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The Feast of Divine Mercy
from various sources
A way to obtain from God complete forgiveness of
sins and punishment.
There has been much confusion as to how this Feast is to be
celebrated. To know how to celebrate the Feast, one must only look at the
two decrees that were issued by the Holy
See and the words of Our Lord in the diary of Saint
Faustina, which the Church has accepted, as reliable and worthy
of belief, and are included below. The first decree
which established the Feast states that the normal readings for that Sunday
are always to be used. They are already perfect as they are and reflect
what the Image of Divine Mercy portrays.
The second decree is for the plenary
indulgence for Divine Mercy Sunday that was issued on June 29, 2002. This decree also states what the
duties of Priests are to be: inform the parishioners, hear confessions, and lead the
prayers. It also asked Priests to gently encourage the Faithful to practice works of charity
or mercy as often as they can, following the example of Christ.
The words of Our Lord in the diary are very clear, He
said, "I want the image to be solemnly blessed on the first
Sunday after Easter, and I want it to be venerated publicly so that every soul may know
about it. By means of the Image I shall be granting many graces to souls; so let every
soul have access to it." (Diary 341, 570) The Image should be placed in
the church so that everyone can see it, perhaps in the sanctuary area and at all the
masses on that day so that everyone may venerate it.
Our Lord also said, "I desire that
priests proclaim this great mercy of Mine towards souls of sinners. Tell My priests that
hardened sinners will repent on hearing their words when they speak about My unfathomable
mercy, about the compassion I have for them in My Heart. To priests who proclaim and extol
My mercy, I will give wondrous power; I will anoint their words and touch the hearts of
those to whom they will speak." (Diary, 50, 1521) Easter
Sunday is the best time to proclaim God's mercy.
In addition, Our Lord Jesus said, "The
soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete
forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which
graces flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as
scarlet.... Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy."
(699) The plenary indulgence does not change the promises of Our
Lord. Rather it provides the Church's highest mark of approval
and endorsement.
Our Lord also said, "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."
(Diary, 742) It is clear that Our Lord wants mercy to be
shown to others and this can be done by telling everyone about the special promise of the
total forgiveness of sins and punishment that He has given to us.
When Jesus revealed this Feast
to Saint Faustina, He said to her:
 Whoever
approaches the Fountain of Life on this day will be granted complete forgiveness of sins
and punishment (300).
This
Feast emerged from the very depths of My mercy, and it is confirmed in the vast depths of
My tender mercies (420).
It
is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter ... I desire
that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor
sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean
of graces upon those souls who approach the Fountain of My mercy (699).
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 (1109).
Requirements
Thus, to fittingly observe the Feast of Mercy, we should:
 Celebrate the Feast on the Sunday after Easter;
Sincerely repent of all our sins;
Place our complete trust in Jesus;
Go to Confession, preferably before that Sunday;
Receive Holy Communion on the day of the Feast;
Venerate the Image of The
Divine Mercy;
Be merciful to others, through our actions, words, and
prayers on their behalf.
Indulgences attached to devotions in
honor of Divine Mercy - 29Jun02
General Remarks On Indulgences
1. This is how an indulgence is defined in the Code of Canon Law (992)
and in the Catholic Catechism (1471): "An
indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt
has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under
certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of
redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of
Christ and the saints".
2. In general, the gaining of indulgences requires certain prescribed conditions, and
the performance of certain prescribed works.
3. To gain indulgences, whether plenary or partial, it is necessary that the faithful
be in the state of grace at least at the time the indulgenced
work is completed.
4. A plenary indulgence can be gained only once a day. In order to obtain it, the
faithful must, in addition to being in the state of grace:
 have the interior
disposition of complete detachment from sin, even venial sin;
have sacramentally
confessed their sins;
receive the Holy
Eucharist (it is certainly better to receive it while participating in Holy
Mass, but for the indulgence only Holy Communion is required);
pray for the intentions of
the Supreme Pontiff.
5. It is appropriate, but not necessary, that the sacramental Confession
and especially Holy Communion and the prayer for the Pope's
intentions take place on the same day that the indulgenced work is performed; but it is
sufficient that these sacred rites and prayers be carried out within several
days (about 20) before or
after the indulgenced act. Prayer for the Pope's intentions is left to
the choice of the faithful, but an "Our Father"
and a "Hail Mary" are suggested. One sacramental
Confession suffices for several plenary indulgences, but a separate Holy
Communion and a separate prayer for the Holy Father's intentions
are required for each plenary indulgence.
6. For the sake of those legitimately impeded, confessors can commute both the work
prescribed and the conditions required (except, obviously, detachment from even venial
sin).
7. Indulgences can always be applied either to oneself or to the souls
of the deceased, but they cannot be applied to other persons living on
earth.
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