Experience God’s Unfathomable Mercy with Divine Mercy Specials on EWTN

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Catholic Church has shone a light on the wonders of God’s mercy. Recently, the Vatican’s Apostolic Penitentiary granted plenary indulgences for people suffering from coronavirus, as well as their caregivers and those who pray for them. The recent decree states that the faithful can receive indulgences for themselves or for poor souls in purgatory by watching televised Mass, praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, spending time in Eucharistic Adoration (even virtually), praying the Holy Rosary, and through other devotions. And, with Divine Mercy Sunday coming up this Sunday, April 19, we have yet another opportunity to strengthen the Body of Christ by gaining indulgences and imploring God’s mercy.

EWTN has a full line-up of special programming to help you grow in devotion to The Divine Mercy and to see God’s mercy in action. See below for the full schedule, which includes a Divine Mercy Holy Hour with the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word.

Unfortunately, many people aren’t aware of the extent of God’s generosity, which is poured out in an extraordinary way specifically on Divine Mercy Sunday.

The graces of Divine Mercy Sunday are so extraordinary that every Catholic should take full advantage of them, especially since Jesus made them so easy to obtain. Our Lord told St. Faustina, the saint of Divine Mercy, “Whoever approaches the Fountain of Life on this day will be granted complete forgiveness of sins and punishment” (Diary 300).

The Marians of the Immaculate Conception say that the only conditions to receive the special Divine Mercy Sunday graces are receiving Holy Communion on Divine Mercy Sunday and making a good confession beforehand.

However, the Marian Fathers say that if you would also like to receive a plenary indulgence from the Church, you must add a prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father and, in a spirit completely detached from the affection for sin, even venial sin, recite the Our Father, the Creed, and a short prayer such as “Merciful Jesus, I trust in You,” on Divine Mercy Sunday.

But what if you can’t receive Holy Communion and go to Confession because churches are closed? Even in the midst of this pandemic, when many people are unable to receive Holy Communion or sacramental confession, God’s mercy abounds. According to Fr. Chris Alar, MIC, from the National Shrine of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Mass., it is still possible to receive the Divine Mercy Sunday graces by making a sincere act of contrition, making an act of spiritual communion, and by resolving to receive both sacraments as soon as possible.

Although most of us will be at home on Divine Mercy Sunday, we still are blessed with the opportunity to fully celebrate God’s goodness and love for us.

Highlights of EWTN’s Divine Mercy programs are noted below. For a complete listing in your local time, please go to https://www.ewtn.com/tv/schedule. Find EWTN at www.ewtn.com/tv/channel-finder. For all the ways to watch EWTN, please go to www.ewtn.com/everywhere. 

Thursday, April 16

  • The God of Mercy – Jesus, The Incarnation of Mercy in the New Testament: Airs 5:30 p.m. ET, with an encore at 3:30 a.m. ET, Friday, April 17.

Friday, April 17

  • The God of Mercy – Mercy Wanted Today: Airs 5:30 p.m. ET, with an encore at 3:30 a.m., Saturday, April 18. Fr. Bala Udumala relates that the message of Divine Mercy is needed today in a violent and godless world, in which mercy is redemptive.

Saturday, April 18

  • Original Image of the Divine Mercy, The Untold Story of an Unknown Masterpiece. Airs 8 p.m. ET. A look at the history of the original image of Divine Mercy, from the events that led to its creation under St. Faustina’s guidance to its current place in the Cathedral in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Divine Mercy Sunday, April 19 

  • Life and Times of Sister Faustina: Airs 3 a.m. ET. Encores at 3 a.m. ET, Tuesday, April 21. Fr. Seraphin Michalenko, Vice Postulor for the Cause of Canonization for Blessed Fautina for North America, explains this re-enactment of Blessed Faustina’s life and the Divine Mercy Novena.
  • Divine Mercy Celebration from Vilnius, Lithuania: Airs 10 a.m. ET. Celebrated by Archbishop Gintaras Grusas from the Shrine of Divine Mercy.
  • Divine Mercy Preview Show: Airs Noon and midnight ET. Celebrated by Fr. Joseph Roesch, MIC, from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy.
  • Mass and Celebration of Divine Mercy from Stockbridge, MA: Airs live at 1:30 p.m. ET.
  • Chaplet of Divine Mercy: Airs 3 p.m. ET.
  • Divine Mercy Holy Hour with the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word: Airs 4 p.m. ET with an encore at 7 a.m. ET, Monday, April 20. Live from the Chapel of Our Lady of the Angels in Irondale, Ala.

A Special Note: While you can only receive the Divine Mercy Sunday graces for yourself, you can gain plenary indulgences for the many people who have died alone or will die alone during the COVID-19 pandemic. The usual conditions apply for the indulgences, and you may gain one per day. What a wonderful way to participate in God’s mercy! As Jesus told St. Faustina,

“At the hour of their death, I defend as My own glory every soul that will say this chaplet; or when others say it for a dying person, the pardon is the same. When this chaplet is said by the bedside of a dying person, God’s anger is placated, unfathomable mercy envelops the soul, and the very depths of My tender mercy are moved for the sake of the sorrowful Passion of My Son (Diary, 811).”