Bishop Solis' Message: Divine Mercy Sunday

Friday, Apr. 17, 2020

Our Church continues to celebrate God’s infinite love with Divine Mercy Sunday, which this year will be April 19. 

This feast day, a personal devotion to Divine Mercy, was added by Pope John Paul II to the calendar of the universal Church in 2000, which was the year St. Faustina Kowalska was canonized. She was a Polish nun who received a series of private revelations focused on the Mercy of God. Her spiritual experiences were compiled in her diary. Her revelation is a confirmation of God’s graciousness to a sinful humanity and his constant invitation to reconciliation in order to experience his great mercy.

During her visions, Jesus gave St. Faustina the mission to spread the message of the Divine Mercy throughout the whole world. This led to the powerful prayer of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. 

The Image of Divine Mercy described by St. Faustina from her revelation expresses the beautiful reality of God’s love: the two rays representing the blood and water from the heart of Christ illuminate the world, reminding us of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and the gifts of Baptism and the Holy Spirit. ((Diary, 299). The wounded heart of Christ becomes the source and fountain of God’s merciful love and the gift of reconciliation.

Pope John Paul II declared St. Faustina the “secretary of God’s mercy,” and that the second Sunday of Easter officially would be recognized as Divine Mercy Sunday. The feast day directs the hearts of humanity to God’s boundless mercy and love. 

The feast day also is the Easter gift that the Church receives from the risen Christ and offers to humanity at the dawn of the third millennium, Pope John Paul II said; St. Faustina became the new messenger of God’s mercy to the world. 

This is not a new idea but it is at the very core of Sacred Scriptures: The heart of the Gospel is God’s love and mercy for his people. It is this never-ending Divine Mercy and infinite love that is celebrated and emphasized on this feast. 

The message of Divine Mercy resonates perfectly during the Easter season. The resurrection of Christ is the culmination of his work of salvation and the ultimate manifestation of God’s mercy. Divine Mercy Sunday is a wonderful opportunity to experience more deeply the redemptive and transformative love of God in the risen Christ, a love that converts every repenting heart to holiness. As St. Faustina wrote in her diary, “Love is a mystery that transforms everything it touches into beautiful things that are pleasing to God. The love of God sets the soul free. Then it is like a queen, knowing nothing of the constraints of slavery.”

Our devotion to God’s Divine Mercy lifts our hearts to God, encourages us to not despair, to not doubt God’s willingness to forgive, but to trust in his mercy. In spite of our sinfulness, he never gets tired of forgiving us. God’s mercy is our hope and reconciliation. 

Pope Francis uses the word “mercy” often, and this is an attitude that the Catholic Church and all believers must practice and live. Let us not hesitate to ask this gift from our merciful Father through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. God’s blessing of mercy, like any other, is not to be stored but has to be lived and shared with others. As we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday, let us have the courage to say, “Jesus, I trust in you,” to renew our trust in God’s mercy, to open our hearts to his saving love and to become missionaries of his mercy.