About Today Sunday of Divine Mercy
“27Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing.’ 28Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and God!’ 29Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe’” (Jn 21:27-29). [1]

The Church seems to have placed a special emphasis on Divine Mercy for the 21st century. With the newly instituted Feast of Mercy, the canonization of the ‘Apostle of Mercy,’ Sister Mary Faustina Kowalska and encyclicals such as, “God is Mercy” and “God Is Love;” our leaders are calling upon the faithful to reflect on this holy concept. [2][3][4]

In 2002, the Apostolic Penitentiary, one of the three tribunals in the Roman Curia, issued a decree on Divine Mercy. In it, the faithful are reminded that meditating on Divine Mercy can help us avoid sin. When we reflect on God’s Mercy, we often become sorrowful of our own actions. Our sin becomes a ‘matter of conscience’ and we set an intention to change the behavior.[5]

Some practical ways to integrate this guidance include celebrating the Second Sunday of Easter, as explained in the decree, praying the chaplet to the Divine Mercy, and acting on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. In doing so, we manifest our Lord’s Mercy to our brothers and sisters, who like Thomas, may need to see favor to believe it.