Did you know that we are in the middle of the Divine Mercy Novena? Many of our listeners have been praying along with us, and you can join in today and then celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday (this Sunday, April 19th!) like never before.

The Divine Mercy Novena begins each year on Good Friday, and ends the day before Divine Mercy Sunday, which is always the Sunday after Easter. The Lord promised St. Faustina, “By this novena, I will grant every possible grace to souls” (Diary of St. Faustina 796). Each day of the novena, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is prayed. If possible, the Chaplet is prayed at 3pm, the Hour of Divine Mercy, because it is the hour that Jesus died on the cross. It really is providential that we begin this novena, begging God for his mercy for the sake of his suffering and death, on Good Friday.

The Lord gave St. Faustina the nine intentions that we pray for each day of the novena. According to the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, the intentions are: “All mankind, especially sinners; the souls of priests and religious; all devout and faithful souls; those who do not believe in God and those who do not yet know Jesus; the souls who have separated themselves from the Church; the meek and humble souls and the souls of little children; the souls who especially venerate and glorify His mercy; the souls detained in purgatory; and souls who have become lukewarm.”

But if you’re wondering why people pray the Divine Mercy Novena, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, or have a devotion to Divine Mercy at all, Msgr. Don Sawyer, a regular guest on The Inner Life® explained, “The bottom line is it comes down to gratitude, and realizing what God’s love is and how God loves. The whole idea of mercy, of receiving mercy, is something that we don’t deserve, but is given to us.”

“It’s not our birthright to have eternal life,” Msgr. Sawyer continued. “It’s not our birthright to be able to live and walk with Christ, and to receive his Body and Blood. And we have to realize that is a gift. We’re not entitled to it.”

The devotion to Divine Mercy is an opportunity to recognize how great God’s love for us is, and how he desires to continually pour out his mercy upon us, if only we would ask.

“He’s always there for us,” Msgr. Sawyer emphasized. “We don’t deserve it at all. So that’s it for me, this definition of mercy. Everything we have is from God.”

This Divine Mercy Sunday you can celebrate God’s love and mercy in a special way! Join Father Rocky and Drew Mariani at 3pm Central for a special LIVE Divine Mercy Sunday broadcast. Father Rocky will lead exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Drew will provide reflections on the message of Divine Mercy. Divine Mercy Sunday coverage is sponsored by The Shrine of Christ’s Passion in St. John, Indiana.

This will be a beautiful opportunity to participate with your fellow listeners across the country and around the world in praying this powerful devotion together. And you can call in to share your intentions and prayer requests! Watch or listen at 3pm Central on Sunday, April 19, here on our web site or through the Relevant Radio App.