2nd Sunday of Easter
DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY
Sunday after Easter. Origin and Jesus’ conversations with St. Faustina.
During the canonization of St. Faustina on April 30, 2000, the now St. John Paul II declared:
“It is important then that we accept the whole message that comes to us from the word of God on this Second Sunday of Easter, which from now on throughout the Church, will be called ‘Divine Mercy Sunday.
The following words are excerpts which I took from the Diary of St. Faustina Kowalska, “Diary of Divine Mercy in My Soul” when I was using it for my spiritual reading. They are several revelations received by St. Faustina from Our Lord Jesus Christ regarding this feast, the richness of His Mercy, the necessity of our faith in God’s mercy and the prayer which Our Lord wanted St. Faustina to propagate known as the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. They are revelations made by Our Lord to the saint which propel us to praise God in thanksgiving for He is Good and Merciful. (N.B. CAPITALIZED WORDS are words which our Lord Jesus Christ told St. Faustina).
Jesus said to St. Faustina:
“I DESIRE THAT YOU KNOW MORE PROFOUNDLY THE LOVE THAT BURNS IN MY HEART FOR SOULS, AND YOU WILL UNDERSTAND THIS WHEN YOU MEDITATE UPON MY PASSION. CALL UPON MY MERCY ON BEHALF OF SINNERS; I DESIRE THEIR SALVATION. WHEN YOU SAY THIS PRAYER, WITH A CONTRITE HEART AND WITH FAITH ON BEHALF OF SOME SINNER, I WILL GIVE HIM THE GRACE OF CONVERSION. THIS IS THE PRAYER: ‘O BLOOD AND WATER, WHICH GUSHED FORTH FROM THE HEART OF JESUS AS A FOUNT OF MERCY FOR US, I TRUST IN YOU.’” (St. Faustina, Diary of Divine Mercy in My Soul, nn. 186-187)
St. Faustina Kowalska recounts in her Diary of Divine Mercy in My Soul, how Our Lord explained the meaning of the image He asked her to paint with the two rays coming from His Heart:
“When, on one occasion, my confessor told me to ask the Lord Jesus the meaning of the two rays in the image, I answered, “Very well, I will ask the Lord.”
During prayer I head these words within me: 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. I DESIRE THAT THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EASTER BE THE FEAST OF MERCY.
+ASK OF MY FAITHFUL SERVANT [FATHER SOPOCKO] THAT, ON THIS DAY, HE TELL THE WHOLE WORLD OF MY GREAT MERCY; THAT WHOEVER APPROACHES THE FOUNT OF LIFE ON THIS DAY WILL BE GRANTED COMPLETE REMISSION OF SINS AND PUNISHMENT.
+MANKIND WILL NOT HAVE PEACE UNTIL IT TURNS WITH TRUST TO MY MERCY.
+OH, HOW MUCH I AM HURT BY A SOUL’S DISTRUST! SUCH A SOUL PROFESSES THAT I AM HOLY AND JUST, BUT DOES NOT BELIEVE THAT I AM MERCY AND DOES NOT TRUST IN MY GOODNESS. EVEN THE DEVILS GLORIFY MY JUSTICE BUT DO NOT BELIEVE IN MY GOODNESS.
MY HEART REJOICES IN THIS TITLE OF MERCY.
PROCLAIM THAT MERCY IS THE GREATEST ATTRIBUTE OF GOD. ALL THE WORKS OF MY HANDS ARE CROWNED WITH MERCY. (Ibid., nn. 299-301)
The next morning, when I entered chapel, I heard these words interiorly: EVERY TIME YOU ENTER THE CHAPEL, IMMEDIATELY RECITE THE PRAYER WHICH I TAUGHT YOU YESTERDAY. When I had said the prayer, in my soul I heard these words: THIS PRAYER WILL SERVE TO APPEASE MY WRATH. YOU WILL RECITE IT FOR NINE DAYS, ON THE BEADS OF THE ROSARY, IN THE FOLLOWING MANNER:
FIRST OF ALL, YOU WILL SAY ONE OUR FATHER AND HAIL MARY AND THE I BELIEVE IN GOD.
THEN ON THE OUR FATHER BEADS YOU WILL SAY THE FOLLOWING WORDS: “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.”
ON THE HAIL MARY BEADS YOU WILL SAY THE FOLLOWING WORDS: “FOR THE SAKE OF HIS SORROWFUL PASSION HAVE MERCY ON US AND ON THE WHOLE WORLD.”
IN CONCLUSION, THREE TIMES YOU WILL RECITE THESE WORDS: “HOLY GOD, HOLY MIGHTY ONE, HOLY IMMORTAL ONE, HAVE MERCY ON US AND ON THE WHOLE WORLD.” (Ibid., n. 476)
Oh, how ardently I desire that every soul would praise Your mercy. Happy is the soul that calls upon the mercy of the Lord. It will see that the Lord will defend it as His glory, as He said. And who would dare fight against God? All you souls, praise the Lord‟s mercy (63) by trusting in His mercy all your life and especially at the hour of your death. And fear nothing, dear soul, whoever you are; the greater the sinner, the greater his right to Your mercy, O Lord. O Incomprehensible Goodness! God is the first to stoop to the sinner. (Ibid., n. 498)
SAY UNCEASINGLY THE CHAPLET THAT I HAVE TAUGHT YOU. WHOEVER WILL RECITE IT WILL RECEIVE GREAT MERCY AT THE HOUR OF DEATH. 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 THAT THE WHOLE WORLD KNOW MY INFINITE MERCY. I DESIRE TO GRANT UNIMAGINABLE GRACES TO THOSE SOULS WHO TRUST IN MY MERCY. (Ibid., n. 687)
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. ON THAT DAY ALL THE DIVINE FLOODGATES THROUGH WHICH GRACES 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 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. (Ibid., n. 699)
When I entered my solitude, I heard these words: AT THE HOUR OF THEIR DEATH, I DEFEND AS MY OWN GLORY EVERY SOUL THAT WILL SAY THIS CHAPLET; OR WHEN OTHERS SAY IT FOR A DYING PERSON, THE INDULGENCE IS THE SAME. WHEN THIS CHAPLET IS SAID BY THE BEDSIDE OF A DYING PERSON, GOD‟S ANGER IS PLACATED, UNFATHOMABLE MERCY ENVELOPS THE SOUL, AND THE VERY DEPTHS OF MY TENDER MERCY ARE MOVED FOR THE SAKE OF THE SORROWFUL PASSION OF MY SON. (Ibid., n. 811)
Dear friends, let us thank the Most Holy Trinity for His Divine Mercy, ever disposed to regain each one of us, shower us with His Mercy and bring us back to His fold out of His Love for us.
Let us always ask daily for our conversion, the conversion of many souls, praying with devotion the Chaplet of Divine Mercy which Our Lord asked St. Faustina Kowalska to spread all over the world.
ORIGINAL PHOTO SOURCE: The Divine Mercy image as painted by Adolf Hyla. The writing at the bottom is in Polish and means “Jesus I Trust in You”. This painting hangs above the tomb of Saint Faustina in the convent of Our Lady of Mercy in Cracow-Lagiewniki, Poland. The painting was completed in 1943. Image used for information and educational purpose only. Found in https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/24/Divine_Mercy_%28Adolf_Hyla_painting%292007-08-16.jpg
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