The Sunday after Easter is called Divine Mercy Sunday. It is as important as Easter Sunday because it is part of the Feast of Easter. Please Read along below to understand the significance and importance of this feast.
How long is the feast of Easter?
The feast of Easter lasts for 8 days. It is one of two special feasts in the Church calendar. What is the other 8 day feast? If you thought Christmas, you are correct!
“Easter is such a great feast that it takes a whole week to celebrate. … Our joy is too great to be captured in any shorter time. We call this the Easter Octave.”
Archbishop Allen Vigneron, Lenten Message 2011
Why is the Sunday after Easter called Divine Mercy Sunday?
The last day of the Easter feast has always been the Sunday after Easter. It was changed to Divine Mercy Sunday when St. John Paul II renamed it that in the Jubilee Year of 2000. The name (Divine Mercy Sunday) came from the writings of St Faustina, who received many messages from Jesus about how He longs for people to ask Him for Mercy. You can read more about this in her diary, Divine Mercy in My Soul.
What is the main message of Divine Mercy Sunday?
The two main things to understand about Divine Mercy Sunday are that God’s mercy is available right now but that our life on earth will end; and when it does, God will ask us ‘did you love Me by loving others?’
Is that in line with the Gospel message?
Yes. The Gospel message is that God the Father sent His Son, Jesus to earth to redeem us from our sins by suffering and dying for us, He rose from death to show that it has been conquered, and that He is returning for you and me, just like He did for Thomas in the Gospel reading for Divine Mercy Sunday:
“On the evening of that first day of the week,…, Jesus came and said to them, “Peace be with you… Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came… Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you…Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed” – JN 20:19, 24, 26, 29
Is this a new message for us?
This is same message of the Gospel, of Jesus’ life: He died for us and He rose for us. He offers us eternal happiness with Him in heaven if we do His Will on earth. This is the ‘Good News!’
Who is this message for?
This message is for the world. It is not only for Catholics, or for Christians, but for everyone because:
“God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” -Gen 1:27
What does God ask of us for Divine Mercy Sunday?
God is consistent in what He asks of us, on Divine Mercy Sunday and every day! The first thing He asks of us are the first words of Jesus when He began His public ministry, “Repent, and believe in the gospel.“ MK 1:15
What specific thing can I do to show my repentance?
The clearest way to show repentance is to go to Reconciliation. This sacrament refreshes our soul, washes away our sins and brings us back to communion with God.
How does God want me to show repentance and belief in my life?
God asks us to show our repentance and belief (trust) in Him by following His Will for our life:
“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
– MT 22:36-40
What does God promise us on Divine Mercy Sunday?
God promises us that if we ‘repent and believe’ He will bring us to heaven to spend eternity with Him. The special promise of Divine Mercy Sunday is that our temporal punishment for sins (time in purgatory) will be relieved if we go to confession and receive the Eucharist on Divine Mercy Sunday in a state of grace:
“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.” -Jesus to St. Faustina, Divine Mercy in My Soul #1109
Is this consistent with Church teaching?
Yes. At the end of Jesus’ earthly life, while hanging on the cross, He said,“Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” LK23:34. There were two thieves hanging next to Him, one mocking Him to save them and the other repenting of his sins and believing in Jesus’ power over death. Jesus’ response to the ‘good thief’ is“Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” LK23:43
Why is this time of year special?
This time in the Church calendar (liturgical year) is the holiest time of year because it is a reminder of our purpose in this life. As the Baltimore Catechism states, “God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in heaven.” It is important for us to know our final destination as we live our life. The church encourages us this time of year to remember that to reach our heavenly goal we have to follow Jesus’ command to ‘love God and to love our neighbor.’ We show our love for God by doing what Jesus first preaches in the gospel, “repent and believe.” We show our love for neighbor by our acts of mercy, corporal and spiritual.
Divine Mercy Novena
Our novena of trust starts when Jesus dies for us, and is completed when He returns for us. Jesus asked that the Feast of the Divine Mercy be preceded by a Novena to the Divine Mercy which would begin on Good Friday. He gave St. Faustina an intention to pray for on each day of the Novena, saving for the last day the most difficult intention of all, the lukewarm and indifferent.
In her diary, St. Faustina wrote that Jesus told her:
“On each day of the novena you will bring to My heart a different group of souls and you will immerse them in this ocean of My mercy … On each day you will beg My Father, on the strength of My passion, for the graces for these souls.”
Divine Mercy Novena: Souls to pray for
- DAY 1 (Good Fri) All mankind, especially sinners
- DAY 2 (Holy Sat) The souls of priests and religious
- DAY 3 (Easter Sun) All devout and faithful souls
- Day 4 (Easter Mon) Those who do not believe in Jesus and those who do not yet know Him
- Day 5 (Easter Tues) The souls of separated brethren
- Day 6 (Easter Wed) The meek and humble souls and the souls of children
- Day 7 (Easter Thurs) The souls who especially venerate and glorify Jesus’ mercy
- Day 8 (Easter Fri) The souls who are detained in purgatory
- Day 9 (Easter Sat) The souls who have become lukewarm in their faith
On Divine Mercy Sunday we open our hearts to the fullness of God’s Mercy