(An important point…The novena of Divine Mercy leads up to the Feast of Divine Mercy.  They’re actually separate. It’s not necessary to pray the novena in order to celebrate & receive the blessings of the Feast of Divine Mercy. Of course, though, praying the novena is highly recommended!)

If you haven’t had a chance to read up on the story behind The Divine Mercy Novena and the blessings/promises attached to it and, also,  (more importantly) the celebration of the Feast of Mercy, let me tell you some important things…

First of all, the following (and so much more) was revealed to Sister Faustina Kowalska, who is now St. Faustina. Click on that link to learn more about her, the novena and Mercy Sunday.

The Feast of Mercy is the Sunday after Easter. Christ instituted this feast in order to offer each of us a fresh start…and what He has promised is truly stunning.  The following are the words He spoke to St. Faustina:

I want to grant a complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My mercy.

Whoever approaches the Fountain of Life on this day will be granted complete forgiveness of sins and punishment.

If that didn’t fully sink in, read it again. COMPLETE forgiveness of sins AND punishment. That is huge!  (Of course, a complete and sincere confession needs to be made.)

It is not necessary to go to confession on the feast day itself. Actually we’re encouraged to go before this Sunday…even before Holy Week…so that there will not be an overwhelmingly
large number of people seeking confession on one day.

The Lord also insists that we be merciful ourselves!  Again, His words to St. Faustina:

Yes, the first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be acts of mercy…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 or absolve yourself from it.

This may be the hardest part of this novena for those of us who have experienced or are experiencing divorce and the pains brought upon us and our children by our spouses!  It is NOT easy to forgive the one who vowed to love and remain faithful to you forever.  The one who is supposed to be your shelter from pain and troubles in your life.  The one who may have betrayed and hurt you in a way that NO other in this world is capable of.  Believe me, I know this.  It takes time and practice to be able to forgive your spouse for such things…and to be able to forgive the other person, IF there was another person involved in the destruction of your relationship.

God is asking, demanding actually, that we show mercy in exchange for His showing mercy to us.  That makes sense.  However, I think God will understand if you’re not able to completely forgive your spouse
just yet.  Simply start working on it with a genuine desire to be able to forgive him/her.  And, of course, show mercy in other areas of your life, too. AND, please don’t forget to show mercy to yourself!  Yes…sometimes we need to be able to forgive ourselves, too….sometimes more often than we’d care to admit.  Actually, in my experience, it wasn’t until I was able to fully acknowledge my part in the death of our relationship that I was able to really start forgiving my ex-husband – and myself.

So, here are all the steps to properly observing the Feast of Mercy: (taken from The Divine Mercy Message and Devotion)

1. Celebrate the Feast on the Sunday after Easter

2. Sincerely repent of all our sins;

3. Place our complete trust in Jesus;

4. Go to Confession, preferably before that Sunday;

5. Receive Holy Communion on the day of the Feast;

6. Venerate* the Image of The Divine Mercy;

7. Be merciful to others, through our actions, words, and prayers on their behalf.

*To venerate a sacred image or statue simply means to perform some act or make some gesture of deep religious respect toward it because of the person whom it represents.

Notice that in order to obtain the promises of Christ attached to celebrating The Feast of Mercy, it is NOT necessary to have participated in the novena.  So if you have not been praying the novena, please don’t let that stop you from celebrating this feast this coming Sunday.  Some parishes focus on this feast on Mercy Sunday…others (sadly) don’t even acknowledge it.  It’s not necessary for your parish to hold special celebrations in order for YOU to celebrate the feast.  Simply follow the 7 steps above on your own, individually.

God bless us all and bring us peace (and mercy!).

Manya