How do we celebrate this Mercy Sunday now?
Our Lords words to Saint Faustina about Divine Mercy Sunday
“The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sin and punishment”. (Diary #699)
Since I can’t go to confession and receive Holy Communion will I still receive the grace of complete pardon of all sin and punishment for Divine Mercy Sunday?
If you truly want this and desire this, then yes. Jesus’ mercy is endless and He wants nothing more than to free you of all sin and punishment. Jesus would never ask for the impossible from us, and, right now, it is impossible to receive the sacraments.
His mercy is infinite and He always wants to extend His Grace.
Our Lord Speaks:
“The loss of each soul plunges Me into mortal sadness…if sinners knew My mercy, they would not perish in such great numbers (Diary 1396)…Proclaim that mercy is the greatest attribute of God. All the works of My hands are crowned with mercy”. (Diary #301)
Our Lord Speaks:
“Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy…Oh, how much I am hurt by a soul’s distrust! Such a soul professes that I am Holy and Just, but does not believe that I am Mercy and does not trust in My Goodness. Even the devils glorify My justice but do not believe in My goodness”. (Diary #300)
What do you do if you can’t go to confession?
Simply make a good act of contrition with a contrite heart telling Jesus from the bottom of your heart how sorry you are for your sins and that you would never commit them again; Then, go to the sacrament of reconciliation as soon as possible, when the sacrament is available again.
Our Lord Speaks:
“My mercy is greater than your sins and those of the entire world. Who can measure the extent of My goodness…I never reject a contrite heart".(Diary #1485)
What to do if you can’t receive Holy Communion?
There is sacramental communion and there is spiritual communion, and if you can’t receive our Lord sacramentally on this day, then you can receive Him spiritually. In spiritual communion you unite with Him with a desire to receive Him sacramentally. If you have such a desire and a longing to receive Communion and you can’t because of the current circumstances in our world, or other circumstances which make it impossible, Christ honors this desire and the grace can be as great.
Our Lord Speaks:
“Oh how painful it is to Me that souls so seldom unite themselves to Me in Holy Communion. I wait for souls and they are indifferent toward Me. I love them tenderly and sincerely and they distrust Me. I want to lavish my graces on them and they do not want to accept them. They treat Me as a dead object where as My heart is full of love and mercy.” (Diary 1447)
Trust
Trusting in our Lord is the key to unlocking the mystery of Divine Mercy Sunday.
Our Lord Speaks:
“My child, all your sins have not wounded My Heart as painfully as your present lack of trust does - that after so many efforts of My love and mercy, you should still doubt My goodness (Diary#1486)…tell souls that I am giving them My mercy as a defense. I Myself am fighting for them and am bearing the just anger of My Father”. (Diary #1516)
Our Lord Speaks:
“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”. (Diary #1578)
All the Divine flood gates are open on this day
Our Lord Speaks:
“On this day all the Divine flood gates through which graces flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity”. (Diary #699)
Divine Mercy Image
Our Lord Speaks:
“I demand the worship of My mercy through the Solemn Celebration of the Feast (Divine Mercy Sunday) and through the veneration of the Image which is painted…By means of this Image I shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is of no avail without works (Diary#742)… If a soul does not exercise mercy somehow or other, it will not obtain My mercy on the day of judgment”. (Diary#1317)
The image should be given great honor on Divine Mercy Sunday in our homes as a reminder of His love, His sacraments and to be a reminder of our duty of love towards our neighbor and to put all our trust in Him.
Spiritual Communion Prayer
My Jesus,
I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love You above all things,
and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace You as if You were already there
and unite myself wholly to You.
Never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen.
Act of Contrition Prayer
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend you, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance and to amend my life.
Excerpts taken from "Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in my Soul"
© 1987 Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate Conception, Stockbridge, MA 01263 All rights reserved; reprinted with permission.
