Divine Mercy Sunday
Isaiah, Chapter 54, verse 4
Do not FEAR,
you shall not be put to shame; do not be discouraged, you shall not be
disgraced. For the shame of your youth you shall forget, the reproach of your
widowhood no longer remember.
Isaiah
here is speaking of the Eternal Covenant of Peace from God. Our shame was that
we as a people by our transgressions killed Christ, who was the messiah and our
spiritual spouse, thus becoming widows, as a people. Isaiah tells us in advance
that God in his love will no longer remember our reproaches. He will make us free;
He will give us peace. The next verse of Isaiah makes this clear, “For your
husband is your Maker; the LORD of hosts is his name, Your redeemer, the Holy
One of Israel, called God of all the earth.”
Does
our nation not realize that if we are the spouse of the God of all the earth,
that we are committing murder of God’s own spiritual children through the
legalization of abortion?
Our Holy Father states that peace can only come when
we confront the truth.[1]
Jesus
declared “I am the truth” (John 14: 6) and told Pontius Pilate “For this I was
born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth” (John 18:
37). Because he is the Son of God, Jesus is the truth about who God is, and,
because he is fully human, he is the truth about the human person.
What is that truth?
·
First,
that God is Love, love that is willing to give all, even life itself, for the
good of the beloved.
·
Second
that the human person is precious to God, precious enough to die for.
When
this truth is denied, the human person becomes subhuman, a problem, an object,
or a threat. It becomes easy to destroy a mass of cells viewed as a threat. The
human person may seem like a cancer on humanity and be treated as such, rather
than as an individual for whom Jesus suffered and died.
Reflect
what it took to make Christ the gentle shepherd of our souls: For God so loved the world that he gave his
only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have
eternal life.
Come to the Feast of
Divine Mercy!
Calling all Catholics, come to the Feast of Mercy on the Sunday after Easter.
Did you know that the Lord said that this feast would one day be the “last hope
of salvation”? Have you considered what would happen to you if you suddenly
died in the state of mortal sin? Did you know that in the 1930’s Our Lord
Jesus, Himself requested through St. Faustina that a very special Feast of
Divine Mercy be established in His Church and solemnly celebrated on the First
Sunday after Easter every year?
In the Jubilee Year 2000, after many years of study,
Saint Pope John Paul II fulfilled the will of Christ by establishing this
special Feast of Divine Mercy in the Catholic Church and gave it the name of
Divine Mercy Sunday! By God’s Providence, Saint John Paul II died on this feast
in 2005. What is so special about this new Feast of Divine Mercy you might be
asking yourself?
It is the promise of the total forgiveness of all sins
and punishment for any soul that would go to Confession and then receive Jesus
in Holy Communion on that very special Feast of Divine Mercy! Why would Jesus
offer us something so great at this time?
Jesus told St. Faustina that she was to prepare the
world for His Second Coming and that He would be pouring out His Mercy in very
great abundance before He comes again as the Just Judge and as the very last
hope of salvation. If you have been away from the practice of your Catholic
faith, and if you would like to come back into the, one, true Catholic Church,
then this is the most perfect opportunity for you, if you are prepared to
repent and turn from sin. Many former fallen-away Catholics have taken
advantage of this great Feast of Mercy to get a brand-new start in life and to
be totally prepared to stand before the Lord.
If you have been away
from the Catholic faith
and if you have any questions about coming back home, then come in and talk to
a priest at any Catholic Church. The beauty of the Catholic Church is that its
teachings and practices are the same at all the parishes. You may have
concerns, such as: marriage outside of the Church; un-confessed abortions; or
other issues that could be preventing you from receiving Holy Communion or you
may have questions about the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Don’t remain in
doubt. Call your local parish office to find out the necessary steps to come
back to the Catholic faith. Don’t consider yourself as without hope. Our Lord
Jesus wants to pardon completely even the worst sinners possible. Remember, Jesus
has come for sinners, not the righteous. Jesus said that even if our sins were
as numerous as the grains of sand, they would be lost in His Ocean of Mercy. If
you are truly repentant of your sins and are well prepared to confess your sins
in the Sacrament of Confession, you’ll experience a tremendous peace. You’ll
experience a great weight lifted from you and get a brand-new start in life!
Once you have confessed your sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, then you
must continue to practice your faith as a good Catholic. This involves
attending Mass every Sunday and on Holy Days of Obligation, supporting your
local parish, and confessing your serious sins at least once a year. In
Confession, you must be truly sorry for your sins and you must intend to continue
to practice your faith.
Jesus
is in the Confessional
One of the most reassuring things Our Lord Jesus
revealed to us through Saint Faustina includes the several times when He
indicated to her that He is really there in the Confessional when we are making
our individual Confessions to the priests. Jesus said that every time we enter
the Confessional, that He Himself is there waiting for us, and that He is only
hidden by the priest. Jesus said never to analyze what sort of a priest that He
is making use of, but for us to reveal our souls to Him and that He will fill
us with His peace and light. Some have wondered why Jesus would want us to
confess our sins to a priest, but the answer is in the very first instruction
that Jesus gave to His Apostles directly after His Resurrection from the dead.
On the evening of the Resurrection, Jesus walked through the door of the Upper
Room where the Apostles were hiding and said to them “Receive the Holy Spirit,
what sins you forgive are forgiven them, what sins you retain are retained”.
This was the start of Confessions. For sure, that command was not only for the
Apostles to be able to forgive sins, and then to be forgotten, but for that
power to be passed on to all the ordained priests of today in the Catholic Church.
Jesus said that the greater the sinner, the greater the right they have to His
mercy! Don’t continue to carry your sins, Jesus forgives!
To properly celebrate
the Feast of Divine Mercy
and to receive the forgiveness of all sins and punishment, you must go to
Confession to a Catholic priest within 20 days before or after Divine Mercy
Sunday. Or if you are in the state of very serious or mortal sin, you must
always confess them before receiving Jesus in Holy Communion, or you will also
commit a sacrilege, which is also a very serious sin. If you haven’t been going
to Sunday Mass without any good reason, you may be in a state of serious sin
and you must confess before receiving Jesus in Holy Communion. For more
information about the Feast of Divine Mercy and a Confession Guide, go to: http://www.DivineMercySunday.com or call 772-873-4581.
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.
"From all My wounds, like from streams, mercy flows for souls, but the wound in My Heart is the fountain of unfathomable mercy. From this fountain spring all graces for souls. The flames of compassion burn Me. I desire greatly to pour them out upon souls. Speak to the whole world about My mercy."
Excerpted from Diary of Sr. M. Faustina Kowalska.
Things to
Do:
- Read the Apostolic Penitentiary
Decree on the Indulgences attached to devotions in honor of Divine Mercy
- Read Dives in misericordia, the
encyclical Letter of John Paul II on Mercy.
Updated April 18, 2020, 5:12 AM
In the News and Trending for Divine Mercy Sunday
At
3:00 o'clock we can pray:
DIRECTIONS
"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 for the whole world. I will allow you to enter into My mortal sorrow. In this hour, I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion." (Diary, 1320).
At 3:00 o'clock we can pray:
You
expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls and the ocean of
mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fountain of Life, unfathomable Divine
Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us. (Diary, 1319).
O
Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of
mercy for us, I trust in You. (Diary, 84).
Called Dominica in Albis, or Low Sunday.
WHY is this Sunday called Dominica in Albis, (White
Sunday)? Because, in the earlier times, those who had been baptized on Holy
Saturday on this day laid aside the white garments which they had then
received, and put on their necks an, “Agnus Dei” made of white wax, and blessed
by the Pope, to remind them continually that they were bound to preserve that
innocence unstained. The Church therefore sings, at the Introit of the Mass, as
new-born babes, alleluia, desire the rational milk without guile, alleluia,
alleluia, alleluia (1 Pet. ii. 2). Rejoice to God our helper; sing aloud to the
God of Jacob. Ps. Ixxx. 1).
Prayer. Grant,
we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we who have performed the paschal
solemnities, may, by Thy grace, preserve them in our life and conduct.
EPISTLE,
i. John v. 4-10.
Dearly Beloved: Whatsoever is born of God overcometh
the world: and this is the victory which overcometh the world, our faith. Who
is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of
God?
This is he that came by water and blood, Jesus Christ:
not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit which
testifieth, that Christ is the truth. And there are three Who give testimony in
heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. And these three are one. And
there are three that give testimony on earth: the spirit, and the water, and
the blood, and these three are one. If we receive the testimony of men, the
testimony of God is greater. For this is the testimony of God, which is
greater, because He hath testified of His Son. He that believeth in the Son of
God, hath the testimony of God in himself.
Explanation.
By loving faith in Jesus as the Son of God, we can surely overcome the
world, because that faith shows us in God, our Father; in the world to come,
our true country; in Jesus, our example ; teaching us to love God above all
things, to disregard the world, and worldly goods, and to strive for the
eternal. That Jesus is the Son of God, St. John shows:
1. By the threefold testimony on earth, of the water
at the baptism in Jordan, of the blood at the death on the cross, of the spirit
in the miraculous effects wrought in those that believed.
2. By the threefold testimony from heaven of the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
Aspiration.
O Jesus, I believe in Thee, as the Son of the living God! Grant that
through this faith I may victoriously combat the flesh, the world, the devil,
and every inclination to evil, and obtain everlasting life.
GOSPEL.
John xx. 19-31.
Why does
Jesus so often say, Peace be to you? To signify that He had restored peace between God
and man; to show how men might know His disciples; and how necessary to
salvation the preservation of peace is.
Why did
God permit Thomas to disbelieve the appearance of Christ to the other
disciples? That we might thereby be strengthened in faith, for
as Christ took away all doubt from Thomas, by appearing again, the resurrection
of Christ by that means becomes, as St. Gregory says, so much the more credible
and certain.
What is
it to believe in God? To receive as immovably certain what God has revealed
to us, although we cannot understand it.
What must
we, therefore, believe? All that God has revealed.
Why must
we believe all this? Because God, the infallible truth, has revealed it.
This belief is as necessary to salvation as it is reasonable in itself.
How can
we certainly know what God has or has not revealed, and which this one true
faith is? Through His Church, which is guided by the Holy
Ghost to all truth, and in which Jesus Christ dwells till the end of time.
How can
we know the Church of Christ? By this, that, like the truth, she is one, holy,
apostolic, and catholic.
Which is
this true Church of Christ? The Roman Catholic, since she alone possesses the
abovementioned marks of the true Church. She alone has preserved unity in faith
and in the holy sacraments, and is subordinate to one visible head, the Pope.
She alone can trace her derivation from the apostles to the present day, and
can demonstrate this origin as well by her doctrine, as by the succession of
her popes and bishops. She alone has all the means of salvation, and she alone
has produced saints. Finally, she alone embraces all ages, and shines, as St.
Augustine says, from one end of the world to the other, in the splendor of one
and the same faith, inviting all to her bosom, to bring them to Jesus.
What
answer should a Catholic make to objections against the Mass, purgatory, and
such like? He should say, I believe these and the like
matters of faith, because God, Who is Truth, has revealed them: I believe that
He has thus revealed them, because the Roman Catholic Church, which teaches
them to me, has all the marks of the true Church of Christ, guided by God, and
cannot therefore deceive me.
Is it sufficient for salvation to have the true
faith, and to belong to the true Church? No; we must live according
to that faith, that is, we must observe what it commands, avoid what it
forbids, and often, particularly in temptation, make an act of faith.
O Mother most
merciful, pray for the souls in Purgatory!
PRAYER OF ST.
GERTRUDE THE GREAT O Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of
Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world
today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory and for sinners everywhere— for
sinners in the Universal Church, for those in my own home and for those within
my family. Amen.
PRAYER FOR THE
DYING O Most Merciful Jesus, lover of souls, I pray Thee, by the agony of Thy
most Sacred Heart, and by the sorrows of Thine Immaculate Mother, to wash in
Thy Most Precious Blood the sinners of the whole world who are now in their
agony and who will die today. Heart of Jesus, once in agony, have mercy on the
dying! Amen.
ON EVERY DAY OF
THE NOVENA V. O Lord, hear my prayer; R. And let my cry come unto Thee. O God,
the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, grant unto the souls of Thy
servants and handmaids the remission of all their sins, that through our devout
supplications they may obtain the pardon they have always desired, Who livest
and reignest world without end. Amen.
SUNDAY O Lord
God Almighty, I beseech Thee by the Precious Blood which Thy divine Son Jesus
shed in the Garden, deliver the souls in Purgatory, and especially that one
which is the most forsaken of all, and bring it into Thy glory, where it may
praise and bless Thee forever. Amen. Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be.
Daily
Devotions
·
Today in honor of the Holy Trinity do the Divine Office giving
your day to God. To honor God REST: no shopping after SUNSET ON SATURDAY till
Monday. Don’t forget the internet.
[2]http://www.divinemercysunday.com/pdf/2016_Divine_Mercy_Sunday_Ad.pdf
[4]
https://www.wincalendar.com/Divine-Mercy-Sunday
[5]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=1055
[6]Goffine’s
Devout Instructions, 1896
Comments
Post a Comment