
and its World Library Publications Division.

∫ [Music playing] ∫

∫ [Music playing] ∫
The following presentation is made possible
by the generosity of the viewers
of Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls in Chicago.

Good morning and welcome
to Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.

Today, we celebrate the Second Sunday of Easter,
Divine Mercy Sunday.

My name is Dan Riley.
I am joined by Tom McNamara and Maudette Carr,
and our celebrant is Father James Wallace.

∫ How firm a foundation you saints of the Lord, ∫
∫ is laid for your faith in Christ Jesus, the Word! ∫
∫ what more can God say than to you has been said, ∫
∫ to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled? ∫

In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

The Lord be with you.

And with your spirit.

Good morning, everyone.
Happy Easter, again.

Welcome on this Second Sunday of Easter,
also Divine Mercy Sunday.

We give thanks to God for our faith,
for coming together here to worship Him,
for the Resurrection.

So let us prepare ourselves for this Mass
by calling to mind our sins.

You were sent to heal the contrite of heart.
Lord, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

You came to call sinners.
Christ, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.

You are seated at the right hand of the Father
to intercede for us.
Lord, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

May Almighty God have mercy on us,
forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.

Amen.

∫ [Music playing] ∫
∫ Glory to God in the highest, ∫
∫ and on earth peace to people of good will. ∫

∫ Glory to God in the highest, ∫
∫ and on earth peace to people of good will. ∫

Let us pray.

God of everlasting mercy,
who in the very recurrence of the Paschal Feast,
kindled the faith of the people you have made your own.
Increase, we pray, the grace you have bestowed
that all may grasp and rightly understand
in what font they have been washed,
by whose Spirit they have been reborn,
by whose Blood they have been redeemed.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God forever and ever.

Amen.

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles.

They devoted themselves to the teaching of the Apostles
and to the communal life,
to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers.

Awe came upon everyone,
and many wonders and signs were done through the Apostles.

All who believed were together and had all things in common.
They would sell their property and possessions,

And divide them among all according to each one’s need.
Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together
in the Temple area and to breaking bread in their homes.
They ate their meals with exultation
and sincerity of heart,
praising God and enjoying favor with all the people.
And every day the Lord added to their number
those who were being saved.

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

∫ [Music playing] ∫
∫ Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, ∫
∫ his love is everlasting. ∫
∫ Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, ∫
∫ his love is everlasting. ∫
∫ Let the house of Israel say, ∫
∫ “His mercy endures forever.” ∫
∫ Let the house of Aaron say, ∫
∫ “His mercy endures forever.” ∫
∫ Let those who fear the Lord say, ∫
∫ “His mercy endures forever.” ∫
∫ Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, ∫
∫ his love is everlasting. ∫

A reading from the First Letter of St. Peter.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope
through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
to an inheritance that is imperishable,
undefiled, and unfading, kept in Heaven for you,
who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith,
to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time.

In this you rejoice, although now for a little while
you may have to suffer through various trials,
so that the genuineness of your faith,
more precious than gold that is perishable,
even though tested by fire,
may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor

At the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Although you have not seen him, you love him.
Even though you do not see him now yet believe in him,
you rejoice with indescribable and glorious joy
as you attain the goal of your faith,
the salvation of your souls.

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

∫ [Music playing] ∫
∫ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia ∫
∫ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia ∫
∫ You believe in me, Thomas, because you have seen me ∫
∫ says the Lord, ∫
∫ blessed are they who have not seen me but still believe. ∫
∫ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia ∫
∫ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia ∫

The Lord be with you.

And with your spirit.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John.

Glory to you, O Lord.

On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked
where the Disciples were for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them,
“Peace be with you.”

When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The Disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

When he had said this,
he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”

Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.

So the other Disciples said to him,
“We have seen the Lord.”

But he said to them,
“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nail marks,
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

Now a week later, his Disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.

Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here
and see my hands, and bring your hand
and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”

Thomas answered and said to him,
“My Lord and my God.”

Jesus said to him,
“Have you come to believe because you have seen me?

“Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his Disciples
that are not written in this book,
but these are written that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that through this belief
you may have life in his name.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Again, happy Easter, everyone.
Hope you had a wonderful Easter week.

We’re in the Octave of Easter, the eighth day.
Also, Divine Mercy Sunday,
which was instituted a few decades ago
by St. John Paul II.

Some of you are familiar with this Divine Mercy image.
I believe we have an image here at Mercy Home.

Christ pointing to his heart and two rays or two beams,
white and red, kind of coming out of them,
showing about his love and his mercy.

I don’t know if there’s a feast day.
Most Parishes have a feast day when they were founded.

I don’t know if there’s a feast day for Mercy Home.
Father Donahue, you can correct me on this,
but if there isn’t, then maybe today could be the feast day
because this is Divine Mercy Sunday.

Our wonderful home here is obviously based on mercy.
We pour out mercy.

You all pour out mercy to us
because Christ has given us mercy as well.

It’s an image, and especially with St. Thomas,
another icon today,
that just shows how much God cares about us.

I think we know this intellectually,
but sometimes we need to pray with this reality,
really let it sink into our souls.

That God cares for us.
He notices us.

Even when things are difficult,
things don’t go the way we want them to in life,
that God hasn’t abandoned us,
but he’s actually put us on a blessed path.

In fact, the path of suffering and the Cross
is God’s way of really favoring us.

It might seem kind of contradictory or even wrong,
but God pours out his grace and his mercy
to those who are suffering,
just like a parent would care for their child who’s sick
in an even special, more radical way.

So we see this with Thomas.

You might think that Thomas made some mistake
or that he blew this and kind of earned this kind of mishap.

He’s not there with the other Apostles
on Easter Sunday evening.

They’re all gathered in the upper room
where they had been a couple nights earlier
to celebrate the Last Supper
because they’re all terrified.

The doors are locked.

Jesus appears to them after the Resurrection.

They’ve seen Mary Magdalene and the others
who’ve told them that Jesus is alive, but they doubt.

And Jesus, in fact, kind of scolds them for this.

But why isn’t Thomas in that upper room?

In my own imaginative prayer,
I have several reasons for this
and kind of it’s the flavor of the day
why Thomas is in the upper room for me.

But let’s just say he was upset about something.

You know, maybe like the Disciples on the road to Emmaus
who were walking away sort of sad.

Thomas was frustrated by this.
He’s hurting.

Remember earlier when Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead,
which we had on the Fifth Sunday of Lent,
Thomas gives that great line.

He says, “Let’s go to die with him.”

So Thomas isn’t afraid of dying.
He isn’t afraid of the Cross.

He wants to go back to Jerusalem with Jesus to die with him.

Maybe he was hurt that Jesus didn’t let him die with him,
that Jesus went through this by himself.

Who knows?

But either way, Thomas is out in the city.
He misses out on that Easter Sunday evening.

They tell him about it
when he finally returns to the upper room.

He doesn’t believe, as we all know.

And so for that week, that Easter week, he’s lost.

The other Disciples have seen the Lord, but not Thomas.

And you wonder the conflict he was going through.

He was almost living in hell in that moment,
having not experienced the Resurrection.

As lost as he might be, Jesus never lost Thomas.

Thomas was always the apple of Jesus’ eye.

Jesus was noticing him,
caring for him, providing for him,
and giving him what he needed that week,
and then finally showing up the Second Sunday of Easter
and giving him his hands and his side.

Thomas was then brought into an incredible intimacy with God.

So even if you feel lost in your own faith,
or you’re struggling in your spiritual life,
struggling with God, it’s okay.

You might have even kind of done away with God,
but God hasn’t done away with you.

He’s going to find you.
He loves you that much.

Okay?

So I know, again, back to Divine Mercy Sunday, the feast day,
I figure I’ll sing one song for y’all.

I sang a song way back at the beginning of Lent.

I didn’t get rejected from
the Mercy Home subscription here.

So it’s one of my favorite hymns.

It’s like an old kind of spiritual.
It’s called “Blessed Assurance.”

I don’t know.
I think this is going to be a hymn
that’s sung on my funeral day.

Hopefully I don’t die anytime soon, but it just goes.

As I sing the lyrics, hopefully, again,
it’s not torturing you too badly.

It’s just the fact that God cares for us this much,
that he died for us.

He’s not going to let us go.

And that when we can be found in God, we have our salvation,
and that’s really the joy of our life,
being in union with God.

Maybe you’re familiar with this hymn, but it goes like this:

∫ Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. ∫
∫ Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine. ∫
∫ Heir of salvation, purchase of God, ∫
∫ born of his Spirit, washed in his Blood. ∫
∫ This is my story. This is my song. ∫
∫ Praise him, my Savior, all the day long. ∫
∫ This is my story. This is my song. ∫
∫ Praise him, my Savior, all the day long. ∫

I’ll sing a couple other verses if you haven’t tuned out yet.

∫ Perfect submission, perfect delight, ∫
∫ visions of rapture now burst on my sight. ∫
∫ Angels descending bring from above ∫
∫ echoes of mercy, whispers of love. ∫

∫ Perfect submission, all is at rest. ∫
∫ I in my Savior am happy and blessed, ∫
∫ watching and waiting, looking above, ∫
∫ filled with his goodness, lost in his love. ∫

∫ This is my story. This is my song. ∫
∫ Praise him, my Savior, all the day long. ∫
∫ This is my story. This is my song. ∫
∫ Praise him, my Savior, all the day long. ∫

Amen.

Together now we’ll profess our faith.

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty,
maker of Heaven and Earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father.

Through him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation,
he came down from Heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit
was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into Heaven

And is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the Prophets.

I believe in one, holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins,
and I look forward to the Resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

We pray for all the needs now
of our Church and of our world.

Our response to each prayer will be,
“Lord, hear our prayer.”

For our Church leaders,
as they preach to the world that Jesus Christ
conquered sin and death by his Resurrection,
we pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer.

For those who mourn the death of a loved one,
may they find comfort in the joy of Christ’s Resurrection.
We pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer.

For the children of Mercy Home for Boys and Girls,
may this Easter season fill their lives with hope.
We pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer.

For those who seek Jesus’ Divine Mercy,
may we always trust in Jesus,
be drawn into his compassionate heart,
and celebrate his mercy by extending it to others.
We pray to the Lord.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Loving and merciful Father, pour your grace out unto us
and answer now these prayers through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

∫ [Music playing] ∫
∫ [Music continues] ∫

Pray, brothers and sisters,
that my sacrifice and yours
may be acceptable to God, the Almighty Father.

May the Lord accept this sacrifice in your hands,
for the praise and glory of his name,
for our good and the good of all his holy Church.

Accept, O Lord, we pray, the oblations of your people,
that renewed by confession of your name and by Baptism,
they maintain unending happiness through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

The Lord be with you.

And with your spirit.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right and just.

It is truly right and just,
our duty and our salvation,
and at all times to acclaim you, O Lord.

But in this time above all to laud you yet more gloriously,
when Christ our Passover has been sacrificed.

Through him the children of light rise to eternal life,
and the halls of the Heavenly Kingdom
are thrown open to the faithful.

For his death is our ransom from death,
and in his rising the life of all has risen.

Therefore, overcome with Paschal joy,
every land, every people exalts in your praise,

And even the Heavenly Powers with the Angelic Hosts
sing together the unending hymn of your glory as they acclaim.

∫ [Music playing] ∫

∫ Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts, ∫
∫ Heaven and Earth are full of your glory. ∫
∫ Hosanna in the highest. ∫
∫ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. ∫
∫ Hosanna in the highest. ∫

You are indeed holy, O Lord, the fount of all holiness.

Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray,
by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall,
so that they may become for us
the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

At the time he was betrayed
and entered willingly into his Passion,
he took bread and, giving thanks, broke it,
and gave it to his Disciples, saying:

“Take this, all of you, and eat of it,
for this is my Body,
which will be given up for you.”

In a similar way, when supper was ended,

He took the chalice and once more giving thanks,
he gave it to his Disciples, saying:

“Take this, all of you, and drink from it,
for this is the chalice of my Blood,
the Blood of the new and eternal Covenant,
which will be poured out for you and for many
for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this in memory of me.”

The mystery of faith.

∫ [Music playing] ∫

∫ When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, ∫
∫ we proclaim your death, O Lord, ∫
∫ until you come again. ∫

Therefore, as we celebrate the memorial
of his death and Resurrection,
we offer you, Lord,
the Bread of Life and the Chalice of Salvation,
giving thanks to you who have held us worthy
to be in your presence and minister to you.

Humbly we pray that, partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ,
we may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit.

Remember, Lord, your Church spread throughout the world,
and bring her into the fullness of charity,
together with Leo, our Pope, and Blasé, our Bishop,
and all the clergy.

Remember also our brothers and sisters
who have fallen asleep in the hope of the Resurrection,
and all who have died in your mercy.
Welcome them into the light of your face.

Have mercy on us all, we pray,
that with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God,
Blessed Joseph, her spouse,
with the Blessed Apostles,
and all the Saints who have pleased you throughout the ages,
we may merit to be co-heirs to eternal life,
and may praise and glorify you through your Son, Jesus Christ.

Through him, and with him, and in him,
O God, Almighty Father,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honor is yours forever and ever.

∫ [Music playing] ∫

∫ Amen, Amen, Amen. ∫

Let us all join our voices now
and pray for the coming of God’s Kingdom.

Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done
on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil,
graciously grant peace in our days,
that by the help of your mercy
we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress,
as we await the blessed hope
and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
now and forever.

Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles,
“Peace I leave you, my peace I give you,”
look not on our sins but on the faith of your Church,
and graciously grant her peace and unity
in accordance with your will,
who live and reign forever and ever.

Amen.

The peace of the Lord be with you always.

And with your spirit.

Let us all offer each other the sign of peace.

Peace be with you, brothers and sisters.
Happy Easter.

Hope you had a wonderful Easter.

And please know of our gratitude for you and our prayers for you.

Thank you for your support of Mercy Home
and the great work we do for so many children.

So many people here.
On behalf of Father Scott Donahue and Cardinal Cupich,
God bless you and have a wonderful Easter season.

∫ [Music playing] ∫

∫ Lamb of God, ∫
∫ you take away the sins of the world. ∫
∫ have mercy on us. ∫
∫ Lamb of God, ∫
∫ you take away the sins of the world. ∫
∫ have mercy on us. ∫
∫ Lamb of God, ∫
∫ you take away the sins of the world. ∫
∫ grant us peace. ∫

Behold the Lamb of God.
Behold him who takes away the sins of the world.
Blessed are those called to the Supper of the Lamb.

Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof,
but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

∫ [Music playing] ∫

For those of you at home,
please turn to page six in your TV Mass Guide
and join in singing our Communion Song,
“The Love of the Lord.”

∫ All that I counted as gain, ∫
∫ now I consider as loss, ∫
∫ empty and worthless to me, ∫
∫ in the light of the love of the Lord. ∫

∫ What more could bring us hope, ∫
∫ than to know the power of his life? ∫
∫ What more could bring us peace, ∫
∫ than to share in his suffering and death? ∫
∫ What more could be our final wish, ∫
∫ than to live in the love of the Lord? ∫

Let us pray.

Grant, we pray, Almighty God, that our reception

Of this Paschal Sacrament
may have a continuing effect in our minds and hearts
through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

The Lord be with you.

And with your spirit.

May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son,
and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Go in peace.

Thanks be to God.

∫ [Music playing] ∫

∫ Love divine, all love’s excelling, ∫
∫ joy of Heaven to Earth come down. ∫
∫ fix in us your humble dwelling, ∫
∫ all your faithful mercies crown. ∫

My friends, I just want to thank you for the ways
in which you support the Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.

Let us continue to pray for one another.

Please consider making an offering so that we can keep
the Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls on the air.

May God bless you, your family members, and your friends.

The music for the broadcast of Sunday Mass at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls
is generously provided by GIA Publications Incorporated
and its World Library Publications Division.

∫ [Music playing] ∫

Again, happy Easter, everyone.
Hope you had a wonderful Easter week.

We’re in the Octave of Easter, the eighth day.
Also, Divine Mercy Sunday,
which was instituted a few decades ago
by St. John Paul II.

Some of you are familiar with this Divine Mercy image.
I believe we have an image here at Mercy Home.

Christ pointing to his heart and two rays or two beams,
white and red, kind of coming out of them,
showing about his love and his mercy.

I don’t know if there’s a feast day.
Most Parishes have a feast day when they were founded.

I don’t know if there’s a feast day for Mercy Home.
Father Donahue, you can correct me on this,
but if there isn’t, then maybe today could be the feast day
because this is Divine Mercy Sunday.

Our wonderful home here is obviously based on mercy.
We pour out mercy.

You all pour out mercy to us
because Christ has given us mercy as well.

It’s an image, and especially with St. Thomas,
another icon today,
that just shows how much God cares about us.

I think we know this intellectually,
but sometimes we need to pray with this reality,
really let it sink into our souls.

That God cares for us.
He notices us.

Even when things are difficult,
things don’t go the way we want them to in life,
that God hasn’t abandoned us,
but he’s actually put us on a blessed path.

In fact, the path of suffering and the Cross
is God’s way of really favoring us.

It might seem kind of contradictory or even wrong,
but God pours out his grace and his mercy
to those who are suffering,
just like a parent would care for their child who’s sick
in an even special, more radical way.

So we see this with Thomas.

You might think that Thomas made some mistake
or that he blew this and kind of earned this kind of mishap.

He’s not there with the other Apostles
on Easter Sunday evening.

They’re all gathered in the upper room
where they had been a couple nights earlier
to celebrate the Last Supper
because they’re all terrified.

The doors are locked.

Jesus appears to them after the Resurrection.

They’ve seen Mary Magdalene and the others
who’ve told them that Jesus is alive, but they doubt.

And Jesus, in fact, kind of scolds them for this.

But why isn’t Thomas in that upper room?

In my own imaginative prayer,
I have several reasons for this
and kind of it’s the flavor of the day
why Thomas is in the upper room for me.

But let’s just say he was upset about something.

You know, maybe like the Disciples on the road to Emmaus
who were walking away sort of sad.

Thomas was frustrated by this.
He’s hurting.

Remember earlier when Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead,
which we had on the Fifth Sunday of Lent,
Thomas gives that great line.

He says, “Let’s go to die with him.”

So Thomas isn’t afraid of dying.
He isn’t afraid of the Cross.

He wants to go back to Jerusalem with Jesus to die with him.

Maybe he was hurt that Jesus didn’t let him die with him,
that Jesus went through this by himself.

Who knows?

But either way, Thomas is out in the city.
He misses out on that Easter Sunday evening.

They tell him about it
when he finally returns to the upper room.

He doesn’t believe, as we all know.

And so for that week, that Easter week, he’s lost.

The other Disciples have seen the Lord, but not Thomas.

And you wonder the conflict he was going through.

He was almost living in hell in that moment,
having not experienced the Resurrection.

As lost as he might be, Jesus never lost Thomas.

Thomas was always the apple of Jesus’ eye.

Jesus was noticing him,
caring for him, providing for him,
and giving him what he needed that week,
and then finally showing up the Second Sunday of Easter
and giving him his hands and his side.

Thomas was then brought into an incredible intimacy with God.

So even if you feel lost in your own faith,
or you’re struggling in your spiritual life,
struggling with God, it’s okay.

You might have even kind of done away with God,
but God hasn’t done away with you.

He’s going to find you.
He loves you that much.

Okay?

So I know, again, back to Divine Mercy Sunday, the feast day,
I figure I’ll sing one song for y’all.

I sang a song way back at the beginning of Lent.

I didn’t get rejected from
the Mercy Home subscription here.

So it’s one of my favorite hymns.

It’s like an old kind of spiritual.
It’s called “Blessed Assurance.”

I don’t know.
I think this is going to be a hymn
that’s sung on my funeral day.

Hopefully I don’t die anytime soon, but it just goes.

As I sing the lyrics, hopefully, again,
it’s not torturing you too badly.

It’s just the fact that God cares for us this much,
that he died for us.

He’s not going to let us go.

And that when we can be found in God, we have our salvation,
and that’s really the joy of our life,
being in union with God.

Maybe you’re familiar with this hymn, but it goes like this:

∫ Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. ∫
∫ Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine. ∫
∫ Heir of salvation, purchase of God, ∫
∫ born of his Spirit, washed in his Blood. ∫
∫ This is my story. This is my song. ∫
∫ Praise him, my Savior, all the day long. ∫
∫ This is my story. This is my song. ∫
∫ Praise him, my Savior, all the day long. ∫

I’ll sing a couple other verses if you haven’t tuned out yet.

∫ Perfect submission, perfect delight, ∫
∫ visions of rapture now burst on my sight. ∫
∫ Angels descending bring from above ∫
∫ echoes of mercy, whispers of love. ∫

∫ Perfect submission, all is at rest. ∫
∫ I in my Savior am happy and blessed, ∫
∫ watching and waiting, looking above, ∫
∫ filled with his goodness, lost in his love. ∫

∫ This is my story. This is my song. ∫
∫ Praise him, my Savior, all the day long. ∫
∫ This is my story. This is my song. ∫
∫ Praise him, my Savior, all the day long. ∫

Amen.