Feast of Divine Mercy. What to do today and what prayers to say

 

It is the most important of all forms of devotion to Divine Mercy. Jesus spoke for the first time of the desire to institute this feast to Sister Faustina in Płock in 1931, when he transmitted his will to her regarding the picture: “I wish there is a feast of Mercy. I want the image, which you will paint with the brush, to be solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter; this Sunday must be the feast of Mercy "(Q. I, p. 27). In the following years - according to the studies of Don I. Rozycki - Jesus returned to make this request even in 14 apparitions defining precisely the day of the feast in the liturgical calendar of the Church, the cause and purpose of its institution, the way of preparing it and to celebrate it as well as the graces associated with it.

The choice of the first Sunday after Easter has a profound theological sense: it indicates the close link between the paschal mystery of the Redemption and the feast of Mercy, which Sister Faustina also noted: “Now I see that the work of the Redemption is connected with the work of Mercy requested by the Lord "(Q. I, p. 46). This link is further underlined by the novena that precedes the feast and begins on Good Friday.

Jesus explained the reason why he asked for the institution of the feast: “Souls perish, despite My painful Passion (...). If they do not adore My mercy, they will perish forever "(Q. II, p. 345).

The preparation for the feast must be a novena, which consists in reciting, starting from Good Friday, the chaplet to Divine Mercy. This novena was desired by Jesus and He said about it that "he will bestow graces of all kinds" (Q. II, p. 294).

Regarding the way to celebrate the feast, Jesus made two wishes:

- that the picture of Mercy be solemnly blessed and publicly, that is liturgically, venerated that day;

- that priests speak to the souls of this great and unfathomable Divine mercy (Q. II, p. 227) and in this way awaken trust among the faithful.

"Yes, - said Jesus - the first Sunday after Easter is the feast of Mercy, but there must also be action and I demand the worship of My mercy with the solemn celebration of this feast and with the worship of the image that has been painted "(Q. II, p. 278).

The greatness of this party is demonstrated by the promises:

- "On that day, whoever approaches the source of life will achieve total remission of guilt and punishment" (Q. I, p. 132) - said Jesus. A particular grace is linked to the Communion received that day in a worthy: "the total remission of guilt and punishment". This grace - explains Fr I. Rozycki - “is something decidedly greater than plenary indulgence. The latter consists in fact only in remitting the temporal penalties, deserved for the sins committed (...). It is essentially greater also than the graces of the six sacraments, except the sacrament of baptism, since the remission of sins and punishments is only a sacramental grace of holy baptism. Instead in the promises reported Christ linked the remission of sins and punishments with the Communion received on the feast of Mercy, that is from this point of view he raised it to the rank of "second baptism". It is clear that the Communion received on the feast of Mercy must be not only worthy, but also fulfill the fundamental needs of devotion to Divine Mercy "(R., p. 25). Communion must be received on the day of the feast of Mercy, however confession - as Fr I. Rozycki says - can be made earlier (even a few days). The important thing is not to have any sin.

Jesus did not limit his generosity only to this, albeit exceptional, grace. In fact he said that "he will pour a whole sea of ​​graces on the souls who approach the source of My mercy", since "on that day all the channels through which the divine graces flow are open. No soul is afraid to approach Me even if its sins were like the scarlet "(Q. II, p. 267). Don I. Rozycki writes that an incomparable magnitude of the graces related to this feast is manifested in three ways:

- all people, even those who previously had no devotion to Divine Mercy and even sinners who were converted only that day, can participate in the graces that Jesus prepared for the feast;

- Jesus wants on that day to give men not only the saving graces, but also earthly benefits - both to individuals and to entire communities;

- all graces and benefits are accessible on that day for all, on condition that they are asked with great confidence (R., p. 25-26).

This great wealth of graces and benefits has not been linked by Christ to any other form of devotion to Divine Mercy.

Numerous efforts were made by Don M. Sopocko to make this feast established in the Church. However, he did not experience the introduction. Ten years after his death, card. Franciszek Macharski with the Pastoral Letter for Lent (1985) introduced the feast to the diocese of Krakow and following his example, in the following years, the bishops of other dioceses in Poland did it.

The cult of Divine Mercy on the first Sunday after Easter in the Krakow - Lagiewniki sanctuary was already present in 1944. Participation in the services was so numerous that the Congregation obtained the plenary indulgence, granted in 1951 for seven years by card. Adam Sapieha. From the pages of the Diary we know that Sister Faustina was the first to celebrate this feast individually, with the permission of the confessor.

Chaplet
Our father
Ave Maria
Credo

On the grains of the Our Father
the following prayer is said:

Eternal Father, I offer you the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity
of Your most beloved Son and our Lord Jesus Christ
in expiation for our sins and those of the whole world.

On the grains of Ave Maria
the following prayer is said:

For your painful passion
have mercy on us and the whole world.

At the end of the crown
please three times:

Holy God, Holy Fort, Holy Immortal
have mercy on us and the whole world.

To Merciful Jesus

We bless you, Holy Father:

in your immense love for mankind, you sent into the world as Savior

your Son, made man in the womb of the most pure Virgin. In Christ, meek and humble of heart you have given us the image of your infinite Mercy. Contemplating his face we see your goodness, receiving the words of life from his mouth, we fill ourselves with your wisdom; discovering the unfathomable depths of his heart we learn kindness and meekness; exulting for his resurrection, we look forward to the joy of eternal Easter. Grant or Father that your faithful, honoring this sacred effigy have the same sentiments that they were in Christ Jesus, and become operators of harmony and peace. May your Son or Father, be for all of us the truth that illuminates us, the life that nourishes and renews us, the light that illuminates the path, the way that makes us go up to you to sing your Mercy forever. He is God and lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen. John Paul II

Consecration to Jesus

Eternal God, goodness itself, whose mercy cannot be understood by any human or angelic mind, help me to carry out your holy will, as you yourself make it known to me. I desire nothing else but to fulfill the will of God. Behold, Lord, you have my soul and my body, the mind and my will, the heart and all my love. Arrange me according to your eternal designs. O Jesus, eternal light, illumines my intellect, and inflames my heart. Stay with me as you promised me, because without you I am nothing. You know, O my Jesus, how weak I am, I certainly don't need to tell you, because you yourself know very well how miserable I am. All my strength is in you. Amen. S. Faustina

Salute to Divine Mercy

I greet you, most merciful Heart of Jesus, living source of all grace, the only refuge and kindergartens for us. In you I have the light of my hope. I greet you, most compassionate Heart of my God, unlimited and living source of love, from which life flows for sinners, and you are the source of all sweetness. I salute you or open wound in the Most Sacred Heart, from which the rays of Mercy came out from which we are given life, only with the container of trust. I greet you or inscrutable goodness of God, always immeasurable and incalculable, full of love and mercy, but always holy, and like a good mother bent towards us. I greet you, throne of Mercy, Lamb of God, who offered your life for me, before which my soul humbles itself every day, living in a deep faith. S. Faustina

Act of trust in Divine Mercy

O most merciful Jesus, Your goodness is infinite and the riches of Your graces are inexhaustible. I totally trust in your mercy that exceeds all your work. To you I give my whole self without reservations in order to be able to live and strive for Christian perfection. I wish to adore and exalt Your mercy by doing works of mercy both towards the body and towards the spirit, above all trying to obtain the conversion of sinners and bringing consolation to those who need it, therefore to the sick and afflicted. Guard me or Jesus, for I belong only to You and Your glory. The fear that assails me when I become aware of my weakness is overcome by my immense trust in Your mercy. May all men know in time the infinite depth of Your mercy, trust in it and praise it forever. Amen. S. Faustina

Short act of consecration

Most merciful Savior, I consecrate myself totally and forever to You. Turn me into a docile instrument of Your Mercy. S. Faustina

To obtain the graces through the intercession of St. Faustina

O Jesus, who made St. Faustina a great devotee of your immense Mercy, grant me, through his intercession, and according to your most holy will, the grace of ... for which I pray you. Being a sinner, I am not worthy of your mercy. Therefore I ask you, for the spirit of dedication and sacrifice of St. Faustina and for her intercession, answer the prayers that I confidently present to you. Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father

Healing prayer

Jesus Your pure and healthy Blood circulates in my sick organism, and Your pure and healthy Body transforms my sick body and I have a healthy and strong life in me. S. Faustina