Feast of Divine Mercy is Celebrated on Sunday, April 15



Jezu Ufam Tobie by Stephen B Whatley

Divine Mercy Sunday - Saint Micheal Center

The following excerpt regarding the Feast of Divine Mercy is from the Saint Michael Center:

The Importance of the Feast of Mercy

The first revelation of Jesus in His message of Divine Mercy to St. Faustina on 22nd February 1931 was to say how much He desired mankind to avail of the infinite mercy of God on earth and this was why He was establishing the Feast of His Mercy. So, the Feast of Mercy was the first revelation in the message of Divine Mercy and is considered the first and most important element of the whole devotion.

Jesus devoted fourteen revelations in all, more than He devoted to any other element of this devotion because of the importance of the extraordinary graces He desired to give to all souls on this holy day.
In fact, He attached such importance to the Feast of Mercy that in the 43rd revelation, He stated, “I desire that My mercy be worshiped, and I am giving mankind the last hope of salvation; that is, recourse to My mercy. My Heart rejoices in this Feast”. (Diary 998)

First Sunday After Easter

Jesus said it was to be celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. The selection of this day was to indicate that Jesus shows a special close connection between the paschal mystery of our redemption, and the Feast of Mercy and it is partly designed so that we contemplate, on this day, the mystery of our Redemption as the greatest act of Divine Mercy toward mankind.

Saint Faustina also noted this, when in 1935 she wrote: "I see now that the work of Redemption is bound up with this work of Divine Mercy that the Lord desires". (Diary 89)

A Second Baptism

Jesus said, "The soul that will go to confession in preparation for this day and receive Holy Communion on the day, shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment" (Diary 699) What exactly does this mean? Canon Rozycki, who was appointed by the Pope John Paul II to analyse the promises of Our Lord in the revelations of Divine Mercy states, “The extraordinary grace promised by Jesus in connection with the Feast of Mercy is something greater by far than a plenary indulgence. A plenary indulgence consists only in the forgiveness of temporal punishment due to sins already forgiven; it is never the forgiveness of sins themselves”.

He also went on to say, “The remarkable grace promised by our Lord on the Feast of Mercy is the same as a second Baptism. Now the Sacramental grace of Baptism if received by an adult, is not only the removal of original sin from their soul, but also the removal of all personal sins committed since birth, and any punishment due to them”.

So the soul who receives this special grace on the Feast of Mercy is the same as an adult who is baptised for the first time and receives the grace of having their soul cleansed through the sacrament of Baptism.

Read more: Feast of Divine Mercy

Life Changing Miracles through the Power of Prayer

Experiencing the Rock of Ages - CBN TV - Video

The video and following excerpt from CBN.com is an illustration of how Jesus can transform your life through the power of prayer.

By Christine McWorter

Sex, drugs, and rock n' roll summed up the life of musician Bobby Hayden, but it soon turned into addiction, despair and hopelessness.

Every penny he earned from gigs went to heroin. He became unstable, neglecting his bills in favor of his next high. Eventually Bobby lost his home and ended up living on skid row. The dream was over, and he was all alone.

“By the time the 90’s got here, I was so sick of Bobby Hayden, I wanted to be anybody- anybody else but Bobby Hayden,” Bobby said. “I was one of the worst down there. I injected heroin probably five to fifteen times a day. I absolutely remember going a year without a bath. I knew that I was down there to die. I really felt I was down there to die. Because in skid row, that’s why a lot of people go there - it’s your last hurrah.”

For seven years, Bobby lived on skid row panhandling for drug money. One day, another homeless man had a message for him. “’Bobby, your body is full of poison. Your legs are all chewed up with injections. You go no veins left. You’ve blown out your neck. You’re not going to be with us much longer,’”

Bobby remembers, “And I’m laying there without a chance in the world, clothes I’ve had on for a year, and my skin was darkened with dirt and soot and toxins from the air. And he said that I had to maybe start praying in the name of Jesus.”

With nothing to lose, Bobby took his advice and started to pray and read the Bible. “When I was walking the streets homeless, I had a little light on in the back of my head that somehow I was going to walk away from it.’

Bobby was right - his life was about to change. One of his old friends sent him a bus ticket to Phoenix and some methadone- a drug that helps addicts quit by stopping withdrawal symptoms. “Then it kinda hit me that I had been praying in Jesus’ name and all of a sudden I got a way out,” said Bobby. “So by this time I know that something is really leading me down that road and I knew this Jesus thing had to be for real.”

Bobby weaned himself off methadone. After about a year, he didn’t need it or any other drug. When a family member invited him to church, he was happy to attend. Soon, he began building a relationship with God.

“Jesus is everything. He’s just- He’s virtually everything - or I would still be in that cardboard box or probably not on this earth. So once I got out of the way and realized that Someone Else was calling the shots, that’s when it really started. I started to tick on all 8 again.”

Bobby has been free from drugs for over 3 years. He is a worship leader at his church, and is able to do what he loves - write and perform music. He says Jesus helped him see that a life in Christ is the best life possible.

He says, “I am so thankful to be a human being again and be in touch with Jesus, because now I really understand that Jesus lives inside of me.”