Last Sunday, we celebrate the Silvery Jubilee of Divine Mercy Sunday and the canonisation of the Polish Nun, St Faustina Kowalska. It is a very special day for our Shrine here in Lower Chittering. St Faustina received the amazing revelations of Divine Mercy from Jesus Himself in the 1930’s between two great wars.
In the first reading we see the power of God’s healing flowing from St Peter and the great faith of the people. The sick believed that if even the shadow of St Peter would fall on them they would be healed of their maladies.
In the second reading, the Apostle John during his exile on the island of Patmos, had a vision of Jesus, holding the
“keys to death and the netherworld”.
God’s mercy is the key to our liberation from sin.
In the Gospel, Jesus institutes the remedy for sin, the Sacrament of Confession, also referred to as the Sacrament of Divine Mercy.
In the winter of 1931, Sr Faustina had finished a long day or work in the convent bakery when Jesus appeared to her later that evening. His face was full of serenity and peace, and He was full of divine authority and power. The Lord Jesus was wearing a white Alb and light was emanating from Him. His wounds from Good Friday were visible in His right hand which was raised in blessing and with His left hand, He pulled aside the garment slightly at His chest and a red ray and pale ray came out. Jesus explained that the pale ray stands for the water (Baptism) that makes souls righteous. The red ray stands for the Blood (Eucharist) which is the life of souls. Jesus said:
Paint an image according to the pattern 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. I also promise victory over [its] enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. I myself will defend it as my own glory. (Diary of St. Faustina,47-48).
Before the unfathomable mercy of God, our sins are like twigs thrown into a roaring furnace.
Jesus teaches that the graces of healing that flow from this sacrament are truly amazing. In Diary entry 1602, Jesus said to St. Faustina that Confession is a personal, life-giving encounter with Jesus Himself:
Daughter, when you go to confession, to this fountain of My mercy, the Blood and Water which came forth from My Heart always flows down upon your soul and ennobles it. Every time you go to confession, immerse yourself entirely in My mercy, with great trust, so that I may pour the bounty of My grace upon your soul. When you approach the confessional, know this, that I Myself am waiting there for you. I am only hidden by the Priest, but I myself act in your soul. Here the misery of the soul meets the God of mercy. Tell souls that from this fount of mercy souls draw graces solely with the vessel of trust. If their trust is great, there is no limit to My generosity. The torrents of grace inundate humble souls.
In Diary entry 1448. Jesus said to St Faustina:
Write, speak of My mercy. Tell souls where they are to look for solace, that is, in the Tribunal of Mercy [the Sacrament of Reconciliation]. There the greatest miracles take place [and] are incessantly repeated. To avail oneself of this miracle, it is not necessary to go on a great pilgrimage, or to carry out some external ceremony; it suffices to come with faith to the feet of My representative and to reveal to Him one’s misery, and the miracle of Divine Mercy will be fully demonstrated. Were souls like a decaying corpse so that from a human standpoint there would be no [hope of] restoration and everything would already be lost, it is not so with God. The miracle of Divine Mercy restores that soul in full.
Jesus taught St Faustina the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and encouraged her to say it around the 3 pm hour each day and to encourage all to pray it. Jesus said to her,
“My daughter, encourage souls to say the Chaplet which I have given you. It pleases me to grant everything they ask of Me by saying the chaplet” (Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 1541). Later, He told her, “Through the Chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with My will” (Diary, 1731). Jesus taught about the importance of praying for the sick and dying: Pray as much as you can for the dying. By your entreaties [that is, insistent prayers], obtain for them trust in My mercy, because they have most need of trust, and have it the least. Be assured that the grace of eternal salvation for certain souls in their final moment depends on your prayer. You know the whole abyss of My mercy, so draw upon it for yourself and especially for poor sinners. Sooner would heaven and earth turn into nothingness than would My mercy not embrace a trusting soul.” (Diary of St. Faustina, 1777)
On this Feast Day we can gain a Plenary Indulgence through the usual conditions: Holy Communion, Confession (within several days) and prayer for the Pope’s Intentions (Church’s Intentions, until we have a new Pope).
We should remember the ABC’s of mercy.
A. Ask for Mercy. Go to Confession regularly and pray constantly.
B. Be Merciful. Be kind and forgiving. Never hold a grudge. If we forgive others, God in turn will forgive us our sins.
C. Complete Trust. Jesus taught that the more we trust, the more we receive.
He wants us to ambassadors of His mercy and encourage others to trust completely in the Mercy of the Lord.
Jesus I trust in You! St Faustina pray for us!