Question on Divine Mercy Sunday

[yellowbicycle]

I was listening to Catholic Radio and I THOUGHT I heard the following:
If you go to confession prior to church THIS Sunday, Divine Mercy Sunday, and do your penance, and free yourself from sin and then attend Mass on Sunday you are wiped clean as in baptism.
So, if I get hit by a bus while leaving Church on Sunday it’s straight up to heaven. NO time in purgatory.
I have a few questions:

1. First and foremost, did I understand this correctly?
2. You are to be free from attachment to sin. When I go to confession, I go not PLANNING to sin again, but come on, I know me, and it’s going to happen. So, what does free from attachment to sin mean, exactly? If I go to confession knowing that I will probably sin again, though making efforts not to, is that being free from attachment to sin?
3. How, and by whom, was it decided that Divine Mercy Sunday could do so much? I mean, skipping purgatory! Holy smokes people! For a sinner like me, that’s BIG. I’m thinking I’ll be camped out there for a while…
4. All that being said, I think it’s a little unfair. Let’s say my very good friend Annie misses Divine Mercy Sunday. Let’s say she’s home with the flu. But I go. And let’s say on Monday we both get hit by a bus. I hardly think it would be fair or right that Annie might have to spend time in Purgatory and I get to skip it, just because I happened to make it to mass this time.

Opinions?

 

[msugeotech]

You may earn a Plenary Indulgence.

vatican.va/roman_curia/tribunals/apost_penit/documents/rc_trib_appen_doc_20020629_decree-ii_en.html

 

[diggerdomer]

I was listening to Catholic Radio and I THOUGHT I heard the following:
If you go to confession prior to church THIS Sunday, Divine Mercy Sunday, and do your penance, and free yourself from sin and then attend Mass on Sunday you are wiped clean as in baptism.
So, if I get hit by a bus while leaving Church on Sunday it’s straight up to heaven. NO time in purgatory.
I have a few questions:

1. First and foremost, did I understand this correctly?
2. You are to be free from attachment to sin. When I go to confession, I go not PLANNING to sin again, but come on, I know me, and it’s going to happen. So, what does free from attachment to sin mean, exactly? If I go to confession knowing that I will probably sin again, though making efforts not to, is that being free from attachment to sin?
3. How, and by whom, was it decided that Divine Mercy Sunday could do so much? I mean, skipping purgatory! Holy smokes people! For a sinner like me, that’s BIG. I’m thinking I’ll be camped out there for a while…
4. All that being said, I think it’s a little unfair. Let’s say my very good friend Annie misses Divine Mercy Sunday. Let’s say she’s home with the flu. But I go. And let’s say on Monday we both get hit by a bus. I hardly think it would be fair or right that Annie might have to spend time in Purgatory and I get to skip it, just because I happened to make it to mass this time.

Opinions?

You asked for opinions. Mine is: celebrate Easter. That’s the priority for the liturgical season we’re in.

 

[LindaS]

Jesus asked that the Sunday after Easter be Divine Mercy Sunday. There are requirements involved. In addition to Mass, Holy Communion, Confession, prayers for the Holy Father, and no attachment to sin, you must also participate in the Divine Mercy celebration, reciting the chaplet. I think it must be done at an official celebration. You just can’t recite it at home and still get a plenary indulgence. Attachment to sin means having a “favorite” sin, one into which we fall frequently, even though we don’t intend to do it. I don’t think any of us go to Confession planning to go out & commit sin again. But we are weak and fall. Thank God that He is a merciful God!
Peace,
Linda

 

[peregrinus_sg]

Actually, the decree granting the plenary indulgence on Divien Mercy Sunday makes no reference to the devotion to the Divine Mercy as initiated through the instrument of St Faustina. Certainly the image of the Divine Mercy popularised through the private revelation to St Faustina and the chaplet would fulfill the condition, but one need not subscribe to that form of the devotion to receive the benefit of this indulgence.

Three conditions for the plenary indulgence

And so the Supreme Pontiff, motivated by an ardent desire to foster in Christians this devotion to Divine Mercy as much as possible in the hope of offering great spiritual fruit to the faithful, in the Audience granted on 13 June 2002, to those Responsible for the Apostolic Penitentiary, granted the following Indulgences:

a plenary indulgence, granted under the usual conditions (sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer for the intentions of Supreme Pontiff) to the faithful who, on the Second Sunday of Easter or 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!");

A partial indulgence, granted to the faithful who, at least with a contrite heart, pray to the merciful Lord Jesus a legitimately approved invocation.

For those who cannot go to church or the seriously ill

In addition, sailors working on the vast expanse of the sea; the countless brothers and sisters, whom the disasters of war, political events, local violence and other such causes have been driven out of their homeland; the sick and those who nurse them, and all who for a just cause cannot leave their homes or who carry out an activity for the community which cannot be postponed, may obtain a plenary indulgence on Divine Mercy Sunday, if totally detesting any sin, as has been said before, and with the intention of fulfilling as soon as possible the three usual conditions, will recite the Our Father and the Creed before a devout image of Our Merciful Lord Jesus and, in addition, pray a devout invocation to the Merciful Lord Jesus (e.g. Merciful Jesus, I trust in you).

If it is impossible that people do even this, on the same day they may obtain the Plenary Indulgence if with a spiritual intention they are united with those carrying out the prescribed practice for obtaining the Indulgence in the usual way and offer to the Merciful Lord a prayer and the sufferings of their illness and the difficulties of their lives, with the resolution to accomplish as soon as possible the three conditions prescribed to obtain the plenary indulgence.

 

[PhilotheaZ]

I was listening to Catholic Radio and I THOUGHT I heard the following:
If you go to confession prior to church THIS Sunday, Divine Mercy Sunday, and do your penance, and free yourself from sin and then attend Mass on Sunday you are wiped clean as in baptism.
So, if I get hit by a bus while leaving Church on Sunday it’s straight up to heaven. NO time in purgatory.
I have a few questions:

1. First and foremost, did I understand this correctly?

Almost. You must also receive Holy Communion, pray for the Pope, and participate in Divine Mercy devotions (as offered by local churches, or on your own if none are available).

1. You are to be free from attachment to sin. When I go to confession, I go not PLANNING to sin again, but come on, I know me, and it’s going to happen. So, what does free from attachment to sin mean, exactly? If I go to confession knowing that I will probably sin again, though making efforts not to, is that being free from attachment to sin?

You must have a firm desire never to sin again. Some of us “like” our sins a little too much. This is the attachment we must strive to be rid of.

1. How, and by whom, was it decided that Divine Mercy Sunday could do so much? I mean, skipping purgatory! Holy smokes people! For a sinner like me, that’s BIG. I’m thinking I’ll be camped out there for a while…

Jesus Himself decided! You can’t go any further up the chain of authority than that.

1. All that being said, I think it’s a little unfair. Let’s say my very good friend Annie misses Divine Mercy Sunday. Let’s say she’s home with the flu. But I go. And let’s say on Monday we both get hit by a bus. I hardly think it would be fair or right that Annie might have to spend time in Purgatory and I get to skip it, just because I happened to make it to mass this time.

Opinions?

Do you think it unfair that Jesus should, out of pure love, open wide the floodgates of His mercy on this day? It’s a free gift! What is unfair is that He had to die for us to accomplish this.

There are ways for your very good friend Annie to obtain the benefits of this gift of mercy, e.g., uniting herself spiritually with those carrying out the practice, and resolving to carry out the other conditions as soon as possible (see peregrinus_sg’s previous post).