Divine Mercy

In the year 2000, Pope John Paul II (now St. John Paul II) established the Sunday of Divine Mercy to be celebrated on the Second Sunday of Easter in response to the private revelation received by Sister Faustina Kowalski, a Polish nun, in which Jesus asked for this feast to honor his tender desire to share his mercy in a special way through the sacrament of reconciliation.  This celebration fits right into today's Gospel where we hear of Jesus imparting the Holy Spirit to the Apostles and commissioning them to bring forgivness to the contrite:  "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sines you forgive are forgiven thenm, and whose sins you retain, they are retained." (Jn 20: ) It is also the passage in which Thomas recants his doubt in the Risen Jesus and professes his faith in him with the beautiful and simple prayer, "My Lord and My God."  The Jesus of Divine Mercy urges us:  "Trust in Me," to counteract any Thomas-like doubts we might have. The popularity of this feast has grow enormously over the years and it has become customary for overnight vigils and pilgrimages to take place. In Rwanda,thousands will gather at the town of Ruhango where priests will hear confessions all night long and Mass will be celebrated outside since there is no church in the area large enough to welcome them all.  In Massachusetts, the Marian Center Stockbridge will host busloads of pilgrims who come to confess and attend Mass.   Parishes will open their doors for holy hours and confessions and people will be urged to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy at home, if they cannot attend the holy hours or make the pilgrimages. All of this is to underscore the Mercy of Jesus and the Power of His Resurrection.
Bro. Rene