The Collect for Divine Mercy Sunday is:
“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.”
Reflection
We refer to the “very recurrence of the paschal feast” because today is the Octave Day of Easter. That means it is kind of a repeat in way similar to how musical notes repeat at every octave. Easter is so profound that we need eight days to celebrate it and doing this for eight days is another thing that “kindles the faith” of God’s people. This gives us time to understand three key aspects of Easter:
- The font in which we have been washed – Baptism into Christ which washes away our sins. This means we should really take forgiveness seriously and avoiding sin seriously.
- In whose Spirit we have been reborn – The Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit that makes us into children of God.
- By whose Blood we have been redeemed – Jesus gave his life as a ransom for our own. The fact that Jesus’ blood is so precious means that we are very valuable to God
So, for your daily contribution to the Church’s collection of prayer,
take a moment to consider how much Easter really means to you. Reflect on the importance of embracing God’s mercy. Whatever your sins, whatever your difficulties, do not be afraid. Look at how much God has given in order to make us his children. He paid with the blood of his Son, so He is quite ready and eager to forgive every sin you are willing to bring to Him. Pray to embrace that mercy wholeheartedly. Then spiritually unite that prayer to all the Masses throughout the world today. That way, when the priest says “Let us pray,” you can be a part of that “us” even if you don’t get to attend Mass.
(though really, it is Divine Mercy Sunday, so there is almost no excuse!)