The pinacle of the Catholic liturgical year starts this Sunday, Palm Sunday, and extends for the next two weeks. Google Artificial Intelligence put together this graphic on major Catholic Church Feasts and Sundays. It is AI and should be taken with a grain of salt but I believe it does underscore the importance of the next two weeks. The graph is in chronological order.
Nearly a third of these events occur in the next two weeks and include three of the four highest. The first reading for today, Saturday March 28th, was Ezekiel 37:21-28. It is a good prelude for entry into this solemn time.
Thus says the Lord GOD:
I will take the children of Israel from among the nations
to which they have come,
and gather them from all sides to bring them back to their land.
I will make them one nation upon the land,
in the mountains of Israel,
and there shall be one prince for them all.
Never again shall they be two nations,
and never again shall they be divided into two kingdoms.
The Lord God speaks to us of making us one kingdom with one prince for them all. Our unity is highlighted. This time is the best to strive to achieve “…they kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…”. It goes on to say:
No longer shall they defile themselves with their idols,
their abominations, and all their transgressions.
I will deliver them from all their sins of apostasy,
and cleanse them so that they may be my people
and I may be their God.
The time is ripe for turning from our sins and idols to return to the Lord. The time of year to strive to put the Lord first in our hearts, mind and will. He will cleanse us so that we may be His people and He may be our God. This cleansing is made a physical reality in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. And going further…
My servant David shall be prince over them,
and there shall be one shepherd for them all;
they shall live by my statutes and carefully observe my decrees.
They shall live on the land that I gave to my servant Jacob,
the land where their fathers lived;
they shall live on it forever,
they, and their children, and their children’s children,
with my servant David their prince forever.
We have one Good Shepherd for all. We shall live by God’s statues and decrees. This is the kingdom of heaven that is possible right now in our hearts. The land can be interpreted as the Church today with Jesus as our prince, descendent of David, and present with us today in the Eucharist. The children’s children highlights the communal aspect of our faith passed on from generations. The Church as one united kingdom. And in conclusion:
I will make with them a covenant of peace;
it shall be an everlasting covenant with them,
and I will multiply them, and put my sanctuary among them forever.
My dwelling shall be with them;
I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Thus the nations shall know that it is I, the LORD,
who make Israel holy,
when my sanctuary shall be set up among them forever.
The sanctuary is the Church set up among us forever. His dwelling shall be with us in the Eucharist. Through which He makes us holy.
The passage is a great prelude to the next two weeks. The two weeks are separated into Holy Week followed by the Octave of Easter. The Octave of Easter is a great celebration in which every day is considered a Solemnity and is celebrated as a continuation of Easter Sunday. The octave week concludes with Divine Mercy Sunday. We can start preparing right now by going to confession. The sacrament of confession bestows not only the forgiveness of our sins which is great in itself. It also restores or increases sanctifying grace, helps us to avoid sin in the future and restores the merits of our good works if they had been lost by mortal sin.
Holy Week
The events of Holy week of Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday and Good Friday hold among the highest importance in the liturgical calendar. The best way to observe these sacred days is to attend the available services. As the opening readings portray this is a great opportunity to deepen our relationship with God and work to assist in our words of “…Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done”.
Saint Faustina, the Diary and Divine Mercy Sunday
Catholics are not under obligation to believe private revelation. The revelations made to Saint Faustina are considered private revelations. However the Church recognizes the message of God’s Divine Mercy as revealed in the Bible and teachings of the apostles. As such it has instituted the Feast of Divine Mercy. It also recognizes that nothing of Saint Faustina’s accounts of Jesus’ revelations contradicts the Church teachings or Sacred Revelation in the Bible. In fact it supports and reinforces it. Concerning St Faustina’ account of her private revelations in her Diary, Robert Stackpole of DivineMercy.org had the following to say:
It is overwhelmingly unlikely that a Diary which has been fully examined by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (the Church’s highest doctrinal tribunal under the Pope) and by the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints, and has been praised and quoted repeatedly by popes, and whose author has been canonized as a “saint” (that is, as someone “full-to-overflowing” with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth) would contain serious and unqualified errors and illusions.
In her Diary, St. Faustina records a special promise given to her by Jesus. He told her to communicate it to the whole world:
“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.” (699).
To receive these graces, the only condition is to receive Holy Communion worthily on Divine Mercy Sunday (or the Vigil celebration) by making a good Confession beforehand and being in the state of grace and trusting in His Divine Mercy.
By these conditions, our Lord is emphasizing the value of confession and Holy Communion as miracles of mercy. The Eucharist is Jesus, Himself, the Living God, longing to pour Himself as Mercy into our hearts.
In addition, our Lord says through St. Faustina that we are to perform acts of mercy:
My daughter, if I demand through you that people revere My mercy, you should be the first to distinguish yourself by this confidence in My mercy. I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it.
I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor: the first-by deed, the second-by word, the third-by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy. Yes, the first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be acts of mercy, and I demand the worship of My mercy through the solemn celebration of the Feast and through the veneration of the image which is painted. By means of this image I shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is of no avail without works. (742)
The Lord emphasized the need to trust in Him:
“Let souls who are striving for perfection particularly adore My mercy, because the abundance of graces which I grant them flows from My mercy. I desire that these souls distinguish themselves by boundless trust in My mercy. I myself will attend to the sanctification of such souls. I will provide them with everything they will need to attain sanctity. The graces of My mercy are drawn by means of one vessel only, and that is-trust. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive. Souls that trust boundlessly are a great comfort to Me, because I pour all the treasures of My graces into them. I rejoice that they ask for much, because it is My desire to give much, very much. On the other hand, I am sad when souls ask for little, when they narrow their hearts.” (1578).
The mercy of God is beyond our comprehension. As He revealed to Saint Faustina:
“Proclaim that mercy is the greatest attribute of God. All the works of My hands are crowned with mercy.” (301).
There is a novena of the Divine Mercy chaplet that is available here – divine-mercy-novena. From the Diary:
The Lord told me to say this chaplet for nine days before the Feast of Mercy. It is to begin on Good Friday. “By this novena, I will grant every possible grace to souls.”
The actual pray for the Chaplet is available here – divine_mercy_chaplet.
You can obtain a daily email excerpt from the Diary by signing up here – Divine Mercy Daily Email
To “venerate” a sacred image simply means to perform some act, or make some gesture of deep religious respect toward it because of the person whom it represents. In our churches and homes, we can venerate the Image of Jesus, The Divine Mercy, by gazing upon it in prayer and adoration. Often the image is in the Church or you can order it or find one online.
There is a bit to remember, but the grace obtained for ourselves and others makes this devotion well worth it. Prepare for Divine Mercy Sunday by:
- Go to confession within the next two weeks.
- Ask the Lord to help us to be open to performing acts of mercy (deeds, words, prayer) and then let us be open to do so.
- Start the Divine Mercy Novena on Good Friday
- Receive the Eucharist on Divine Mercy Sunday.
- Venerate the image of Divine Mercy on Divine Mercy Sunday.
Have a Blessed and Holy Easter and Easter season.