Dear Readers
The Devotion to the Divine Mercy is the devotion to the Holy Trinity, although Jesus is its fundamental object. We worship the mercy of the Father who gave His only Son, the mercy of the Son who gave His life for us and the mercy of the Holy Spirit who gives us the deepest possible experience of God’s mercy.
God’s love is poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. We celebrate the Feast of the Divine Mercy because we can receive many gifts. God wants to give us these gifts but we have to receive them with a proper attitude of heart.
Jesus attached some promises to all five forms of devotion to the Divine Mercy. For the most important grace promised by Jesus on the Feast of the Divine Mercy, He said: “I want to grant a plenary indulgence to the souls that will go to confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My Mercy” (Diary 1109). “The soul that will go to confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete remission of sins and punishment” (Diary 699).
It is a grace equal to the grace of baptism. It is a greater grace than which we can receive every day in a plenary indulgence. This kind of indulgence brings us remission of sins before God and of the temporal punishment due. In fact it is not absolution from our sins. Confession leads to it. The complete remission of sins and punishment equals the grace of the sacrament of baptism. In his promise Jesus linked this grace to Holy Communion. We drink the Blood of Christ and eat the Body of Christ, thanks to His bloodshed on the cross for us we could be freed from our sins. In addition we should strive to be free from any attachment to sin and have trust in God’s mercy.
It is not necessary to go to confession on the Feast itself in order to receive the grace. During Lent and in Holy Week is the best time to go to confession to get ready for the Easter celebration and Divine Mercy Sunday, we will then be in the state of grace.
I assure you of the constant daily prayer of the priests of the Congregation of St Michael the Archangel for all our readers and their families. Please let others know about this magazine and help us to distribute it all over the world.
God bless you.
Fr Peter Prusakiewicz CSMA