Collect for Second Sunday Eastertide- Mercy Sunday.
COLLECT SERIES
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| The Mass: Collect series Icon. |
COLLECT
The Collect for Second Sunday of Eastertide (Mercy Sunday) Year B
reads as follows:
God of everlasting mercy,
Who in the very recurrence of the paschal feast
Kindle the faith of the people You have made Your own,
Increase, we pray the grace You have bestowed,
That all may grasp and rightly understand in what font they have been washed,
By whose Spirit they have been reborn,
By whose Blood they have been redeemed.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
One God, for ever and ever.
Who in the very recurrence of the paschal feast
Kindle the faith of the people You have made Your own,
Increase, we pray the grace You have bestowed,
That all may grasp and rightly understand in what font they have been washed,
By whose Spirit they have been reborn,
By whose Blood they have been redeemed.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
One God, for ever and ever.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
In making this prayer tangible, the following reflection questions emerged:
- How do I understand God as a God of mercy in my life?
- How can I kindle my faith this week/month/year?
- What graces has God bestowed on me over my life?
- What graces do I wish to receive from God?
- How important is my relationship with God- do I grasp and understand the meaning for my life the value of Baptism throughout my whole life?
- How will I thank God this coming week for His redemption for me?
GOSPEL REFLECTION
This Sunday is
popularly known as Mercy of God Sunday. Between 1930 and 1938 Christ appeared to
Sister Faustina, a Sister of Mercy in Poland who initiated the Divine Mercy
devotion. She was canonized on April 30, 2000, the Sunday after Easter, the
Feast of Divine Mercy.
On Good Friday, 1937, Jesus requested that Blessed
Faustina make a special novena before the Feast of Mercy, from Good Friday
through the following Saturday. Jesus also asked that a picture be painted
according to the vision of Himself as the fountain of mercy. He gave her a
chaplet to be recited and said that it was appropriate to pray the chaplet at
three o'clock each afternoon (the Hour of Great Mercy).
Jesus to Sr. Faustina On
one occasion, I heard these words: "My daughter, tell the whole world about My
inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter
for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of
My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those 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.
On that day all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened. Let
no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is
so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it
throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come forth from the very
depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will
contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged
from My very depths of tenderness.
It is My desire that it be solemnly
celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until
it turns to the Fount of My Mercy. "[Let] the greatest sinners place their trust
in My mercy. They have the right before others to trust in the abyss of My
mercy. My daughter, write about My mercy towards tormented souls. Souls that
make an appeal to My mercy delight Me. To such souls I grant even more graces
than they ask. I cannot punish even the greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to
My compassion, but on the contrary, I justify him in My unfathomable and
inscrutable mercy. Write: before I come as a just Judge, I first open wide the
door of My mercy. He who refuses to pass through the door of My mercy must pass
through the door of My justice. "From all My wounds, like from streams, mercy
flows for souls, but the wound in My Heart is the fountain of unfathomable
mercy. From this fountain spring all graces for souls. The flames of compassion
burn Me. I desire greatly to pour them out upon souls. Speak to the whole world
about My mercy." Excerpted from Diary of Sr. M. Faustina Kowalska.
It should be
noted that the Church permits that where it is not possible to go to confession
on Mercy Sunday itself, the same Divine Mercy promise applies provided the
penitent receives the sacrament within a week of the Feast either before the
feast or after the feast. . Attending a Divine Mercy Celebration
therefore may not be possible for everyone.
However, do not let this stop you from
celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday. Where possible, · find a Divine Mercy
Celebration online and/or · venerate the Divine Mercy Image yourself at home. ·
Everyone can say the chaplet of Divine Mercy personally or with other family
members. · Say the 3 O Clock prayer.
The
important thing is that under whatever circumstances you find yourself, do your
best to honour Jesus as Divine Mercy. Contemplate His mercy in our lives as well
and express our gratitude to Jesus for His great Mercy.
