What is Divine Mercy Sunday?

By Santiago Cortes-Sjoberg|

Article Prayer and Sacraments Scripture and Theology

When and why did the church begin celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday?

The world was in the midst of the Great Depression in 1931 and the memories of World War I were still very much alive in the minds of Europeans when in Poland a sister of the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938), is said to have been personally visited by Jesus.
According to her diary, which was listed on the Index of Forbidden Books for more than 20 years, an image was revealed to her of the risen Lord, from whose heart shone two rays, one red (representing blood) and the other “pale” (symbolizing water), with the words “Jesus, I trust in you” at the bottom. Faustina wrote in her diary that Jesus told her, “I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish.”

When she was canonized in 2000 under the direction of fellow countryman Pope John Paul II, he proclaimed that the Second Sunday of Easter would henceforth be known as Divine Mercy Sunday, thereby widely promoting the devotional practices associated with Faustina’s visions, already popular in many communities.

St. Faustina, a poorly educated daughter of a humble Polish family, kept a 600-page diary of the apparitions she claimed continued for years. Her entries focus on God’s mercy, the call to accept God’s mercy and to be merciful, the need for conversion, and the call to trust in Jesus. It had been Jesus’ own wish, she wrote, to establish a feast day: “I [Jesus] desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls. . . . I am giving them the last hope of salvation; that is, the Feast of My Mercy.”

Among the practices associated with the devotion are its novena, the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy (a series of prayers organized similarly to a rosary), the Hour of Great Mercy (a time of prayer traditionally celebrated at 3 p.m.), and the plenary indulgence granted to those who receive the Eucharist and celebrate reconciliation on Divine Mercy Sunday.

But the road to the universal recognition and institutionalization of the devotion was anything but smooth. Since Sister Faustina’s diary, which she claimed Jesus himself had asked her to keep, had been previously listed on the Index of Forbidden Books, it curtailed the exercise of the devotional practices. Detractors claimed that her writing contained theological errors, while her defenders attribute mistakes to a faulty translation from Polish to Italian. While the diary is no longer on the Index and her canonization has officially put away concerns regarding the orthodoxy of her writings, critics remain.

The celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday is an opportunity to reflect on the theme of how God’s mercy can overcome sin and, as the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments states, “a perennial invitation to the Christian world to face, with confidence in divine benevolence, the difficulties and trials that mankind [sic] will experience in the years to come.”

This article appeared in the May 2011 issue of U.S. Catholic (Vol. 76, No. 5, page 46).

Saint John Paul II in his own words: Addressing the Permanent Deacons of the Church

Active apostles of the new evangelization   Holy Father addresses permanent deacons and their families during Jubilee celebration in Rome On 18-20 February permanent deacons from around the world celebrated their Jubilee in Rome. On Friday evening they prayed the Rosary and attended Eucharistic adoration at the Basilica of St Mary Major. On Saturday morning they participated in Holy Mass in the Paul VI Hall and listened to a conference on St Laurence as an example for today's deacons. The talk was followed by an audience with the Holy Father. In the evening there was a meeting for married permanent deacons and their families at the Church of the Holy Spirit "in Sassia", followed by a penitential procession of all the deacons from the obelisk in St Peter's Square through the Holy Door into the Vatican Basilica. On the last day Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, celebrated Mass with diaconal ordinations at the Altar of the Chair in St Peter's Basilica. At his audience with permanent deacons and their families on Saturday, 19 February, the Holy Father gave the following address in Italian. Here is a translation.     Your Eminences, Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate and the Priesthood, Dear Deacons and your relatives,   1. It is a great joy for me to meet you at this significant Jubilee event. I greet Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, and his assistants who have organized these intense days of prayer and brotherhood. I greet the Cardinals and prelates gathered here. I especially greet you, dear permanent deacons, your families and everyone who has accompanied you on this pilgrimage to the tombs of the Apostles. You have come to Rome to celebrate your Jubilee: I welcome you with affection! This is an excellent occasion to reflect on the meaning and value of your permanent and not transitory identity as those ordained not for the priesthood, but for the diaconate (cf. Second Vatican Council Lumen gentium, n. 29). As ministers of God's People, you are called to work in liturgical service, in teaching and catechesis, and in the service of charity in communion with the Bishop and the presbyterate. And this extraordinary year of grace, which is the Jubilee, aims at helping you grasp even more radically the beauty of life in Christ. Life in the One who is the Holy Door!     Have trust in Jesus who redeemed us by the Cross   2. In fact, the Jubilee is an important time for self-examination and inner purification, but also for recovering that missionary awareness inherent in the mystery of Christ and the Church. Whoever believes that Christ the Lord is the way, the truth and the life, whoever knows that the Church is his continuation in history, whoever has a personal experience of all this cannot fail, for this very reason, to become fervently missionary. Dear deacons, be active apostles of the new evangelization. Lead everyone to Christ! Through your efforts, may his kingdom also spread in your family, in your workplace, in the parish, in the Diocese, in the whole world! This mission, at least in intention and zeal, must stir the hearts of sacred ministers and spur them to the total gift of themselves. Let nothing stop you, but persevere in fidelity to Christ, following the example of the deacon Laurence whose revered and celebrated relic you have wished to bring here for this occasion. In our times too there are people whom God calls to the martyrdom of blood; far more numerous, however, are those believers who must endure the "martyrdom" of misunderstanding. Do not be upset by problems and conflicts but, on the contrary, have ever greater trust in Jesus who redeemed humanity through the martyrdom of the Cross. 3. Dear deacons, let us enter the new millennium with the whole Church, who urges her children to purify themelves, through repentance, of past errors and instances of infidelity, inconsistency and slowness to act (cf. Apostolic Letter Tertio millennio adveniente, n. 33). The first to set the example must be the ordained ministers: Bishops, priests, deacons. This purification and this repentance are to be understood as referring especially to each one of us personally. Our consciences as sacred ministers working in this era are the first to be challenged. Before the Holy Door we sense the need to "break away" from our selfish world, from our doubts, from our infidelities, and we hear the pressing invitation to "enter" the holy world of Jesus, which is the world of full fidelity to the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. The divine Teacher's words echo in our hearts: "Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Mt 11:28). Dear deacons, perhaps some of you are tired because of the burden of your duties, because of frustration due to unsuccessful apostolic projects, because many misunderstand you. Do not lose heart! Throw yourselves into Christ's arms: he will refresh you. May this be your Jubilee: a pilgrimage of conversion to Jesus.   Your spirituality is essentially one of service   4. Faithful to Christ in all things, dear deacons, you will also be faithful to the various ministries the Church entrusts to you. How valuable is your service to the Word and to catechesis! And what can we say of the diakonia of the Eucharist, which brings you into direct contact with the altar of sacrifice in your liturgical service? In addition, you rightly strive to live without separating your liturgical service from that of charity in its concrete forms. This shows that the sign of Gospel love cannot be reduced to categories of mere solidarity but follows as a logical consequence of the Eucharistic mystery. By virtue of the sacramental bond that unites you with the Bishops and priests, you live ecclesial communio to the full. Although the diaconal brotherhood in your Diocese does not constitute a structural reality analogous to that of the priests, it spurs you to share the Pastors' concern. All the features of your specific spirituality, which is essentially a spirituality of service, clearly flow from your identity as deacons. 5. Dear friends, the Jubilee is an appropriate time to restore the original and authentic features of this identity and this spirituality, so that every apostolic energy can be interiorly renewed and mobilized. Christ's question: "When the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?" (Lk 18:8) resounds with particular eloquence on this Jubilee occasion. Faith must be passed on and communicated. It is also your task to share with the younger generation the one unchanging Gospel of salvation, so that the future will be filled with hope for everyone. May the Blessed Virgin sustain you in this mission. I accompany you with my prayer, strengthened by a special Apostolic Blessing, which I cordially impart to you, to your wives, to your children and to all the deacons who serve the Gospel in every part of the world.

Day 9 of the Divine Mercy Novena

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Ninth Day "Today bring to Me the Souls who have become Lukewarm, and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. These souls wound My Heart most painfully. My soul suffered the most dreadful loathing in the Garden of Olives because of lukewarm souls. They were the reason I cried out: 'Father, take this cup away from Me, if it be Your will.' For them, the last hope of salvation is to run to My mercy."  Most compassionate Jesus, You are Compassion Itself. I bring lukewarm souls into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart. In this fire of Your pure love, let these tepid souls who, like corpses, filled You with such deep loathing, be once again set aflame. O Most Compassionate Jesus, exercise the omnipotence of Your mercy and draw them into the very ardor of Your love, and bestow upon them the gift of holy love, for nothing is beyond Your power.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon lukewarm souls who are nonetheless enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Father of Mercy, I beg You by the bitter Passion of Your Son and by His three-hour agony on the Cross: Let them, too, glorify the abyss of Your mercy. Amen. 

Homily for Divine Mercy Sunday

Oh, mercy, mercy me!  Things ain't what they used to be!  The incredible Marvin Gaye sang these lyrics over 40 year ago.  Indeed, mercy, mercy me!


Haven't all of us needed mercy?  And hopefully, many of us have offered mercy.  How often in our lives have we caught ourselves in everyday situations uttering those same words we pray at Mass: "Lord have mercy"?


As people of faith, we need God's mercy and in his resurrected Son, we have Divine Mercy!!


Today is Catholic overload.  I hope you share my excitement because I can hardly contain myself!  We are still in the Octave of Easter, rejoicing in the Resurrection and singing Easter Alleluia's.  Today, we celebrate the Feast of Divine Mercy!  And on this Feast of Divine Mercy we have the historic and spiritually significant canonizations of two Pope's:  John XXIII and John Paul II.  What an awesome day to be together in community and celebrate our faith!!  And if that is not enough, locally our parish community celebrated Confirmation during this Easter week with 11 young adults and 4 adults being sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit.  And we will celebrate today 2 Baptisms!  Catholic overload!


Today's Gospel on this Feast of Divine Mercy gives us the familiar story of doubting Thomas.  We know the story well.  For me, all I can say is poor Thomas!  He totally missed out on the first appearance of Jesus after the Resurrection in the upper room.  When the others relate the story to him, he doubts.  Like us, Thomas says I need proof!  Prove it to me!  Notice how Jesus handles the challenge.  With mercy and patience, on his next appearance a week later, Jesus gives Thomas want he wants: proof!  Jesus let Thomas touch his wounds and come to believe!  Thomas now knows for certain and says clearly, my Lord and my God!  Do we call Jesus our Lord and God?  And if we do, is it in faith, or do we too require more proof.  Blessed are those who believe and have not seen!  Yes, poor Thomas will be forever known as doubting Thomas, but we all can admit that sometimes, in our own weakness, we doubt too. 


Let's return to that first appearance, the one that Thomas missed!  Jesus also gave power to the Apostles upon that visit.  Breathing on them, he told them they could now forgive or retain sins!  Jesus Himself institutes the Sacrament of Reconciliation!  2,000 years later, the successors of these Apostles, Bishops & Priests, acting in the person of Jesus, can absolve our sins when we seek to make a good confession.  Instead of doubt, we should remember the words of Divine Mercy: Jesus, I trust in you!


This weekend, and in the week ahead, there is so much we can do to grow in faith and erase our doubts.  Reread this Gospel and we can ask ourselves, if in Thomas' shoes, would we too have doubts, would we require proof?  Can we admit that it may indeed be time to return to the Sacrament of Reconciliation?  How much do we know about today's Feast of Divine Mercy?  Perhaps this week, we can pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.  And if we do not know how to do this, there are plenty of resources to help us.  Perhaps this week we can reflect on the lives and service of our new Saints, Pope John XXIII and John Paul II.  What courageous and powerful witnesses they were, throughout their life and during their papacy.  John XXIII who called for Vatican II, asking the Church to put aside a spirit of fear and be a river of mercy.  John Paul II, the Pope of almost all of our lives, who gave us this Feast of Divine Mercy and taught us, be not afraid, open wide our doors to Christ.  We can know pray to and through these Saints to intercede for us in our many prayer intentions!  Catholic overload; there are so many ways to celebrate this second week of Easter!  Rejoice and be glad.


Oh, mercy, mercy me.  Things certainly ain't what they used to be!  For when we trust fully in the Divine Mercy of our Resurrected Lord, we will never have doubts!

Will two Popes witness the canonization of two Popes?

Rome official: Retired pope to attend canonizations; spokesman cautious
By Judith HarrisCatholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Retired Pope Benedict XVI is expected to attend the canonization of Blesseds John XXIII and John Paul II April 27, said Msgr. Liberio Andreatta, head of the Vatican-related pilgrim agency, Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi.

"Never before have there been two popes canonized and two popes living," he said at a news conference in Rome April 23 to discuss final plans and preparations for pilgrims. "You can imagine their emotions!"

However, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, continued to caution journalists, saying that while the retired pope certainly had been invited to the Mass, "we'll have to wait and see" if, at 87 years old, he feels up to attending.

Retired Pope Benedict XVI greets Pope Francis at the conclusion of a consistory at which Pope Francis created 19 new cardinals in St. Peter's Basilica Feb. 22. (CNS/Paul Haring)

During the canonization Mass, Msgr. Andreatta said, priests will be stationed amid the crowds in St. Peter's Square and along the broad Via della Conciliazione, leading to the square, in order to distribute Communion even to those far from the altar.

Planning for the predicted arrival of millions of visitors has been a daunting task for both the Vatican and the city of Rome.

"Still, we want to make this event livable," stressed Msgr. Andreatta. "We also had to meet expenses, which we have done thanks to sponsorship."

Of the 40-some sponsors, the largest single contributor was ENI, the multinational energy agency which is Italy's largest single industrial company, he said.

Maurizio Pucci, director of special events planning for the city of Rome, told reporters that while the city has been informed officially of the arrival of 58 chartered planes and 700 buses coming from all over Europe, the actual number of visitors cannot be calculated.

"Many more are expected," said Pucci. "Our concerns have included arranging parking spaces for this unknown number of buses." The parking must be close to public transportation so the passengers can reach the center of Rome.

For buses arriving from abroad, overhead signs on major highways have been programmed to provide directions in English, Polish, French, as well as Italian, he said.

Street cleaners are already working overtime, Pucci added, and their chores include keeping the 980 portable toilets clean and odor-free.

Security is a prime concern. From 7 p.m. April 26, the evening before the canonization, most of central Rome will be off limits to vehicles, except police cars, ambulances and cars carrying visiting heads of state. Tight security measures will extend to the Tiber River banks and Rome's underground tunnels and catacombs. However, access to St. Peter's Square and to Via della Conciliazione will be open to everyone on foot, Msgr. Andreatta said.

In its preparations, the Diocese of Rome is reaching out to the digital generation through tweets and a free app available in English, Spanish and Polish, as well as Italian.

The app -- Santo Subito -- provides such pragmatic details as maps, the time and place of events, the addresses of the churches which will remain open for a prayer vigil the night of April 26, and spiritual reflections based upon the teachings of both future saints. The app, developed with the help of volunteer university students, is available for both Android and IOS formats.

The Rome diocesan office promoting Blessed John Paul's cause also has a YouTube page -- www.youtube.com/user/adminkarol -- with videos in a variety of languages.

Msgr. Andreatta said that in addition to the 17 large video screens that will be erected around the center of Rome for pilgrims wanting to avoid the bigger crowds, another will be set up in Terminal 3 of Rome's Leonardo da Vinci International Airport and one in the square in front of the cathedral of Milan in northern Italy.

END

On this weekend for all things Pope; a feast day for the 3rd Pope of the Catholic Chuch

St. Cletus

Feastday: April 26

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St. Cletus was the third bishop of Rome, and succeeded St. Linus, which circumstance alone shows his eminent virtue among the first disciples of St. Peter in the West. He sat twelve years, from 76 to 89. The canon of the Roman mass, (which Bossuet and all others agree to be of primitive antiquity,) Bede, and other Martyrologists, style him a martyr. He was buried near St. Linus, on the Vatican, and his relics still remain in that church.

The official church prayers to(through) Saints John XXIII and John Paul II

Vatican issues official prayers to Saints John XXIII & John Paul II

Posted on April 25, 2014 by Carol Glatz

The Vatican hung the banners of Blesseds John Paul II and John XXIII on the facade of St. Peter’s Basilica April 25. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

VATICAN CITY — The banners of Blesseds Pope John Paul II and John XXIII were hung on the facade of St. Peter’s Basilica today and the official prayer cards of the two new saints have been printed.
Cardinal Angelo Comastri, the papal vicar for Vatican City, produced the cards, which will be distribution after the two popes’ canonizations on Sunday.
This is what they look like with the prayers on the back:

The cardinal’s office said there were no plans to provide official translations of the prayers. So, for the time being, we’d like to offer you our own translation here:

Prayer to St. John Paul II

Oh, St. John Paul, from the window of heaven, grant us your blessing! Bless the church that you loved and served and guided, courageously leading it along the paths of the world in order to bring Jesus to everyone and everyone to Jesus. Bless the young, who were your great passion. Help them dream again, help them look up high again to find the light that illuminates the paths of life here on earth.
May you bless families, bless each family! You warned of Satan’s assault against this precious and indispensable divine spark that God lit on earth. St. John Paul, with your prayer, may you protect the family and every life that blossoms from the family.
Pray for the whole world, which is still marked by tensions, wars and injustice. You tackled war by invoking dialogue and planting the seeds of love: pray for us so that we may be tireless sowers of peace.
Oh St. John Paul, from heaven’s window, where we see you next to Mary, send God’s blessing down upon us all. Amen.

Prayer to St. John XXIII

Dear Pope John,
Your simplicity and meekness carried the scent of God and sparked in people’s hearts the desire for goodness. You spoke often of the beauty of the family gathered around the table to share bread and faith: pray for us that once again true families would live in our homes.
Without outstretched hands you sowed hope, and you taught us to listen for God’s footsteps as he prepares a new humanity: help us have a healthy optimism of defeating evil with good.
You loved the world with its light and darkness, and you believed that peace is possible: help us be instruments of peace at home and in our communities.
With paternal gentleness you gave all children a caress: you moved the world and reminded us that hands have been given to us not for striking, but for embracing and drying tears.
Pray for us so that we do not limit ourselves to cursing the darkness but that we bring the light, bringing Jesus everywhere and always praying to Mary. Amen.

Two very different people, two Popes canonized together

Three popes, one brilliant move

Opinion by John Carr, special to CNN

(CNN) - This Sunday, Pope Francis will canonize “Good” Pope John and Pope John Paul “the Great.”
These popular references to Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II recall the ancient practice of choosing saints by public acclaim.
Sunday's ceremony, on the other hand, is the result of a more elaborate process and a brilliant decision by their successor, Pope Francis.
Though they will be canonized together, in some ways these two popes were very different people.
Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli was one of 14 children from an Italian peasant family who became a historian, diplomat, bishop and then Pope John XXIII.
Long before Pope Francis' off-script, populist touches led some to dub him the "people's pope," John broke precedent by escaping the Vatican to visit hospitals and prisons.
He left as a legacy his encyclical “Pacem in Terris,” which was addressed for the first time not just to Catholics, but to all those of “good will.” It reshaped Catholic teaching on human rights and made an impassioned call for peace amid the Cold War.
Though John XXIII served for only five years (1958-1963), he forever changed the church by convening the Second Vatican Council, which reformed Catholic liturgy, interfaith relations and the church's approach to the modern world.
Karol Józef Wojtyła was the third child of a captain in the Polish Army. He was an actor, athlete, philosopher and theologian who became a bishop, cardinal and then the first non-Italian Pope in centuries, Pope John Paul II.
As Pope, he did not just write to “people of good will,” he traveled to 129 countries to meet and speak to millions of them. His encyclicals reaffirmed and enriched Catholic teaching on work and labor, solidarity and the market, human life and the search for truth.
He served five times longer than Pope John, for more than a quarter century. He changed the world with his courage in standing with the workers of Solidarity and the Polish people against Soviet domination and Communist repression. That nonviolent resistance was the beginning of the demise of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War.
John Paul II, from the first moment of his papacy, said "do not be afraid." Likewise, John XXIII was unafraid of opening the windows of the church to the modern world.
Both men called for the church to engage modern times and not to turn inward to simply preserve and protect its ideas and traditions.
The world took notice.
Pope Francis was not the first Pope to be Time magazine’s “person of the year.” Both John XXIII and John Paul II were recognized on the cover of Time’s year end issues.
But, even in the midst of this celebration of the holiness and leadership of these two popes, it would be a mistake to ignore the challenges and shortcomings of the church and its leaders.
Catholics sharply disagree on the how the Second Vatican Council's reforms have been implemented, on the way authority is exercised, on the role of women in the church and on matters of human sexuality.
Clearly, John Paul II’s legacy is scarred by his inattention and inaction on the clerical sexual abuse crisis, and the whole church is haunted by this terrible failure.
Pope Francis is trying to address these challenges and is calling on Catholics to refocus on fundamentals: On God’s love and mercy, on our duty to love and defend the poor, the vulnerable, the very young and very old and those left behind by an economy of exclusion and injustice.
The genius of the twin canonizations is that they bridge generations, church divisions and different visions of holiness and greatness.
A progressive urban pastor can smile at the memory and hopes that came with John XXIII.
At the same time, the “JPII generation” of younger, more conservative priests can celebrate the strong leadership that called them to serve the church.
Lay men and women can recall that John XXIII and John Paul II called them to greater responsibility in the church and in sharing the Gospel and Catholic teaching in the world.
For Catholics, this is a time to honor John XXIII’s humanity, holiness and call for renewal and John Paul’s strength and courage in facing prolonged illness and in standing with workers and for freedom in Poland.
By canonizing them together, Pope Francis avoids the danger of lifting up one way of leading the church as the only way to guide the Catholic family of faith.
Their differing histories, personalities, strengths, weaknesses and legacies can help Catholics appreciate legitimate differences within the one body of Christ.
If both Pope John and Pope John Paul can be made saints on the same day, maybe Catholics can be more respectful of differing perspectives and priorities in today’s church.
On Sunday, there may be cheers from very different parts of the crowd in Saint Peter’s Square at very different moments.
However, we are one family of faith, united by a common Gospel, consistent teaching and the complementary legacies of these two “fathers” we call “holy” in a new way.
John Carr is director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University. He previously served for more than two decades as the director of justice and peace efforts of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The views expressed in this column belong to Carr.

Day 8 of the Divine Mercy Novena

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Eighth Day "Today bring to Me the Souls who are in the prison of Purgatory, and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. Let the torrents of My Blood cool down their scorching flames. All these souls are greatly loved by Me. They are making retribution to My justice. It is in your power to bring them relief. Draw all the indulgences from the treasury of My Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only knew the torments they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and pay off their debt to My justice."    Most Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said that You desire mercy; so I bring into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls in Purgatory, souls who are very dear to You, and yet, who must make retribution to Your justice. May the streams of Blood and Water which gushed forth from Your Heart put out the flames of Purgatory, that there, too, the power of Your mercy may be celebrated.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls suffering in Purgatory, who are enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. I beg You, by the sorrowful Passion of Jesus Your Son, and by all the bitterness with which His most sacred Soul was flooded: Manifest Your mercy to the souls who are under Your just scrutiny. Look upon them in no other way but only through the Wounds of Jesus, Your dearly beloved Son; for we firmly believe that there is no limit to Your goodness and compassion. Amen.