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Chi Rho Letters - Divine Mercy Sunday

Apr 11, 2026 4:31 pm

April 11, 2026 - Volume II, Issue 7

"Jesus does not want us to keep thinking about our failings; rather, he wants us to look to him. For when we fall, he sees children needing to be put back on their feet; in our failings he sees children in need of his merciful love.”

-Pope Francis

Editor’s Note

Happy Divine Mercy Sunday! Today we hear of Christ offering His peace to the apostles in the upper room, and these are the Chi Rho Letters.

This week, my wife Marie was kind enough to offer a reflection on Divine Mercy:

God meets trust with mercy.

The image I have here is of my daughter. She’s on a jungle gym and wants to get down. She reaches her tiny hands towards me, and I reach mine out to her and she just falls into my arms...

Reflection on Substack

Now, onto the Headlines -

The Trump Administration faced significant scrutiny and pushback relating to rhetoric he was sharing on social media about the ongoing war in Iran. President Trump posted “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.” Within hours, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops responded that such a threat “cannot be morally justified.” Pope Leo XIV called the threat “truly unacceptable” both as a matter of international law and in moral terms. The Catholic just war doctrine unconditionally rejects the targeting of civilians in wartime, which Mr. Trump's post seems to breach. Even with a retrospective lens showing the moral good of a ceasefire, when reviewing the ethics of a situation, the ends do not justify the means.

In the world of Church Governance, let us keep our Chaldean Catholic brothers and sisters in our prayers as their bishops meet in an electoral synod to elect a new patriarch after the resignation of Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako. As a reminder, our Catholic family is made up of 24 distinct Churches, the largest of which is the Roman Catholic Church. Chaldean Catholics are among the other 23 that are in union with Rome. Pope Leo also created a new diocese in the Philippines and selected his first class of cardinals.

Not wholly part of Church Governance, but previewed on my TikTok earlier this week, is a story about stolen Eucharist in Mexico on Holy Saturday. In the early hours of the morning on Holy Saturday, several individuals in hoods charged into a Eucharistic adoration chapel in the Mexican Diocese of Tlaxcala, assaulting and robbing the faithful in attendance and stealing the ciborium containing the consecrated hosts. Truly sad to hear, but a call to us to pray for those effected and for those that carried out the attack, that the true presence of Christ works on their heart and helps them to repent and come to Christ (in the right way next time).

Finally, in our feel good stories, we see reports of a growing Church around the world. My own Archdiocese reported 1,162 new Catholics were brought into the Church at the past Easter Vigil, France is reporting more than 20,000, and a truly inspirational report on Easter attendance by young people in the Financial District of NYC. Catholic is the new cool, and it helps having pop culture stars like Stephen Colbert and Mark Walberg leaning into their Catholic faith.

Sunday Readings

Second Sunday of Easter (or Sunday of Divine Mercy) - Link

Reading 1: Acts 2:42-47

Psalm: Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24

Reading 2: 1 Peter 1:3-9

Gospel: John 20:19-31

Collect:

God of everlasting mercy,

who in the very recurrence of the paschal feast

kindle 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, for ever and ever.

Headlines

Contemplative Corner

Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy

A priest under the pen name "John Paul Thomas" wrote a book and produced a website that offers 365 daily teachings, reflections and prayers based on the work "Divine Mercy in My Soul: Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska". The structured way to use this daily reflection series is to do just that…reflect upon one entry each day. However, some may feel called to skip around a bit, read a few reflections at a time, or return to a particular reflection through which God spoke to you. Therefore, though this series is shared with the intent of providing one reflection for each day of the year, the best way to use it is any way you feel called and the way that benefits your relationship with God the most. Take a look at the reflection linked below for today's reflection!

Read: Today's (day 101) Divine Mercy Reflection

Apostolate Spotlight

Catholic Relief Services - Focus on Middle East Conflict - Link

As conflict and displacement continue to affect communities across the region, Catholic Relief Services is working with trusted local partners to provide lifesaving assistance and support families forced from their homes. With your gift, families across the Middle East will continue to receive vital relief and care as they seek refuge and relief. Please give now to support families across the Middle East.

The Liturgical Week Ahead

Coloring indicates Liturgical Color, links provided to USCCB site.

April 13, 2026 | Monday | Monday of the Second Week of Easter (Optional Memorial: Saint Martin I, Pope and Martyr)

Acts 4:23-31 | John 3:1-8

April 14, 2026 | Tuesday | Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter

Acts 4:32-37 | John 3:7b-15

April 15, 2026 | Wednesday | Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter

Acts 5:17-26 | John 3:16-21

April 16, 2026 | Thursday | Thursday of the Second Week of Easter

Acts 5:27-33 | John 3:31-36

April 17, 2026 | Friday | Friday of the Second Week of Easter

Acts 5:34-42 | John 6:1-15

April 18, 2026 | Saturday | Saturday of the Second Week of Easter

Acts 6:1-7 | John 6:16-21

Community Prayer Intentions

For Strength and Comfort

Families of Servicemembers
Those affected by the Iranian and Ukrainian wars
Families experiencing losses
Myers Family
Demers Family
Pope Leo XIV

Eternal Rest

Noel Demers
Bernice Myers
Emma Niese
Jack Flewelling
Those killed in the wars in Iran and Ukraine
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Francis

Saints in Progress, pray for us!

Thank you!

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Please know of my prayers for you, and please continue to pray for me and my family. I’ll see you next time, but in the meantime, God Bless!

–☧ Rob

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