Saturday, April 21, 2007

Divine Mercy Sunday - written April 15, 2007

Today, the Sunday after Easter, is Divine Mercy Sunday. It was added to the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar by Pope John Paul II, in the year 2000, to emphasize and celebrate the mercy of God.

My Lent was excellent. I chose not to sacrifice anything apart from the minimum but instead did a series of daily meditations, from a booklet titled, From Fear to Love. Lenten Reflections on the Parable of the Prodigal Son, by Henri Nouwen. Each meditation spoke directly to me. I was able to make it to The Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) on Good Friday. I’m always on a “high” after confession—great relief! The combined euphoria from Lent, Confession and Easter lasted almost a week. And now I am back to feeling like a dirty, broken sinner. Divine Mercy Sunday arrived just in time.