Reflection for 26 April 2026: Fourth Sunday of Easter (Year A)
“When he was insulted, he returned no insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten; instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23).
Dear Marian Helpers and Members of our Marian Family,
It often seems that, despite the centuries separating us from the events of The Acts of the Apostles, not much has really changed. A corrupt generation then, a corrupt generation now: Human nature and the human experience remain the same.
What has changed, however, is how we are called to respond. Through our Baptism and life of faith, we are given a new way. We can complain, dwell in negativity, or long for the “good old days” or we can place our trust in God and walk faithfully the path He has set before us.
Christ came so that we might have life and have it abundantly! This is our joy … a joy that endures even in suffering.
Suffering is part of life. We can resist it, avoid it or blame others for it … or we can accept it, as Christ did, and discover within it a deeper life. The Good News of Jesus Christ doesn’t remove suffering; it transforms it. When united with Christ, suffering becomes something beautiful: An offering to God and a source of grace for ourselves and for others.
This is the path of holiness: Continual repentance, trust in God’s mercy, and a willingness to accept the crosses of daily life. In all of this, we remember that we have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit to sustain us and guide us.
Suffering is not easy. But my prayer for you (and for myself) is that, with God’s grace, we can accept the trials that come our way, offering them as penance and as a participation in the sufferings of Christ. If He, who was without sin, suffered willingly for us, then we can at least try to strive to suffer with love for Him and for one another.
Having life abundantly doesn’t mean freedom from pain; it means living fully in, with, and for Christ. When we do, even our struggles become opportunities for growth in grace, trust, and joy.
By accepting and offering our sufferings, we participate in God’s work of conversion in the world. In this way, you help bring light and hope to a corrupt and lost generation. Through your prayers and sufferings, they are corrupt and lost no more.
May God bless you now and always!
Fr Alex Pumphrey, MIC
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Contact Father Alex at info@divinemercy.org.uk
Please send us your prayer intentions! (click here). We will place them at the foot of our altar in the Divine Mercy Apostolate’s Chapel here in West Ealing, London and will remember them in our daily Chaplets of Divine Mercy.
