One of the things I love about being Catholic is the mystical aspects that are found all throughout the history of our Church. We are a people of miracles. The fact alone that our Church has stood the test of time for over 2,000 years itself is a miracle. As a convert I was always fascinated by the apparitions of our Lady and the mystical visions of our various Saints. The reason I write all this is that today, along with celebrating the Octave of Easter, we also acknowledge something called Divine Mercy Sunday. Now divine mercy is both old and new. We hear of it often in the Old Testament from the promises made to Moses, that our God is a God of mercy. Many times in the history of God’s people, the nation of Israel fell away or was led into captivity due to their sins, and then they would plead for God’s mercy and return to Him. Our blessed Lord Jesus often spoke of the mercy of God and that we could turn to God as children turning to their Father.
Now check this out, in the early part of the Twentieth Century a young Polish nun named Sister Maria Faustina Kowalska received private revelations and visions from God. In these visions God revealed to her that His mercy was as vast as the ocean, and that even the most hardened sinners could be enveloped by His mercy if they would turn to Him. Sister Faustina wrote a diary that contains many of her visions. She was also instructed to have an image painted showing Jesus with two rays coming from His heart. One ray was red and another white. Underneath the picture would be written the words “Jesus, I trust in You”. The Church does not say that you have to believe in private revelations. They are not part of the deposit of Faith and thus not mandatory to believe in. They do however strengthen our Faith and can lead us to a deeper revelation of God’s love for us.
In the year 2000, Sister Faustina became St. Faustina and on April 30, 2000, Pope John Paul II and the Congregation for Divine Worship issued a decree officially establishing the Second Sunday of Easter as “Divine Mercy Sunday”. It is a time in which we can reflect on God’s mercy for us and our world as we celebrate the Octave of Easter. So this week, take some time and ask for God’s mercy and think on those wonderful words “Jesus, I trust in You”. Aren’t you tired of trying to do it all yourself…Trust in Him…Something to think about, and may God richly bless you always…