"...this Feast of Mercy, that Jesus was asking for, was really made to help poor sinners to come back into full union, with Christ and His Church."
Robert R. Allard, Director
Apostles of Divine Mercy, www.divinemercysunday.com
Divine Mercy Sunday, in the Jubilee Year of Mercy
"Time to get it right!"
If you are anything like me, and like getting "right to the point", as soon as possible: Divine Mercy Sunday has not been celebrated correctly. Now, at this point, I can only imagine what many of you are thinking about: enhancing your afternoon devotionals, getting more people to attend these devotionals, and generally more things for devotees to get involved in. But this isn't what Divine Mercy Sunday is all about. This really isn't what Jesus envisioned it to be.
It is no secret, that Pope Saint John Paul instituted this Sunday of Divine Mercy, to purposely fulfill the will of Christ, by establishing, in His Church, a Feast of Mercy. If this is the case, then why aren't we following the Lord's instructions, and Saint John Paul's instructions, too?
I've been studying and promoting the Feast of Mercy for 20 years. And I can tell you, not many parishes are getting it right. From the first time, that I read the diary of St. Faustina, in 1996, I recognized, very clearly, that this Feast of Mercy, that Jesus was asking for, was really made to help poor sinners to come back into full union, with Christ and His Church. It wasn't made for devotees to have, what I refer to as "parties for devotees" on the feastday afternoons!
And another thing, Divine Mercy Sunday is not a private devotion! Nowhere, in the Vatican decree, did it ever mention the word "devotion". I believe that Pope Saint John Paul added that name to the Second Sunday of Easter, to transition us all, back, into more fully observing the Octave Day of Easter, which is the Sunday of Divine Mercy. He knew, that there was a real need, to more fully celebrate the Feast of Easter, which lasts for a full 8 days of solemnities.
Some theologians had focused so much on the Day of the Resurrection, that they started to forget about the importance of the Octave of Easter. In the old Latin missals, printed in the earlier 1900's, they nicknamed, the Sunday following Easter "Low Sunday". "Low Sunday" could be nothing further from the truth. In all reality, that Second Sunday, the Octave Day of Easter, as taught by 3 doctors of the Church, is actually more like a "Grand Finale" of Easter.
There is no greater feast than Easter, and like the great feasts of the Old Testament, it has to be celebrated for a lot longer than just one day. Although the Easter season extends through to Pentecost, the feast of Easter is 8 days long; 8 straight days of solemnities, the highest form of feasts, in the Church, usually reserved just for Sundays and very, very, special feasts. If this is so, why aren't we really feasting, during these 8 days, and finishing it off with a grand finale?
The rest is here
