Beginning on Good Friday
Jesus asked that the Feast of the Divine Mercy be preceded by a Novena to the Divine Mercy which would begin on Good Friday. He gave St. Faustina an intention to pray for on each day of the Novena, saving for the last day the most difficult intention of all, the lukewarm and indifferent, of whom He said:
“These souls cause Me more suffering than any others; it was from such souls that My soul felt the most revulsion in the Garden of Olives. It was on their account that I said: ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass Me by.’ The last hope of salvation for them is to flee to My Mercy.“
In her diary, St. Faustina wrote that Jesus told her:
“On each day of the novena you will bring to My heart a different group of souls and you will immerse them in this ocean of My mercy … On each day you will beg My Father, on the strength of My passion, for the graces for these souls.“
The different souls prayed for on each day of the novena are:
- DAY 1 (Good Friday) – All mankind, especially sinners
- DAY 2 (Holy Saturday) – The souls of priests and religious
- DAY 3 (Easter Sunday) – All devout and faithful souls
- DAY 4 (Easter Monday) – Those who do not believe in Jesus and those who do not yet know Him
- DAY 5 (Easter Tuesday) – The souls of separated brethren
- DAY 6 (Easter Wednesday) – The meek and humble souls and the souls of children
- DAY 7 (Easter Thursday) – The souls who especially venerate and glorify Jesus’s mercy
- DAY 8 (Easter Friday) – The souls who are detained in purgatory
- DAY 9 (Easter Saturday) – The souls who have become lukewarm
Booklets with the novena are available on Palm Sunday on the chair in the main aisle of the church.
The novena is online here: https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/novena-13366
The Feast of Divine Mercy:
Second Sunday of Easter
On 23 May 2000, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments stated that “throughout the world the Second Sunday of Easter will receive the name Divine Mercy Sunday, a perennial invitation to the Christian world to face, with confidence in divine benevolence, the difficulties and trials that mankind will experience in the years to come.“
Concerning the Feast of Mercy Jesus said:
“Whoever approaches the Fountain of Life on this day will be granted complete forgiveness of sins and punishment” (Diary 300).
“I want the image solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter, and I want it to be venerated publicly so that every soul may know about it” (Diary 341).
“On one occasion, I heard these words: ‘My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. 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 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 all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy’” (Diary 699).
“I want to grant complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My mercy” (Diary 1109).
As you can see, the Lord’s desire for the Feast includes the solemn, public veneration of the Image of Divine Mercy by the Church, as well as personal acts of veneration and mercy. The great promise for the individual soul is that a devotional act of sacramental penance and Communion will obtain for that soul the plenitude of the divine mercy on the Feast.
*In practice, this is what Jesus is asking of us and what He is promising us on the Feast of Divine Mercy:
1. We must be in a state of grace. This means that we should have made our confession to a priest, received absolution and done our penance. We must not have committed any mortal sin since then. If you went to confession before Easter, and you have not committed a mortal sin since your Easter confession, that is enough. You do not have to go to confession on Divine Mercy Sunday.
2. That in our hearts, we are detached from sin, even venial sin: we sincerely do not want to sin again.
3. We receive Holy Communion, preferably in Mass on Divine Mercy Sunday.
4. We pray for the intentions of the Holy Father, Pope Francis. An ‘Our Father’ or a ‘Hail Mary’ is sufficient; we can pray more, of course.
This is what Jesus promised us if we sincerely approach His Divine Mercy on this Feast:
“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 all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened.”
This means that on Divine Mercy Sunday, if you have fulfilled the conditions, you will be completely free of all sins and you will be freed from the punishment of all your sins! Your soul will be as new and innocent on the day of your baptism! Do not let this opportunity pass by. Make your Easter confession as soon as possible, and receive God’s abundant mercy on Divine Mercy Sunday this year!