Dear Parishioners of St. James:
Christ is risen, alleluia!
This Second Sunday of Easter is also called Divine Mercy Sunday. Our Lord Jesus Christ entrusted His message of extraordinary mercy for us in our times to a religious sister in Poland in the early 20th century. Our Lord gave us several channels to access His infinite mercy in this hour of desperate need:
– Divine Mercy Sunday offers complete remission of sin and punishment for sinners who go to Confession and receive Holy Communion, trusting in God’s unfathomable mercy;
– The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is prayed on Rosary beads and powerfully pleads for atonement for our sins and those of the whole world;
– The Three O’clock hour, the hour of Our Lord’s death, offers extraordinary graces, especially to the dying;
– The image of Divine Mercy with the prayer, “Jesus I trust in You,” shows Our Lord’s Blood and water flowing from His pierced side as a font of love and mercy, especially found in Baptism and the Most Holy Eucharist.
Our Lord told Sister Maria Faustina that, “The greater the sinner, the greater is his right to my mercy.” The mercy of God is an infinite ocean. Those who trust in Jesus will find forgiveness and healing. If we trust in His mercy now, we will sing of His mercy forever in heaven. “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His mercy endures forever” (Ps. 118:1).
Happy Easter,
Fr. Geary
Saint James Catholic Church 