Tomorrow is Divine Mercy Sunday, a day that offers all Catholics in good standing a clean slate, provided that certain conditions are satisfied. Just as Saturday Vigil Masses count towards one’s Sunday obligation, today’s Mass counts towards that Devine Mercy, which dates back twenty-six years. I of course attended today and have taken today as a new slate day, a chance to start anew.
The conditions are actually quite simple and reasonable. It’s easy to qualify, if you will, for the sort of blanket forgiveness and mercy. It all goes back to Faustina Kowalska, who was a Polish nun who had conversations with Jesus Christ about a day of forgiveness on the Sunday following Easter, which of course will be tomorrow.
In order to qualify, a baptized and confirmed Catholic must do the following things:
- Go to Confession before Mass, preferably a week prior, although going to Confession immediately preceding Devine Mercy Mass will do.
- Be sincerely sorry for your sins. You can’t just say that it’s Divine Mercy weekend so just go through the motions. That’s not how this works.
- Must receive Communion and must be in a state of grace, meaning being guilty of no mortal sins, something that explains why Confession is needed.
- Show others the mercy that you seek from God. Must perform acts of mercy.
It may seem easy to achieve these goals, but it can be quite difficult. However, it is possible.
If you are a Catholic and want to receive this gift, you must go to Mass tomorrow if you didn’t already go today. It will be well worth the trip. Of course, for all of this to work, one must be sincere. I do have a sincere desire to abandon sin and to attempt to sin no more. Without sincerity, there can be no divine mercy, so this is not a get of jail free card by any means.
Another reason that I went to Mass today as opposed to staying home like I did last Sunday (a mortal sin) is that today was the last day in my home perish, the place where I attended RCIA and the place where I was baptized and confirmed in 2022. There, I served as an usher, an altar server, a sacristan and a lector. I also volunteered often in the parish office.
Though for safety reasons, I have never publicly named my home parish, where my sacramental records will always reside, it was easy to find, which is how and why vigilantes were able to contact the parish to complain about this website. They did so in an act of revenge, as if the parish ever had any editorial say-so regarding this site.
Indeed, Blessed Sacrament on Central Avenue in Albany was my Catholic home for five years, given that I started attending in 2021 before RCIA classes, a requirement to convert to Catholicism.
Yes, it is time to move away from Albany after living here for 14 years. I am looking forward to our new life in another state. Although I will miss Blessed Sacrament, I am sure that I will be able to become involved in my new parish.
As for this weekend, I am taking this as a sincere desire to do better. The rite of Devine Mercy is a great start.