Divine Mercy (Week of April 7)
On the Road
In 2000 on the occasion of the canonization of Sister Mary Faustina Kowalska, Pope John Paul II declared the Second Sunday of Easter as "Divine Mercy Sunday." On the last day of the Easter octave, we give thanks for the merciful love of God manifested in Jesus. We reflect on the Paschal Mystery and recognize that God's mercy is greater than sin and death. In his mercy, we have victory, salvation and eternal life. In the Collect for this Mass, we pray that God, who offers us everlasting mercy, increase in us our faith so that we may understand more deeply the effects of being reborn by the Spirit and redeemed by Christ's blood
Encounter
"Mercy, also, is a good thing, for it makes men perfect, in that it imitates the perfect Father. Nothing graces the Christian soul so much as mercy." Saint Ambrose "Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, until the destroying storms pass by." Psalm 57:1-2
Go Forth
Think of a time when someone treated you with mercy. How did this experience make you feel? How can you assist others make a connection between Jesus' Death and Resurrection and God's mercy?