The Feast of Divine Mercy

By Rita Murdock

    The Feast of Divine Mercy is coming! What does it mean for us? After much prayer and discernment,  Pope John Paul II established the Feast of Divine Mercy on the Sunday after Easter. Our Lord said to St. Faustina: “On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened.”(Diary, 699).

      We are blessed to have the beautiful painting of Jesus inviting us to His Divine Mercy at St. Therese Parish. Jesus, himself, loving us totally and wanting to forgive us all our sin invites us to trust in Him and be forgiven. In our “human” condition, however, we may feel unworthy to approach Him. Saint Augustine knew this well but also knew that there is no peace for a restless heart until it rests in Christ. God made us to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him so that we can be happy with Him in heaven for eternity Our “souls” know this. Jesus gives us graces, the sacraments, His mother, the saints, our Church and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to assist our “wills” so that we, body and soul, can attain eternal peace and happiness.  
 

      But we fall. We allow sin into our life and then try to “hide” just as Adam and Eve did in the Garden.  Jesus understands, and God is the loving Father who wants to draw us back to Himself. So He revealed to St. Faustina His desire that she be the instrument for establishing the Feast of Divine Mercy: “Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the fount of My mercy.” (Diary 300, 699). It is

impossible to serve both God and evil at the same time. That is why we pray for the end of abortion, for good will between countries, for honest government, for holy priests. The end will come:  “In the last days, ‘I will pour out My Holy Spirit upon all mankind, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men dream dreams. Yes, the Holy Spirit shall come upon all My servants, men and women alike, and they shall prophesy. But anyone who asks for mercy from The Lord shall have it and be saved.’” (Acts 2:17-18,21).

    Our Lord told St. Faustina, “ I want to pour My Divine Life into human souls and to sanctify them if only they were willing to accept My grace. The greatest sinners would achieve great sanctity, if only they would Trust in My Mercy.” This day we celebrate the richness and application of God's mercy for us.  This day we cry out with St. Thomas: "My Lord and My God" (Jn 20:28).

      How do we celebrate the Feast of Mercy? We prepare for receiving God’s mercy and changing our hearts by following the formula given by Our Lord to St. Faustina:

        1. Begin a Novena of Mercy  on Good Friday and say the “chaplet” each day, ending on Mercy Sunday.
        2. Be purified by the "Tribunal of mercy," the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
        3. Venerate the sacred image of the merciful Savior by gazing upon it as a reminder to trust Jesus and be merciful.*
        4. Perform some works of mercy to others.

        5. Seal and ratify the covenant of mercy by receiving Holy Communion!
    

    This day is a day of new purification, new beginnings, like a new baptism. For more information please visit the website:  http://www.divinemercysunday.com.  God is awesome to have given us an opportunity to come to Him! Heaven is our goal. 
 

     To pray the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy we use a Rosary: 

        1.  Begin with the Sign of the Cross, then say one Our Father, one Hail Mary and the Apostles Creed.

        2. On the Our Father Beads say:  “Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.”

        3. On the ten Hail Mary Beads say: “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.” (Repeat step 2 and 3 for all five decades).

        4. Conclude with (three times): “Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.”

*To venerate a sacred image or statue simply means to perform some act or make some gesture of deep religious respect toward it because of the person whom it represents, in this case, our Most Merciful Savior.

Kowalska, Saint Maria Faustina. Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul. Stockbridge: Marian Press, 2005.