The Feast of Divine Mercy also called the Divine Mercy Sunday is celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. The holy Feast was instituted by Pope John Paul II on April 30, 2000, during the canonisation of St. Maria Faustina. As Catholics celebrate the 2024 edition of the Feast, BETTY AMUKPO tasked some children on the importance of Divine Mercy. Excerpts:
‘Mercy is the greatest attribute of God’
Divine Mercy is so important, because it is when God’s love meets us and helps us in the midst of our suffering and sin. Divine Mercy is God’s love reaching down to meet our needs and overcome our miseries. According to Pope John Paul II’s encyclical letter, Dives in Misericordia (Rich in Mercy, 1981); firstly, he wrote, “Mercy is love’s second name.” Secondly, he taught that mercy is “the greatest attribute of God.” (Psalms 25:10) In the Catholic Church, the second Sunday after Easter is the Divine Mercy Sunday, and there’s Divine Mercy prayer that can be said using the Rosary by 3:00pm. This prayer was promulgated by St. Maria Faustina. Be Merciful!

• Chiamaka Idoko
‘He helps us in the midst of our sufferings’
Divine Mercy is the attributes of God in Christianity. It is when God’s love meets us and helps us in the midst of our suffering and sin. It is also known as God’s mercy. The prayer is said at 3’0 clock. 2 Peter 3:9-9.”The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness…” Importance of Divine Mercy are:
• God’s love.
• He helps us in the midst of our suffering and sin.
• He is a merciful God.
• Our Lord prepares for his final coming.
The prayer of Divine Mercy was given to Saint Maria Faustina by God himself for the atonement of our sin and those of the whole world. The prayer says “Eternal father I offer you the body and blood, soul and divinity of your dearly beloved son our Lord Jesus Christ in atonement of our sins and those of the whole world”. The closing prayer of divine mercy is “Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible”. Always say your Divine Mercy prayer because that is where God love meets us. God bless you.

• Anyasor Chibuike
‘It is by His Divine Mercy we are saved’
It is by His Divine mercy, we are saved. Through Divine mercy, our Lord is preparing us for His final coming. It’s clear in the scripture that when He returns, He is not going to deal with sin because He has done that once and for all. When He comes again, it is to bring salvation to those who eagerly await Him (Heb.9:28). Mercy, charity, clemency, grace, leniency, kindness and compassion is what Christ showed to us on the cross. Divine Mercy is important, because it is by His mercy that we are saved. No matter how hardened our sin is, by His Divine Mercy, we are saved. God shows His mercy to those who are suffering through healing, comfort, alleviation of suffering and caring for those in distress.

• Anita Chima
‘Divine Mercy is a manifestation of God’s unconditional love’
Divine mercy is important, because it is a manifestation of God’s unconditional love and forgiveness towards all humanity. Through His divine mercy, God offers us the opportunity to repent and be reconciled with Him, no matter how great our sins may be. This is demonstrated in the Bible quotation, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). The image of Divine Mercy, as revealed to St. Faustina Kowalska, serves as a reminder of God’s mercy and a call to trust in Him and seek His mercy. It shows Jesus with rays of blood and water emanating from His heart, representing the graces of redemption and baptism, and the inscription, “Jesus, I Trust in You.”

• Blossom Akalezi
‘Divine Mercy is when God’s love meets us’
In Christianity, it is believed that it is through His actions that God reveals His Mercy. Divine Mercy is when God’s love meets us and helps us in the midst of our suffering and sins. It is also important, because it is a particular kind of Love, a particular mode of Love when it encounters suffering, poverty, brokenness and sin. (Matthew 5:7) “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive Mercy.” (Matthew9:13) “I Desire Mercy and not Sacrifice.”

• Umennadi Francis
‘He wants us to recognise that His mercy is greater than our sins’
Divine Mercy is when God’s love meets us and helps us in the midst of our suffering and sin. In fact, because this side of eternity we’re all sinners and because suffering is our lot in life, God’s love for us here always takes the form of mercy. Divine Mercy is God’s love reaching down to meet the needs and overcome the miseries of His creatures. The Bible, the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas, and Pope John Paul II all assure us that this is so. The Old Testament provides us with many images of human misery and of God in His mercy seeking to relieve it. The message of mercy is that God loves us – all of us, no matter how great our sins. He wants us to recognise that His mercy is greater than our sins, so that we will call upon Him with trust, receive His mercy, and let it flow through us to others. The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is one of the most powerful prayers we could possibly pray. Jesus told Sr. Fausitna: “Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite mercy.”

• Victoria Okefe
‘Divine Mercy offers us opportunity to turn back to God and experience His boundless compassion’
Divine Mercy is important because, it is God’s infinite love and forgiveness for humanity. It is through Divine Mercy that we can receive salvation and reconciliation with God. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 2:4-5, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” Divine Mercy offers us the opportunity to turn back to God and experience His boundless compassion.

• Arnold Akalezi
‘The essence of the devotion to the Divine Mercy is trust’
Divine Mercy is God’s love reaching down to meet the needs and overcome the miseries of His creatures. The Bible, the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas, and Pope John Paul II, all assure us that this is so. The Old Testament provides us with many images of human misery, and of God in His mercy seeking to relieve it. Matthew 5:7 states, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” The essence of the devotion to the Divine Mercy is trust.

• Sandra Ojimadu
‘God is mercy Himself’
Divine Mercy is important, because God is mercy Himself. It is a period that God shows us His love, as well as helps us in the midst of suffering and sin. In fact, at this side of eternity we are all sinners and because suffering is our lot in life, God’s love for us always takes the form of mercy. For the sake of His passion on the cross, His mercy is endless • Source: http>divine-mercy For the sake of His Sorrowful passion! Have Mercy on us and on the whole world Bible References: Ps 25:10; Prob 28:13; Rom 9:15; Eph 2:4.

• Aaron-Divine Owojoku Odey