One Week After Easter

Today is the day that has been designated for Divine Mercy Sunday. I have seen the picture of Christ with rays coming from his heart and know many persons with a deep devotion to the Divine Mercy of Christ.

A polish nun, born in 1905 and died in 1938 was canonized in the year 2000. She is now known as Saint Mary Faustina Kowalska. It is said that she had visions of Christ where he asked her to pray and to ask others to pray to his Divine Mercy. The nine day novena states that each day needs to be for a certain group.

Day one: Pray for all mankind. Day two: Pray for priests and religious. Day three: Pray for souls of  the devout and faithful. Day 4: Pray for non-believers. Day 5: Pray for heretics. Day 6: Pray for the meek and humble. Day 7: Pray for souls who glorify Christ's mercy. Day 8: Pray for the souls in purgatory. Day 9: Pray for souls who are lukewarm or indifferent.

During the homily at today's mass, the image of the Divine Mercy was up on the large screens. The Deacon explained that the white ray represented water and the red ray represented the blood of Our Lord. Saint Faustina's diary entry, #299 explains: Jesus clothed in white, one hand raised as if giving a blessing, the other hand touched his breast. Two large rays, one red (blood) and the other pale (water). 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.

Other than the novena, there is the Chaplet that can be prayed on a regular rosary and one way to remember how we should pray is ABC. A, ask for mercy; B, be merciful, and C,completely trust in Jesus. I can now understand why some of my friends have such a deep devotion to Christ's Divine Mercy.

"God loves us --all of us, 

and wants us to recognize 

that his mercy is greater 

than our sins."

Divine Mercy

At Mother Cabrini Shrine