by Val Conlon

Jesus’ death on the cross was in atonement for our sins and the sins of the whole world. In the message of Divine Mercy revealed to Saint Faustina, Jesus asks that at 3 O’Clock we immerse ourselves in His Passion. John the Baptist immersed people in water because it is a symbol of cleansing. Through His death on the Cross, Jesus cleansed mankind’s souls with the water that flowed from His side, and then he gave the soul new life with the blood that ebbed from His sacred body.

What happens on the Feast of Mercy is that He makes this extraordinary grace available to sinners once again, and our souls can be cleansed and renewed, we are given a new life, a new beginning. On this day Jesus allows you to stand at the Foot of the Cross. He is making you present at the moment He expired, for it was at that moment that Divine Mercy was won for the world.

Dismas was the first person to benefit from this victory over death, because it was then that Jesus was given the power of Divine Mercy by the Father. Canon Ignacy Rozycki, Doctor of Dogmatic Theology appointed by Pope John Paul II to examine the revelations to Saint Faustina, came to the conclusion that the extraordinary grace given by Jesus on the Feast of Mercy is a gift of grace equalled only by that of Holy Baptism. This means that on this day your soul can become as pure as on the day of your baptism. This means you are starting your life all over again and you only have to worry about the sins you commit in the future, your past sins no longer exist. No matter what sin you have committed in the your past life you get complete remission, (forgiveness) for all past sins with no time in Purgatory.

So on the Feast of Mercy, we are been taken to that hill of Calvary and we, like Dismas, are being looked on by Jesus, He is there with us on that day cleansing us with the water that flowed from His side, which happens when we get confession, the sacrament of reconciliation, and then we are beginning a new life by the transfusion of His sacred Blood, which we receive in Holy Communion, in His presence.

So, we are being immersed on this day in the Blessed Water and His Divine Blood. Our presence at the Feast of Mercy is also giving witness to our faith, our belief in why Jesus died on the Cross. On the Feast of Mercy, our souls are being commending to the Father, by His Son, Jesus Christ.

“This day you will be with Me in Paradise”

The gift you receive on the Feast of Mercy is that which He gave to Dismas, If you died the following day, you would go straight into His presence in Paradise. For on the Feast of Mercy, your whole past life being forgiven, there is nothing for you to be judged on.

We should of course be mindful that the Feast of Mercy is an extraordinary act of forgiveness but it is one of our failings as humans not to forgive our trespassers, even though we expect to be forgiven ourselves for the wrongs we have done in life. If we claim to be without sin on this day then we should forgive all who have offended us in our lives, no matter how badly they treated us. On this day you must hand it over to Jesus and let Him deal with it. We deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us, if we have not forgiven all others on this day. Before confession bring to mind the names of those you may have had a grievance with and ask the Lord to take away all bitterness from your soul. This is important. If we confess our sins, then we must include the bitterness you have in your life against others. By going to communion on this day we are claiming we have no sin on our soul, do not go if you have not forgiven everyone in your life that has offended you, if there is something you have not confessed, going to communion, it would be a big mistake, for then instead of receiving the grace of God you would receive the wrath of God.

It is not just good enough to say, I can be forgiven for my sins, but they should not be forgiven for theirs. On the Feast of Mercy, we must forgive our enemies and pray for them as well as asking to be forgiven for the sins we have committed.

If we do it right in preparation for this great gift of mercy, then the love of God will embrace us and grant us the graces He has promised us on this extraordinary occasion, the Feast of Mercy.