Catholic Fire

"I considered this message (of Divine Mercy) my special task. Providence has assigned it to me in the present situation of man, the Church, and the world." ~ Pope St. John Paul II; November 22, 1981 "Who can say that he is free from sin and does not need God’s mercy? As people of this restless time of ours, wavering between the emptiness of self-exaltation and the humiliation of despair, we have a greater need than ever for a regenerating experience of mercy." ~ Pope St. John Paul II, Regina Caeli message, April 10, 1994  "It is important then that we accept the whole message that comes to us from the word of God on this Second Sunday of Easter, which from now on throughout the Church, will be called Divine Mercy Sunday." (The readings on that Sunday are always about mercy, trust and the forgiveness of sins.) ~Pope St. John Paul II, during the Mass of canonization of St. Faustina on April 30, 2000, Related: Divine Mercy Sunday Saint J...

Today is Divine Mercy Sunday .  "To know the richness of mercy is to share in dispositions of the heart of our Redeemer by experiencing in ourselves something of the horror of the vision of the sins of the world which filled his heart" (Archbishop E.M. Guerry).  At the same time, Divine Mercy transfigures us, filling us with the faith to cry out to the risen Christ, "Once I was dead, but now I am alive forever. Of all divine mercy's "many signs and wonders" that "were done among the people," the greatest of them was that "they were all together." Mercy made the disciples into a People by giving them a unity that transcends every dissension, division, and diversity. The Scriptures testify that those who saw the followers of Jesus in Solomon's portico "esteemed them." This is the miracle of divine mercy. ~ Via the Magnificat . Reflect on the following meditation for Divine Sunday at Reflections on the Sacre...

A beautiful song about Divine Mercy:

"I shall sing forever the Lord's mercy." (Ps 89 [88]) 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 St. 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). Indulgences Attached To Divine Mercy Devotions

On Divine Mercy Sunday (April 19th), CatholicTV will show special programming in honor of God’s Divine Mercy. The programming will include a show explaining the history and significance of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, a recitation of the Chaplet, and songs by artist Angelina Davis of Louisiana. Her performance was taped in Poland, where Jesus revealed his message of Divine Mercy to St. Faustina. The special programming will begin at 2:30PM (all times Eastern) with “The Message of Divine Mercy” which is hosted by Dr. Vincent Baratta from Windham, NY. Dr. Baratta was an average physician who wrote a prayer card about the Rosary for his own use. He showed the card to Msgr. Charles Brown who previously worked in the Vatican under Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI. Msgr. Brown suggested that the prayer card be shown to Archbishop Edwin O’Brien. The Archbishop believed Rosary prayer cards would be very helpful in teaching and evangelizing armed forces personnel. After this, Dr. Bara...

SOLEMN MASS AND CELEBRATION OF DIVINE MERCY - LIVE (2 1/2 hrs.) The Mass of the Feast of the Divine Mercy live from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, MA, hosted by the Marians of the Immaculate Conception; the event also includes the Divine Mercy Chaplet and other devotional activities.Sun 4/19/09 1:00 PM ET & 10 AM PT DIVINE MERCY HOLY HOUR FROM HANCEVILLE, ALABAMA - LIVE (1 hr) Sun 4/19/09 4:00 PM ET & 1 PM PT Mon 4/20/09 1:00 AM ET & (Sun 10 PM) PT Tue 4/21/09 1:00 PM ET & 10 AM PT