Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:01 In 1925 great. Popeyes 11 decide to institute a new feast Feast of Christ. The king isn't cyclical across prima. Instituting that new feast, the Holy Father explained not just reason for that particular feast, but more generally how it is that over the course of time the church yourself erect new feasts. Piously 11th to quote history in fact tells us that in the course of ages, these festivals have been instituted one after another. According to is the needs or the advantage of the people of Christ seem to demand as when they needed strength to face a common danger when they were attacked, when cities, heresies, when they needed to be urged the Pi's consideration of some mystery of faith or of some divine blessing. For example, when reverence and devotion to the bus that sacrum had grown cold, the feast of Corpus Christi was instituted. So that by means of SOM per sessions in prayer of eight days duration, men might be brought once more to render public homage to Christ.
Speaker 0 01:16 So to the feast of the sacred heart of Jesus was instituted at a time when men were oppressed by the sad and gloomy severity of Jansenism, which had made their hearts grow cold and shut them out from the love of God and the hope of salvation. Close quote the victor of Christ. Okay, so over the course, the age, his new fees instituted according to needs of the faithful to strengthen him, the face of danger protect him from heresy, encouraged them to consider a mystery, the faith or divine blessing. And the pope explicitly mentioned the face of Corpus Christi and Sacred Heart, both of which were instituted in response to private revelation. Let's take a really brief look at the institution of each of those fees. In the early 13th century, our Lord appeared to an Augustinian nun and Belgian Saint Juliana of leash, and he told her of his desire, the feast of Corpus Christi be established precisely because the reverence and devotion of the faithful towards the most busted Saquon had grown coal over the course of time. Truly, Yana Saint Juliana mentioned our Lord's request to some members of the clergy, including a father, James Pando Leone. Now his divine providence would have it. Father James Ponder the own, went on to other things. He became pope urban the forth. And so on 1264, he instituted the feast of Corpus Christi.
Speaker 0 02:57 What about the feast? How's it sacred? Har and the 17th century, a terrible heresy known as chance, and it is him broke up. We don't have time to go through all the details, although they're very interesting. But Jansenism is like Calvinism except inside the church. God is not seen as a loving father, but Macy's, Macy's basically like someone just waiting to slam dunk people down into hell. The Janssen is promoted a strip down liturgy that would be done in the vernacular. They wanted to get rid of side alters, get rid of all the church artwork, popular devotions and so forth. Uh, in terms of of morality, that chance his confessors were over the top, uh, rigorous with their penitents. And since you needed in those days, your confessors permission to go to communion. Unless it basically a Pennington was a great sane, they very well might not be allowed to go to community.
Speaker 0 03:56 This is why the little flower, for example, wouldn't get permission from her confessor to go to communion. I mean, you can imagine that, but little flower, no, he can't go. She couldn't go to daily communion. I mean, good heavens, this is the sort of situation I read. Uh, uh, I once read a translation of a letter written by a priest who was obviously under the influence of chances and he, this, this is a letter written to the by the priest to a bishop and he's bragging that he had not, there has not been one singular sacrilegious communion. His parish at midnight mass. Well, I mean, that's, that sounds great. Who wants to sack later as communion, but then when he read or why there wasn't one, it's unbelievable. And the reason there weren't any Saquon is communities at midnight mass as he never put the key in the tabernacle.
Speaker 0 04:45 Nobody got to go to communion. Well, mission accomplished if you want to make sure there's no secretaries, communities, you just don't give anybody communion and then it's done. This is Jansenism. Okay, so you have this situation. There's problems in the realm of grace and so forth. Anyway, in response to all that, as everybody knows, our Lord appears to visitation, not Saint Margaret married and he's holding out his sacred heart crown with dorms. He says, behold the heart that his love man so much sparing, nothing even to the point of exhausting it consuming itself in order to testify to its low and in return I received from the greater part only in gratitude, irreverence, sacrilege and coldness and contempt for me and the sacrament of low.
Speaker 0 05:46 He asked that the face to the sacred heart, we celebrated on the Friday after the octave or the eighth day of the feast of Corpus Christi, which is now the case throughout the so over the course, the age is new face have been instituted according to needs of the faithful, just tranq them in the face of danger, protect them against terrorists. He encouraged them to consider a mystery of the faith or divine blessing. Today's feast is no exception to that. In fact, during the courses of his appearances to Saint Faustina, our Lord made it very clear that while he wished his fish to be established and as was the case with the feast of the sacred heart, he also specified the precise day on the church calendar when he wanted this feast to be celebrated.
Speaker 0 06:39 So let's take a brief look at the history behind today's fees before we consider the messages of our Lord. For the most part, besides relying on the diary of Saint Faustina, we'll draw on information taken from the Marions to the immaculate conception and very interesting pamphlet by a doctor Robert Stackpole. Saint Faustina was born to a poor family in Poland in 1905 she got about three years of formal education. She first felt a calling to the convent of ages seven so by the time she was in her middle teens, she asked her parents on two separate occasions for permission to enter the convent or both times. They refused. The summer of 1924 she's 19 years old and she and her sister went to a dance at the dance. She suddenly had a vision of our lord suffering, so she left the dance. Obviously you wouldn't feel like dancing after something like that.
Speaker 0 07:42 She left the dance and went right to church. While she was praying in church, she was told by our Lord to leave for Warsaw immediately and enter a convent. So that night she packed a small bag and in the morning without the permission of her parents, she took a train for Warsaw's 130 miles away where she knew not a single soul. So when she arrived in Warsaw, she just entered the first church. She saw and asked the priest what she ought to do. He recommended that she stay with the lady known to him until she could find a convent that would accept her. She went around. She was refused entry by a number of convents until find the sisters of Our Lady of mercy decided to give her a chance. After entering, she's given the humblest tasks and the convent usually cooking, cleaning, or gardening. On February 22nd, 1931 our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ appeared to Saint Faustina.
Speaker 0 08:38 She describes the scene and I quote, in the evening when I was in my cell, I became aware of the Lord Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand was raised in blessing. The other was touching the garment at the breast from the opening of the garment at the breast that came forth, two large res, one red and the other pale and sounds. I gazed intently at the Lord. My soul was overwhelmed with fear, but also with great joy. After a while, Jesus said to me, pain an image according to the pattern you see with inscription. Jesus, I trust in you. Sometime later, our Lord again spoke to her. The Pale race stands for the water which makes souls righteous. The red race stands for the blood, which is the life of souls. These two rates issued forth from the depths on those 10 in mercy.
Speaker 0 09:34 At that time, my agonizing heart was open by Lance on the cross right here. Before we go any farther, we can see in epistle the day in St John's epistle. He's writing about the water and the blood and of course in the Gospel about the opening in our Lord's side. Saint Faustina recorded the message from our Lord and notebooks and they're now known as her diary in her diary Saint Fusty to predicted that her work would be suppressed from s for some time and then accepted again. She died 1938 in two decades later, the divine mercy devotion was indeed banned by the Vatican, had been going for over 20 years. In 1965 archbishop of Krakow, Carl White, TIAA open a new investigation, interviewed witnesses and in 67 submitted a number of documents about Saint Faustina, the Vatican requesting the start of the process of her beatification. So the case was accepted for review.
Speaker 0 10:33 In 1968 and 1977 Cardo Tia asked the Vatican to review and lift the ban on the divine mercy devotion. In April of 78 the prefect of the sacred congregation for the doctrine of the faith lifted the ban and stated at ms misunderstandings him be created because they had been relying on a faulty Italian translation of sister Feldstein. His diary is everyone knows. Six months later and October of 1978, cardinal <inaudible> was elected pole in April, 2000 Saint Faustina became the first saint canonized in this century. All that by way of background because we started off by seeing that the church institutes new fees according to the needs of the faithful, strengthen them in the face of danger, protect them against heresy, encouraged them to consider a mystery, the faith or divine blessing. So the question is why in this day and age would Christ our Lord emphasize the doctrine of divine mercy? Fencer might surprise you. Both our Lord and our lady speak to Saint Faustina about this precise question. I'll just quote from various passages, uh, sprinkled here and there throughout her diary. So what reason did our Lord give for emphasizing divine mercy and for establishing this feast?
Speaker 1 12:03 Cool. Okay.
Speaker 0 12:05 Before the day of Justice, I'm sending the day of mercy. Tell souls about this great mercy of mine because the awful day, the day of my chest is, is near.
Speaker 0 12:23 You will prepare the world for my final coming speak to the world about my mercy. It is a sign for the end times after it will come the day of justice, while there's still time. Let them have recourse to the phone of My mercy. I'm prolonging the time of mercy for the sake of sinners, but what are them if they do not recognize this time of my visitation, he refuses to pass the door of my mercy must pass through the door of my justice. Close quotes for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our Lady also spoke to Saint Faustina about this.
Speaker 1 13:21 Cool.
Speaker 0 13:22 Well, how pleasing to God is a soul that falls faithfully the inspirations of His grace I gave to savior, to the world. As for you, you have to speak to the world about his great mercy and prepare the world for the second coming of him who will come not as a merciful savior, but as a just judge. Oh, how terrible is that day determined is the day of Justice, the day of divine wrath. The angels tremble before speak to souls about this great mercy was still the time for granting mercy. If you keep silent now, you'll be answering for great numbers. Souls on that terrible day. Closed quo, the blessed Virgin Mary.
Speaker 0 14:23 Okay. So as we've seen, the church institutes new fees according to needs of the faithful to strengthen them and the face of danger protects them against heresy, encourage them to consider a mystery of faith or divine blessing. And we've been considering the question why in this? In this day and age with Christ, our Lord Emphasize the doctrine of divine mercy and the is both to remind us of and prepare us for that terrible day, that day of anger and wrath when he will come in the clouds of glory with all his angels to charge living in a dead. This world is grinding to an end and we don't want to be caught out, rounded up with the goats, screaming for the mountains to cover us. There's nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide right now is the time of mercy. As our Lord says before the day of Justice, I'm sending the day of mercy on prolonged time of mercy for the sake of sinners, but whoa to then if they do not recognize this. At the time of my visitation, the awful day, the day of my chest is, is near. He refuses to pass. The door of my mercy must pass the door of my justice.
Speaker 0 15:57 Let's turn to the feast itself. Our Lord told Saint Faustina quote, my daughter tell the whole world about my inconceivable mercy. I desired at the feast of mercy be a refuge and a shelter for all souls and especially for poor centers. On that day, the very depths of my tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the font of my mercy, the saw that will go to confession and receive holy communion, Chub Tan, complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day, all the divine floodgates to which grace flow are opened, let no soul fear to draw near to me, even though it sends via scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind Butte of man or of Angel will be able to fathom it through all eternity. The feast of mercy has emerged from my married depths of tenderness is my desire that be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter, mankind will not have peace until the terms to the font of my mercy.
Speaker 0 17:13 Close quote, our lower a 500 page theological analysis. It's the most, uh, in depth analysis written up to this point of the graces of the Feast of divine mercy was done by Father Nancy Rosie t. S. T. D. He's a, a Polish, uh, domestic theologian. These are just part of the official investigation in sister foster and his life and virtues by the congregation for the causes of saints. I'll just quote one small excerpt from the father as he key quote in this matter. Four points are beyond all doubt. Hey, this special grace was promised in the context of the feast of mercy <inaudible>.
Speaker 0 18:00 It was directly attached to receiving holy communion. On this day c, it consists in the total remission of sins and punishment. D. It is theologically possible close quote, well that bears repeating in this matter that there are four points beyond all the a, the special grace was promised in the context of the feast to mercy. B, it was directly attached to receiving holy communion on this day. See, it consists in a total remission of sins and punishment. D, it is theologically possible. In a 1981 symposium, Father Ozuka commented, quote, the most exceptional graze promised by cheeses for the feast. The divine mercy is something considerably greater than a plain area indulgence. The latter consists only of the remission of temporal punishments for committed sins but is never the remission of sins itself. The exceptional grace of the community on divine mercy Sunday is also greater than the graces of the other sacraments with the exception of the sacrament of baptism for the remission of all sins and punishment is found only in the Sacramento cray of baptism and the promise is sighted.
Speaker 0 19:22 Christ tied the remission of our sins and punishment to the reception of holy communion on the fees to divine mercy. In other words in this regard, he raised it to the rank of a second baptism. He has that in quotes by this. A second patch is in father means a renewal of grace in his soul that are coming from the worthy reception of holy communion and that this renewal is like that. The results from the reception of the Sacrum, the baptism. Ordinarily the reception of the Eucharist in the state of grace only are admits venial sin and strengthens the soul against both venial and mortal sin. But according to our Lord's words, to Saint Faustino on the Feast of Divine mercy worthy reception of holy communion effects in the soul, a complete renewal of baptismal grace of back, your father was achy. It is obvious that in order to affect to complete forgiveness of sins and punishment, the holy communion received on a face to divine mercy.
Speaker 0 20:20 My snarly be Partha taken of wordly worthy communion can't go to communion unless you're in a state of grace. Communion is not a magic trick. This is something where you're worthy receiving communion. On this day, Christ are alerts, attach more graces to the worthy reception of communion. It's not substitute for confession. Okay, so the field communion received on the face. Divine mercy must not only be partaken of worldly, but it may all must also fulfill the basic requirements of the divine mercy. Devotion, however, received unwordly without trust in divine mercy and devoid of some deed of mercy toward neighbor. It will be a contradiction of devotion, of divine mercy instead of exceptional grace who would bring down upon the recipient the divine wrath. Every bad communion does that. I said this in the last mass. I'll repeat myself here. Don't worry about what you've heard perhaps from other priests.
Speaker 0 21:22 There are some very confused people out there and we're not exempt from it on matters of the faith. Unfortunately, if you have a mortal sin, you go to confession before you go to community. Don't worry about it. We'll be here. We'll get you taken care of. I'm not sitting everybody going to confession as a mortal sin. Hopefully the ideas you go to confession before you need to go to confession. So you don't need to code efficient. That's how we want to do it. But if someone falls into mortal sin, could heavens go to confession before you go to the community? Don't plow. Dive yourself down about three layers into hell. You gotta go to confession first. If he heard something else elsewhere, they ignore it. Doubts. Look it up in the council of Trent. That's a topic for another sermon, but this is infallible teaching church. You got to go to confession before you go to community. Okay, so the special grace granted on the feast, Divine mercy is directly attached to receiving holy communion on this day. It consistent the total remission of sins and punishment and it's considerably greater than a plenary indulgence in a whole lot easier to gain.
Speaker 0 22:29 Why does this feast fall in the octave of Easter?
Speaker 1 22:32 Yeah,
Speaker 0 22:33 we can look at the readings. I mean besides the factor load wanted it, but there's other things in his sermon for Lo Sunday. That's this very day on the liturgical calendar. St Augustine called the East tractive quote. The days of mercy. Pardon? Close quote, and he called today the octave day quote, the compendium of the days of mercy closed quote Santa Gustin, Bishop Dr and father of the church father Oh Zeke, he makes another important point, quote our Lord and cysts that one receive holy communion worldly on the day of the feast itself. By this requirement, he incorporates the devotion into the sacramental life of the church because the end of the ordinary period for making Easter communion falls on that Sunday close quote. Okay, so what about confession? Does that have to be made on the face of divine mercy? Well, certainly before one goes to communion, if he has mortal sin on his soul, as we just sit, got to go to confession first period.
Speaker 0 23:39 Something else, just take out the brain and race to get rid of that. Okay? That's the only case though. As one commentator notes quote Christ never specifically asked for the faithful to go to confession on the day of the feast itself. Practically speaking, that would be an impossible burden on those pastors. In fact, Saint Faustina herself made her confession on the Saturday before mercy Sunday, whenever times of confession may be offered, the important thing is for the faithful be encouraged to come to mercy Sunday in a state of grace, having confessed all mortal sins and trusting in the mercy of God. Close quote, is there anything else we ought to do? Yes. Our Lord said to St Fos, tuna quote, the first Sunday after Easter is the feast of mercy, but there must also be acts of mercy. I demand from you, deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for me.
Speaker 0 24:36 You ought to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it. I'm giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor. The first by deed, the second by word, the third by prayer, and these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for me. By this means the soul glorifies and pays reverence to my mercy. Even the strongest faith is of no avail. Without works. Close quote our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Okay. What about the plane area indulgence? That decree dated August 3rd, 2002 that Bistalk Penick tentree announced quote, the plenary indulgence is granted under the usual conditions. Now the usual conditions are a sacramental confession, eucharistic communion, prayers, intentions of the Supreme Pontiff. So the plenary indulgence is granted on the usual conditions to the faithful who on the second Sunday of Easter or divine mercy Sunday in any church or chapel in a spirit that is completely detached from the affection for his sin. Even a venial sin take part in the prayers and devotions held in honor, divine mercy, or who in the presence, the blessed sacrament, exposed or reserved in a tabernacle recite the our father and the creed, adding a devout prayer to the merciful Lord Jesus. For example, merciful Jesus, I trust in you.
Speaker 0 26:12 Okay, so today, every one of us should strive to do two things. First, make as devout a holy communion as possible with as great a trust and the divine mercy as possible in order to receive the greatest possible grace from the feast our Lord. I've opened my heart as a living fountain of mercy, but all souls draw life from it. Let them approach this sea of mercy with great trust. The Morris soul trusts, the more it will receive close quotes, so that's the first, a very pious communion. Second, each one of us should try to obtain the adulterants and then offered up for the poor soul most in need, which in itself would be an immense act of mercy to that end, during it for our Thanksgiving at your mass, I'll leave the chaplet and then we'll pray for the Holy Father's intentions. Kay, let's review.
Speaker 0 27:10 What have we seen? We've seen it over the course of the ages. New Fees have been instituted according to needs of the faithful. We've seen it. The reason why Christ, our Lord chose to emphasize the doctrine of divine mercy in our day and age is to remind us that this is the time for mercy, that he did not come down on earth with a sword of Justice and the flames of divine wrath. He's here to remind us that he came on a mission of love. He came to suffer and to die for us, that he knows our weaknesses and he longs to forgive us, to strengthen us and to heal us, but he also doesn't want us to forget that there's a day coming, that terrible day of anger and wrath when he will come to judge living in a dead and he wants us to be prepared.
Speaker 0 28:06 He wants to solve to receive his mercy. Now before it's too late, we've seen that he's attached to special grace. We really call it an incredible grace directly to the reception of holy communion. Today we've seen this. Grace is a total remission of sins and punishment. We've seen their Lord picked a feast day. Those traditionally seen as a last day of the ordinary period to make them Easter communion that Santa Custin called the Sunday the compendium of the days of mercy and that it's a very fitting. Just by looking at the image, we'd see the fittingness with the readings. We've seen that our Lord Austin says that we must do deeds of mercy out of love for him. We've seen that the pope has granted plainer indulgence under usual conditions for the faithful who with the spirit has completely detached from affection to sin. Even venial sin take part in the prayers and devotions held in any church or chapel in honor, divine mercy. Today we've seen that each one of us should strive to do two things. First, to make as Devonta holy communion is possible with his greatest trust in divine mercy as possible in order to receive the greatest possible grace in the feast. And second, that each of us should strive to receive the pleinair indulgence than offered up for the poor soul most in need, which is already an immense act of mercy that we can all try for today. Let's close with some remarks made by our Lord to Saint Faustina.
Speaker 0 29:41 My great delight is to night myself to souls. When I come to a human heart in holy communion, my hands are full of all kinds of graces, which I want to give to the soul, but soul to not even pay any attention to me. They leave me to myself and basically themselves with other things. Oh, how sad. I am that souls do not recognize love. They treat me as a dead object.
Speaker 0 30:18 I desire that the feast immerse CBRF who a shelter for all souls, and especially for poor centers. On that day, the very depths of my tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of grace is upon those souls who approached the font of my mercy. The saw that will go to confession and receive holy communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day, all the divine floodgates through which Christ flow are opened, let no soul fear to draw near to me. Even though it sins be a scarlet, it's a more soul trusts. The more it will receive. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approached the fire to my mercy. The soul that will go to confession and receive holy communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. The more sole trusts, the more it will receive. Yeah.
