Divine Mercy Sunday

Di First Image of Merciful Jesus—Vilnius (Lithuania)

Divine Mercy Sunday—Solemnity

Di Eighth Day of di Octave of Easter

Colour for Liturgy: White
Version: Full – Short

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Reflection: For di year 2000, Pope John Paul II declare Maria Faustina Kowolska a Saint and add di Feast of Divine Mercy to di Church official calendar. Saint Faustina, wey die for 1938, be member of di Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy for Krakow, Poland. She come from one simple, poor family of farmers, go school for only three years to learn basic things, and do di most humble work for her convent. But she also be mystic wey receive di special privilege of many private revelations from our Lord. As she dey obey her superior and spiritual director, she write down these private revelations inside six notebooks. Today, people know those notebooks by di title: Divine Mercy Inside My Soul: Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska. Di messages inside her diary contain deep things wey God communicate for our own time. Even though di messages plenty, God dey use several new ways to call us to one new form of devotion.

Di first way na to meditate on di image of Divine Mercy. About this one, Saint Faustina write say:

For evening, as I dey my room, I come notice di Lord Jesus, wey wear white garment. E raise one hand to bless, and di other hand dey touch di garment for chest. From di opening of di garment for chest, two big rays of light come out; one red, and di other one get pale colour. I no talk anything as I fix my eyes on di Lord; fear fill my soul, but great joy fill am too. After some time, Jesus tell me, “paint one image according to di pattern wey you dey see, with these words on am: Jesus, na You I trust.” (#47).

“Di pale ray stand for di Water wey dey make souls righteous; di red ray stand for di Blood wey be di life of souls. These two rays come out from di depth of My mercy wey tender pass, for that time when dem use spear open My Heart wey dey suffer agony for di Cross….E go good for di person wey go stay under their protection, because di just hand of God no go lay hold of am” (#299).

Di second way na through our participation for di Solemnity of Divine Mercy:

“For that day (di 8th day of Easter every year), di very depth of My tender mercy dey open. I dey pour one whole ocean of graces on those souls wey come near di fountain of My mercy. Di soul wey go go Confession and receive Holy Communion go receive complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. For that day, all di heavenly floodgates wey grace dey flow through dey open. Make no soul fear to come near Me, even if im sins red like scarlet. My mercy so great that no mind, whether na human being own or angel own, go fit understand di full depth of am throughout all eternity” (#699).

Di third way na through praying di Chaplet of Divine Mercy:

One time, as I dey go through di passage to di kitchen, I hear these words inside my soul: “Continue to pray di chaplet wey I don teach you without stopping. Anybody wey pray am go receive great mercy for di hour of death. Priests go recommend am to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if one sinner harden im heart pass all others, if e pray this chaplet just once, e go receive grace from My mercy wey no get end. I want make di whole world know My mercy wey no get end. I want give graces wey nobody fit imagine to those souls wey trust in My mercy” (#687).

Di fourth way na to honour Jesus’ suffering for di 3 o’clock hour:

For three o’clock, beg for My mercy, especially for sinners; and, even if na just for one short moment, put your whole self inside My suffering, especially how dem abandon Me for di moment of agony. This na di hour of great mercy for di whole world. I go allow you enter into di sorrow wey I suffer as I dey die. For this hour, I no go refuse anything to di soul wey ask Me for something because of My suffering” (#1320).

Di fifth way na through one apostolic movement to spread di message of Divine Mercy. When Sister Faustina still dey alive, e believe say Jesus dey call am to start one new religious congregation, but that one no ever happen. Still, Jesus speak to am for ways wey show say E want make this “new congregation” dey established. Since dem no establish any formal religious congregation during im lifetime, we must look to di congregations and apostolic movements wey dem establish later, wey dey work to spread di messages of Divine Mercy. God dey call each of us no be only to receive Im mercy, but also to spread that mercy to others, both as individuals and through organised groups.

Even though Saint Faustina die for 1938, we suppose see di messages inside im Diary as messages wey God especially want make we learn and live by today. God dey work slowly and step by step. E first reveal these messages, then E allow di Church to study them for many decades, then E lead Pope John Paul to canonize am and establish di Feast of Mercy for di whole Church for di last day of di octave of Easter for di year 2000. Because of these reasons, we suppose see this as one of di newest devotions wey concern our lives most for this our time.

As we dey celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday, think deeply about di great meaning wey this new form of devotion get for di Church and di world today. Now more than ever, we need God’s abundant Divine Mercy to flow from di gates of Heaven come upon us. Na only for Heaven we go understand di full depth of God’s Mercy. For now, we must trust everything wey E don reveal through Im humble servant Saint Faustina, and respond to di requests wey E don give us through am. Give yourself fully to di different ways wey God don call us to call upon Im Mercy, and do am with all di strength and devotion wey you fit offer Am. This na di 3 o’clock prayer wey Jesus give Saint Faustina:

Prayer: You die, Jesus, but the spring of life burst open and flow for souls, and the ocean of mercy open for the whole world. O Spring of Life, Divine Mercy wey nobody fit measure, cover the whole world and pour all of Yourself on us (#1319). Jesus, na You I trust.

Dem take dis reflection from:

Saint Dem and Feast Dem for di Liturgical Year
Volume One–Four