Pope St. John Paul II instituted the Sunday after Easter as The Sunday of Divine Mercy.  St. Faustina received personal revelations from our Savior Jesus Christ involving His great mercy which flows from the wounded side of Christ from a lance at His crucifixion.  Jesus said to St. Faustina, “I am love and mercy itself.  When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls.”  In another visit of our Lord to St. Faustina, He said, “I have opened My heart as a living fountain of mercy.  Let all souls draw life from it.  Let them approach this sea of mercy with great trust.  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.”

This Sunday we will celebrate the Divine Mercy with a special celebration.  I encourage every one of you to entrust your soul to the mercy of Jesus Christ.  For He says in another vision, “I never reject a contrite heart.”  So, this afternoon the schedule follows 

     2:00 p.m.              Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

     2:00-2:45 p.m.     Confessions

      3:00 p.m.            Chaplet of Divine Mercy & Benediction

God is so good, isn’t He!

Printed below is the Divine Mercy Chaplet and how to say it.  It is very simple and is used on your Rosary.  It is encouraged to be said at 3:00 p.m. everyday.  But, anytime will do.  It will bring you great solace and be a wonderful antidote to the dismissive attitude toward Christ that seems too prevalent in the modern culture.

Divine Mercy Chaplet

Optional Opening Prayers:
You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world.  O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy,
envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us.

(Repeat 3 times) O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of Mercy for us, I trust in You!

Our Father, Hail Mary and the Apostle's Creed

For each of the five decades (On each “Our Father” bead of the rosary, pray):

Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

(On each of the 10 “Hail Mary” beads, pray)
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Concluding prayer (Repeat 3 times)
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Optional Closing Prayer
Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.