The Second Sunday of Lent is celebrated throughout the world as Divine Mercy Sunday. Pope John Paul II designated this feast during the year 2000 celebrations of the new millennium. He did so at the explicit request of Jesus Himself in His apparitions to Sr. Faustina Kowalska, a sister from Poland in the first part of the 20th century. The Holy Father also canonized Faustina, making her the first saint of the new millennium.
    
St. Faustina recorded the messages that she had received from Jesus in her spiritual diary. Jesus spoke of Himself as Divine Mercy and told her of the great love that He has for sinners and His great desire to bring them back to Him.  She was given a number of spiritual practices (the devotions to Divine Mercy) that she was to spread to others. This included the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, which is prayed on a regular rosary, but using different prayers.  He spoke of the Hour of Mercy, which is 3 pm, the hour at which Jesus died. He asked that we stop at 3 pm and be aware of the graces of salvation won for us by His death on the Cross. 
    
Jesus asked that the Second Sunday of Easter be set aside as the Feast of Divine Mercy and spoke of the “ocean of mercy” available to sinners on that day. He also showed her an image of Himself as Divine Mercy and asked that she have that image painted. The image shows Jesus standing, pointing to His heart. Unlike the image of the Sacred Heart, you cannot see the heart of Jesus. From His side come two rays of light, one white and one red. The white ray symbolizes the water that flowed from Jesus side, and the sacraments of Baptism and Reconciliation, through which the mercy of God is given to us. The red ray represents the blood that flowed from Jesus’ side and the mercy of God given to us in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. 
    
There will be special Divine Mercy services at the Cathedral at 3 pm today. All are invited to participate.