DIVINE MERCY and PLENARY INDULGENCE

PREPARE FOR THE FEAST

DIVINE MERCY Sunday is the second Sunday of Easter. To prepare for this “Feast of Mercy”, faithful Christians humbly desire: 1.) to admit guilt of sin and seek forgiveness, 2.) to pay the debt owed for sins which have been forgiven, and 3.) to seek the “medicine of mercy” for the sorrowful remnant of past sins. To help Christians receive the fullness of mercy, Pope John Paul II of blessed memory established the “Plenary Indulgence” of Divine Mercy. The papal decree states:

THE PLENARY indulgence is granted under the usual conditions—(1. sacramental confession, 2.) Eucharistic communion, and 3.) prayer for the intentions of Supreme Pontiff. This indulgence is granted to the faithful who, on the Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday) in any church or chapel, in a spirit that is completely detached from the affection for a sin, even a venial sin, take part in the prayers and devotions held in honour of Divine Mercy, or who, in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament exposed or reserved in the tabernacle, recite the Our Father and the Creed, adding a devout prayer to the merciful Lord Jesus (e.g. “Merciful Jesus, I trust in you!") [Decree promulgated June 29, 2002] 

ST. FAUSTINA Kowalska (1905-1938) was Our Lord’s modern “apostle of Divine Mercy”. From St. Faustina’s diary, we read, “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.”

SIN AS GUILT – GOD’S FREE GIFT OF MERCY

ALL SIN incurs guilt. The saving grace of Our Lord’s merciful passion, death and resurrection through his merciful sacraments (especially the Sacrament of Confession), washes away the guilt of the sorrowful, baptized sinner. Our Lord’s grace accomplishes this unaided by man. 

SIN AS DEBT – GOD’S HELP FOR SINFUL MAN

IN ADDITION to guilt, all sin incurs debt. The Christian must remove his own debt aided by God who has washed away his guilt. If a Christian does not pay his spiritual debts in this life, he must make satisfaction in Purgatory, a place where suffering brings final purification before a soul may enter heaven.

THE DEBT of sin may be paid by perfect contrition, deep penitence, or by the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy, or by the satisfaction of our Lord Jesus Christ and the saints, applied to us through indulgences by those who have the power to grant them.

PLENARY INDULGENCE – GOD’S KINDNESS TO SINNERS NEEDING HELP

TO “INDULGE” (Lat. indulgentia, to be kind or tender) means to grant someone a favor that he has not earned. Hence, a plenary indulgence is God’s merciful remission of all temporal punishment due to sin, the guilt of which has been forgiven. A “plenary indulgence” means the fullness of God’s merciful favor offered from the Church’s treasury through the “power of the keys”.

TO PETER and the Apostles (and their successors) Jesus said, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." [Mat 16:18-19]

THREE CONDITIONS

ACCORDING TO John Paul II’s decree, it is fitting to observe the Feast of Mercy by fulfilling the following three conditions: 

1.)  Go to confession, preferably before Divine Mercy Sunday.

2.)  Receive Holy Communion on Divine Mercy Sunday.

3.)  Prayer for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff

CELEBRATE THE Feast of Mercy on the Sunday after Easter. “Be completely detached from the affection for a sin, even a venial sin.” Offer an act of religious reverence and respect before the image of Christ, the Divine Mercy. Place your complete trust in Jesus. Be merciful to others, through your actions, words, and prayers on their behalf. The Divine Mercy Chaplet is traditionally prayed daily at the 3 o’clock hour; the Divine Mercy Novena is traditionally prayed starting on Good Friday and finishing on the Saturday before Divine Mercy Sunday.