Psalm 118 begins, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His mercy endures forever.”
Today, on Divine Mercy Sunday, let us accept God’s invitation to celebrate and practice mercy. The great sacrament in the Church, Reconciliation, is a profound demonstration of His unfathomable mercy for each one of us. We are able to pay forward that mercy to others by our prayers for them, by corporal and spiritual works of mercy, and, hopefully, by the mercy and forgiveness we show to others who have wronged us in some way. As we meditate in gratitude for God’s gracious mercy shown to us, we should look honestly at the mercy we show to others.
There is a beautiful prayer that St. Faustina gave us:
Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us. We humbly implore your mercy for ourselves, our loved ones, and for the whole world. Grant us strength to overcome our weaknesses and to trust in your unfailing love. May your mercy be a shield against all evil and a source of hope in times of despair. Through the sorrowful Passion of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and upon the whole world. Amen.
