Even in such a holy time as Easter, as followers of Jesus Christ, we seek out mercy daily, as we are all sinners. Thankfully, God has given us every opportunity to receive such an amazing gift. 

Saint John Paul II declared in 2000 that the Sunday following Easter would be Divine Mercy Sunday. The Feast of Divine Mercy is a universal feast celebrated by the Catholic Church, known for its beautiful prayers in seeking the divine mercy of our God. This feast is connected to St. Faustina Kowalska, who wrote in her diary that Jesus visited her 14 times to express his wishes for the Feast of Divine Mercy. 

Jesus meant for Communion and reconciliation to be the foundations of Divine Mercy Sunday. The Catholic Church has outlined what St. Faustina discovered in her encounters with Jesus. The first thing to do on (or before) Divine Mercy Sunday is Confession. This is in preparation for the mercy God has prepared for us later on. Then, at the Sunday Mass one week following Easter, you will receive Holy Communion. This time, after having received Holy Communion on Divine Mercy Sunday, you are meant to go to your pew and pray a prayer like this one: ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on me, a poor sinner. Jesus, You promised St. Faustina that the soul that’s been to Confession and the soul that receives Holy Communion will receive the complete forgiveness of not only sin, but all punishment. Jesus, please give me this grace. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen.’ The prayer doesn’t have to be in exactly those words, as you can make your own prayer to Jesus by saying whatever you feel the moment needs to connect you with God. 

While the Divine Mercy Sunday may not be quite as known as many other feast days, that doesn’t take away from its purpose and importance. This is Jesus reaching out to us in a new way, hoping to grant us eternal life in his kingdom. 

I am looking forward to the Easter season, including the potential for Divine Mercy in a major way. I invite you to embrace this day and feast, and to consider inviting friends and family to attend, too. Jesus wants to give his mercy to as many people as he can, and he wants us to help him do it. 

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In addition to Confession and Mass, you can celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday with Eucharistic Adoration from 2-3pm on Sunday, April 7th. The Divine Mercy chaplet, a Catholic devotional prayer, will be sung.