Apostolic Penitentiary
On 29 June, 2002, the Apostolic Penitentiary published the Decree in which the Holy Father attached a plenary and a partial indulgence to the devout observance of the Second Sunday of Easter or Divine Mercy Sunday. In an audience given to the Pro-Penitentiary Major and the Regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary on 13 June, 2002 the Holy Father approved the content of the Decree. The Decree was published in the press on 3 August 2002 and announced by the Holy Father at the Sunday Angelus on 4 August 2002.
DECREE
Indulgences attached to devotions in honour of Divine Mercy
"O God, your mercy knows no bounds and the treasure of your goodness is infinite..." (Prayer after the "Te Deum" Hymn) and "O God, you reveal your almighty power above all by showing mercy and forgiveness..." (Prayer for the 26th Sunday ofOrdinary Time), in these prayers Holy Mother Church humbly and faithfully sings of Divine Mercy. Indeed, God's great patience with the human race in general and with each individual person shines out in a special way when sins and moral failures are forgiven by Almighty God Himself and the guilty are readmitted in a fatherlike way to his friendship, which they deservedly lost.
Duty of honouring Divine Mercy
The faithful with deep spiritual affection are drawn to commemorate the mysteries of divine pardon and to celebrate them devoutly. They clearly understand the supreme benefit, indeed the duty, that the People of God have to praise Divine Mercy with special prayers and, at the same time, they realize that by gratefully performing the works required and satisfying the necessary conditions, they can obtain spiritual benefits that derive from the Treasury of the Church. "The paschal mystery is the culmination of this revealing and effecting of mercy, which is able to justify man, to restore justice in the sense of that salvific order which God willed from the beginning in man, and through man, in the world" (Encyclical Letter Dives in misericordia, n. 7).
It is God's Mercy that grants supernatural sorrow and resolution to amend
Indeed, Divine Mercy knows how to pardon even the most serious sins, and in doing so it moves the faithful to perceive a supernatural, not merely psychological, sorrow for their sins so that, ever with the help of divine grace, they may make a firm resolution not to sin any more. Such spiritual dispositions undeniably follow upon the forgiveness of mortal sin when the faithful fruitfully receive the sacrament of Penance or repent of their sin with an act of perfect charity and perfect contrition, with the resolution to receive the Sacrament of Penance as soon as they can. Indeed, Our Lord Jesus Christ teaches us in the parable of the Prodigal Son that the sinner must confess his misery to God saying: "Father I have sinned against heaven and against you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son" (Lk 15,18-19), realizing that this is a work of God, "for [he] was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found" (Lk 15,32).
Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday
And so with provident pastoral sensitivity and in order to impress deeply on the souls of the faithful these precepts and teachings of the Christian faith, the Supreme Pontiff, John Paul II, moved by the consideration of the Father of Mercy, has willed that the Second Sunday of Easter be dedicated to recalling with special devotion these gifts of grace and gave this Sunday the name, "Divine Mercy Sunday" (Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Decree Misericors et miserator, 5 May 2000).
The Gospel of the Second Sunday of Easter narrates the wonderful things Christ the Lord accomplished on the day of the Resurrection during his first public appearance: "On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, 'Peace be with you'. When he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad to see the Lord. Jesus said to them again, 'Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you'. And then he breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained" (Jn 20,19-23).
Plenary Indulgence
To ensure that the faithful would observe this day with intense devotion, the Supreme Pontiff himself established that this Sunday be enriched by a plenary indulgence, as will be explained below so that the faithful might receive in great abundance the gift of the consolation of the Holy Spirit. In this way, they can foster a growing love for God and for their neighbour, and after they have obtained God's pardon, they in turn might be persuaded to show a prompt pardon to their brothers and sisters.
Pardon of others who sin against us
Thus the faithful will more closely conform to the spirit of the Gospel, receiving in their hearts the renewal that the Second Vatican Council explained and introduced: "Mindful of the words of the Lord: 'By this, all men will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another' (Jn 13,35), Christians can yearn for nothing more ardently than to serve the men of this age with an ever-growing generosity and success... It is the Father's will that we should recognize Christ our brother in the persons of all men and love them with an effective love, in word and in deed (Pastoral Constitution, Gaudium et spes, n. 93).
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.
Duty of priests: inform parishioners, hear confessions, lead prayers
Priests who exercise pastoral ministry, especially parish priests, should inform the faithful in the most suitable way of the Church's salutary provision. They should promptly and generously be willing to hear their confessions. On Divine Mercy Sunday, after celebrating Mass or Vespers, or during devotions in honour of Divine Mercy, with the dignity that is in accord with the rite, they should lead the recitation of the prayers that have been given above. Finally, since "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy" (Mt 5,7), when they instruct their people, priests should gently encourage the faithful to practise works of charity or mercy as often as they can, following the example of, and in obeying the commandment of Jesus Christ, as is listed for the second general concession of indulgence in the "Enchiridion Indulgentiarum".
This Decree has perpetual force, any provision to the contrary notwithstanding.
Archbishop Luigi De Magistris,
Tit.Archbishop of Nova
Major Pro-Penitentiary
Fr Gianfranco Girotti, O.F.M. Conv.,
Regent
Overview of the Devotion
There are usually four items associated with the devotion of Divine Mercy: the image, the feast, the Chaplet and the Hour of Mercy.
The Image
It takes its origin from a vision that St Faustina had in Płock on 22 February 1931. In that vision Christ expressed his desire to have such an image painted and that the words in the signature beneath it be: Jesus, I trust in you.
The image represents the Risen Christ, whose hands and feet bear the marks of the crucifixion. From his pierced Heart, not visible in the image, two rays issue forth: red and pale. Jesus explained their meaning. The red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls. The pale ray stands for the water that makes souls righteous. These two rays issued forth from the very depths of My tender mercy when My agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross (299). The purpose of the image is to serve as an instrument for obtaining graces, and to be a sign reminding the world of the need to trust in God and to show mercy toward our neighbour. The words found in the signature speak of an attitude of trust. Jesus also said that the image is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy because even the strongest faith is of no avail without works (742). The original image hangs in the convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Vilnius.
The Feast
According to Jesus' wish, the Feast of Mercy is to be celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Jesus is showing the close connection between the Easter mystery of man's redemption and this feast. The Feast Of Mercy is to be not only a day designated for the worship of God's mercy, but also a day of grace for all people, particularly for sinners. Jesus attached great promises to this feast. One is the promise of complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. In other words, this grace is equal to the one we receive in the sacrament of baptism. It offers a completely new beginning.
The Chaplet
Jesus dictated the Chaplet of divine mercy to St Faustina in Vilnius in 1935. In the revelations that followed He disclosed to her its value and efficacy, as well as the promises He attached to it.
In this prayer we are offering the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ to God the Father. We are uniting ourselves with His sacrifice offered on the Cross for the salvation of the whole world. By offering the Father His most dearly beloved Son, we are using the most convincing argument with which we can pray. We are asking for mercy for us and for the whole world. The word "us" refers to the person praying the Chaplet and the "whole world" indicates all people living on earth and the souls in Purgatory. By praying the Chaplet we are performing an act of love toward our neighbour. The Chaplet is prayed on ordinary Rosary beads. It begins with the Our Father, Hail Mary and Apostles Creed on the first three beads of the Rosary. On the large bead before each decade: Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.On the 10 small beads of each decade: For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world. Conclude with (after five decades): Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world (3 times).
The Hour of Mercy
It is Jesus' desire that the moment of his death on the cross (3.00 P.M.) be venerated every day. It is the hour of grace for the whole world; mercy triumphed over justice. Suggested prayer at the hour of mercy: O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of Mercy for us, I trust in you.
Taken from:
L'Osservatore Romano (the newspaper of the Holy See)
The Weekly Edition in English published on 21 August 2002,
Further Reading:
(Taken from an article by Robert Stackpole, STD, director of the John Paul II Institute of Divine Mercy, an apostolate of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception. He is the author of Divine Mercy: A Guide from Genesis to Benedict XVI)
What is the difference between that special graces promised by Jesus for devout communicants on Divine Mercy Sunday, and the plenary indulgence for Divine Mercy Sunday devotions that was instituted several years ago by St. Pope John Paul II? Are they the same thing? Or are they different?
Simply put: They are NOT the same thing!
The main difference, of course, is that an "indulgence" is something offered to the faithful by the Church, as the keeper of the keys of the kingdom, with authority to "bind and loose" (see Mt 16:17-19). The special graces of Divine Mercy Sunday, on the other hand, were promised directly by our Lord, through a prophetic revelation given to St. Faustina (see Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 699). The Church has not officially ruled that this particular promise was an authentic supernatural revelation (and no Catholic is required to believe it as a matter of faith), but the Church has discerned, in various ways, that there is nothing that violates Catholic doctrine in this promise.
Briefly, here are the other main differences between the "special graces" promised by Jesus for Divine Mercy Sunday, and the plenary indulgence offered by the Church for special devotions to the Divine Mercy on Mercy Sunday:
1) To receive special graces that our Lord promised for Divine Mercy Sunday, the only condition is to receive Holy Communion worthily on Divine Mercy Sunday (or the Vigil celebration) by making a good Confession beforehand and staying in the state of grace and trusting in His Divine Mercy. Any plenary indulgence granted by the Church, on the other hand, involves the fulfilment of a number of conditions, including prayer for the Holy Father's intentions, Confession and Holy Eucharist, and the carrying out of the special indulgenced work (in this case: participating in public devotions to the Divine Mercy on Divine Mercy Sunday itself).
2) The special graces promised by our Lord for Divine Mercy Sunday can be received by a soul in a state of grace, but with imperfect love for God, and imperfect contrition for sin-as long as the soul merely trusts in the mercy of God, and clings to Him because of His promised benefits. A plenary indulgence, however, can only be obtained through the performance of an indulgenced work as an expression of pure love for God. If the intentions of one's indulgenced work are not pure (say, the work is done in part out of fear of hell or purgatory, and loathing for oneself - or the desire to impress one's friends and relatives! - rather than purely out of love for God) then the indulgence obtained will be only partial, not plenary.
3) The special graces that our Lord promised for Mercy Sunday can only be received for oneself, through the devout reception of Holy Communion on Mercy Sunday (as stated in #1 above). A plenary indulgence, however, can be offered for oneself, or for souls suffering in purgatory.
4) The most special grace promised by our Lord for Mercy Sunday is nothing less than the equivalent of a complete renewal of baptismal grace in the soul: "complete forgiveness (remission) of sins and punishment." Such a measure of grace can only be received otherwise through baptism itself, or through making a sacramental confession as an act of perfect contrition for sin, out of pure love for God.
For a more in-depth study of this same subject you may visit the website of John Paul II Institute of Divine Mercy at ‘thedivinenercy.org’ and browse through their document entitled "Understanding Divine Mercy Sunday."
