Christ gave certain commands in the diary of St. Faustina Kowalska and one of those was to institute a feast day for Divine Mercy, which Pope St. John Paul II did in 2002 on the Sunday after Easter.

Christ also told St. Faustina, the Polish religious sister and mystic who had visions and conversations with Jesus before she died in 1938, that “humanity will not have peace until it turns with trust to my Mercy” (The Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska 300), which was a reference to celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday.

St. Faustina made three requests on her deathbed:

1. The first was that the Feast of Divine Mercy be solemnly promulgated and celebrated in every Church around the world.

2. The second was that sinners, especially the sick and dying, through the Chaplet of Divine Mercy would have recourse to and experience the unspeakable effects of this Mercy.

3. The third was that the work of His Mercy would be realized according to His wishes through a particular person charged with this work (Diary 1680).

Most of her three wishes have been fulfilled. What has not been fully accepted is the universal celebration of the feast in every church worldwide on the Second Sunday of Easter as commanded by Christ in the revelation.

St. Faustina provided the blueprint on celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday in her diary, starting with purification of the soul:

“The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sin and punishment. On that day all the divine flood gates through which grace flow are opened.” (Diary 699)

To receive this grace of forgiveness and punishment, the Lord asks for four things: confession, Holy Communion, charity and trust.

When preparing for Divine Mercy Sunday, confession should focus on God’s mercy, which is love and more powerful than evil, sin and death. A wholehearted confession should hold nothing back from the merciful Lord.

The Lord said to St. Faustina about confession:

 “Come with faith to the feet of My representative (Diary 1448) ... I, Myself, am waiting there for you. I am only hidden by the priest. I, Myself, act in your soul (Diary #1602) ... Make your confession before Me. The person of the priest is, for Me, only a screen. Never analyze what sort of priest it is that I am making use of; open your soul in confession as you would to Me, and I will fill it with My light.” (Diary 1725)

On Divine Mercy Sunday, Christ’s image should be given great honor as a reminder of His love and His sacraments; and a reminder to have love toward our neighbor and to put all our trust in Him.

The Lord’s words regarding His image were:

 “I demand the worship of My mercy through the Solemn Celebration of the Feast (Divine Mercy Sunday) and through the veneration of the Image which is painted.” (Diary 742)

The image especially represents the Church’s three great sacraments.

The red rays symbolize the blood poured out for sinners. And this blood has become the very flesh of the Lord given to His people in the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

The pale represents the Sacrament of Baptism, which washes individuals clean from all sin and makes them sons and daughters of the most-high God.

The hand raised in blessings and the white robe represents priesthood. With all priests united to the High Priest Jesus, the faithful are healed of sin through the Sacrament of Confession. It shows that Christ is always blessing his people and offering them forgiveness through His priest. 

The Lord offered the following words for sinners:

“Be not afraid of your Savior, O sinful soul. I make the first move to come to you, for I know that by yourself you are unable to lift yourself to Me. Child, do not run away from your Father; be willing to talk openly with your God of mercy who wants to speak words of pardon and lavish His graces on you. How dear your soul is to Me! I have inscribed your name upon My hands; you are engraved as a deep wound in My heart.” (Diary 1485)

Damnation is for the soul who wants to be damned; but for the one who desires salvation, there is the inexhaustible ocean of the Lord’s mercy to draw from. (Diary 631)

Tim McAndrew is the founder and president of Laity for Mercy. For more information, visit www.feastofmercy.net.