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On
May 23rd, 2000, Pope John Paul II decreed that, “throughout
the world, the Second Sunday of Easter will receive the name Divine Mercy
Sunday.”
I expect most people are familiar with the Divine Mercy picture: it shows Jesus
entering a darkened room, perhaps through a closed door, just as he did in
today’s Gospel when he appeared to Thomas and the other disciples a week after
his resurrection. He stands with one hand raised in blessing and the other is
pointing to his heart from which stream two rays of light — one red and the
other pale blue. These rays represent the blood and water which flowed from
Jesus’ pierced side as he hung upon the Cross. The blood and water, in turn,
symbolize the Sacraments of the Eucharist and Baptism. What we learn from the
picture is that Jesus comes into our lives, even when we try to close the door
to him through fear, selfishness, or sin. And when he comes to us, mercy and
grace flow from his Sacred Heart through the sacramental life of the Church. At
the bottom of the picture are inscribed the words, “Jesus,
I trust in you.”
These words portray a simple act of faith that signifies our complete reliance
upon our Lord’s Divine Mercy.
This
feast of Divine Mercy stems from a series of private revelations given by our
Lord in the 1930’s to a Polish nun by the name of
Sister Maria Faustina Kowalska. The revelations given to Sr. Faustina were
recorded by her in a diary of about 600 pages and have been approved by the
Church. She was canonized in the year 2000. In St. Faustina’s diary, we learn
of the Image of Divine Mercy and also about the Divine Mercy Chaplet, a series
of simple prayers for God’s mercy upon us and upon the whole world to be said
on ordinary Rosary beads. Also St. Faustina writes about the Hour of Mercy, how
our Lord desires that every day at three o’clock which is the hour of his
death on the Cross, the supreme sign and source of God’s mercy be recalled in
prayer and devotion.
There
is great significance in the fact that Divine Mercy Sunday is
celebrated on the Sunday after Easter when in the Gospel, we see the Divine
Mercy of Jesus is granted to doubting Thomas when our Lord encourages him to
touch the wounds which healed us and to feel his pierced side, the fount of our
salvation. To this, Thomas cries out,
“My
Lord and my God!”
This act of faith, captured in that motto, is inscribed on every image of the
Divine Mercy: “Jesus,
I trust in you.”
So at the core of Divine Mercy is God’s love bestowed upon us in the
forgiveness of sins, and our response of humble trust in Jesus, along with a
life of loving service to our neighbors. So this weekend, as we join the world
in the celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday, let us use this opportunity to renew
our own commitment to Christ and the
tremendous love and mercy he has for us.
How
to Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy
Using
a rosary, begin with the Sign of the Cross, say one Our Father, one Hail Mary,
and The Apostles' Creed.
On
the large beads, pray:
Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly
beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the
whole world.
On
each of the small beads, pray:
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
(Repeat
for all five decades.)
At
the end of the Chaplet, pray three times:
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole
world.
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