God’s Love And Mercy Poured Out Upon Us

By TOM DENNEHY

When we approach the priest for confession we experience the power of God’s great love and mercy. If we have any doubt about God’s great mercy, Jesus has given us a great insight into the depths of His great mercy to Saint Faustina in her diary “Divine Mercy in My Soul.”

“Today I am sending you with my mercy to the people of the whole world. I do not want to punish aching mankind, but I desire to heal it, pressing it to my Merciful heart.” (1588)

That is a very revealing quote. Our Saviour Jesus is very compassionate. While He is certainly offended and grieved by our sins, He also sees clearly how our sins can wound and tear the very life out of our souls. He sees how mankind is “aching” from sin and so He wants not only to forgive our sins, but to heal our hearts, too, pressing them close to His own Merciful Heart.

Perhaps the most remarkable teaching that Our Lord gave to St. Faustina about this sacrament is found in Diary Entry 1448. Jesus said to her;

“In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, there, the greatest miracles take place and are incessantly repeated.” Jesus says to go to His representative, our priest and reveal to Him our sins and it is then the miracle of Divine Mercy is fully demonstrated. He also refers to sinful souls who have been away for a long time and these souls may seem like a decaying corpse and from a human standpoint there could be no hope of restoration. Everything would appear to be lost, but “it is not so with God. The miracle of Divine Mercy restores that soul in full.”

The graces of healing that flow from this sacrament are truly amazing. In Diary Entry 1602, Jesus said to St. Faustina that confession is a personal, life giving encounter with Jesus Himself;

“Daughter, when you go to confession, to this fountain of My mercy, the Blood and Water which came forth from My Heart always flows down upon your souls and ennobles it. When you approach the confessional, know this, that I Myself act in your soul.” Our sinful soul meets the God of Mercy. Trust is necessary. “If their trust is great, there is no limit to my generosity. The torrents of grace inundate humble souls.” Preparation.

It is important to prepare for confession by spending some time examining our lives as we study the Ten Commandments which are as relevant today as they ever were. The first three are an examination of our relationship with God and the remaining seven deal with our relationship with one another.

You can Google Examination of Conscience on a Catholic website. Confession is really about the graces, healing and great mercy we receive and the freedom that comes from being set free from any worries or sin which can be a barrier to having a close relationship with a loving God.

Divine Mercy Sunday

The focus of Divine Mercy Sunday, celebrated on the Sunday after Easter, is on the great gift of Mercy and Love given through Christ’s death, burial and resurrection.

“My daughter, tell the whole world about My Inconceivable mercy. I desire that the feast of Mercy be a refuge and a shelter for all souls and especially for poor sinners. On that day the

very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon the souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to confession and receive Holy Communion on Divine Mercy Sunday shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment due to sin. On that day are opened all the divine floodgates through which graces flow. Let no soul be afraid to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet.”

Diary 1109.

Many churches will celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday with the focus on the Image of the Merciful Jesus, The Chaplet, The Hour of Mercy and spreading devotion to the Divine Mercy and the availability of confessions. Confession in the Jubilee Year. We can also gain a plenary indulgence which gets rid of all punishment due to sin. The condition attached is to be in a state of grace, and having been to confession, receive Holy Communion and pray for The Pope’s intentions by praying The Creed, one Our Father, one Hail Mary and one Glory Be.

Please note The Divine Mercy Novena begins on Good Friday and has a different prayer intention for each day.

So in this great Jubilee Year let us avail of this great sacrament of Confession.