Instituted on April 30, 2000 by St. John Paul II during the canonization of St. Mary Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun who had private revelations of Jesus who urged her to spread the message that God is always merciful and forgiving, and so in imitation, we too must show mercy to others.
St. John Paul II said in his homily: “It is important then that we accept the whole message that comes to us from the word of God on this Second Sunday of Easter, which from now on throughout the Church will be called ‘Divine Mercy Sunday.'”
And then he adds, “Christ has taught us that man not only receives and experiences the mercy of God, but is also called to practise mercy towards others: ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy’ (Mt 5: 7).”
In his tweet, Pope Francis said: “The Lord does not want us to keep thinking about our failings. He wants us to look to Him. In our failings He sees children to help up; in our misery He sees children in need of His merciful love.”
Let us pray:
You died Jesus, but the source of life
flowed out for souls and the ocean of mercy
opened up for the whole world.
O Fountain of Life,
immeasurable Divine Mercy,
cover the whole world and
empty yourself out upon us.
O Blood and Water
which flowed out from the heart of Jesus
as a Fountain of Mercy for us,
I trust in You.
Holy God,
Holy Mighty One,
Holy Immortal One,
have mercy on us
and the whole world.
Jesus, King of Mercy,
we trust in you.
Amen.