Today we celebrate (24 April) the Feast of Divine Mercy. It is celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter, now called Divine Mercy Sunday. On the website in Polish (https://www.milosierdzie.pl/) we can learn that (translated into English from Polish):
“It was entered into the liturgical calendar first by Franciszek Cardinal Macharski for the Archdiocese of Kraków (1985), and then by some Polish bishops in their dioceses. At the request of the Polish Episcopate, the Holy Father John Paul II introduced this feast for all dioceses in Poland in 1995. On the day of Sister Faustina’s canonisation on 30 April 2000, the Pope proclaimed this feast for the whole Church.”
“The inspiration for the establishment of this feast was the desire of Jesus, which was communicated by Sister Faustina. The Lord Jesus said to her: “I desire that the first Sunday after Easter be the Feast of Mercy (Dz. 299). I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the depths of My mercy are open, and I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. Any soul who goes to Confession and receives Holy Communion will obtain complete remission of sins and punishment. On this day all of God’s outlets are opened, through which graces flow (Dz. 699).
- Dz. is Dzienniczek (in English: The Diary of Saint Faustina)
What is God’s mercy? Divine mercy is one of the names of God. On the deon.pl website we can learn that:
“No attribute of the Creator is so strongly emphasised in the Bible as mercy. In it is revealed the immense love of God, who calls again and again to himself, who with the gesture of the best Father draws sinful humanity and every person to his heart. This truth shines brightly in the night of despair, the night of remorse. It appears as a rainbow of God’s smile, sweet forgiveness and peace, a harbinger of serenity and a chance for the normal life of a child of God.”
I moja osobista refleksja.
And my personal reflection.
Today is a special day for me. A day on which (partly due to illness) I have not had sacramental confession. I attended Mass in my parish. I am having a special time in my life, I am seriously ill, although no one will see the seriousness of this illness because it is difficult for me to describe my pain and my mental or thought struggle.
This struggle within me, this pain of my soul has not left me for about two months. My brain – as I call it – plays tricks on me, does (sometimes) what it wants with me, as if it rules me.
I have some mental disorders and depression. And that’s why on this particular day, the Feast of Divine Mercy, I prayed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, I presented my intention to God:
“Almighty God, please free me from depression, free me also from intrusive thoughts, neurotic behaviours and anxieties related to time, passage of time, place, route, activities.” And I recited the said chaplet, known all over the world.
I believe strongly that God wants to give me full health, I am undergoing treatment with a specialist (doctor), I am praying for a return to a normal life, I am asking many people to pray for me – I am asking you too, you who are reading this, pray for me like this:
“Almighty God, please free Dariusz from depression, free him also from intrusive thoughts, neurotic behaviours and anxieties related to time, passage of time, place, route, activities. Amen.”
May Lord bless everyone who reads my post today. May He deliver you from all evil, protect and guard you. May He lead you to true freedom.
As I (nearly) always write:
Dare to live. It’s YOUR life. God believes in us all. We believe in God.
Dariusz Łukasik (from Poland)
DARE TO LIVE 