Team Herald
MARGAO: Archbishop of Goa and Daman Rev Filipe Neri Ferrao exhorted the faithful to “become worthy instruments of God’s forgiveness and mercy.” The archbishop was delivering a homily on the theme “As the Father Sent Me, I send You,” during the Eucharistic celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday at the Carmelite Monastery, Margao organised by the Divine Mercy Movement.
Fr Joe Rodrigues, Parish Priest of Our Lady of Grace, Margao, Fr Silvestre D’Souza, Superior of the Carmelite Monastery, Margao, Fr Alvito Fernandes, of Divine Springs Retreat Centre Xellim, Fr Peter Fernandes OCD, Fr Anthony D’Souza OCD, and Fr Jeevan Tauro OCD, concelebrated the Eucharistic Mass.
“Jesus is the face of God’s mercy. Through his resurrection he has shown mercy towards us, so the Church celebrates, the Second Sunday of Easter as the Divine Mercy Sunday and appeals each one of us to show forgiveness and mercy towards the other,” the Archbishop added.
“Jesus is merciful towards us in every moment and time. As his father has sent him he has sent each one of us to be messenger/apostles of God’s mercy,” he said further. Explaining the reasons to forgive the others, he said that “we are the followers of Christ and being the followers of Christ, we have responsibility to follow the path of Jesus. All of us have weaknesses. As God has forgiven our iniquities/wrong deeds, we need to forgive the others.”
The third reason he cited is that the command of Jesus to forgive.
Every year, Divine Mercy Sunday celebrations attract large number of faithful, but this year due to pandemic and restricted numbers, only representatives of Divine Mercy Groups of the parishes/chapels took part.
The Archbishop appreciated the priests, religious and specially Carmelites for promoting the Divine Mercy Devotion in the Archdiocese. He appealed the faithful to have a behaviour fitting to their call to witness God’s Mercy. “We need to be more loving and understanding to each other as a fruit of the promotion of the Divine Mercy devotion,” the Archbishop added.
