The Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston offered a reflection on Divine Mercy Sunday.

"Reflect on the miracle of the Mercy of God!" the diocese said on Facebook this week. "As a Church, we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday on this Second Sunday of Easter. When Jesus appeared to the disciples after the Resurrection, he told them to show mercy, giving them the power to forgive sins. We too are asked to reflect on Christ's command and forgive those who have sinned against us, just as we beg God to forgive us when we have sinned against him or another."

Divine Mercy Sunday is celebrated on the Sunday after Easter Sunday, a report from The Divine Mercy said. It offers renewal of the baptismal promises along with a cleansing from sin. Jesus told St. Faustina that in order to prepare for a Feast of Mercy, the faithful should go to confession and also receive Holy Communion on the feast day.

St. Faustina created the Divine Mercy Chaplet for the day's special prayer, The Divine Mercy said. It follows the pattern of the Rosary, but the prayers are modified. On the "Our Father" beads, pray: "Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world." On the "Hail Mary" beads, pray: "For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world."

Divine Mercy Sunday was established as a way to celebrate God's love for us, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) said in a report on its website. Its origins have been revealed through Scripture and in various writings of the saints.

In the 1930s, humankind was experiencing an "eclipse of the sense of God," the USCCB report said. Jesus appeared to St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun, and gave her messages about Divine Mercy. He appeared before her and at least 14 times underscored the need to establish a Feast of Mercy (Divine Mercy Sunday). 

St. Faustina kept a diary that had entries about the messages, the report said. In one, she wrote: "My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy [...] It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy."