Divine Mercy Indulgence
One
This Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday – a day to receive very special graces for yourself or a deceased loved one.
Jesus said to St. Faustyna, “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 are open all the divine floodgates through which graces flow. 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.” Diary 699
If we go Confession (20 days before and up to 20 days after the Divine Mercy Sunday), receive Holy Communion, and pray for the Intentions of the Pope we receive the complete forgiveness of sins and punishment for ourselves or we may also receive it for a deceased person. This is the Divine Mercy Indulgence.
Two
Understanding the Divine Mercy Indulgence
An indulgence is a remission of the temporal punishment, that is, the consequences that result from my sinful actions. Well, what are the consequences caused by our sin?
By our venial sin, we harm our relationship with God. By mortal sin we destroy that relationship. By our sin, we damage our souls. Repeated bad actions become bad habits that we call vice such as pride, vanity, envy, sloth, anger, greed, gluttony, lust, resentment, selfishness, use…Vice makes us vicious people, that is, full of vice and it destroys our happiness and that of everyone around us. Our sin harms other people and causes a ripple effect that floods out into the world, affecting all humanity. It is like terrorism. We set off a bomb by our sin and it’s impossible to know where the damage will end. There is long-term collateral damage caused by our sin and we can’t fix that.
Only God knows the damage I have caused others by my sin, especially in my pre-conversion years when I was sinning with a total disregard for the harm it did to others. I can’t go to any high school or college reunion because I’d have to spend the whole time apologizing. The worst part is not the shame. The worst part is that I can never undo the damage I’ve done to people. Once you throw the stone of sin into the water, you can’t reverse the ripple of harm.
The Divine Mercy Indulgence is not a “get out of jail free” card. That would make it superstitious. It is in his Mercy that God is giving us a way to help us fix the damage, the consequences that go way beyond our ability to solve or heal.
Three
What the Divine Mercy Indulgence Does
By Confession, God forgives the guilt of our sins and heals our relationship with Him.
Then, with God’s help, we must repair the damage we have done to our soul by overcoming vices with the opposite virtues by receiving Jesus in the Eucharist, by daily mental prayer and a resolution, and by doing our daily duties, and accepting everything we cannot change patiently – that means cheerfully. But we can’t undo the damage we have done to others.
By the Divine Mercy Indulgence, God says to us, “I will take care of the people you have harmed. I can handle that. You don’t have to worry about that any longer. I won’t hold you responsible for the ripple effect of evil any longer.
God will undo all the damage I have done, especially to those closest to me and to the whole world.
Four
The Catechism (1032) reminds us we can gain an indulgence not only for ourselves but for a deceased person.
The souls in purgatory are not able to do anything to help themselves be purified, and like us, they can’t fix the damage they have done to others and the ripple of evil in the world. But we can gain the Divine Mercy indulgence for them. This is a great act of Mercy on our part.
St. Faustyna was taken by God to Purgatory to see the suffering of the souls there, and they often came and visited her because she did everything she could to help them through Purgatory and into Heaven.
In her Diary (1723) she writes, “When the soul of a certain young lady came to me one night, she made me aware of her presence, and made known to me that she needed my prayer. I prayed for a while, but her spirit did not leave me. Then I thought to myself, “If you are a good spirit, leave me in peace, and the indulgences I will gain tomorrow will be for you.” At that moment, the spirit left my room, and I recognized that she was in purgatory.”
Five
Day Five of the Novena to Divine Mercy
Jesus said, “Today bring to Me the souls who live apart from the Truth I revealed and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. During My bitter Passion they tore at My Body and Heart; that is, My Church. As they return to unity with the Church, My wounds heal, and in this way they alleviate My Passion.”
Faustina replied, “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 knowingly or unknowingly live apart from Your Truth. 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 extol the generosity of Your mercy. Even for those who have torn the garment of Your unity, A fount of mercy flows from Your Heart. The omnipotence of Your mercy, Oh God, Can lead these souls also out of error.”
“Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of those who neither know nor follow the Truth of Jesus, who have squandered Your blessings and misused Your graces by 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 the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Bring it about that they also may glorify Your great mercy for endless ages. Amen.”
Postscript
So this Sunday, in order to receive the Divine Mercy Indulgence: Place an image of the Divine Mercy where you can venerate it. Go to Confession 20 days before or up to 20 days after the Feast, and pray for the intentions of the Pope while you pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet.
In this way, you will obtain the Divine Mercy Indulgence - the complete forgiveness and punishment due to sin
Divine Mercy Chaplet
“I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth;
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into Heaven, and sits at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.
Amen.”
Our Father
“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen.”
Hail Mary
“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”
On the Our Father beads 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 the Hail Mary beads, you will pray:
“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.”