Posted in Faith, Programs

Divine Mercy Sunday caps off Nine Day Novena

 April 19, 2020

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 Blessed John Paul II at the canonization of St. Faustina on April 30, 2000. In all, St. Faustina recorded 14 revelations from Jesus concerning His desire for this feast. 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.

The Divine Mercy Novena is nine days of prayer in preparation of a celebration of a feast day, and began on Good Friday, April 10, 2020. Leading into the completion of the Novena, Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) live streamed a special Divine Mercy devotion on Sunday, April 19th beginning at 3:00pm. There was an exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and adoration, and the Divine Mercy Chaplet was prayed in song, followed by benediction and veneration of the Divine Mercy Image (a free copy of the chaplet song is available at http://www.ihmcfo.org/divinemercy). This devotion continued into Sunday Mass around 4:00pm.

The Divine Mercy message is one we can call to mind simply by remembering ABC.

  • A – Ask for His Mercy. God wants us to approach Him in prayer constantly, repenting of our sins and asking Him to pour His mercy out upon us and upon the whole world.
  • B – Be merciful. God wants us to receive His mercy and let it flow through us to others. He wants us to extend love and forgiveness to others just as He does to us.
  • C – Completely trust in Jesus. God wants us to know that the graces of His mercy are dependent upon our trust. The more we trust in Jesus, the more we will receive.

This Novena and Divine Mercy Mass allow Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) Parishioners and Knights to spend time learning more about the mercy of God, learning to trust in Jesus, and living our lives as merciful to others, as Christ is merciful to us.