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| "Jesus, I trust in You!" |
History
In
the 1930s, a Polish nun named Mary Faustina Kowalska had visions of the Lord
Jesus. One of the things He asked of her was to make sure that a feast was held
in celebration of His Divine Mercy on the first Sunday after Easter every year.
But Sister Faustina was not able to accomplish this in her lifetime. It wasn’t
until the year 2000 that Pope John Paul II answered our Lord’s request and
established the Feast of Divine Mercy. This feast is very important, because
any person who has been to confession recently and goes to Mass to receive the
Holy Eucharist on this day can receive total forgiveness for all the sins that
he or she has committed. Read more about how to get an indulgence today here:
Activity
Today is an extra special day not only because of
this wonderful feast and the promise that Jesus made us, but also because two
of our holy popes were canonized saints by the Church today (4 a.m. Eastern
time; watch 2-minute video here!). The first is Saint John XXIII; the second is Saint John Paul II (whom many anticipate will be called Saint John Paul the Great). So be sure
to feast today, even if all you do is add a special dessert to your normal
meal. Also, in gratitude for the mercy we receive from Jesus that enables all of us to become saints, choose one
of the works of mercy listed below and make a commitment to practice it every
day this week, starting today. (Some of
these are too difficult for children to do, but even a very young child can
visit somebody who is sick, take somebody a drink and pray for the living and
the dead.)
The Corporal Works of Mercy
•
Feed the hungry
•
Give drink to the thirsty
•
Clothe the naked
•
Shelter the homeless
•
Visit the sick
•
Visit the imprisoned
•
Bury the dead
The Spiritual Works of Mercy
•
Admonish the sinner
•
Instruct the ignorant
•
Counsel the doubtful
•
Comfort the sorrowful
•
Bear wrongs patiently
•
Forgive all injuries
•
Pray for the living and the dead
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