DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY is a very special Sunday when the Divine Floodgates from Heaven are wide-opened and Jesus offers us the total forgiveness of all sins and punishment to any soul, who goes to Confession and receives Him in Holy Communion, on that day.
Divine Mercy Sunday was instituted in the Catholic Church on the Second Sunday of Easter on April 30, 2000 and decreed on May 5th of that year by Pope Saint John Paul II.
The Resurrection of Jesus was the most important event in the history of the world. When the Lord appeared in the 'Upper Room' to the apostles pointing out His wounds, it was to demonstrate He was the Crucified Christ, and to show He had resurrected from the dead. The final proof that He was God. He then bestowed on the apostles the power to forgive sins, which was in effect Divine Mercy coming into the world.
It was the beginning of the Church on earth. In 1931 He appeared as the same image in another room, this time the room of a young nun, again showing His wounds, emphasising the power of those wounds as rays from a font of reconciliation and renewal, rays of love and mercy. This was Divine Mercy, His victory on the Cross, His resurrection, coming into to a very sinful world once again. A world that was about to plunge man into the depths of depravity in a horrific world war.
He asked her to teach the world again of why he died on the Cross to give sinners another chance of obtaining God's Divine Mercy, and pardon their sins if they returned to living by God’s commandments. He was also reminding man that His death on the Cross, Divine Mercy was for all mankind (And there are other sheep I have that are not of this fold, these I have to lead as well. They too will hear My voice, and then there will be one flock and one Shepherd. John 10:11 – 18)
The commandments of God are built into every human born, in the form of a conscience that was given them at birth, it is the spirit of God within them, if you deny your conscience, you deny God.
The image that appeared to the apostles was the resurrected Christ. The Resurrection was the start of the Christian Church. The image that appeared to Saint Faustina was the same image that started the Christian Church. His appearance to Saint Faustina as the same image was to renew the Church, to renew belief in the Cross, in the Resurrection, in mans salvation.
In the beginning he said “I have not come to call the righteous, but to call sinners to repentance”. (Luke 5:32) For the same reason He appeared again on earth to Saint Faustina, to save sinners from eternal damnation. His message of Divine Mercy is a warning to mankind to exercise their conscience, come back to God and live by the Commandments.
Who are the sinners? – sinners are those who offend human nature, God’s creation, and the dignity of man.
ORIGIN OF DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY,
THE DIVINE MERCY IMAGE, THE CHAPLET, AND THE NOVENA
Saint Faustina: Mankind’s need for the message of Divine Mercy took on dire urgency in the 20th Century, when civilization began to experience an “eclipse of the sense of God” and, therefore to lose the understanding of the sanctity and inherent dignity of human life. In the 1930s, Jesus chose a humble Polish nun, St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, to receive private revelations concerning Divine Mercy that were recorded in her Diary. Saint John Paul II explains:
"This was precisely the time when those ideologies of evil, nazism and communism, were taking shape. Sister Faustina became the herald of the one message capable of off-setting the evil of those ideologies, that fact that God is mercy—the truth of the merciful Christ. And for this reason, when I was called to the See of Peter, I felt impelled to pass on those experiences of a fellow Pole that deserve a place in the treasury of the universal Church."
-Pope Saint John Paul II, Memory and Identity (2005)
Divine Mercy Sunday: St. Faustina’s Diary records 14 occasions when Jesus requested that a Feast of Mercy (Divine Mercy Sunday) be observed, for example:’
"My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. 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. … Let no soul fear to draw near to Me. … It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy. (Diary, no. 699)
On May 5, 2000, five days after the canonization of St. Faustina, the Vatican decreed that the Second Sunday of Easter would henceforth be known as Divine Mercy Sunday.
The Image: Jesus appeared to St. Faustina in a vision, with his right hand raised in a blessing and his left touching his garment above his heart. Red and white rays emanate from his heart, symbolizing the blood and water that was poured out for our salvation and our sanctification. The Lord requested that “Jesus, I trust in You” be inscribed under his image. Jesus asked that his image be painted and venerated throughout the world:
“I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish” (Diary, no. 48) and “By means of this image I will grant many graces to souls” (Diary, no. 742).
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy: The Chaplet was also given to St. Faustina with this promise: “Encourage souls to say the chaplet which I have given you” (Diary, no. 1541).
“Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death. … Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite mercy. I desire that the whole world know My infinite mercy” (Diary, no. 687). (Instructions for its recitation are provided on a separate page.)
The Divine Mercy Novena: Jesus gave St. Faustina nine intentions for which to pray the Chaplet beginning on Good Friday and ending on Holy Saturday.
This day is a day of new purification, new beginnings, like a new baptism.
Why today?
Because now is the time for mercy - before the time of judgment! Our Lord told Saint Faustina: "Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the fount of My mercy." (Diary 300, 699).
We read in Acts 2:17-2 1, "In the last days," God said, "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. And I will cause strange demonstrations in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and clouds of smoke, the sun shall turn black and the moon blood-red before that awesome day The Lord arrives. But anyone who asks for mercy from The Lord shall have it and be saved."
Preparing for the second coming.
Our Lord makes it very clear Saint Faustina that this need to proclaim His message of mercy is urgent, because the world needs it as a preparation for His coming again:"Speak to the world about My mercy.... It is a sign for the end time. After it will come the Day of Justice...." (Diary 848) "You will prepare the world for My final coming... " (Diary 429) "Tell souls about this great mercy of Mine, because the awful day, the day of My justice, is near." (Diary 965)
Repeatedly the Lord tells Saint Faustina that He is offering sinners the "last hope of salvation." No matter how great our sins, He wants us to come back to Him, but we must respond now, while it is still the time of mercy: "Before the Day of Justice, I am sending the Day of Mercy... " (Diary 1588) "I am prolonging the time of mercy for the sake of [sinners]. But woe to them if they do not recognize this time of My visitation..."(Diary 1160)
"While there is still time, let them have recourse to the fount of My mercy...." (Diary 848)"He who refuses to pass through the door of My mercy must pass through the door of My justice." (Diary 1146)
The Chaplet.
Our Lord Himself gave us the Chaplet through Saint Faustina, and He made it clear to her that it was for the whole world. He also attached extraordinary promises to its recitation. He said, "Encourage souls to say the Chaplet which I have given you... Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death... When they say this Chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as the Just Judge but as the Merciful Savior... Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this Chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite mercy... I desire to grant unimaginable graces to souls who trust in My mercy.. Through the Chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with My will."
The Hour of Mercy.
Our Lord asked for special prayer and meditation on His passion each afternoon at the three o'clock hour, the hour that recalls His death on the cross. Our Lord said, "At three o'clock, implore My mercy, especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony. This is the hour of great mercy.. In this hour I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My passion. As often as you hear the clock strike the third hour, immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it; invoke its omnipotence for the whole world, and particularly for poor sinners; for at that moment mercy was opened wide for every soul. In this hour you can obtain everything for yourself and for others for the asking; it was the hour of grace for the whole world, mercy triumphed over justice. Immerse yourself in prayer there where you happen to be, if only for a very brief instant."
The Image.
In 1931 Our Lord granted a vision to Saint Faustina with two rays emanating from His heart, one red and the other pale. As she gazed intently at Him, He said to her, "Paint an image according to the pattern you see with the signature: Jesus, I Trust in You... I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish. I also promise victory over its enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. I Myself will defend it as My own glory ... I am offering people a vessel with which they are to keep coming for graces to the fountain of mercy ... I desire that this image be venerated throughout the world. By means of this image I shall grant many graces to souls. I want this image to be Blessed on the first Sunday after Easter, the eighth, or octave day of the resurrection: that Sunday is to be the Feast of Mercy. The two rays denote blood and water. The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous. The red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls. These two rays issued forth from the very depths of My tender mercy when My agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the cross. These rays shield souls from the wrath of My Father. Happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of Him."
How are we to remember the message of Mercy? By the ABC's.
A. Ask for His mercy.
B. Be merciful.
C. Completely trust in Jesus.
"I desire that during these nine days you bring souls to the fountain of My mercy, that they may draw therefrom strength and refreshment and whatever grace they need in the hardships of life, and especially at the hour of death." (Diary, 1209)
"Today bring to Me...
First Day: all mankind, especially all sinners
Second Day: the souls of priests and religious
Third Day: all devout and faithful souls
Fourth Day: those who do not believe in God and those who do not yet know Me
Fifth Day: the souls of those who have separated themselves from My church
Sixth Day: the meek and humble souls and the souls of little children
Seventh Day: the souls who especially venerate and glorify My mercy
Eighth Day: the souls who are detained in Purgatory
Ninth Day: souls who have become lukewarm
...and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy."
First Day
For the first day of the Divine Mercy novena, Christ asked Saint Faustina to pray for the sake of all mankind, especially sinners. She recorded the following words of Our Lord in her diary: "Today bring to Me all mankind, especially all sinners, and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. In this way you will console Me in the bitter grief into which the loss of souls plunges Me."