Divine Mercy Image Explained - Fr. Mark Goring, CC

Divine Mercy Sunday - Be Ready for Graces

THE FEAST OF MERCY (Divine Mercy Sunday)

Among all of the elements of devotion to The Divine Mercy requested by our Lord through Sr. Faustina, the Feast of Mercy holds first place. The Lord's will with regard to its establishment was already made known in His first revelation to the saint. In all, there were 14 revelations concerning the desired feast.

Once after insisting, "Do all you possibly can for this work of mercy," Jesus added: "My Heart rejoices on account of this feast." Sister Faustina concluded: "After these words, I understood that nothing can dispense me from the obligation which the Lord demands of me" (Diary, 998).

Our Lord's explicit desire is that this feast be celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. He joins the feast to the designated Sunday in eight revelations: Diary, 49, 88, 280, 299, 341, 570, 699, and 742. He also implies a connection between the feast and that Sunday on some other occasions recorded in the saint's Diary (see Diary, 420, 89).

St. Faustina, St. John Paul II - The Spark from Poland

The "First Sunday after Easter" ‑ which is designated in "The Liturgy of the Hours and the Celebration of the Eucharist" as the "Octave Day of Easter" ‑ was officially called the Second Sunday of Easter after the liturgical reform of Vatican II. Now, by the Decree of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, the name of this liturgical day has been changed to: 

"Second Sunday of Easter, 

or of Divine Mercy."

Pope John Paul II made the surprise announcement of this change in his homily at the canonization of Sr. Faustina on April 30, 2000. There, 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.' "

By the words "the whole message," the Holy Father was referring to the strict connection between the "Easter Mystery of the Redemption" ‑ the suffering, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, followed by the sending of the Holy Spirit ‑ and this Feast of Divine Mercy, the Octave Day of Easter.

In this regard, the Holy Father also said, citing the Responsorial Psalm of the Liturgy, "The Church sings ... , as if receiving from Christ's lips these words of the Psalm" [that is, Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His steadfast love (=mercy) endures forever, Ps 118:1]. And then, the Holy Father developed the connection further: "[This comes] from the lips of the risen Christ, who bears the great message of Divine Mercy and entrusts its ministry to the Apostles in the Upper Room: 'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, even so I send you. ... Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained' " (Jn 20:21‑23).

By what the Holy Father continued to say, it becomes clear why Jesus insisted that the sacred image of Himself as The Divine Mercy is to be venerated throughout the world in connection with the observance of this Sunday (see Diary, 49, 88, 299, 341, 570, 742). The Holy Father said: "Before speaking these words, Jesus shows His hands and His side. He points, that is, to the wounds of the Passion, especially the wound in His Heart, the source from which flows the great wave of mercy poured out on humanity.

"From that Heart, Sr. Faustina Kowalska, the blessed whom from now on we will call a saint, will see two rays of light shining from that Heart and illuminating the world: 'The two rays,' Jesus Himself explained to her one day, 'represent blood and water' (Diary, 299).

Jesus Pierced with a Lance -- and Blood and Water gushed out

"Blood and water! We immediately think of the testimony given by the Evangelist John, who, when a soldier on Calvary pierced Christ's side with his spear, sees blood and water flowing from it (cf. Jn 19:34). 

Moreover, if the blood recalls the sacrifice of the Cross and the gift of the Eucharist, the water, in Johannine symbolism, represents not only Baptism but also the gift of the Holy Spirit (cf. Jn 3:5; 4:14; 7:37‑39).

"Divine Mercy reaches human beings through the Heart of Christ crucified: 'Tell, My daughter, [all people] that I am Love and Mercy itself [personified]' Jesus will ask of Sr. Faustina (Diary, 1074). 

Christ pours out this mercy on humanity through the sending of the Spirit who, in the Trinity, is the Person‑Love. 

And is not mercy love's 'second name' (cf. Rich in Mercy, n.7), understood in its deepest and most tender aspect, in its ability to take upon itself the burden of any need and, especially, in its most immense capacity for forgiveness?"

From this teaching of the Holy Father on that most solemn occasion of his "presenting the life and witness of Sr. Faustina Kowalska. to the whole Church as a gift of God to our time," it can be deduced that the most opportune time, the most proper one, for the solemn honoring of The Divine Mercy falls immediately after the Paschal Feast of Easter, recalling the attaining of our Redemption.

St. Augustine called the eight days of Easter (which the Church liturgically considers as constituting a single day ‑ the day of the new creation) "days of mercy and pardon." He calls the Sunday of this Paschal Octave (which our Lord insisted with St. Faustina is the Feast of Mercy [Diary, 88]) "the summary of the days of mercy" (Sermon 156, Dom. In Albis). It is no wonder, then, that already during his pilgrimage to Blessed Faustina's tomb on June 7, 1997, Pope John Paul 11 declared: "I give thanks to Divine Providence that I have been enabled to contribute personally to the fulfillment of Christ's will through the institution of the Feast of Divine Mercy."

Novena

In fact, Jesus Himself dictated the intentions for each day of the novena which starts on Good Friday and He desired to be celebrated as a preparation for the solemn observance of this feast.

 Veneration of the Image

Divine Mercy

The image of Jesus, The Divine Mercy, is to have a special place of honor on the Feast of Mercy, a visual reminder of all that Jesus did for us through His Passion, Death, and Resurrection ... and a reminder, too, of what He asks of us in return ‑ to trust Him and be merciful to others:

"I want the image to be solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter, and I want it to be venerated publicly so that every soul may know about it" (341).

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A Special Promise of Mercy

Our Lord's promise to grant complete forgiveness of sins and punishment on the Feast of Mercy is recorded three times in the Diary of Saint Faustina, each time in a slightly different way:

"I want to grant a complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My mercy" (1109).

"Whoever approaches the Fountain of Life on this day will be granted complete forgiveness of sins and punishment" (300).

"The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion will obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment" (699).

Extraordinary Graces 

Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist

Our Lord is emphasizing, through this promise, the infi­nite value of Confession and Communion as miracles of mercy. He wants us to realize that since the Eucharist is His own Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, it is the "Fountain of Life" (300). The Eucharist is Jesus, Himself, the Living God, longing to pour Himself as Mercy into our hearts.

Why would Our Lord feel the need to emphasize this? Because so many people do not really understand it. They either see no need to receive Holy Communion, or they receive it simply out of habit. As St. Paul explains in his letter to the Corinthians, they eat the bread or drink the  cup of the Lord unworthily, "without recognizing the body of the Lord" (I Cor 11:27‑29).

In His revelations to Saint Faustina Our Lord makes it very clear what He is offering us in Holy Communion and how much it hurts Him when we treat His presence with indifference:

"My great delight is to unite Myself with souls ... When I come to a human heart in Holy Communion, My hands are full of all kinds of graces which I want to give to the soul. But souls do not even pay any attention to Me; they leave Me to Myself and busy themselves with other things. Oh, how sad I am that souls do not recognize Love! They treat Me as a dead object" (1385) ...

"It pains Me very much when religious souls receive the Sacrament of Love merely out of habit, as if they did not distinguish this food. I find neither faith nor love in their hearts. I go to such souls with great reluctance. It would be better if they did not receive Me" (1288) ...

"How painful it is to Me that souls so seldom unite themselves to Me in Holy Communion. I wait for souls, and they are indifferent toward Me. I want to lavish My graces on them, and they do not want to accept them. They treat me as a dead object, whereas My Heart is full of love and mercy. In order that you may know at least some of My pain imagine the most tender of mothers who has great love for her children, while those children spurn her love. Consider her pain. No one is in a position to console her. This is but a feeble image and likeness of My love" (1447).

So, Our Lord's promise of complete forgiveness 

is both a reminder and a call. 

It is a reminder that He is truly present 

and truly alive in the Eucharist, 

filled with love for us and waiting for us to turn 

to Him with trust. 

And it is a call for us all to be washed clean in His Love through Confession and Holy Communion ‑ no matter how terrible our sins ‑ and begin our lives again. He is offering us a new start.

Prepare Yourself Properly

Confession and Divine Mercy

Going to Confession is not the only way we should prepare ourselves for Divine Mercy Sunday. As Cardinal Francis Macharski, Archbishop of Krakow, Poland explains 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. The Holy Father 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 Saint Faustina about this requirement to be merciful are very strong and leave no room for misinterpretation:

 

Works or Deeds of Mercy

"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).

Receive Christ Reverently

Thus, to fittingly observe the Feast of Mercy, we should:

1.    Celebrate the Feast on the Sunday after Easter;

2.    Sincerely repent of all our sins;

3.    Place our complete trust in Jesus;

4.    Go to Confession, preferably before that Sunday;

5.    Receive Holy Communion on the day of the Feast;

6.    Venerate* the Image of The Divine Mercy;

7.    Be merciful to others, through our actions, words, and    

        prayers on their behalf.

*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.

Taken from http://www.divinemercysunday.com/mercy_sunday.htm

Divine Mercy - St. John Paul II and St. Faustina

Divine Mercy Jesus speaks

(St. Faustina) In the evening , when I was in my cell, I saw the Lord Jesus clothed in a white garment.  One hand [was] raised in the gesture of blessing, the other was touching the garment at the breast.  From beneath the garment, slightly drawn aside at the breast, there were emanating two large rays, one red, the other pale.  

In silence I kept my gaze fixed on the Lord; my soul was struck with awe, but also with great joy.  After a while, Jesus said to me,

"Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: 

"Jesus, I trust in You." 

I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and then throughout the world.

I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish. 

I also promise victory over [its] Enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death, I Myself will defend it as My own glory…

I desire that there be a 

Feast of Mercy.  

I want this image, which you will paint with a brush, to be solemnly blessed on 

the first Sunday after Easter; 

that Sunday to be the Feast of Mercy……

I desire that priests proclaim this great mercy of Mine towards souls of sinners.  

Let the sinner not be afraid to approach Me.  The flames of mercy are burning Me – clamoring Me to be spent; I want to pour them out upon these souls.

… Distrust on the part of souls is tearing at My insides.  The distrust of a chosen soul causes Me even greater pain; despite My inexhaustible love for them they do not trust Me.  

Even My death is not enough for them.  

Woe to the soul that abuses these [gifts]."

Diary of St. Faustina, 47, 48, 49, 50

My daughter, tell the world about My inconceivable mercy, 

shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners.  

On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open.  

I pour out a whole ocean of graces 

upon those souls who approach the Fount of My Mercy.  

The soul that will go to Confession 

and receive Holy Communion shall obtain 

complete forgiveness of sins and punishment.  

On that day all the divine floodgates through 

which graces flow are opened.  

Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, 

even though its sins be as scarlet.  

My mercy is so great that no mind, 

be it of man or of angel, 

will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity.  

Everything that exists has come forth 

from the very depths of My most tender mercy.  

Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate 

My love and mercy throughout eternity.  

The Feast of Mercy emerged from 

My very depths of tenderness.  

It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated 

on the first Sunday after Easter.  

Mankind will not have peace 

until it runs to the Fount of My Mercy.  

Diary of St. Faustina, 699

Divine Mercy Jesus Speaks of His Longing to Save Souls

Jesus, I Trust In You

Jesus spoke to Sister Faustina these words about His Divine Mercy...

My daughter, tell the whole world about 

My inconceivable mercy.

I desire that the Feast of Mercy 

be a refuge and shelter for all souls, 

and especially for poor sinners.  

On that day the very depths of 

My tender Mercy are open.  

I pour out a whole ocean of graces 

upon those souls who approach 

the Fount of My Mercy. 

The soul that will go to Confession 

and receive Holy Communion 

shall obtain complete forgiveness 

of sins and punishment.  

On that day all the divine floodgates 

through which graces flow are opened.  

Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, 

even though its sins be as scarlet.  

My Mercy is so great that no one, 

be it of man or of angel, 

will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity.  

Everything that exists has come forth 

from the very depths of My most tender Mercy.  

Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate 

My love and Mercy throughout eternity. 

The Feast of Mercy emerged from 

My very depths of tenderness.  

It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated 

on the first Sunday after Easter.  

Mankind will not have peace 

until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy.

Excerpt from Divine Mercy in My Soul, Diary of Sister 

Maria Faustina Kowalska,  699

Jesus is calling you to His Mercy…

take advantage this Easter Season,

Divine Mercy Sunday is the Sunday

after His Glorious Resurrection!

He is waiting for YOU.

Imagine . . .

All You Sins Will Be Forgiven

You Will Be Made White As Snow

Jesus, I Trust In You!!!

Intercession Prayer to St. Faustina for Graces

Prayer to Obtain Graces 

through the Intercession of Saint Faustina

O Jesus, who filled Saint Faustina 

with profound veneration for 

Your boundless Mercy, deign, 

if it by Your holy will, 

to grant me, through her intercession, 

the grace for which I fervently pray 

(your prayer request)…

My sins render me unworthy 

of Your Mercy, 

but be mindful of Sister Faustina’s 

spirit of sacrifice and self-denial, 

and reward her virtue by granting 

the petition which, with childlike trust, 

I present to You through her intercession.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be

Saint Faustina, pray for us

Prayer to Mary, Immaculate Virgin by St. Faustina

O Mary, Immaculate Virgin,

Pure crystal for my heart,

You are my strength, O secure anchor,

You are a shield and protection for a weak heart.

O Mary, you are pure and unparalleled,

Virgin and Mother at one and the same time;

You're beautiful as the sun, by nothing defiled.

Nothing is worthy of comparison 

to the image of Your Soul.

Your beauty enthralled the 

Thrice-Holy One's eye.

That He came down from heaven, 

forsaking th'eternal See's throne.

And assumed from Your Heart Body and Blood,

Hiding for nine months in the Virgin's Heart.

O Mother, Virgin, this will no one comprehend,

That the Infinite God is becoming a man;

It's only love's and 

His inscrutable mercy's purpose.

Through You, Mother--it's given us 

to live with Him forever.

O Mary, Virgin Mother and Heaven's Gate,

Through You salvation came to us;

Every grace to us streams forth 

through Your hands,

And faithful imitation of You 

only will sanctify me.

O Mother, Virgin--most beautiful Lily.

Your Heart was for Jesus 

the first tabernacle on earth,

And that, because Your humility 

was the deepest,

Wherefore You were raised 

above Angel choirs and Saints.

O Mary, my sweet Mother,

To You I turn over my soul, 

my body and my poor heart.

Be the safeguard of my life,

Especially at death's hour, 

in the final fight.

 Prayer by St. Faustina Kowalska

Prayer for the Eucharist by St. Faustina

O Blessed Host, in golden chalice 

enclosed for me,

That through the vast 

wilderness of exile

I may pass 

pure, immaculate, undefiled;

Oh, grant that through the power 

of Your love

this might come to be.

O Blessed Host, take up 

Your dwelling within my soul,

O Thou my heart's purest love!

With Your brilliance the darkness dispel.

Refuse not Your grace to a humble heart.

O Blessed Host, enchantment of all heaven.

Though Your beauty be veiled

And captured in a crumb of bread,

Strong faith tears away that veil.

 Prayer of St. Faustina

Divine Mercy Chaplet -- St. Faustina

Divine Mercy Chaplet

 The Lord's Promise: 

 "The souls that say this chaplet will be embraced by My Mercy during their lifetime and especially at the hour of their death."

The Chaplet of Mercy is recited using ordinary rosary beads of five decades. It may be preceded by two opening prayers from the Diary of Saint Faustina and followed by a closing prayer ...

You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us.

O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of Mercy for us, I trust in You!

Begin the Chaplet with the Our Father, the Hail Mary and the Apostle's Creed:

Our Father
Our Father, Who art in heaven, 

hallowed be Thy name; 

Thy kingdom come; 

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread; 

and forgive us our trespasses as 

we forgive those who trespass against us; 

and lead us not into temptation, 

but deliver us from evil, Amen.

 

Hail Mary

 Hail Mary, full of grace. 

The Lord is with thee. 

Blessed art thou amongst women, 

and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. 

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, 

now and at the hour of our death, Amen.

The Apostle's Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, 
Creator of Heaven and earth; 
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, Our Lord, 
Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, 
born of the Virgin Mary, 
suffered under Pontius Pilate, 
was crucified; died, and was buried. 
He descended into Hell; the third day 
He arose again from the dead; 
He ascended into Heaven,  
and sits at the right hand of God, 
the Father Almighty; 
from thence He shall come 
to judge the living and the dead. 
I believe in the Holy Spirit, 
the holy Catholic Church, 
the communion of saints, 
the forgiveness of sins, 
the resurrection of the body, 
and the life everlasting. Amen.

Then, on the large bead before each decade:

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 the ten small beads of each decade, say:

For the sake of 
His sorrowful Passion,
have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Conclude with:

Holy God,
Holy Mighty One,
Holy Immortal One,
have mercy on us
and on the whole world.

(Say 3 Times)

Optional Closing Prayer

Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless 
and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, 
 look kindly upon us and increase 
Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments 
we might not despair nor become despondent, 
but with great confidence submit ourselves 
to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.

Our Lord said to Saint Faustina:

 

"Encourage souls to say the Chaplet which I have given you

... Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death ...

When they say this chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between my Father and the dying person, not as the Just Judge but as the Merciful Savior ...

Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from my infinite mercy.

I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy ... Through the Chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with My will."

Taken with gratitude from  http://www.catholicity.com/prayer/divinemercy.html