Sunday, April 27, 2014

A DAY FOR REJOICING!



       Welcome to one of the best-kept secrets in the Catholic Church:  Divine Mercy Sunday.  How many people know what it is?  Or where it came from?  Or that you can receive a plenary indulgence today?  Or what a plenary indulgence is, for that matter?  Well today, I'm here, in the words of  Fr. Vincent, to "school you" on the secrets of Divine Mercy Sunday.  Something that’s NOT a secret, that I’ll bet most everyone knows, is that today Pope Francis canonized two former popes:  Saint John XXIII and Saint John Paul II.  Saint John XXIII served as pope for less than five years, from October of 1958 to June of 1963, and is best known for convening the Second Vatican Council.  He was known as the Good Pope for his gentle demeanor and sense of humor.  On the other hand, Saint John Paul II’s papacy spanned 27 years, from 1978 to 2005.  During that time he traveled the world--taking 104 foreign trips, more than all of his predecessors combined, which led to him being called the "Pilgrim Pope."  He was a promoter of peace, a champion of freedom, and healer of divisions.  Among many other things, he is widely credited for accelerating the fall of Communism, and promoting the sanctity of  all human life.
     Pope Francis set his canonization on Divine Mercy Sunday because  Saint John Paul II established this feast at the canonization of Saint Faustina on April 30th 2000.  At a dinner following the canonization of Saint Faustina and the  announcement of the establishment of Divine Mercy Sunday, Saint John Paul II commented that it was the happiest day of his life, because he had fulfilled the will of Christ.  Not only did he establish the Feast of Divine Mercy, but by God’s Providence, he died on the vigil of that feast, just five years later in April of 2005.  His last written words, recorded from his deathbed, called for a greater acceptance and understanding of Divine Mercy.  He had written his message to be read to the public on Divine Mercy Sunday, and it was, ending with the words “Jesus, I trust in You, have mercy on us and  on the whole world.”
     So, today is Divine Mercy Sunday, the 8th day of the Feast of Easter,
the day on which we receive a very special Easter Gift.  It’s the gift of total forgiveness of all sins and punishment that the Church offers in the form of a plenary indulgence.  But, why today?   The real answer to the question of  “why today?” is that Jesus himself chose this day, (which I’ll get to in a minute); but it is also linked to an Old Testament Jewish feast day.
     In the Old Testament, God told Moses to celebrate their most important feast, the Day of Atonement, once a year.  To prepare for that feast, they were to afflict themselves and offer up animal sacrifices.  On the last day of the ten-day feast, God would forgive their sins. It was, for them, an annual preparation for the Judgment. The Jews of today still celebrate this feast, which they call Yom Kippur.  Our Feast of Divine Mercy is a modern-day fulfillment of the “Day of Atonement.” It’s an annual preparation for the Judgment, an annual feast to get perfectly right with God.       
     So, what do we have to do to gain the plenary (or complete) indulgence?  Before I answer that, I want to ask you two questions.  First, what was the last gift that Jesus gave His Church before He died?  And second, what was the first gift He gave His Church after He rose from the dead? ... The last gift was the Sacrament of Holy Communion, the Eucharist, at the Last Supper.  And the very first gift after His Resurrection from the dead was the Sacrament of Confession.  These two sacraments comprise the Fount of Divine Mercy--the two sacraments needed to receive the total forgiveness of sins and punishment on this feast day.  Remember what Jesus said to His Apostles in the Gospel today:  “Receive the Holy Spirit.  Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” This institution of the Sacrament of Confession happened on the very night that Jesus rose from the dead, when the Apostles were hiding in the upper room.
       Now let’s look at the Divine Mercy Image itself. First of all, where did it come from?  It came from Jesus, himself, through a poor young Polish nun named Sister Maria Faustina Kowalska.  Sister Faustina had visions, and in these visions she had conversations with Jesus.  He told her to write down his messages and revelations, and so she kept a diary.  Faustina wrote that on the night of Sunday, February 22nd 1931, while she was in her room, Jesus appeared to her as the "King of Divine Mercy" wearing a white garment with red and pale rays emanating from his heart.  In her diary she wrote that Jesus told her:  Paint an image according to what you see, with the signature: "Jesus, I trust in You.”  I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and then throughout the world. I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish.”  In the same February 22nd message, Jesus told her he wanted the Divine Mercy image to be "solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter; that Sunday is to be the Feast of Mercy.”  Thus, Jesus, through St. Faustina, chose the day for Divine Mercy Sunday, as well as the image of him that was to be painted and venerated.  Jesus gave the instructions for the feast to St. Faustina and she faithfully recorded them in her diary.  Jesus said that “the Feast of Mercy is a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On the day of My feast, the Feast of Mercy, you will go through the whole world and bring fainting souls to the spring of My mercy.  I shall heal and strengthen them.”  Jesus wants us to go out into the world and bring sinners to Him.  Jesus told Faustina that the loss of each soul plunges Him into mortal sadness.  If we don’t do our best to go out and evangelize poor sinners, inviting them to the feast, then we are not helping Jesus with His deepest desire to save these souls. 
     Concerning the image itself, it has a dark background, which is symbolic of a world which is in darkness without Jesus.  Jesus is dressed in a white robe, which signifies that He is priest.  He is the great High Priest.  His eyes are looking downward.  Jesus told St. Faustina,  "My gaze from this image is such as the gaze from the Cross.”   His right hand is raised to indicate He is bestowing His blessings upon us.  His left hand is drawing aside His robe, meaning Jesus is opening His heart to us, showing how much He loves us.  The wounds in His hands and feet illustrate that He, as the Risen Christ, is the same Jesus who died on the Cross.  The red and pale rays signify the blood and water poured forth at the Crucifixion when He was pierced with a lance.  More specifically, the pale or white rays (water) indicate the cleansing we receive in the Sacraments of Baptism and Confession.  The red rays (blood) signify the life-giving power of the Holy Eucharist.  Finally, the words, "Jesus, I trust in You," remind us of the need to always trust in God's mercy.  As Jesus told Faustina:  "The graces of My mercy  are drawn by means of one vessel only, and that is - trust.  The more a soul trusts the more it will receive.    In the Divine Mercy image, Jesus is stepping towards us with his left foot--he is making the first move, inviting us to trust in Him.  He   is asking us not to be afraid to approach Him and to ask Him for His mercy in the Sacrament of Confession. He is calling us to wash away our sins and to receive Holy Communion without stain of sin, because He wants to give us the absolute greatest gift possible today.  
      For the indulgence to be plenary, or unconditional, we have to be completely free from the attachment to any sin, so we need to receive absolution of our sins through the Sacrament of Confession.  We need to be comfortable approaching Jesus waiting for us in the Confessional—that’s right, Jesus.  He told St. Faustina that every time we approach the Confessional, that He Himself is waiting there for us; that He is only hidden by the priest and that the priest is, for Him, only a screen.  Jesus also told St. Faustina that the Feast of Mercy would be the “last hope of salvation.” 
     To gain the special plenary indulgence that is being offered today,  the Church allows us 20 days, before or after Divine Mercy Sunday, in which to receive the Sacrament of Confession.  So, if you weren't able to make a good Confession within the past 20 days, you still have time; don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to have all of your sins and punishment forgiven.  Remember, if you think that you are in the state of serious or mortal sin, the Church teaches that you must go to Confession before receiving Holy Communion.  If you have gone to Confession but have fallen back into venial sin, you should make a perfect Act of Contrition before receiving Holy Communion.  Most every church has a priest hearing confessions on Saturday afternoon.  Please take advantage of this wonderful gift that Jesus has given us.  And after you do, honor Jesus’ request, and urge others to do the same.  The goal, the reward, is everlasting life in heaven.
    In the words of the Divine Mercy Chaplet:  Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy
Immortal One, ...Have mercy on us, and on the whole world.  Saints John XXIII and John Paul II, pray for us.

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