Divine Mercy Sunday

Happy Easter, and happy Divine Mercy Sunday!

The Life of St. Faustina

Helena was very young when she knew that she had a calling to enter the convent, but her path there was not easy. Her parents first objected to her decision because they were living in poverty, needing help to care for their large family.

After moving to Warsaw with nothing, Helena sought out several convents with no luck. That was until she came to the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy where she was told that she could enter if she could find a way to pay for her wardrobe. This was July 1924, and that summer Helena went to work.

With only the finances in the way of her vocation and calling, Helena became a maid. Finally, on August 1st, 1925, one year later, she reapplied to the Sisters and was accepted.

It was there in the convent that Helena would become Sr. Maria Faustina and change the world forever.

Divine Mercy

God chose to use Sister Faustina in order to spread a powerful message to the world. Documented in her diary, The Diary of St. Faustina, Jesus appeared to her many times with clear direction and comforts as well as messages for the world.

Within these messages, Jesus lays out through Faustina, His plans for us to have His Divine Mercy.

Through much suffering and extraordinary trust in Jesus, St. Faustina facilitates what God wished for the world to have. Her Diary alone is an incredible gift and insight into God’s merciful love for us, but beyond that we are graced with a painting that we can venerate, a chaplet we can recite, and even today, the Sunday after Easter being designated Divine Mercy Sunday.

This is a beautiful and powerful devotion.

Divine Mercy is always pouring out for us. We can receive it and recognize it, especially through these practices.

Divine Mercy Sunday

Today, is a day of special graces! A feast to recognize, share, and celebrate God’s outpouring of love and mercy.

Today, the faithful can receive an indulgence for praying even during quarentine by following the set of prayers outlined here!

Trust

“Jesus, I trust in You.”

That is the famous line written at the bottom of the Divine Mercy Image.

In light of my last reflection, I want to continue praying for trust: trust that God will provide for us, that He has a plan, and that we will be with Him eternally.

Let’s look to St. Faustina and her trust in God.

In Poverty and in Trust

St. Faustina was never wealthy. She did not need to be, and she didn’t want to be. She just wanted to belong to Jesus and to be with Him forever.

Yet, when Jesus gave her such a great mission of sharing this devotion with the world, she wasn’t sure how that would be possible. In this quote from her diary, Faustina outlines how she was in misery, and did not know how this great task of spreading a message around the world would be complete, even with no health, education, or money.

(252) January 14, 1937. Today, Jesus entered my room wearing a bright robe and
girded with a golden belt. His whole figure resplendent with great majesty. He said, My
daughter, why are you giving in to thoughts of fear? I answered, “O Lord, You know
why.” And He said, Why? “This work frightens me. You know that I am incapable of
carrying it out.” And He said, Why? “You see very well that I am not in good health, that
I have no education, that I have no money, that I am an abyss of misery, that I fear
contacts with people. Jesus, I desire only You. You can release me from this.” And the
Lord said to me, My daughter, what you have said is true. You are very miserable,
and it pleased Me to carry out this work of mercy precisely through you who are
nothing but misery itself. Do not fear; I will not leave you alone. Do whatever you
can in this matter; I will accomplish everything that is lacking in you. You know
what is within your power to do; do that. The Lord looked into the depth of my being
with great kindness; I thought I would die for joy under that gaze. The Lord disappeared,
and joy, (253) strength and power to act remained in my soul. But I was surprised that
the Lord did not want to release me and that he is not changing anything. He has once
said. And despite all these joys, there is always a shadow of sorrow. I see that love and
sorrow go hand in hand.

The Diary of St. Faustina, 881

Jesus Accomplishes what We Cannot

It is amazing that Jesus comforts Faustina in this moment without taking away her duty.

Do what you can, He will do the rest.

That is trust, and that is God’s mercy. He knows that we are not perfect, and He loves us in it.

If ever you feel that your tasks are too much, remember that God takes up the rest.

Trust and Rest

Regardless of where we are spiritually, financially, or otherwise, we can take this day and the rest of the Easter season to rest in our trust of Jesus.

We may be stuck inside and life might be weird right now, but remember what Jesus told St. Faustina:

“Do whatever you can in this matter; I will accomplish everything that is lacking in you. You know
what is within your power to do; do that.“

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To recite the chaplet or get more info about Divine Mercy – thedivinemercy.org

To pray the Litany of Trust – sistersoflife.org