Father Joseph Illo, pastor of Star of the Sea parish in San Francisco, gave a 12-minute homily on Sunday, April 12.

This is sometimes known as Quasimodo Sunday. Nothing to do with the Hunchback of Notre Dame, but it comes from the quasimodo in the first verse of the Mass (“As infants receive milk, so may we thirst and long for the grace of God”).

Even though it’s eight days out from the resurrection, may we persevere in the search for God’s grace.

Today’s Gospel takes us back to Easter night. Christ comes into the upper rom nd says three times, “Peace be with you” and shows his wounds. “My peace is greater than your sin.”

Peter this week in the readings has said, we have destroyed God, we have crucified Him.

John Paul II died on the vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday. John Paul was a man who knew about wounds. He was assassinated in 1981 and suffered from those wounds the rest of his life.

Jesus, too, suffered from His wounds. Here below, love always hurts. Peace comes through costly grace.

Jerusalem has never had peace. The current war is about Jerusalem. We must get serious about begging for God’s mercy.

Jesus told Sister Faustina to join the Sisters of Mercy. Between the two world wars, Jesus appeared to her with open wounds. White and red beams. Water and blood. We were washed clean with water in baptism. But we must drink the blood at Mass every Sunday.

Christ promises that through His wounds we will have peace.
You and I are called to be apostles of mercy abnd peace,