On April 24, 2022, the Catholic Church celebrates the 2nd Easter Sunday, also called White Sunday or the Sunday of Divine Mercy. The connection between the Feast of Divine Mercy and the 2nd Easter Sunday points to the symbol of the relationship between the sacrament of Holy Baptism, the Paschal Mystery of Salvation, and God’s Mercy. By receiving the sacrament of baptism, all sins are forgiven and cleansed in the newly baptized, representing the dimension of reconciliation between God and man.
Why the Sunday of Divine Mercy Is Also Called White Sunday
The name White Sunday (Latin. Dominica in albis) originates from early Christian times when the new Christians who received the sacrament of St. baptism during the Easter Vigil came to worship in white robes all week after Easter. The use of white clothing, which is a sign of purity, dates back to the 4th century and gained particular significance in the 17th century when the Jesuits introduced a group’s first communion on Sunday after Easter. White color has a strong symbolic meaning in worship; it is the sum of all the rainbow colors, the fullness of unrefined light; it expresses the beginning and the end, the fullness and emptiness.
Holy Pope John Paul II and Faustina Kowalska
Holy Pope John Paul II (1978-2005) proclaimed the Polish nun Faustina Kowalska, a saint on Easter Sunday, April 30, 2000. On this occasion, Pope determined that the first Sunday after Easter “will henceforth be called the Sunday of Divine Mercy throughout the Church.” Pope relied on public revelation, especially on God’s word this Sunday, which speaks clearly of God’s mercy. Jesus’s revelation to Sister Faustina was: “My daughter, speak to the whole world about my immeasurable mercy. I want the feast of God’s mercy to be a refuge for all souls and all sinners. On this day, I will reveal the fullness of my mercy. Whoever makes a holy confession on this day and receives holy communion will receive complete remission of sins and punishment for sins. Let no one be afraid to come to me, even though his sins are so great. I want you to solemnly celebrate the Feast of My Mercy on the first Sunday after Easter. Tell the wounded people that they must take refuge in my merciful Heart, and I will give them my peace. Before I come as a just judge, I come as a king of mercy. Whoever rejects my mercy condemns himself. ”
The connection between the Feast of Divine Mercy and the 2nd Easter Sunday points to the symbol of the connection between the sacrament of Holy Baptism, the Paschal Mystery of Salvation, and God’s Mercy. By receiving the sacrament of baptism, all sins are forgiven and cleansed in the newly baptized, representing the dimension of reconciliation between God and man.