Merciful Divine Mercy Sunday

Today is the second Sunday of the Easter Season. I love that Catholics celebrate Easter for 8 days as thought it were one continuous, glorious day. I love that there is an entire Fifty-day Season dedicated to the renewal that only Easter can bring.

We have now reached day eight of the Octave of Easter. While our prayerful life will continue to focus on Easter until Pentecost Sunday and the arrival of Ordinary Times, today conclues the Octave. Before we get into the whole history of Divine Mercy Sunday, I just wanted to share something new I hadn’t known before. Pope John Paul II died on April 2, 2005. It was on the 7th day of the Octave of Easter. Pope Benedict died on December 31, 2013. He passed on the 7th day of the Octave of Christmas. And now Pope Francis has died, on the 2nd day of the Octave of Easter. The last three Popes have died during one of two Octaves remaining, Christmas and Easter. Some people speculate that they waited, not wanting to die during Holy Week or Easter Sunday, not wanting to die during Advent or Christmas, not wanting the attention the death of a Pope would brings to deminish the glory of Christ’s birth, death and resurection. I just found that interesting.

Feast Days for Saints are not found in scripture – how could they be? Prior to Christ’s birth, death and resurrection, Christianity did not exist, and therefore saints did not exist either. It is the Church itself that institutes Saintly Feast Days. Feast Days such as Christmas, Easter, Epiphany and others can be found it scripture. At least their roots are found is the sacred word. The classification as feast days again is something implemented by the Church. Divine Mercy Sunday is not only a relatively new feast day, it came to the faithful through a vision of the Risen Lord to a Polish nun. Christ knew despite His death and resurrection people still weren’t saved in the way He had hoped. Many remained lost sheep.

It’s not enough to say I believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, and Poof – you are going to heaven. That’s not how it works. To believe means accepting Christ into your life. When you do, you are forever changed. That does not mean you have been made perfect, but your focus, your desires, the way you lead your life has changed. In other words, it’s not enough to proclaim that you believe, you need to truly believe. Both the image and the devotion of Divine Mercy came from a private revelation experienced in 1931 by Saint Faustina, then a Polish nun living in a time when the ideologies of Nazism and Communism, two great evils, were taking shape. In her diary she records 14 occasions when Jesus requested a Feast of Mercy (Divine Mercy Sunday as we know it today) be observed. In the vision, Christ appeared with His right hand raised in a blessing; His left touching His garment above His heart. Red and white rays emanated from His heart, symbolizing the blood and water that was poured out for our salvation and sanctification. The Chaplet of Divine Mercy was also given to Saint Faustina with the promise that “Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death. Even a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My Infinite Mercy. I desire that the whole world know My Infinite Mercy”. It is believed that the image of Jesus as He appeared to Saint Faustina is just as He had appeared to His disciples in the Upper Room after the resurrection.

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is prayed with a Rosary. The prayers are similar in that the Our Father, Hail Mary and Apostles’ Creed are part of the opening prayers. However, the five decades are completely different.

Replacing the five Our Father beads:

V. Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, soul and divinity of your dearly Beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ
R. in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

Replacing the ten Hail Mary beads:

V. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion,
R. have mercy on us and on the whole world.

There is more, the conclusion and closing prayer are unique to this Chaplet. I find this to be one of the more beautiful and heartfelt devotions. Especially when you consider that, like the Our Father, it is given to us by Christ himself.

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Sundays are also a time for family. Since this is the 8th day of Easter, it is only fitting that the meal be special. I wish you all a blessed and joyful Sunday.

Divine Mercy Sunday Supper
Savory Lemon Roast Chicken
Classic Mashed Potatoes with Chicken Stock Gravy
Buttery Baby Peas

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Savory Lemon Roast Chicken
3 medium Lemons
4 fresh Rosemary Sprigs
1 (3 lb) Chicken Roaster
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh Rosemary
1/2 tablespoon Black Pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons Salt

Heat oven to 350-degrees. Spray a roasting pan and rack with cooking spray, set aside.

Finely grate enough zest from the lemons, set aside in a small bowl. Coarsely chop lemons. Place half of the chopped lemons inside the chicken cavity. Stuff rosemary sprigs in the cavity; the the remaining lemons. Tie legs together with kitchen twine. Place chicken on the rack of the prepared roasting pan. Brush with olive oil and set aside.

Strip Rosemary needles from the sprig; mince and place in the bowl with the lemon zest. Add black pepper and salt. Whisk together, brush mixture over the chicken.

Place in the heated oven; uncovered to bake for 1 hour 45 minutes or until cooked through; basting occasionally with drippings.

Note: if the chicken browns too quickly; cover loosely with foil.

Let bird stand for 15 minutes before carving. Discard lemons and rosemary springs.

Classic Mashed Potatoes with Chicken Stock Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
8 medium Russet Potatoes
Kosher Salt to taste
Milk as needed
4 tablespoons Butter
Black Pepper to taste

Peel and cut potatoes into 1-inch pieces. Place the potatoes into a large pot, cover with about an inch or so of water. Season with salt. Bring the pot to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to a steady simmer, gently cook potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain well in a colander.

Return the potatoes to the pot and dry for a few minutes over low heat.

While the potatoes are cooking, gently warm about half a cut of milk in a sauce pan until ready to uce. Cut butter into small pieces and set aside.

Once the potatoes are dried, mash with a potato masher or pass through a potato ricer in patches back into the warm pot. Add the butter, working into the mashed potatoes. Gradually add milk until potatoes reach desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Chicken Stock Gravy
3 tablespoon Butter
3 tablespoon Flour
2 cups Chicken Stock
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste

Melt butter in a skillet over low heat. Once the butter begins to foam, sprinkle flour in and coot; stirring constantly, until a rich brown roux is created, about 10 minutes. Slowly add chicken stock, increase heat and bring to a boil.

Return to low heat, let simmer for 15 minutes for the flavors to fully develop and deepen. Season with salt and pepper, transfer to a gravy boat when ready to serve.

Buttery Baby Peas
1 can Young Peas
1 tablespoon Butter

Drain peas and place in a sauce pan over medium-low heat. Add butter; simmer until heated through.

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I was hard pressed and was falling,
but the LORD helped me.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and He has been my savior.