Divine Mercy Sunday

Today on the Octave of Easter as it was called, we celebrate the feast of Divine Mercy. On this day we reflect on the tremendous mercy of God  showed to us in His passion death and resurrection. That mercy is available to all sinners at all times but today especially, we ask God today to pour out his mercy on us and through us so that we can be vessels of that mercy to others. Most parishes across the world will have Divine Mercy services at 2-3PM today where the image of the Divine Mercy will be displayed and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy will be prayed at 3 PM, the very hour of divine mercy when our Lord gave his life for us.

The ABC's of Divine Mercy from the Marian Fathers who promote the Divine Mercy Devotion:

 A... ASK FOR MERCY

God wants us to approach Him in prayer constantly, asking Him to pour out His mercy upon us and
upon the whole world.
God, who created us free, will not force anything on us, not even His mercy. He waits for us to ask: Ask and
it will be given to you… for everyone who asks, receives. (Matt.7: 7-8) The Scriptures are filled with examples
as of how to trust in God and ask for His mercy. Examples:
- The psalms
- The faith of Abraham and Moses who pleaded with God
- The man who persuaded his friends to get up in the middle of the night to lend him some bread
- The Canaanite woman’s plea for His mercy.

Pope John Paul II reinforces this Biblical message in his encyclical RICH IN MERCY when he says: “At no time… especially at a moment as critical as our own – can the Church forget the prayer that is a cry for the mercy of God… The Church has the right and the duty to appeal to the God of mercy with loud cries…”
To Sister Faustina of the Divine Mercy, Jesus said: “Souls that make an appeal to My Mercy delight Me.
To such souls I grant even more than they ask… Beg for mercy for the whole world… No soul that has
called upon My Mercy has ever been disappointed.”

B... BE MERCIFUL

God wants us to receive His Mercy and let it flow to others.
Mercy is love that seeks to relieve the misery of others. It is an active love, poured out upon others to heal,
to comfort, to console, to forgive, to remove pain. It is the love that God offers us, and it is the love He demands
from us for each other. “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6: 36)
Jesus said to St. Faustina: “I demand from you deeds of mercy which are to arise out of love for Me.
You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to
excuse yourself from it… Even the strongest faith is of no avail without works…
“If a soul does not exercise mercy in some way, it will not obtain My Mercy on the Day of
Judgment.”
How can we exercise mercy? Through our actions, words, prayers, and an attitude of mercy in our daily
lives, and by doing these:

The Corporal Works of Mercy
1) Feed the hungry. Never turn away anyone who is hungry, especially the poor, elderly or disabled. Those
in authority should try to prevent unemployment. Give work to the unemployed.
2) Give drink to the thirsty. A cup of water given in Christ’s name shall not lose its reward.
3) Clothe the naked. Give away your used or superfluous clothing. Help with drives for used clothing.
4) Shelter the homeless. Give shelter, hospitality or financial aid in cases of fires and natural disasters.
5) Comfort the imprisoned. Visit prisoners in jail, console and help their families, provide assistance for
legal cases of poor families.
6) Visit the sick. Visit, console and give relief to the sick or elderly - at home or in the hospital. Provide
medical assistance, medicines and proper food.
7) Bury the dead. Attend a wake or funeral; visit a home in mourning and aid the bereaved family.
The Spiritual Works of Mercy
1) Admonish sinners. Whenever we think our words may have a good effect, we should not hesitate to
admonish those in error - prudently, gently and with charity. Show your good example.
2) Instruct the uninformed. By teaching religion or other useful knowledge we are doing an important
work of mercy.
3) Counsel the doubtful. We should be eager to help (prudently and gently) those whose faith is weak.
4) Comfort the sorrowful. Show sincere sympathy by speaking of God’s providence, of His love and of
the happiness He reserves for us in heaven.
5) Be patient with those in error. With this, we benefit both others and ourselves. Our patience can help
others realize their error.
6) Forgive offenses. Be merciful; never hold a grudge or seek revenge when offended. Forgive and always
seek reconciliation.
7) Pray for the living and dead. Pray for peace in the world, unity in the Church, family problems, the
sick, the souls in purgatory.

C...COMPLETE TRUST

God wants us to know that the graces of His mercy are dependent upon our trust.
Trust in God is the essence of the message of mercy. Our Divine Savior made this clear to St. Faustina
several times:
“I have opened My Heart as a living fountain of mercy. Let all souls draw from it. Let them approach
this sea of mercy with trust… On the cross, the fountain of My Mercy was opened by the lance for all souls
- no one have I excluded! … 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…”

The ABCs are inter-related, and TRUST is the vital ingredient.
We ask with complete trust, and Our Lord fills us with grace so that we can be merciful as our Heavenly
Father is merciful. Jesus said to Saint Faustina:
“I am Love and Mercy Itself. When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls.”

Source: MIRACLES OF THE DIVINE MERCY by Mercy Lotilla-Asencio