Divine Mercy Sunday
April 16, 2023
St. John Paul II, in the Decree that gave perpetual force to institute the Feast of Divine Mercy on the Sunday following each Easter celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church explains the reason for the Feast:
The faithful with deep spiritual affection are drawn to commemorate the mysteries of divine pardon and to celebrate them devoutly. (Decree link)
This would speak to the heart of an unmarried person devoted to the Eucharist. It testifies to the many conversions realized, penances, and active participation in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It testifies to our celebratory mind-set, so-to-speak, that we have for our Redemption from sin and transformation of heart to love of God and love of neighbor because of God’s Divine Mercy.
Today we celebrate by going to Adoration, participating in parish feast day hours of prayer, the accomplishment of saying an entire Novena, and have faithful confidence in prayers answered through the promises of the feast day given to us in the Decree.
It is important for singles of the Eucharist to read the Divine Mercy Diary of St. Faustina and incorporate the many prayers she wrote to God into their spiritual life. The prayers are very Eucharistic since the devotion flows from the blood and water that “gushed forth from the heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us.” The words of Jesus to St. Faustina, whether directed from him to her, personally, or for the whole world are all meant for for us, too. They provide the spiritual direction we need for an active life in Christ and an interior devotion to Christ.
Along with deep prayers and litanies found in the Diary, St. Faustina has a simple one.
Let the glory and praise to the Divine Mercy rise from every creature throughout all ages and times. (paragraph 1005)
The Diary must be read by a single of the Eucharist so that we can give the glory and praise to the Divine Mercy that is articulate, unboastful or hearty, but from an inner conversion of heart and mind.
Purchase a copy of the Diary at your local Catholic bookstore.
Terri M. Lynn, M.T.S.
I understand the spiritual espousal of a soul with God, which has no exterior manifestation. It is a purely interior act between the soul and God. This grace has drawn me into the very burning center of God’s love. I have come to understand His Trinitarian Quality and the absolute Oneness of His Being. This grace is different from all other graces. It is so extremely spiritual that my inaccurate description knows not how to express even a shade of it.
St. Faustina, Paragraph 1020, The Diary of St. Faustina.
