Divine Mercy Sunday - Fr. Louis Bulletin Letter - April 23, 2006
Helen Kowalska was born in 1905 in Glogowiec, Poland. Her family was materially poor and lived deeply their Catholic faith. Already as a youngster, Helen was known for her genuine piety, depth of prayer, and concern for the poor. At 20 she entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy and took the name Sister Maria Faustina of the Most Blessed Sacrament. In her community, she worked as a cook, gardener, and porter. Her inner life was very rich as the Lord blessed her with many extraordinary spiritual gifts. Jesus communicated to Sister Maria Faustina that she was to be the apostle of His Divine Mercy in our modern world. The mission entrusted to her was to (1) remind the world and the Church of the truth of God’s mercy for every human being, (2) entreat Divine Mercy for the whole world, especially sinners, through the new forms of devotion to the Divine Mercy, and (3) initiate the apostolic movement of Divine Mercy, the followers of which proclaim and beg Divine Mercy for the world and practice the works of mercy. Sister Faustina Kowalska died of tuberculosis at 33. On April 30, 2000, Pope John Paul II canonized her as the first saint of the Great Jubilee Year. During his homily on that occasion, the Holy Father also announced that the Second Sunday of Easter would now be celebrated throughout the entire Church as Divine Mercy Sunday. In her diary, Saint Faustina reported this message of the Savior: “My daughter, tell the whole world about my inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and a shelter for all souls, and especially for the 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 fount of my mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day are opened all the divine floodgates through which graces flow. Let no soul fear to draw near to me, even though its sins be as scarlet” (699). A number of our area parishes have special celebrations marking Divine Mercy Sunday. I will be participating in the afternoon program at Sacred Heart in Polonia delivering three reflections at 1:00, 2:00 and 3:00. Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world!
Saint Peter, pray for us! Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us!