Divine Mercy Sunday: Christ’s Mercy Outpoured

Divine Mercy is April 24th this year, a day we recognize and reach out to the Immaculate Heart of Jesus and His Divine Mercy. Where did it come from, what does it mean, and how can we best observe it?

Divine Mercy Sunday starts with Jesus’s visit to Sister Maria Faustina Kowalska in Poland in the 1930s. Jesus visited Sister Faustina and asked her to write down all that he said. This is known as the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska. Jesus desires to heal the world more than anything. He brought this message of mercy to a poor, uneducated nun who had a kind heart for the poor and devotion to Him. Over time, this message has been spread throughout the world as the Diary has been translated into multiple languages.

Jesus asked Maria Faustina to dedicate the Second Sunday in Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday. This makes sense as it brings the Easter octave to a close and Easter is all about His great Love for us and His redeeming glory. He also asked her to paint a portrait of His image showering out His Divine Mercy from His Immaculate Heart. The image shows red and white beams coming from His heart. The writing below states, “Jesus, I trust in You.”

Jesus spent His time on earth preaching the gospel and us to repent and sin no more. He did not come into the world to destroy us but to redeem us. In this message of divine mercy, He desires us to accept His love and mercy and share this mercy with others. He desires us to trust in Him and spread His message of love and mercy throughout the world. Aside from Works of Mercy, Spiritual and Corporal, we can pray especially for the whole world to accept His Mercy.

If you haven’t done this yet, you can pray The Divine Mercy Chaplet. A novena including this holy prayer started days ago, but feel free to join in anytime with Pray More Novenas by clicking here. This way, you can join your prayers to all those praying for the world, around the world! Typically, the prayers are said at 3pm since we recognize this time as the time Jesus died on the Cross, but it can be prayed anytime throughout the day. Jesus also begged that we recognize the 3 o’clock hour wherever we are. We are to pray the Stations of the Cross, be present with the Most Holy Eucharist, or at least be present with the Lord in prayer at this moment. Also, the chaplet uses a rosary, but if you don’t have one handy, you can use your finger or something else as long as you can keep count.

A humble Polish nun, St. Faustina received extraordinary revelations in the 1930s, which she recorded in her diary. Our Lord told her, “In the Old Covenant I sent prophets wielding thunderbolts to My people. Today I am sending you with My mercy to the people of the whole world. I do not want to punish aching mankind, but I desire to heal it, pressing it to My Merciful Heart” (Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 1588). Jesus specially chose her for the mission of bringing His message of Mercy to the world, and He called Divine Mercy Sunday mankind’s “last hope of salvation” (995). Your help in petitioning the Holy See to declare St. Faustina a Doctor of the Church would magnify Christ’s redemptive mission to proclaim anew His infinite love and mercy for all humanity. Please help spread God’s Divine Mercy through St. Faustina! (https://www.thedivinemercy.org/)