www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Divine Mercy Sunday

Dear Karen,

I had never heard about that, but come to think of it, a dear acquaintance died during Holy Week, and at the wake my priest said that there is no better time to die--so I am wondering if that is what he meant?

In the Risen Christ,
Alice

This is probably because the entire funeral service is different during Bright Week, as it takes on a complete Paschal nature.

In the Risen Christ,
Father Anthony+

I went to evening Mass yesterday at the local Latin Rite Church. Nothing, no mention of Divine Mercy Sunday.

Why impose Western devotions onto the East, when even the West which adopted it, hasn't implemented it yet?

Dear Friends,

Divine Mercy Sunday is truly a beautiful Latin Church feast.

The Eastern Catholic Churches do not celebrate this feast and there is no reason to expect that they will be inclined to include it in their calendars.

Feasts like that of the Divine Mercy and of the Sacred Heart refer to separate Western devotions to our Lord's mercy, love etc.

This is completely foreign to the East that entertwines all this THROUGHOUT its rich horological and menological liturgical prayers.

Those who believe that the East somehow "needs" this feast to underline its worship of the All-Merciful Lord etc. have never read, much less studied, its liturgical prayers.

Private revelations,(and paraliturgical devotions) have a significance in the Latin Church that they simply do not in the Eastern Churches.

One problem with a number of private revelations is their somewhat "absolutist" character i.e. "our Lord/our Lady told me to tell you that you MUST do this . . ."

Such private devotions in the Latin Church have sometimes led to spiritual absurdities. For example, the popular notion that the scapular is indeed a "get into heaven free card."

There is nothing wrong with the scapular and it can be a powerful symbol of the Mantle of Protection of the Mother of God - but let's not turn it into something it was never intended to be.

At no time, did Pope John Paul II, in instituting the feast of the Divine Mercy, do anything more than establish it for the Latin Church.

He would not (and could not) impose it on the Eastern Churches. NOR, one may add, did he say or mean to imply that the Eastern Catholic Churches somehow "miss the mark" by not accepting this feast or devotion (there are lots of EC's who practice the chaplet of Divine Mercy etc.).

When I first read about St Faustina's revelations etc., I, as an EC, could see that her revelations were quite valid.

And why?

This is because our Lord communicated to her truths that the Eastern Churches have been celebrating for centuries in their liturgical prayers.

The very essence of this devotion, namely, the All-Merciful Lord Jesus Christ from Whose pierced Side flowed Blood and Water, Mercy and Forgiveness, is at the core of our Eastern liturgical tradition, ESPECIALLY on the Lord's Days.

Someone here said that every Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday in the EC Churches.

That is absolutely correct.

We have 52 Divine Mercy Sunday's in the year.

The only way we can make room for another one is to adopt yet another calendar . . .

No thank you . . .

Alex

Divine Mercy Sunday was celebrated at my Ukrainian Catholic parish in California.

After the Ambon Prayer, the priest proceeded to bring over the Chalice from the Table of Preperation, blessed the people with it, placed it on the Holy Table, along with a picture of Baby Jesus standing on a globe with a crown and the Divine Mercy Picture.

The priest then knelt infront of the Holy Table and performed a "Suplykatsia" service (I have the text for any interested and the music was terrible-- sounded like a bad funeral), which was explained to me as pretty much a Benediction service. After the Benediction, he went on, still kneeling, to do the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

Thank God I went to the Orthodox parish to celebrate Easter with some of my family, because when I showed up at the Ukrainian Catholic parish, the Benediction and Divine Mercy did not encourage the whole idea of Bright Week/The Ressurection.

That my friends was St. Thomas Sunday (remade as Divine Mercy Sunday) at a Ukrainian Catholic Parish in California.

-uc

Bless, Father Anthony!

Khrestos Anesti! Alithos Anesti!

I found out that you Greeks call Bright Week the "Week of Renewal."

How beautiful! We are truly called to renew our life in our Glorious Divine Pascha Who is OLGS Jesus Christ!

The "greening" of our souls in the springtime of the Lord!!

Proof positive there is no reason to "beware Greeks bearing gifts!" And especially not such beautiful spiritual gifts!

Alex

Michael - I have to agree there.

The RC parish I used to attend does not mention Divine Mercy Sunday - and I'm honestly not sure how many actually do here, in the UK

Orthodox/Catholic (aka:Alex) said:

Well said!

With love in the Risen Christ,
Alice

Hi Alice-- Christos anesti!

Hmm, maybe. It just seems to me that this would be an indulgence, the concept of which is foreign to the East.

Have a blessed Bright Week!

God bless,

Karen

Hi,

But you are against liturgical dance, no matter what, even if it is happening in a Sui Iuris Church other than your own, correct?

That is because liturgical dance will never have the even remotest chance of bearing fruit in the lives of the members of that other Sui Iuris Church, perhaps not even the liturgical dancers themselves, correct?

Shalom,
Memo

Sunday of Mercy is in the Latin Rite Ordo here in Australia. It is not a choice of parishes, I suspect it is in the Ordo used in Scotland as well. You would need to consult a copy to see whats written there.

I give my Dad a copy early each year for Christmas and now he is lethal with it. God help the PP who does anything not in the book.

XB! BB!

ICXC
NIKA

I, for one, didn't say that. I stated that the particular dance, at that particular Liturgy looked out of place and created (un-traditional). The Liturgical dance here originated in teaching the Christian history of the culture represented:
[Linked Image]
[Linked Image]

What is the origin of the dance from the video?

Has anyone noticed the coincidence of a Polish nun having a vision of Christ with the flag of Poland coming out of his heart?

Memo,

I am for the legitimate and faithful diversity that flows from the norms established by each of the sui juris Churches for worship.

That being said, the rubrics of the Pauline Missal, and the various notitiae issued by the Congregation for Divine Worship, forbid dance in the Latin Rite. If you can provide the documents from the Congregation for Divine Worship that permitted the pagan dance done at the LA religion conference, by all means, post the documents.

By the way, even a Cardinal of the Roman Church is bound by the universal norms for the liturgy established by the Holy See, and so he is not free to "create" a new liturgy for his diocese.

I refuse to confuse liturgical abuse with liturgical diversity.

God bless,
Todd

P.S. - The Latin Rite has a venerable and ancient tradition associated with it, and it is sad to see it disintegrate in the span of one generation.

The pious legend among our people is that those buried during Bright week enter directly through the Royal Doors, open wide for the Feast. During Bright week the Matins of Resurrection are reprised in place of the usual funeral service. The canon sung in this context is awesome.

In previous years my father's father and his two eldest bothers were buried on Bright Mondays. This year, the first of his sisters to pass away - my blessed Aunt Dorothy (whose kifli were perfection) - was buried on Bright Saturday. ... to those in the graves He granted life.