Celebrant: With trust in the Divine Mercy, we now bring all our prayers before the Lord.

Deacon/Lector:

That the Mercy of our Risen Savior may draw all sinners to the fountain of repentance, forgiveness, and healing, we pray to the Lord...

That world leaders may never doubt the power of God's truth and love, but rather take refuge in it as they seek to resolve international problems, we pray to the Lord...

That as the apostles shared all their goods, Christians may share their goods with those who feel they cannot carry their pregnancy to term, and assist them to choose life, we pray to the Lord...

That all priests may be effective and compassionate ministers of reconciliation as they administer the Sacrament of Penance, given to us by the Risen Christ, we pray to the Lord...

That all the sick, and those who suffer in any way, may be consoled and strengthened by God's grace and the care shown by His people, we pray to the Lord...

That all who have died may come to share the Resurrection, we pray to the Lord...

Celebrant:

Father,                                                 
we need your mercy.
As you answer our prayers,
Fill us with the joy that comes from hope,
And grant us the life that conquers death.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Divine Mercy and Pro-life

Saint John Paul II declared the Sunday after Easter to be Divine Mercy Sunday. Many of the faithful pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy regularly. There is a link between this devotion and the pro-life movement. Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC, who was a principal translator of St. Faustina's diary, and the postulator of her cause of canonization, writes the following: "On at least three occasions, from 8:00-11:00 in the evening, she felt like her insides were being torn apart. She suffered so much that she thought she was going to die. The doctors couldn't figure out what was ailing her, and no medication was able to alleviate her sufferings. Later, she was given to understand that she was undergoing those pains for mothers who were aborting their children (Diary, 1276).  "On another occasion, she had a vision of an angel coming with thunderbolts to destroy one of the most beautiful cities of her country. And she felt powerless to do anything about it (Diary, 474). What antidote did the Lord give her? The Chaplet of Divine Mercy. [She explained] that the city was to be chastised for its sins, primarily the sin of abortion." ("Wombs of Mercy," Marian Helpers Bulletin, Summer 1995, p.13).

Acts 2:42-47
1 Pt 1:3-9
Jn 20:19-31 (43)

Watch a video with homily hints

“Whose sins you forgive are forgiven, and whose sins you retain are retained.” In this Gospel passage of the Second Sunday of Easter, which is Divine Mercy Sunday, we see Jesus proclaiming the gift that flows from his death and resurrection – the forgiveness of our sins. Isaiah had proclaimed that by his wounds we are healed. Now Jesus shows those wounds and imparts the healing. His cross and his resurrection reveal the mercy of God.

We are familiar with the image of Divine Mercy. Rays of light are coming from Jesus’ wounds. Under the Old Covenant, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest went into the most sacred part of the Temple, asked God’s mercy for the sins of the people, and then came out declaring that they had God’s forgiveness. The Divine Mercy image is Jesus, the new and eternal high priest, having offered his own blood and entered the sanctuary of heaven itself, now coming to us and proclaiming that our sins are forgiven.

Many pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, revealed to St. Faustina. But what many do not know is that she was told that of all the sins for which we must ask God’s mercy on the world, it was primarily the sin of abortion for which the Lord told her that we have to pray for mercy. Her diary reveals that she was made to feel the pains of women aborting their children.

On this Divine Mercy Sunday, we renew our trust in the risen Lord that he will give us the strength to repent of all our sins, the trust to receive his forgiveness, and the determination to build a culture of life.