Why isn't Divine Mercy Sunday being promoted as it should be?

[Limoncello4021]

Christ’s Mercy is beyond comprehension. Your objections tend to circumscribe His Mercy. He can bestow it on anyone as He wishes, and not necessarily those who deserve it, go to confession, etc. I’m convinced we are living in times when extraordinary Mercy from God is needed. Also, from at least what I’ve seen, few if any people are going to partake of Mercy Sunday’s promises in a frivolous manner. What I see is sincere devotion on that day.

 

[Vico]

Yes, we have discussed that there is a grace from Jesus from private revelation, and a different plenary indulgence from the church, several times in the thread, and I have posted links. This has come up on several past DM threads as well.

Yes, I see post 18 and 22 in this tread by you about the plenary indulgence and the difference from the DM promise. Just seems odd to me that you think there is something stupid. One group is getting the plenary indulgence and the other is getting the promise, which presents a real conflict to the indulgence people. The plenary is more useful since it can be assigned to others (which you hope are in purgatory and not hell).

 

[AngelusDomini]

Was never really a fan (if you want) of the DM but then I began to see it as an extension of devotion to the Sacred Heart - for some the blazing heart image was too sugary so maybe the DM image made it more approachable. I still prefer the Sacred Heart image but ultimately they are both from and of Jesus - it’s a bit like we may have particular devotion to Our Lady under a certain title - it’s still Our Lady being honoured. So I’ve gone from a very cold attitude to it to one who actually quite likes it.

 

[bobperk]

Good point; when I read the words of the prayers, they are more meaningful to me. I suppose the real reason I don’t like to say it is because when Relevant Radio does the chaplet each day, it just sounds too theatrical to me. Something about the way the host and guest prayer person seem to be almost out of breath saying it, in kind of hushed voices coupled with exaggerated humility.

 

[gracepoole]

Christ’s Mercy is beyond comprehension.

Absolutely.

Your objections tend to circumscribe His Mercy.

My objections focus on the expectation of His unconditional mercy.

He can bestow it on anyone as He wishes, and not necessarily those who deserve it, go to confession, etc.

Absolutely.

I’m convinced we are living in times when extraordinary Mercy from God is needed.

Why is that?

 

[phil19034]

I actually heard one 75 or 85 year old Catholic say the problem with the Divine Mercy devotion was that it was Polish…

 

[Victoria33]

Divine Mercy, St. Faustina saw this and it anticipated somewhat World War II and then, after that Communism.

Calling it “Rosary-lite”, sounds very disrespectful. Jesus certainly would have wanted us to pray it imo.

 

[Victoria33]

Wasn’t St. Dominic giving us the Rosary as well, private revelation? I don’t see what bringing this up accomplished.

So, the Divine Mercy chaplet is shorter to say. There’s surely, hundreds of prayers out there.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

actually heard one 75 or 85 year old Catholic say the problem with the Divine Mercy devotion was that it was Polish…

Haha, that sounds like a lot of Italians I knew who were NOT happy when Pope JPII was chosen because he wasn’t Italian. They just assumed Popes were always Italian until he came along. Having a Polish pope really knocked them for a loop.

 

[CTBcin]

And thank heaven they are shrinking. Their distaste for anything traditional or devotional had the bad effect of turning me off from social justice work. I am sure I wasn’t the only one who felt that way. I struggle for patience with such people.

You and me both!

I love social justice when it’s rightly understood in the context of the faith. But my patience runs thin when some who promote social justice as the end-all-be-all denigrate tradition, Liturgy, and popular piety/devotions.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Vico, this is the same discussion you and I have had on other threads. I think you overestimate how much the average Catholic understands about what they are doing. I would say 70 to 90 percent of Catholics doing a Divine Mercy devotion for Divine Mercy Sunday at church don’t understand that Jesus’ grace and the indulgence are two different things. Unless they read Susan Tassone’s books, they likely have very little understanding of indulgences in general, but might get one when the priest, as he sometimes does, announces one is available and lists the conditions. Also, often the bulletin or flyer for the Divine Mercy devotion will try to include info abut the benefits of DM devotion and very often the info is confused or misleading.

In any event, here is how I’ve seen people go to confession for Divine Mercy devotion day: they show up at church for the devotion, they see there are 3 or 4 priests hearing confessions, and most of the people get in the confession line. A few of them may be thinking of getting the indulgence, many of them are just assuming the confession is a required part of Divine Mercy Sunday because priests are there hearing them, still others are motivated by monkey-see monkey-do “everybody is going to confession, I better go too” and a handful might even have the mistaken old idea that they need to confess within a week before or after Easter for “Easter duty” and they didn’t get there before Easter.

The last time I went to a DM devotion, I was one of the few people NOT getting in line for confession because I’d already gone the day before. They had 4 priests who heard confessions for about a half hour before the devotion and a couple who kept it up during the devotion and I’m guessing probably 80 to 100 people confessed, probably 3/4 or more of those in church.

I have also never met anyone who said “well, I don’t need confession because I just rely on God’s Divine Mercy.” The people who do Divine Mercy are generally confession-goers even if they only go a couple times a year. Those who don’t confess also don’t bother with devotions and in addition don’t feel they need mercy from God because they either think they’re not sinning or they think God understands everything they do and gives them a free pass. They never think of themselves as bad and sinful enough to need mercy.

 

[bassmansteiny]

And thank heaven they are shrinking. Their distaste for anything traditional or devotional had the bad effect of turning me off from social justice work. I am sure I wasn’t the only one who felt that way. I struggle for patience with such people.

Nothing against liberals personally political or otherwise. Of course I am pretty far to the right politically, lol. That all being said, i grew up, as a kid, in the 80s to early 90s. I would love to see some of the old school more traditional traditions come back into practice in the Church. That was a mouthful, Haha. Anyway my goal is to learn enough latin to attend a Latin Mass. Talking with people from my parish that are old enough to have experienced that, look back fondly on it but don’t want to necessarily go back to that. I would love to experience that, since I never got the opportunity. I just think their is beauty in it, well at least from some of it that I saw on ewtn and on YouTube.

 

[Vico]

…

many of them are just assuming the confession is a required part of Divine Mercy Sunday because priests are there hearing them, still others are motivated by monkey-see monkey-do “everybody is going to confession, I better go too” and a handful might even have the mistaken old idea that they need to confess within a week before or after Easter for “Easter duty” and they didn’t get there before Easter.
…
Those who don’t confess also don’t bother with devotions and in addition don’t feel they need mercy from God because they either think they’re not sinning or they think God understands everything they do and gives them a free pass. They never think of themselves as bad and sinful enough to need mercy.

Yes, some do misunderstand but also some do not understand about temporal punishment and yet others are not committing mortal sins. There are a lot of possibilities.

The Easter duty in the Latin canon laws is just for mortal sins.

Saint Faustina, Diary, 699, about the devotion on the day of the Feast of Mercy, includes confession:

Our Lord Jesus said, “The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet…Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy.”

 

[irishcolleen45]

The Easter duty in the Latin canon laws is just for mortal sins.

Please explain.

 

[s.cono]

If you want to get the Indulgence as well as the graces, please also click the link for “plenary indulgence” in the article as it has more detailed instructions.
I use one Communion and one Confession to cover both the Indulgence and the graces.

I was going to ask about this, but I see you already answered part of my question. Here’s how I was looking at it. . .

I want to receive the graces mentioned in the Divine Mercy Sunday promise for myself. I pray the heroic act of charity prayer daily, and a couple of others, meant to offer my indulgences to the poor souls.

I was planning “call off” the heroic act for just that one day. Is that really necessary? If I can get the normal Plenary indulgence I get for the family rosary, then I would offer it to the poor souls that night.

I will be attending mass at my local parish, and Communion, there. Then traveling to another parish who is having a Divine Mercy Sunday with confession, veneration of the Divine Mercy image, and Communion. I don’t think I’ll be needing confession.

Is the second Communion necessary to get the Plenary indulgence for the family rosary I will say that night? To be honest I didn’t want to try using Divine Mercy as a “two fer” that day (Graces AND indulgence). I basically want the Graces promise for myself, and the indulgence, from the family rosary separately, later, for the poor souls.

I probably sound neurotic.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Vico means that confession is only needed for Easter duty if you have committed a mortal sin.

Basically, Easter Duty refers to the duty of every Catholic to receive Holy Communion once per year during the Easter season. Each country or jurisdiction decides how long the “Easter Season” is. In USA it runs from Lent to Trinity Sunday. Easter Duty does NOT technically refer to going to Confession, but in some churches in the recent past eras, people would have to have some proof (usually a card) saying they went to Confession so they could receive Communion on Easter, so people began to associate “Easter Duty” with confession, which technically isn’t the Easter Duty, rather than with Communion.

If you’re in a state of grace, having committed no mortal sins, you can fulfill your Easter Duty by receiving Communion during the required time window, without needing to go to Confession. (And there aren’t any little cards anymore.) Some people aren’t aware of that because they were taught you had to confess during Easter season for Easter Duty. I have met such people and also based on something I read as a child about Easter Duty I thought as a young person that I had to go to confession before Easter, like within 12 days before, or the Church would kick me out. As an adult I researched and learned I had received wrong info.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I’ve not read anything that says you need two Communions so one can cover Divine Mercy Graces and the other can cover Divine Mercy Indulgence. If you were trying to get two plenary indulgences, you’d need two Communions and furthermore you could not get both plenary indulgences on the same day.

However, the Divine Mercy Graces from Jesus aren’t an “indulgence”. An indulgence is granted by the Church, not by Jesus. Divine Mercy Grace from Jesus is a devotion based on private revelation. So to me it’s no different than any other devotion I do based on private revelation. I often use Communions for devotions based on private revelation to also cover a plenary indulgence.

Example: I do First Fridays, a devotion based on private revelation to St. Margaret Mary. I receive Holy Communion on First Friday. Presumably I then get the Graces Jesus would provide me, according to that private revelation. I also do a plenary indulgenced work on that Friday, let’s say I recite the Rosary in church with the parish rosary prayer group. I use my Communion to meet the “usual conditions” for that plenary. I don’t need to receive a second Communion that day.

 

[commenter]

I’m personally confused as to why it was so vigorously prohibited by popes before JPII and then permitted.

Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani was head of the Congregation for the Doctrineof the Faith 1959 - 1966. His motto was “always the same”. He opposed everything that was unfamiliar to him. Perhaps he was right on some things. He opposed the Diary, but he did not speak Polish, relied on allegedly bad translations, did not have known (name removed by moderator)ut from persons familiar with Polish spirituality.

I’m not saying he was wrong on all topics, his famous “intervention” on liturgy is interesting.

On the diary, I think he was wrong. It does fit in with other spiritual classics.

The Church benefits from having a crusty curmudgeon type who opposes everything. Balances out the innovation fanatics who were numerous then. But we don’t have to follow the crusty type on all things.

 

[irishcolleen45]

Thanks. I misread what was posted.

 

[s.cono]

Excellent as always. Your First Friday example. I do the same. First Friday and First Saturday. I never considered that when I posted earlier, but it makes perfect sense to me now that you mentioned it. Thanks!

Too bad there isn’t a loophole for gaining a second indulgence if used only for the Holy Souls. I can see the reason for not giving more than one to an individual, but it would be nice if you could get two and leave it to the Blessed Virgin Mary to assign them to two poor deserving souls.