Today is Divine Mercy Sunday, which is probably my favorite day in the whole Liturgical Year. Some interesting facts before I dive in and buckle up, cause I could talk about this all day (don’t worry, I won’t do that to you guys). 1. This feast was instituted by Pope John Paul II in 2000 at St. Faustina’s canonization in order to promote the message of Divine Mercy, which was revealed to St. Faustina in 1931. 2. You can get a plenary indulgence (which basically speeds up your time in Purgatory) if you go to confession, communion, pray for the intentions of the Pope, pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, or instead, say the Our Father and the Creed in front of the exposed Blessed Sacrament or tabernacle. 3. The image of Divine Mercy (that beautiful image of Jesus with the rays pouring from his heart) depicts Jesus at the moment when he appears to the disciples in the Upper Room when He comes to them for the 1st time after the Resurrection. 4. To explain the image of Divine Mercy, “The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous. The red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls. … These two rays issued forth from the very depths of My tender mercy when My agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross” (Diary, 299).
According to the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, Divine Mercy is “God’s love reaching down to meet the needs and overcome the miseries of His creatures”. The disciples felt miserable after Jesus’ crucifixion; Peter felt guilty for betraying him and all of the disciples left Jesus and fled out of fear. Today’s Gospel is the story of Jesus appearing to the disciples for the first time since his resurrection, and also the first time the disciples were all together since then. Even though they left Jesus in that time of pain and struggle, when Jesus greeted them in the Upper Room, he greeted them in peace. I know if all of my friends left me at my worst time of pain, the first thing I would say to them when seeing them next would be, “What the heck guys.” Jesus didn’t yell at the disciples for leaving him, in fact he ended up giving them a gift, the Holy Spirit. Jesus forgave them for their sins and now that they have the Holy Spirit, they were sent to forgive others’ sins. Hence, why this Gospel is perfect for Divine Mercy Sunday.
Another part of the Gospel today was about “Doubting Thomas.” Thomas wasn’t there when Jesus appeared, so when the disciples told him of what they saw, he didn’t believe them. Sometimes we’re doubting Thomases in how God still forgives us no matter how far we stray or how much or how serious the sin. As long as we ask for his mercy, He will forgive us. Jesus had mercy on Thomas even though he struggled to have that blind faith in Jesus’ resurrection. It’s in our human nature to doubt and sometimes we need to see to believe. However, we need to have the strength and faith to look past that and to trust. We just have to believe and have faith in his mercy, and it will be poured onto us.
When it comes to mercy, especially on the feast of Divine Mercy Sunday, Jesus is so willing (he wants to so badly) to pour out his mercy to us. The catch: we just need to ask for it. I went to a retreat last year all about Divine Mercy, and the speaker, Fr. Michael Gaitley (I know, I freaked out too. If you don’t know him, you gotta look him up) said, “God wants to give you buckets of mercy, you just have to ask.” He also mentioned how you can pray and ask for all of that mercy that people aren’t asking for, which I found really interesting. A lot of people don’t ask for mercy, so you can get that extra mercy if you ask for it.
Being sick and always frustrated, I often don’t believe or don’t think that God can heal me. It sounds terrible now that I say it, but being depressed makes it hard to believe sometimes. The First Reading today is a story of how the apostles were able to perform miracles, specifically healing the sick. People were starting to believe in the Lord because of these miracles, and they were crowding Jerusalem in hopes of healing their illnesses. Sitting in Mass hearing these stories are sometimes hard to hear because you think, “That was in the past; it’s just a story.” However, that same Jesus who gave them the ability to perform those miracles is the same Jesus who is opening his heart out to you and gives you that mercy to heal you today. When we believe, we will be healed, even though it may be hard.
St. Faustina and St. Therese are awesome models of having complete trust in the Lord. A quote from St. Faustina’s Diary reads, “My daughter, let nothing frighten or disconcert you. Remain deeply at peace. Everything is in My hands.” The Lord spoke to St. Faustina all about trust and his Divine Mercy, and her life is a testament to how much trust is necessary in order to receive the mercy Jesus so wants to give us. They both show how even little acts of mercy towards others, gives people a glimpse of Jesus’s mercy. This reminded me of the Little Way and how we need to do “little things with great love.” Lately, I’ve been low on patience because of stress, and I can say I definitely have not been showing mercy to others. The Little Way can relate to that message of mercy and how we need try every day to do little things that will show others mercy. Especially when I don’t feel good or have bad anxiety, it’s hard not to snap or say things I don’t mean. We can show those little acts of mercy in times like those.
The major take away that I want you to know is to not be afraid to ask for mercy. Pray for those “buckets of mercy” and God will shower you with it. Also, don’t be intimidated to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Believe it or not, it’s shorter than a rosary. Especially in today’s world of despair, we need all of the mercy we can get. “For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.”
How to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet: https://www.thedivinemercy.org/message/devotions/praythechaplet.php
My Little Way 