The
Sunday after Easter has been designated in the Catholic Church as Divine Mercy Sunday.
On
April 30, 2000 (Divine Mercy Sunday of
that year), Pope John Paul II canonized St. Maria Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament and designated the
Sunday after Easter as Divine Mercy
Sunday.
According
to the notebooks of Saint Faustina, Jesus made the following statements about
this day:
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 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.
(Diary of Saint Faustina, # 699)
Devotion
to Divine Mercy is also associated with an image painted as Jesus
wished, based on descriptions by Saint Faustina. The words that accompany
the image are "Jesus, I trust in
Thee" ("Jezu, Ufam Tobie"
in Polish). The rays coming from Jesus' body represent the Blood (red) and
water (white) that poured forth from the wound He suffered when pierced by the
lance. They are interpreted as representing the Holy Eucharist and Baptism.
The
devotion is practiced by praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet and Novena to the Divine Mercy—both of which may be prayed at any time, but especially at
"The Hour of Great Mercy"—3:00 PM, the hour our Lord died, and in
conjunction with Divine Mercy Sunday.
I
find it particularly interesting that after working to promote devotion to
the Divine Mercy and even writing an encyclical about God’s Mercy—Dives in Misericordia or Rich in Mercy (1980)—Pope (now
Saint) John Paul II died during the vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday in
2005.
Is
this just mere coincidence or another indication of the hand of God continually
at work in our world?
Incidentally,
Pope Francis’ funeral Mass is scheduled to be celebrated on the vigil of Divine
Mercy (Saturday, April 26) this year.
May
God show His Divine Mercy to Pope Francis and may the Holy Spirit guide the
College of Cardinals to choose the person God wills to head the Holy Catholic
Church as the next successor of St. Peter.
Jesus I trust in Thee!
Fr. Ed Namiotka
Pastor
(St. Mary’s Church on 2001 Springdale Rd., Cherry Hill is scheduled for devotions to the Divine Mercy beginning at 3 PM this Sunday, April 27)
No comments:
Post a Comment