Divine Mercy !

Jesus Christ is the light of the world. He said “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12). In his Resurrection his light shone so much that the guards fell back...
In its Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium) the Second Vatican Council affirms the above dogma...For historical evidence on the Divinity and Resurrection of Christ, you may wish to read this post.
According to Fr. Georges Farah "the tomb/rock where the corpse of Christ was laid symbolizes the prison of Man where there is no window but only the darkness that blinds humanity and the blind loses sight of any direction". In his Resurrection, Christ liberates us from this prison of the self and opens the possibility for moving towards humanity's purpose and goal: God!

On April 19, 2020, the Divine Mercy Sunday Mass was presided over by the Holy Father Pope Francis in the Church of the Holy Spirit in Rome - In the Mass, he sent his greetings to Christians that celebrate Easter on April 19. Follow the Divine Mercy Sunday Mass here.

Read Pope Francis homily, one of the most beautiful ever said that connects the Biblical readings with the mystical spirituality of St. Faustina and St. John Paul II, yet makes the case for helping the poor in the current coronavirus pandemic (here)...

On Facebook, I wrote greetings to my brother with his family, and my friends who celebrated Easter yesterday in Egypt - Emotionally connected with St. Cyril's Greek Catholic parish in Heliopolis, Egypt, I also watched the Byzantine Divine Liturgy of Easter by Fr. Rafic Greiche sung along with the parish's astounding choir here.

From Cairo too, the Jesuit scholar Fr. Henri Boulad gave this Easter homily (here in French titled "quoiqu’il arrive, la Vie aura le dernier mot ..."). Fr. Boulad said "Let's rejoice today - Christ has risen. Life triumphed..." - The world lives a crisis since the coronavirus; a sign from heaven; is an  invitation for us today to believe and hope...In the Bible, the message of the Flood says that the world was corrupt. However, after allowing the Flood to swallow creation on earth, God made a covenant with Noah and, through him, with all creation that He will "set a bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth." (Genesis 9:13). The Biblical covenants are completed through Christ "The New Covenant" - The coronavirus spread all over the earth is a warning for us to renew our lives in light of the Resurrection of Christ. In a world full of technologies that forgot Him, let us mend our ways and actions. He is our hope...

Since Fr.  Boulad touched upon technologies, the reader may wish to read this recent report from Cambridge University that shows how artificial intelligence techniques help fight against the coronavirus (here).

On "Coping and Thriving in the Covid-19 Crisis" you may wish to read this excellent article by Maggie Ciskanik; M.S. senior writer associated with Jesuit Fr. Robert Spitzer. Fr. Spitzer is the former President of Gonzaga University.

Today I also received a most important report on research re COVID-19 crisis from the Hoover Institution of Stanford University. It states "A month ago, we interviewed Dr. Jay Bhattacharya just as the COVID-19 crisis was shuttering the economy and governments were ordering citizens to shelter at home. In that interview, Dr. Bhattacharya mentioned that he himself would soon be conducting tests for COVID-19 in Santa Clara County, California, one of the most active hotspots in the country. Today Dr. Bhattacharya returns to discuss the results of that study and one currently under way in partnership with Major League Baseball. We also discuss some signs of hope, and specifics about how the economy can be restarted safely and efficiently. Dr. Bhattacharya also gives some (unsolicited) advice to Dr. Anthony Fauci, California governor Gavin Newsom, and president Donald Trump." See the interview here. 
For friends interested in cosmology, I also received a report that scientists detected a rare crash of two mismatched black holes for the first time ever. The report's writer wrote "Scientists affiliated with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) announced the discovery April 18 at an online meeting of the American Physical Society." Read it here.

Back to Easter celebrations: 

On Facebook - From Jerusalem, I received a video of the celebrations of the joy of Easter that the Orthodox Church is celebrating - It was sent by Greek Catholic Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Jules Zerey; former Patriarchal General Vicar there - See it here. I have been informed that due to the coronavirus pandemic, students are suffering at the Patriarchal School near Jerusalem. If anyone wishes to contribute a donation, please contact Jerusalem Students here.

For a few minutes, I spoke with my spiritual director Fr. Daniel Callam; CSB on  matters related to spiritual confession and spiritual communion...

Msgr. Nusca, pastor of Holy Rosary parish in Toronto was the celebrant of Divine Mercy TV Mass to which thousands listen across Canada and abroad. In his homily, he combined his Biblical scholarship in ancient Hebrew with the mystical theology of St. Faustina and St. John Paul II. Citing St. Peter's words in the Biblical readings and St. Augustine, Msgr. Nusca shows that Christ is the fullness of God's covenants of mercy...

Many biblical words such as mercy, compassion, love, grace, and faithfulness relate to the Hebrew word hesed (חֶסֶד), but none of these completely summarize the concept. Hesed is not merely an emotion or feeling but involves action on behalf of someone who is in need. Hesed describes a sense of love and loyalty that inspires merciful and compassionate behavior toward another person.

Listen to the Mass here.

With the coronavirus scare, Bishop Robert Barron celebrated the Divine Mercy Sunday Mass with his assistants in his chapel. In his homily, Bishop Barron too reflects on the Biblical readings and starts with the Hebrew word "Hesed"...Despite being in fear behind locked doors, the disciples are visited by the Risen Christ who, eight days after his Resurrection, came and stood in their midst and said to them "Peace be with you." For Bishop Barron the Risen One is always in our midst...It is the story of persecuted Christians throughout the ages...His disciples denied him, betrayed him or at least contributed to his humiliation on the cross. Yet the Risen Christ did not show them himself with vengeance but with his wounds. We too sinners wound him. Yet he offers himself to us (in the Eucharist !)- His Divine Mercy...

With St. Faustina, let us say "Neither graces, nor revelations, nor raptures, nor gifts granted to a soul make it perfect, but rather the intimate union of the soul with God. These gifts are merely ornaments of the soul, but constitute neither its essence nor its perfection. My sanctity and perfection consist in the close union of my will with the will of God."