Posted on 04/11/2010 4:27:31 AM PDT by NYer
During the course of Jesus' revelations to Saint Faustina on the Divine Mercy He asked on numerous occasions that a feast day be dedicated to the Divine Mercy and that this feast be celebrated on the Sunday after Easter. The liturgical texts of that day, the 2nd Sunday of Easter, concern the institution of the Sacrament of Penance, the Tribunal of the Divine Mercy, and are thus already suited to the request of Our Lord. This Feast, which had already been granted to the nation of Poland and been celebrated within Vatican City, was granted to the Universal Church by Pope John Paul II on the occasion of the canonization of Sr. Faustina on 30 April 2000. In a decree dated 23 May 2000, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments stated that "throughout the world the Second Sunday of Easter will receive the name Divine Mercy Sunday, a perennial invitation to the Christian world to face, with confidence in divine benevolence, the difficulties and trials that mankind will experience in the years to come." These papal acts represent the highest endorsement that the Church can give to a private revelation, an act of papal infallibility proclaiming the certain sanctity of the mystic, and the granting of a universal feast, as requested by Our Lord to St. Faustina.
Concerning the Feast of Mercy Jesus said:
Whoever approaches the Fountain of Life on this day will be granted complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. (Diary 300)
I want the image solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter, and I want it to be venerated publicly so that every soul may know about it. (Diary 341)
This Feast emerged from the very depths of My mercy, and it is confirmed in the vast depths of my tender mercies. (Diary 420)
On one occasion, I heard these words: 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.* [our emphasis] On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will I contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. 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 699)
Yes, the first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to our neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to absolve yourself from it. (Diary 742)
I want to grant complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My mercy. (Diary 1109)
As you can see the Lord's desire for the Feast includes the solemn, public veneration of the Image of Divine Mercy by the Church, as well as personal acts of veneration and mercy. The great promise for the individual soul is that a devotional act of sacramental penance and Communion will obtain for that soul the plenitude of the divine mercy on the Feast.
*The Cardinal of Krakow, Cardinal Macharski, whose diocese is the center of the spread of the devotion and the sponsor of the Cause of Sr. Faustina, has written that we should use Lent as preparation for the Feast and confess even before Holy Week! So, it is clear that the confessional requirement does not have to be met on the Feast itself. That would be an impossible burden for the clergy if it did. The Communion requirement is easily met that day, however, since it is a day of obligation, being Sunday. We would only need confession again, if received earlier in Lenten or Easter Season, if we were in the state of mortal sin on the Feast.
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The task of "proclaiming and introducing into life" the mystery of God's mercy, and imploring that mercy for the world, which the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II places before entire Church, was entrusted to Saint Faustina as her life's witness and mission.
Saint Faustina was born in 1905 in the village of Glogowiec near Lodz (Poland) as the third of ten children in the family of Marianna and Stanislaw Kowalski. From her childhood she was distinguished by a love for prayer, diligence at work, obedience and sensitivity for the poor. She attended not quite three years of elementary schooling, and later, as a teenager, left her family home to work as a domestic servant.
At the age of twenty she entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in which, as Sister Maria Faustina, she spent thirteen years of her life performing the duties of cook, gardener, and doorkeeper. Her life, tough seemingly very ordinary, monotonous and drab, concealed in itself an exceptionally profound union with God. From her childhood she desired to become a great saint, and she consistently strove toward that goal, working together with Jesus for the salvation of lost souls, even to the extent of offering her life as a sacrifice for sinners. Therefore, her life as a religious was marked with the stigma of suffering, but also with extraordinary mistical graces.
The mission of Saint Faustina consists in:
Worn out and weakened by tuberculosis and the sufferings she bore in sacrifice for sinners, Saint Faustina died in the odor of sanctity in Cracow on October 5, 1938 at the age of 33.
On the first Sunday after Easter, April 18, 1993, in St. Peter's Square in Rome, Pope John Paul II declared her one of the community of the blessed. On the following day during his general audience he said:
"God has spoken to us through the spiritual wealth of Blessed Sister Faustina Kowalska. She left to the world the great message of Divine Mercy and an incentive to complete self-surrender to the Creator. God endowed her with a singular grace that enabled her to experience His mercy through mystical encounter and by a special gift of contemplative prayer.
Blessed Sister Faustina, thank you for reminding the world of that great mystery of Divine Mercy; that 'startling mystery', that inexpressive mystery of the Father, which today every individual and the whole world need so very much."
Sister Faustina has been canonized in Rome on the first Sunday after Easter, April 30, 2000 by the Holy Father John Paul II.
In the Old Covenant I sent prophets wielding thunderbolds to My people. Today I am sending you with My mercy to the people of the whole world. I do not want to punish aching mankind, but I desire to heal it, pressing it to My Merciful Heart. (1588)
It's a sign for the end times; after it will come the day of justice. While there is still time, let them have recourse to the fount of My mercy; let them profit from the Blood and Water which gushed forth for them. (848) Before I come as a just Judge, I first open wide the doors of My mercy. He who refuses to pass through the doors of My mercy must pass through the doors of My justice... (1146)
1. Begin with the Sign of the Cross, 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary and The Apostles Creed.
2. Then on the Our Father Beads say the following:
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 10 Hail Mary Beads say the following:
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.
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In 1933, God gave Sister Faustina a striking vision of His Mercy, Sister tells us: "I saw a great light, with God the Father in the midst of it. Of another vision on Sept. 13, 1935, she writes: "I saw an Angel, the executor of God's wrath... about to strike The following day an inner voice taught her to say this prayer on "First say one 'Our Father', 'Hail Mary', and 'I believe'. Then on 'Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity On the smaller beads you are to say the following words: 'For the sake of His sorrowful Passion have mercy on us and on the In conclusion you are to say these words three times: 'Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us Jesus said later to Sister Faustina: "Say unceasingly this chaplet that I have taught you. Anyone who "....When they say this Chaplet in the presence of the dying, I |
May God bless you all on this sacred day.
ust as the Image can serve as a reminder of the ocean of Divine Mercy, as well as its price, so can the daily remembrance of the Divine Mercy at the hour of Christ's death. Jesus asked Saint Faustina, and through her us, to celebrate this Hour of Great Mercy, promising tremendous graces to those who would, both for themselves and on behalf of others.
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. (Diary 1320).
As often as you hear the clock strike the third hour immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it, invoke it's 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.
Try your best to make the Stations of the Cross in this hour, provided that your duties permit it; and if you are not able to make the Stations of the Cross, then at least step into the chapel for a moment and adore, in the Most Blessed Sacrament. My Heart, which is full of mercy: and should you be unable to step into chapel. immerse yourself in prayer there where you happen to be, if only for a very brief instant. (Diary 1572)
Why would Christ emphasize in our time a doctrine, the Divine Mercy, which has been part of the patrimony of the Faith from the beginning, as well as request new devotional and liturgical expressions of it? In His revelations to St. Faustina Jesus answers this question, connecting it to another doctrine, also sometimes little emphasized, that of His Second Coming. In the Gospel the Lord shows us that His first coming was in humility, as a Servant, to free the world from sin. Yet, He promises to return in glory to judge the world on love, as He makes clear in his discourses on the Kingdom in Matthew chapters 13 and 25. In between these Comings we have the end times or era of the Church, in which the Church ministers reconciliation to the world until the great and terrible Day of the Lord, the Day of Justice. Every Catholic should be familiar with the teaching of the Church on this matter, contained in paragraphs 668 to 679 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Only in the context of public revelation as taught by the Magisterium can we situate the words of private revelation given to Sr. Faustina.
You will prepare the world for My final coming. (Diary 429)
Speak to the world about My mercy ... It is a sign for the end times. After it will come the Day of Justice. While there is still time, let them have recourse to the fountain of My mercy. (Diary 848)
Tell souls about this great mercy of Mine, because the awful day, the day of My justice, is near. (Diary 965).
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)
Before the Day of Justice, I am sending the Day of Mercy. (Diary 1588)
He who refuses to pass through the door of My mercy must pass through the door of My justice. (Diary 1146).
In addition to these words of Our Lord Sr. Faustina gives us the Words of the Mother of Mercy, the Blessed Virgin,
You have to speak to the world about His great mercy and prepare the world for the Second Coming of Him who will come, not as a merciful Savior, but as a just Judge. Oh how terrible is that day! Determined is the day of justice, the day of divine wrath. The angels tremble before it. Speak to souls about this great mercy while it is still the time for granting mercy. (Diary 635).
It is clear that, like the message of Fátima, the urgency here is the urgency of the Gospel, "repent and believe." The exact timing is the Lord's. However, it is also clear that we have reached some critical phase of the end times that began with the birth of the Church. To this fact Pope John Paul II alluded at the consecration in 1981 of the Shrine of Merciful Love in Collevalenaza, Italy, when he noted the "special task" assigned to him by God "in the present situation of man, the Church and the world." In His Encyclical on the Father he urges us "to implore God's mercy for humanity in this hour of history ... to beg for it at this difficult, critical phase of the history of the Church and of the world as we approach the end of the second millennium." (Rich in Mercy 15)
Made it! Went to confession yesterday, Mass today. What a great devotion/gift of grace from Our Lord.
Jesus, I trust in You!
Don’t forget to pray the chaplet at 3pm today. There is complete coverage all day on EWTN.
I was so looking forward to today.
Unfortunately we just did Sunday after Easter Mass.
Our pastor was helping out with Divine Mercy Feast at another parish and we had a substitute.
I wonder if my novena still counts since I wasn’t able to complete it with the Mass today?
Absolutely!
My situation is similar to yours. Our pastor is Maronite but we have been to the Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Stockbridge MA where he offered our Divine Liturgy for anyone present at that time on that day. This feast is not celebrated in the East but he is a convert. While we do not have an image of the Divine Mercy in our Church, he brought it up in today's homily. This is "New Sunday" on the Maronite liturgical calendar but it carries the message of mercy. The Church bulletin indicated today's date and New Sunday (Divine Mercy Sunday).
As Director for Religious Education, I brought all the children together today and spoke of St. Faustina and the Divine Mercy image and message. Each child was given a Divine Mercy image page to color in imitation of the actual image. Father blessed ALL of their work and the children brought their 'images' home to hang on the wall of their room or attach with magnets to the refrigerator.
May I ask a prayer from you and anyone else who drops in on this thread? The bishop has decided to re-assign our pastor to another parish up in Buffalo NY. Normally, we would be happy for him. However, he is midway through the restoration of an historical church that will be our future church. This is no mean feat! All of the work so far has been done by him and I mean that literally. He has managed, through the mercy of God, to have the roof replaced at a fraction of what it would normally cost. He and I were able, against all odds, to procure a grant to restore the stained glass windows (one of the most costly aspects of the restoration). There was no rectory for him when he arrived 8 years ago. 6 months ago, he completed restoration of the parish house and, finally moved in. We threw a housewarming for him since he had absolutely nothing. He was getting ready to proceed with restoration of the interior of the church and seeking professionals to provide us with estimates that I could then submit to grant organizations.
This decision could not have happened at a worse time! The priest the bishop intends to send us has only been in this country for 8 months and has a poor knowledge of the English language. He doesn't even have a drivers license. The best analogy I can make is that of a snowball rolling down a mountain. As it rolls, it gathers momentum. If one were to stop it, it would break up into pieces. That is what will happen to this parish.
Tomorrow morning, a group of us are headed down to the Eparchial office in Brooklyn to speak with the bishop. Despite several phone calls from various parish council members, he claims the decision was made by an eparchial committee familiar with our parish. No one form the eparchy has been up here in more than 2 years. They have NO understanding of the status on the restoration of this church. To compound matters, the RC bishop closed 5 of the 6 churches in the community where we are planning to open ours. Their reaction was one of a knife thrust into the heart. A small group remained together, another group, with no commutation, decided to stop attending mass and a large 3rd group left the church for a local, evangelical church. On Easter Sunday, I could not get home because the traffic from the evangelical church was so great, that it blocked the roads all the way down the major, intersecting thoroughfare. There were 2 police cars there to direct traffic. That brought back memories from childhood when the Catholic Churches were confronted with a similar situation.
We know from neighbors in that neighborhood that the Catholics are watching the development of our church and asking when it will be opened. With the move of this priest, we are dead in the water.
Please say a prayer and ask our Lord to open the mind and heart of the bishop. Thank you!
Will certainly pray.
The Purpose of Mercy - Divine Mercy Sunday, the Second Sunday of Easter
Feast of the Divine Mercy - April 11, 2010">
Divine Mercy Novena 2010 - Easter Saturday: Day 9
Divine Mercy Novena 2010 - Easter Friday: Day 8
Divine Mercy Novena 2010 - Easter Thursday: Day 7
Divine Mercy Novena 2010 - Easter Wednesday: Day 6
Divine Mercy Novena 2010 - Easter Tuesday: Day 5
Divine Mercy Novena 2010 - Easter Monday: Day 4
Divine Mercy Novena 2010 - Easter Sunday: Day 3
Divine Mercy Novena 2010 - Holy Saturday: Day 2
Divine Mercy Novema 2010 - Good Friday: Day 1
The Divine Mercy Novena
An Abortionist Turns to Mercy (doctor who performed abortions now witness to Divine Mercy)
Tender Mercies, from Beginning to End [Divine Mercy]
‘I Am Love and Mercy Itself’ (Divine Mercy Is More Than One Day)
Divine Mercy Diary Exerpts - Online
Divine Mercy for our Times
SOLEMN MASS AND CELEBRATION OF DIVINE MERCY - LIVE (2 1/2 hrs.)
The Mystery of Divine Mercy
Reflection: Divine Mercy Sunday
Tender Mercies: The Story of St. Faustina Kowalska and Divine Mercy Sunday
Divine Mercy: Yours for the Asking
A World Ablaze With Divine Mercy (Devotions Abound, Thanks Largely To the Laity)
Pope Benedict On Divine Mercy
Chaplet of Divine Mercy
Divine Mercy Sunday - message from Saint Faustina Kowalska and link to JPII
Feast of The Divine Mercy - April 23, 2006 - EWTN Program Listing
Apostles of Divine Mercy
Divine Mercy Devotion and Novena
THE DIVINE MERCY NOVENA BEGINS ON GOOD FRIDAY.
Praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet for Pro-Life Causes
Divine Mercy Sunday: A Call for Confidence
Divine Mercy Novena Begins on Good Friday
The Message of Divine Mercy
Chaplet of Divine Mercy
Divine Mercy
(Divine) Mercy Blossoms in Asia: American leaders are amazed by growth of Divine Mercy in Far East
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