Risen Christ, Endless Mercy
From the empty tomb of Easter to the radiant promise of Divine Mercy Sunday, the Church invites us to remain within a single, unfolding mystery: the inexhaustible mercy of God poured out through Jesus Christ.
On Good Friday, we witness Christ’s complete obedience to the Father—an obedience that leads Him to embrace the Cross. In His suffering and death, mercy is embodied. When His side is pierced, the outpouring of blood and water reveals a love that holds nothing back. He pours out everything for love of us. Easter morning then proclaims that this mercy is victorious. Sin and death do not have the final word. Mercy does.
Relevations
This same message, alive in the Resurrection, echoes powerfully in the life and mission of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska. In the revelations recorded in her Diary, she becomes a messenger for our time, reminding the world that the mercy flowing from the Paschal Mystery has not ceased. It continues to reach into the present, seeking every soul.
“In the Old Covenant, I sent prophets wielding thunderbolts to my people. Today I am sending you with my mercy to the people of the whole world. I do not want to punish aching mankind, but I desire to heal it, pressing it to my merciful Heart.” (Jesus to St Faustina, Diary #1588)
Her life reflects the very pattern we see in Christ: trustful surrender to the will of God. Just as Jesus was obedient “unto death,” Faustina’s holiness was rooted in her quiet, steadfast obedience. Through her, the Risen Lord speaks directly to a restless world: His mercy is still available, still urgent, still the answer.
Special Means of Mercy
Through St. Faustina, Our Lord gave us special means of drawing upon His mercy: an Image of the Divine Mercy, a Chaplet of Divine Mercy, a Feast of Mercy, a novena, and prayer at the three o’clock hour – the hour of His death.
While each of these means is efficacious, the Feast of Divine Mercy is especially timely to observe now as it is celebrated the Sunday after Easter, as proclaimed by Pope St. John Paul the Great.
We can celebrate this “Mercy Sunday” by going to confession before Sunday and by receiving Holy Communion on that day. We can honor the mercy of the Lord by our prayers and works of mercy.
In her diary, Faustina wrote that Jesus told her:
“On this day, the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment.” (Diary #699)
Message of Mercy
The heart of the Divine Mercy message is both simple and profound. It says God is love, and that love is merciful beyond measure. As Jesus told St. Faustina in Diary #723, “The greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to my mercy.” These words dismantle fear and hesitation. No one is beyond the reach of God’s compassion. No wound is too deep, no sin too great.
Yet this mercy asks for a response. We are invited to turn back to God with trust and repentance while it is still a time of mercy. Divine Mercy Sunday, placed so intentionally at the close of the Easter Octave, reminds us that the Resurrection is not an isolated event—it is an open door. Through it, we are called into reconciliation, especially in the Sacrament of Reconciliation that restores us to communion with God and one another.
Peace by Surrender
In a world marked by division, anxiety, and unrest, the message of Divine Mercy is essential. Peace does not come from control or achievement. It comes from surrendering to the One who is Mercy itself.
Easter reveals that mercy has triumphed. Divine Mercy Sunday insists that this triumph is for us—now. The invitation remains: trust in Him, return to Him, and receive the mercy that alone can heal the human heart and restore the world. Be as convicted as St. Faustina was. God’s mercy is there, waiting to be poured out on us if we but ask for it.
Written by Martha Haenni, CCL Staff. Learn NFP from Couple to Couple League: CCL NFP classes.