What is Mercy Sunday and How to Celebrate it
What is Divine Mercy Sunday?
In a series of revelations to St. Maria Faustina Kowalska in the 1930s, our Lord called for a special feast day to be celebrated on the Sunday after Easter. Today, we know that feast as Divine Mercy Sunday, named by Pope St. John Paul II at the canonization of St. Faustina on April 30, 2000.
Nevertheless, Divine Mercy Sunday is NOT a feast based solely on St. Faustina's revelations. Indeed, it is not primarily about St. Faustina — 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.
There are two special graces available on Divine Mercy Sunday: a Special Plenary Indulgence and the Extraordinary Grace. (You can learn more here)
Please remember to tell those who are not able to join us that they can receive the same plenary indulgence and Extraordinary Grace wherever they are by following the same guidance!
If you are unable to attend Mass, you can still receive the Plenary Indulgence and Extraordinary Grace through a Spiritual Communion. Please follow this link for further instructions.
You can also make an act of Spiritual Communion by watching the Divine Mercy Sunday Mass on EWTN or on TheDivineMercy.org starting at 12:00 p.m. (Eastern) with the Preview Show, followed by the Holy Mass at 1:30 p.m.
How to prepare for Mercy Sunday
To fittingly observe Divine Mercy Sunday in a solemn way, we should:
- Celebrate the Feast on the Sunday after Easter;
- Sincerely repent of all our sins;
- Place our complete trust in Jesus;
- Go to Confession, preferably before that Sunday; (How to Make a Good Confession)
- Receive Holy Communion on the day of the Feast;
- Venerate the Image of The Divine Mercy (To venerate a sacred image or statue simply means to perform some act or make some gesture of deep religious respect toward it because of the person whom it represents, in this case, our Most Merciful Savior);
- Be merciful to others, through our actions, words, and prayers on their behalf:
Going to Confession is not the only way we should prepare ourselves for Divine Mercy Sunday. As Cardinal Francis Macharski, then Archbishop of Cracow, Poland, explained in a 1985 pastoral letter, we are not simply called to ask for God's mercy with trust. We are also called to be merciful:
Our own merciful attitude is likewise a preparation. Without deeds of mercy, our devotion would not be real. For Christ does not only reveal the mercy of God, but at the same time He places before people the demand that they conduct themselves in life with love and mercy. Pope John Paul II states that this requirement constitutes the very heart of the Gospel ethos (Rich in Mercy, 3) it is the commandment of love and the promise: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy" (Mt 5:7). Let it be a mercy that is forgiving and true, and universal, with good words, deeds, and prayer for others!
Our Lord's words to St. Faustina about this requirement to be merciful are very strong and leave no room for misinterpretation:
Yes, the first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be acts of mercy...
I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it (742).
To learn more about Mercy Sunday in General, Visit The Divine Mercy.org
click here to access and download the book: Understanding Divine Mercy Sunday