Divine Mercy Sunday
Divine Mercy Sunday, celebrated on the Second Sunday of Easter, is based on the private revelations of St. Faustina Kowalska as well as on the liturgical readings for the day. It is important to note that Divine Mercy Sunday is not a feast based solely on St. Faustina and her private revelations nor is it altogether a new feast. The Second Sunday of Easter was already a solemnity as the Octave Day of Easter. The title "Divine Mercy Sunday" does, however, highlight the meaning of the day.
In 2000, St. John Paul II canonized St. Faustina and, during the ceremony, he 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." In the readings, the liturgy seems to indicate the path of mercy which, while re-establishing the relationship of each person with God, also creates new relations of fraternal solidarity among human beings.
Now, one might ask if it is based on private revelations, why is it on the church calendar? In his theological commentary in The Message of Fatima, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger wrote “… private revelations often spring from popular piety… Nor does this exclude that they will have an effect even on the liturgy, as we see for instance in the feasts of Corpus Christi and of the Sacred Heart of Jesus … the relationship between Revelation and private revelations appears in the relationship between the liturgy and popular piety: The liturgy is the criterion, it is the living form of the Church as a whole, fed directly by the Gospel. Popular piety is a sign that the faith is spreading its roots into the heart of a people in such a way that it reaches into daily life…. While it must always take its lead and direction from the liturgy, it in turn enriches the faith by involving the heart.”
The Church encourages devotion to Divine Mercy by, among other things, offering a plenary indulgence so that the faithful might receive in great abundance the gift of the consolation of the Holy Spirit. St. John Paul said that such an indulgence cannot be received automatically or simply by fulfilling a few exterior requirements nor can it be approached with a superficial attitude.
The reception of an indulgence depends on “our turning away from sin and our conversion to God,” he said. For these reasons, there are several conditions for receiving an indulgence, including a spirit detached from sin, sacramental confession and Eucharistic Communion as soon as possible, and prayer for the Holy Father’s intentions. The Plenary Indulgence offered by The Church on Divine Mercy Sunday is unique because rather than being available for others or souls already in purgatory, it is for the individual. There is more information about Divine Mercy and this plenary indulgence at https://www.thedivinemercy.org
Please join with the St. Rose Community as we gather for Adoration and to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet on Sunday, April 24 at 3 PM.
- Deacon Ed Herrera