Archangel and Dos Rosas Productions remains proud to present the best in Black Catholic Music.
(the Latin Rite, African Root).
The Black Catholic Motion Picture, Camino De Vida (Way of Life) shows a woman of color through a three-day but life-changing descent into depression.
Imps and demons of Worry, Anxiety, Doubt, and Fear, continually plot and oppress her, due to life's past mistakes.
Her desperate prayer for help succeeds in inviting Prudence, her Guardian and Grace to assist her though the visitations, manifestations, and other situations placed in her path by the lessons of her youth.
She is finally resurrected back to the Way of Life.
THE 15 PROMISES OF OUR LADY TO CHRISTIANS WHO RECITE THE ROSARY
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Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall receive signal graces.
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I promise My special protection and the greatest graces to all who shall recite the Rosary.
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The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies.
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It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.
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The soul which recommends itself to Me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall not perish.
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Whoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its sacred mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life.
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Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church.
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Those who are faithful in reciting the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plenitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the saints in paradise.
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I shall deliver from purgatory, those who have been devoted to the Rosary.
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The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in Heaven.
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You shall obtain all you ask of Me by the recitation of the Rosary.
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All those who propagate the holy Rosary shall be aided by Me in their necessities.
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I have obtained from My Divine Son, that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors, the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of death.
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All who recite the Rosary are My sons, and brothers of My only son Jesus Christ.
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Devotion to My Rosary is a great sign of pre-destination.
The Stations Of The Cross
HISTORY: At the age of 18, Brother Estanislao entered the Novitiate of the Brothers of the Christian schools at Bugedo. In October, 1926, he offered himself to Jesus through Mary. Soon after his heroic donation, he fell ill, and was obliged to rest.
He died saintly in March, 1927. He was according to the Master of Novices, a Priveledged soul, who received messages from Heaven. Confessors and theologians recognised these supernatural facts.
His director asked him to write the promises made by Our Lord to those who have devotion to THE WAY OF THE CROSS:
PROMISES OF OUR LORD:
I'll grant everything that's asked of Me with Faith, when making The Way Of The Cross.
I promise Eternal Life to those who pray from time to time, The Way Of The Cross.
I'll follow them everywhere in life and I'll help them, especially at the hour of death.
Even if they have more sins than blades of grass in the fields, and grains of sand in the sea, all of them will be erased by The Way Of The Cross. (NOTE: This promise doesn't eliminate the obligation to confess all mortal sins, and this, before we can receive Holy Communion).
Those who pray The Way Of The Cross often, will have a special glory in Heaven.
I'll deliver them from Purgatory, indeed if they go there at all, the first Tuesday or Friday after their death.
I'll bless them at each Way Of The Cross, and My blessing will follow them everywhere on earth and, after their death, in Heaven for all eternity.
At the hour of death, I won't permit the devil to tempt them; I'll lift all power from him in order that they'll repose tranquility in My Arms.
If they pray it with true love, I'll make each one of them a living Ciborium in which it will please Me to pour My grace.
I'll fix My Eyes on those who pray The Way Of The Cross often. My Hands will always be open to protect them.
As I am nailed to the Cross, so also I will always be with those who honor Me in making The Way Of The Cross frequently.
They'll never be able to seperate themselves from Me, for I'll give them the grace never again to commit a mortal sin.
At the hour of death, I'll console them with My Presence and we'll go together to Heaven. Death will be sweet to all those who have honored Me during their lives by praying The Way Of The Cross.
My Soul will be a protective shield for them, and will always help them whenever they have recourse.
THE FOURTEEN STATIONS:
JESUS IS CONDEMNED TO DIE - One Our Father, One Hail Mary.
JESUS CARRIES HIS CROSS - One Our Father, One Hail Mary.
JESUS FALLS THE FIRST TIME - One Our Father, One Hail Mary.
JESUS MEETS HIS MOTHER MARY - One Our Father, One Hail Mary.
SIMON HELPS JESUS - One Our Father, One Hail Mary.
VERONICA WIPES THE FACE OF JESUS - One Our Father, One Hail Mary.
JESUS FALLS THE SECOND TIME - One Our Father, One Hail Mary.
JESUS COMFORTS THE WOMEN OF JERUSALEM - One Our Father, One Hail Mary.
JESUS FALLS THE THIRD TIME - One Our Father, One Hail Mary.
JESUS IS STRIPPED OF HIS GARMENTS - One Our Father, One Hail Mary.
JESUS IS NAILED TO THE CROSS - One Our Father, One Hail Mary.
JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS - One Our Father, One Hail Mary.
JESUS IS TAKEN DOWN FROM THE CROSS - One Our Father, One Hail Mary.
JESUS IS BURIED - One Our Father, One Hail Mary.
Afrocentric Chaplet of Divine Mercy features a culturally relevant, popular, Three O'clock Devotion.
PROMISES OF THE DIVINE MERCY DEVOTION
In 1933, God gave Sister Faustina a striking vision of His Mercy;
Sister tells us:
"I saw a great radiance, in the midst of it, God the Father. Between this radiance and the earth I saw Jesus, nailed to the Cross and in such a way that when God wanted to look at the earth, He had to look through the wounds of Jesus. And I understood that it was for the sake of Jesus that God blesses the earth." (Diary 60)
Of another vision on Sept. 13, 1935, she writes:
"....I saw an Angel, the executor of divine wrath... about to strike the earth...I found myself pleading with God for the world with words heard interiorly. As I was praying in this manner, I saw the Angel's helplessness; he could not carry out the just punishment...." (Diary 474)
The following day an inner voice taught her to say this prayer on ordinary rosary beads:
"First of all you will say one 'Our Father', and 'Hail Mary', and the 'I believe in God'. Then on the Our Father beads you will say the following words:
'Eternal Father, I offer You the TAG NOT ALLOWED 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 the Hail Mary beads you will say the following words:
'For the sake of His sorrowful Passion have mercy on us and on the whole world.'
In conclusion three times you will recite these words:
'Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world'. (Diary 476)
Jesus said later to Sister Faustina:
"Say unceasingly this chaplet that I have taught you. Whoever will recite it will receive great Mercy at the hour of death. Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most pardoned, if he were to recite this Chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My Infinite Mercy. I desire that the whole world know My Infinite Mercy. I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those who trust in My Mercy...." (Diary 687)
"....When they say this Chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person not as the just judge but as the Merciful Savior".
Divine Mercy Novena
Jesus further asked that this Feast of the Divine Mercy be preceded by a Novena of Chaplets to the Divine Mercy which would begin on Good Friday. Say one chaplet each day following the novena intention. 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. By this novena I will grant every possible grace to souls." (Diary 1209, 796)
First Day
"Today bring to Me All Mankind, especially all sinners and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. In this way you will console Me in the bitter grief into which the loss of souls plunges me."
Most Merciful Jesus, whose very nature it is to have compassion on us and to forgive us, do not look upon our sins, but upon our trust which we place in Your infinite goodness. Receive us all into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart, and never let us escape from It. We beg this of You by Your love which unites You to the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon all mankind and especially upon poor sinners, all enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion show us Your mercy, that we may praise the omnipotence of Your mercy for ever and ever. Amen.
Second Day
"Today bring to Me the Souls of Priests and Religious and immerse them in My unfathomable mercy. It was they who gave Me strength to endure My bitter Passion. Through them as through channels My mercy flows out upon mankind."
Most Merciful Jesus, from whom comes all that is good, increase Your grace in men and women consecrated to Your service, that they may perform worthy works of mercy, and that all who see them may glorify the Father of Mercy who is in heaven.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the company of chosen ones in Your vineyard - upon the souls of priests and religious; and endow them with the strength of Your blessing. For the love of the Heart of Your Son in which they are enfolded, impart to them Your power and light, that they may be able to guide others in the way of salvation, and with one voice sing praise to Your boundless mercy for ages without end. Amen.
Third Day
"Today bring to Me All Devout and Faithful Souls and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. These souls brought Me consolation on the Way of the Cross. They were that drop of consolation in the midst of an ocean of bitterness."
Most Merciful Jesus, from the treasury of Your mercy, You impart Your graces in the great abundance to each and all. Receive us into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart and never let us escape from It. We beg this of You by that most wondrous love for the heavenly Father with which Your Heart burns so fiercely.
Eternal Father, turn Your Merciful gaze upon faithful souls, as upon the inheritance of Your Son. For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, grant them Your blessing and surround them with Your constant protection. Thus may they never fail in love or lose the treasure of the holy faith, but rather, with all the hosts of Angels and Saints, may they glorify Your boundless mercy for endless ages. Amen.
Fourth Day
"Today bring to Me Those Who Do Not Believe In God and Those Who Do Not Yet Know Me. I was thinking also of them during My bitter Passion, and their future zeal comforted My heart. Immerse them in the ocean of My mercy."
Most Compassionate Jesus, You are the Light of the whole world. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who do not believe in God and of those who as yet do not know You. Let the rays of Your grace enlighten them that they, too, together with us, may extol Your wonderful mercy; and do not let them escape from the abode which is Your Most Compassionate Heart.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of those who do not believe in You, and of those who as yet do not know You, but who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Draw them to the light of the Gospel. These souls do not know what great happiness it is to love You. Grant that they, too, may extol the generosity of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.
Fifth Day
"Today bring to Me the Souls of those who have separated themselves from My Church and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. During My bitter Passion they tore at My TAG NOT ALLOWED and Heart, that is My Church. As they return to unity with they Church My wounds heal and in this way they alleviate My Passion."
Most Merciful Jesus, Goodness Itself, You do not refuse light to those who seek it of You. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who have separated themselves from Your Church. Draw them by Your light into the unity of the Church, and do not let them escape from the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart; but bring it about that they, too, come to glorify the generosity of Your mercy.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of those who have separated themselves from Your Son's Church, who have squandered Your blessings and misused Your graces obstinately persisting in their errors. Do not look upon their errors, but upon the love of Your Own Son and upon His bitter Passion, which He underwent for their sake, since they, too, are enclosed in His Most Compassionate Heart. Bring it about that they also may glorify Your great mercy for endless ages. Amen.
Sixth Day
"Today bring to Me The Meek and Humble Souls and the Souls of Little Children and immerse them in My mercy. These souls most closely resemble My Heart. They strengthened Me during My bitter agony. I saw them as earthly Angels who will keep vigil at My altars. I pour out upon them whole torrents of grace. Only the humble soul is capable of receiving My grace I favor humble souls with My confidence."
Most Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said, "Learn from Me for I am meek and humble of heart." Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart all meek and humble souls and the souls of little children. These souls send all heaven into ecstasy, and they are the heavenly Father's favorites. They are a sweet-smelling bouquet before the throne of God; God Himself takes delight in their fragrance.
These souls have a permanent abode in Your Most Compassionate Heart, O Jesus, and they unceasingly sing out a hymn of love and mercy.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon meek souls, upon humble souls and upon little children, who are enfolded in the abode of the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls bear the closest resemblance to Your Son.
Their fragrance rises from the earth and reaches Your very throne. Father of mercy and of all goodness, I beg You by the love You bear these souls and by the delight you take in them: Bless the whole world, that all souls together may sing out the praises of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.
Seventh Day
"Today bring to Me The Souls Who Especially Venerate and Glorify My Mercy and immerse them in My mercy. These souls sorrowed most over my Passion and entered most deeply into My spirit.
They are living images of My Compassionate Heart. These souls will shine with a special brightness in the next life. Not one of them will go into the fire of hell. I shall particularly defend each one of them at the hour of death."
Most Merciful Jesus, whose Heart is Love Itself, receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who particularly extol and venerate the greatness of Your Mercy. These souls are mighty with the very power of God Himself. In the midst of all afflictions and adversities they go forward, confident in Your Mercy; and united to You, O Jesus, they carry all mankind on their shoulders.
These souls will not be judged severely, but Your mercy will embrace them as they depart from this life.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls who glorify and venerate Your greatest attribute, that of Your fathomless mercy, and who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus.
These souls are a living Gospel; their hands are full of deeds of mercy and their hearts, overflowing with joy, sing a canticle of mercy to You, O Most High! I beg You O God: Show them Your mercy according to the hope and trust they have placed in You.
Let there be accomplished in them the promise of Jesus, who said to them that during their life, but especially at the hour of death, the souls who will venerate this fathomless, He Himself, will defend as His glory. Amen.
Eighth Day
"Today bring to Me The Souls Who Are Detained in Purgatory and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. Let the torrents of My Blood cool down their scorching flames. All these souls are greatly loved by Me.
They are making retribution to My justice. It is in your power to bring them relief. Draw all the indulgences from the treasury of My Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only know the torments they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and pay off their debt to My justice."
Most Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said that You desire mercy; so I bring into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls in Purgatory, souls who are very dear to You, and yet who must make retribution to Your justice.
May the streams of Blood and Water which gushed forth from Your Heart put out the flames of Purgatory, that there, too, the power of Your mercy may be celebrated.
Eternal Father, turn Your most merciful gaze upon the souls suffering in Purgatory, who are enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. I beg You, by the sorrowful Passion of Jesus Your Son, and by all the bitterness with which His most sacred Soul was flooded, manifest Your mercy to the souls who are under Your just scrutiny.
Look upon them in no other way but only through the Wounds of Jesus, Your dearly beloved Son; for we firmly believe that there is no limit to Your goodness and compassion. Amen.
Ninth Day
"Today bring to Me The Souls Who Have Become Lukewarm and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. These souls wound My Heart most painfully. My soul suffered the most dreadful loathing in the Garden of Olives because of lukewarm souls. They were the reason I cried out: 'Father, take this cup away from Me, if it be Your will.' For them the last hope of salvation is to run to My mercy."
Most Compassionate Jesus, You are Compassion Itself. I bring lukewarm souls into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart. In this fire of Your pure love let these tepid souls, who, like
corpses, filled You with such deep loathing, be once again set aflame.
O Most Compassionate Jesus, exercise the omnipotence of Your mercy and draw them into the very ardor of Your love; and bestow upon them the gift of holy love, for nothing is beyond Your power.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon lukewarm souls who are nonetheless enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Father of Mercy, I beg You by the bitter Passion of Your Son and by His three-hour agony on the Cross: let them, too, glorify the abyss of Your mercy. Amen
The Chaplet of the Divine Mercy
1. Begin with the Sign of the Cross, 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary and The Apostles Creed.
2. Then on the Our Father Beads say the following:
Eternal Father, I offer You the TAG NOT ALLOWED 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.
3. On the 10 Hail Mary Beads say the following:
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
(Repeat step 2 and 3 for all five decades).
4. Conclude with (three times):
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
THEOLOGY OF
THE FEAST OF THE DIVINE MERCY
The establishment of the Feast of The Divine Mercy on the octave day of Easter fulfilled the purpose of the restoration of the liturgical year, allowing "the faithful through their faith, hope and love to share more deeply in the whole mystery of Christ as it unfolds throughout the year" (Moto Proprio of Pope Paul VI, 1969, on the Liturgical Year and Roman Calendar, quoting Vatican II on the Liturgy, 102). It ensures even greater prominence to the paschal mystery of Christ, so that the faithful more effectively "lays hold of the mysteries of Christ and are filled with His saving grace" (Ibid).
How does it achieve these purposes? In a number of ways: The Feast of Mercy has its roots deeply planted in the Old and New Testament and in the early Church Tradition. It is a feast with three distinct dimensions, each emphasizing an aspect of the paschal mystery that needs to be brought out more clearly and appropriated by the faithful: merciful love, atonement, and covenant.
The Feast of Mercy is a Celebration and a Summation of God's Merciful Love
The Triduum of Holy Week, along with the entire Easter season, focuses on various aspects of the paschal mystery. Holy Thursday celebrates the Mass of the Chrism and the evening Mass of the Mandatum - the washing of the feet of the disciples, ordination to the priesthood, the institution of the Eucharist, and the last discourse of Our Lord promising the sending of the Holy Spirit.
Good Friday commemorates the passion and death of Jesus on the cross. The Easter vigil, the pinnacle of the paschal mystery, celebrates the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Redeemer who is our light and salvation, bringing us new life by water and the Holy Spirit. The Easter season continues this celebration, leading to the Ascension of the Lord and to Pentecost - the fulfillment of the promise to send the Holy Spirit.
The Feast of Mercy focuses on God's mercy as an event! It focuses on God's continuing action of mercy throughout salvation history as we see it recorded in the letter to the Romans, chapters 9, 10,11, culminating in His loving plan to have mercy on all! (See Rom 11:32.) This Feast is a summation of the event to His mercy active in our lives now. It is because of His mercy that we have forgiveness of sin and new life as children of God. This needs to be celebrated!
The Feast of Mercy is a Day of Atonement
The Feast of Mercy is the fulfillment of the Old Testament Day of Atonement (see Lv 16, Lv 23:26-32 and Sir 50). It is a day of forgiveness of sins for those who approach the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It is an annual celebration like the Day of Atonement - all sins and punishment are washed away in His infinite mercy. The focus of this paschal event is on God's mercy for us sinners and His free gift to those who turn to Him with trust.
Interestingly enough, the texts of the liturgy for that Sunday (Second Sunday of Easter) already focus on the forgiveness of sins and mercy. The gospel is of Jesus appearing in the upper room and bestowing the authority to forgive sins (see Jn 20:19-5 1), and the other readings are about the blood and water and the proclamation of mercy (there was no need to change the texts)!
Our Easter liturgy had fulfilled the major feasts of the Old Testament - Passover and Pentecost - and was only missing the Day of Atonement. This Feast of Mercy now completes the needed fulfillment of Old Testament feasts.
The Feast of Mercy is the Covenant of Mercy
The octave day has its roots in the Old Testament and New Testament as the Day of Covenant. On the eighth day after His birth, a male child was circumcised as a sign of the covenant and given His name (Gen 17:12-14; see also Lk 2:21 for the circumcision of Jesus).
In the early church the newly baptized, newly born in Christ, wore white robes until the Sunday in White (Dominica in Albis) the octave day of Easter, symbolizing their innocence. The Feast of Mercy once again celebrates the white innocence we receive by the Covenant of Mercy.
St. Augustine calls these days "days of mercy and pardon" (# 156, Dominica in Albis) and the Sunday "the compendium of the days of mercy." And then, referring to the setting aside of the white robes, he warns, "Let not our interior purity be lessened as we set aside its exterior symbols." (#156, Dominica in Albis)
Like the covenant of Sinai we, too, prepare for the Feast by purification from our sins and by the sprinkling of blood and proclaiming of the law (Ex 19:14-15; Ex 24:6-8) - but this time we are cleansed by the precious blood of the Lord and the Proclamation of His mercy.
On the octave day of Easter we, too, ratify the Covenant of Mercy, reaffirming not only our Baptism, already renewed at the Easter vigil, but also the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Confirmation and Eucharist.
Interestingly enough, all the elements of creation are structured in units of eight (as seen in the periodic table), and musical chords resonate with the octave.
The Feast of Mercy is the octave day of the Resurrection, which strikes the resonant chord of Easter, developing the meaning and richness of the paschal mystery and applying it in a new and deeper way. It resonates with all of nature, sounding anew the grace of the resurrection, alleluia!
The Feast of Mercy - the Desire of the Lord
As we have seen, the reasons for establishing the Feast of Mercy are strong and clear in themselves. The Feast is rooted in the Old Testament, and an earlier form of the Feast was celebrated from the fourth century as Dominica in Albis. But, in our times, there is an additional reason that makes the need for the Feast of Mercy ever more urgent, and that strengthens the meaning and effectiveness of such a feast for the faithful. In a series of reported revelations to Saint Faustina Kowalska, Our Lord specifically and repeatedly asked that the Feast of Mercy be established on the octave day of Easter.
One day, as Saint Faustina was offering all her prayers and sufferings so that this feast would be established, as Our Lord desired, she said to Him: "They tell me that there is already such a feast and so why should I talk about it?" Jesus answered: "And who knows anything about this feast? No one!
Even those who should be proclaiming My mercy and teaching people about it often do not know about it themselves. That is why I want the image to be 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)
The idea of this special celebration of God's mercy on the Sunday after Easter is not a new or radical idea stemming simply from private revelation. Our Lord, through Saint Faustina, is simply reemphasizing what was strongly urged by Saint Thomas the Apostle in the earliest liturgical document in existence, the "Apostolic Constitutions."
There we read: "After eight days (following the feast of Easter) let there be another feast observed with honor, the eighth day itself on which He gave me, Thomas, who was hard of belief, full assurance, by showing me the print of the nails, and the wound made in His side by the spear."
This feast had been celebrated in the early Church.
One of the greatest Doctors of the Church, St. Gregory of Nazianzen, also supports this Feast, declaring that the Octave day of Easter is even a greater Feast than Easter though it takes nothing whatever away from the greatness of the Day of the Resurrection itself.
Easter Sunday is the boundary between death and life (a creation). But its eighth day, the Octave, is the fulfillment of what Easter is all about - perfect life in eternity (a second creation, more admirable and more sublime than the first).
Easter Sunday represents our creation in the life of Grace through faith in the Risen Savior. The Octave Sunday of Easter represents the fulfillment of that "creation in grace." Thus it is, as St. Augustine says, "The most privileged octave-day" and certainly merits the title "Feast of The Divine Mercy."
The "most privileged octave-day" did not even appear under that title in the revised Roman Missal - It was called that only in the "Ordo" - the book that regulates the celebration of the liturgy. Our Lord surely knew what He was saying to Saint Faustina: "And who knows anything about this feast? No one! Even those who should he proclaiming My mercy and teaching people about it often do not know about it themselves." (Diary 341)
We now have the key to understanding the Image of The Divine Mercy with its rays signifying the Blood and Water that flowed from Christ's pierced side with the in!--ion (Jesus, I Trust In You), and to Our Lord's insistence that this image be specially venerated on the first Sunday after Easter, which is to be celebrated as the FEAST OF MERCY (Divine Mercy Sunday).
We can also see these rays as simultaneously symbolizing the Holy Spirit, whom Christ breathed into the Disciples during the same Octave-day appearance.
On the strength of that Holy Breath, all sins are forgiven and "at-ONE-ment" with the Father is accomplished.
Here, God in Christ is reconciling the world to Himself (see 2 Cor 5:18). And here the Church, the newly-born TAG NOT ALLOWED of Christ, is commissioned to be the instrument of reconciliation down through the ages.
This is Christ's GREAT PROMISE of complete pardon of sin and punishment on the Feast of Mercy through the reception of the Sacraments (which is a participation of Christ's death to sin and rising to divine life).
All the elements of the message and devotion to The Divine Mercy focus on the Feast of Mercy
In preparing for the Feast of Mercy we are to make a novena of Chaplets to the Divine Mercy (beginning on Good Friday), and to be purified by the sacrament of Reconciliation. Priests are to proclaim the mercy of God.
The Image of Jesus, the Merciful Savior, is to be blessed and venerated as a reminder to trust in Jesus and do works of mercy. And we are to renew, ratify and seal the covenant of mercy by receiving Holy Communion.
The day of the Feast is celebrated by using the normal liturgy for that day (Second Sunday of Easter), as per decree dated May 5, 2000 for Divine Mercy Sunday, which are all focused on mercy, and a homily on God's mercy.
Our Lord is asking for a Feast of His mercy to bring attention to the outpouring of the ocean of graces, and to His promise of the complete forgiveness of sins and punishment, to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion.
The desired fulfillment: a deeper sharing
Those who have been celebrating the octave of Easter in this way, as the Feast of Mercy, have experienced the desired effect of the Second Vatican Council for the liturgical year renewal - a deeper share in the mystery of Christ.
Robert R. Allard, Director
Apostles of Divine Mercy
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