Tonight I decided to go to mass at 5:00 pm rather than tomorrow. Bear with me on this one, the Titanic tale is coming up. Tomorrow as some of you know is Divine Mercy Sunday, though most of you probably know about Titanic more than the feast day. For those of you that have never heard of it I will try to explain it a bit for you. In 1931 Jesus appeared to a young nun by the name of Faustina, who was canonized by Pope John Paul II on April 30, 2000. St. Faustina wrote down her visions of Jesus and His messages to her in what is known as her Diary. Through St. Faustina, Jesus taught people The Chaplet of the Divine Mercy and the Novena leading up to Divine Mercy Sunday. His words to St. Faustina are as follows (in bold/italic):
The words of Our Lord in the diary are very clear, Jesus said, "I want the image to be solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter, and I want it to be venerated publicly so that every soul may know about it. By means of the Image I shall be granting many graces to souls; so let every soul have access to it." (Diary 341, 570) The Image should be placed in the church so that everyone can see it, perhaps in the sanctuary area and at all the masses on that day so that everyone may venerate and know about it and come to trust in the Lord.
Our Lord also said, "I desire that priests proclaim this great mercy of Mine towards souls of sinners. Tell My priests that hardened sinners will repent on hearing their words when they speak about My unfathomable mercy, about the compassion I have for them in My Heart. To priests who proclaim and extol My mercy, I will give wondrous power; I will anoint their words and touch the hearts of those to whom they will speak." (Diary, 50, 1521) Easter Sunday is the best time to proclaim God’s mercy.
Our Lord Jesus said, "The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet.... Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy." (699) The plenary indulgence that was issued for Divine Mercy Sunday does not change the promises of Our Lord. Rather it provides the Church's highest mark of approval and endorsement and gives souls more time to go to Confession.
Our Lord also said, "The first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be acts of mercy....I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me." (Diary, 742) It is clear that Our Lord wants mercy to be shown to others and this can be done by telling everyone about the special promise of the total forgiveness of sins and punishment that He has graciously given to us.
In the Holy Father's homilies, he often refered to the words of Our Lord that are found in the diary. In his homily on Divine Mercy Sunday in 2001 in Rome he said, "It is the appropriate and incisive answer that God wanted to offer to the questions and expectations of human beings in our time, marked by terrible tragedies. Divine Mercy! This is the Easter gift that the Church receives from the risen Christ and offers to humanity.'' He often quotes Our Lord by starting with "Jesus said to St. Faustina." He spoke of the Image of The Divine Mercy saying "The two rays, according to what Jesus Himself told her, denote blood and water. The blood recalls the sacrifice of Golgotha and the mystery of the Eucharist: the water makes us think of Baptism and the Gift of the Holy Spirit."
After my adoration hours tomorrow I want to head over to Holy Child for this wonderful celebration of forgiveness. Because Our Lord said that the feast is to be a refuge of sinners I feel it is important for me to take advantage of the prayers, testimonials, Communion and Confession that is offered on that day. I am far from perfect. If you have never been to a Divine Mercy Feast Day celebration, I highly recommend you go to one tomorrow in your area. Just as a glass of milk does a body good, Divine Mercy does a soul good.
Anyway, while I was sitting in mass Communion time came and I just sat and listened (because I had eaten a bologna sandwich before I had gotten there). The organist play the MOST beautiful song. After the first few bars I realized that the song was one I knew and liked tremendously from the movie, "Titanic." It is a haunting song, and if I close my eyes I can see the images of the James Cameron movie with the Strauss couple dying together, Benjamin Guggenheim and his man servant going out in their finest dress and John Jacob Astor insisting Madeleine get in a boat while the steerage people were locked below. The waters swirled through the halls and crashed through the windows causing havoc and death. I can envision the drunk chef hanging onto the front of the boat and riding it down as it sunk (he survived). I was frankly surprised to hear the song playing and after the service I went to the organist, Sandra, who is terrific by the way, and asked her what the name of the song was that she played. She thought for a moment and headed for the sheet music while I answered my own question and said, "Nearer My God to Thee", you know, from Titanic. She said, "that is why Fr. Travers asked me to play it. Tomorrow is the anniversary." She thought it was funny because he told her to tell him if anyone recognized it and I was the only one that did. I am in awe of that story like so many others. Titanic that is; not my conversation with Sandra. I have read books about it; seen every movie and even read the transcripts from the hearings. I have looked at the faces and the stories and the artifacts left behind and even watched a forensics thing on the History channel that identified some buried in Novia Scotia, but I think my most memorable experience associated with Titanic was on a Thanksgiving Day 15 years ago.
The Titanic actually sailed on my birthday, April 10th, but my memory is from Thanksgiving 1997. It seems the family was scattered that year so Tom and I decided to bring Thanksgiving dinner up to my Grandma's house. Tom's little friend came with us too. The conversation was light and airy and we had some wonderful chuckles. Grandma was in her 90s and Tom was just 14. He told her that we had just gone to see the movie, "Titanic," that week. She immediately got a far off look in her eyes and said, "oh I remember that day." I believe at that point forks full of stuffing, turkey or mashed potatoes stopped in mid air as two sets of 14-year old eyes and one set of my 39 year old peepers just looked at her with our mouths agape. She remembered sitting on the steps of her home and hearing about it. She was far removed from New York City, but the news even spread to her small town, USA. It was the most humbling and incredible dinner I have ever experienced. She remembered the deaths of the Tsar and his family in Russia too. Amazing. I had all that incredible wealth of knowledge right at my fingertips for a little under 40 years and never knew it or thought about it until that Thanksgiving day. Grandma is now gone; almost 10 years. Titanic is long gone - 100 years have passed. Long before Kate and Leo came along we had the tragic stories of Titanic. We will remember fondly the love stories that unfolded or didn't, the brave heroics of some and the cowardice of others and the tragedy of lives cut short. But just like love and memories of Titanic that one Thanksgiving day, with my beloved Grandma, it will go on, and on.
Have a blessed Divine Mercy Sunday.
Peace,
Mare
The words of Our Lord in the diary are very clear, Jesus said, "I want the image to be solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter, and I want it to be venerated publicly so that every soul may know about it. By means of the Image I shall be granting many graces to souls; so let every soul have access to it." (Diary 341, 570) The Image should be placed in the church so that everyone can see it, perhaps in the sanctuary area and at all the masses on that day so that everyone may venerate and know about it and come to trust in the Lord.
Our Lord also said, "I desire that priests proclaim this great mercy of Mine towards souls of sinners. Tell My priests that hardened sinners will repent on hearing their words when they speak about My unfathomable mercy, about the compassion I have for them in My Heart. To priests who proclaim and extol My mercy, I will give wondrous power; I will anoint their words and touch the hearts of those to whom they will speak." (Diary, 50, 1521) Easter Sunday is the best time to proclaim God’s mercy.
Our Lord Jesus said, "The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet.... Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy." (699) The plenary indulgence that was issued for Divine Mercy Sunday does not change the promises of Our Lord. Rather it provides the Church's highest mark of approval and endorsement and gives souls more time to go to Confession.
Our Lord also said, "The first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be acts of mercy....I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me." (Diary, 742) It is clear that Our Lord wants mercy to be shown to others and this can be done by telling everyone about the special promise of the total forgiveness of sins and punishment that He has graciously given to us.
In the Holy Father's homilies, he often refered to the words of Our Lord that are found in the diary. In his homily on Divine Mercy Sunday in 2001 in Rome he said, "It is the appropriate and incisive answer that God wanted to offer to the questions and expectations of human beings in our time, marked by terrible tragedies. Divine Mercy! This is the Easter gift that the Church receives from the risen Christ and offers to humanity.'' He often quotes Our Lord by starting with "Jesus said to St. Faustina." He spoke of the Image of The Divine Mercy saying "The two rays, according to what Jesus Himself told her, denote blood and water. The blood recalls the sacrifice of Golgotha and the mystery of the Eucharist: the water makes us think of Baptism and the Gift of the Holy Spirit."
After my adoration hours tomorrow I want to head over to Holy Child for this wonderful celebration of forgiveness. Because Our Lord said that the feast is to be a refuge of sinners I feel it is important for me to take advantage of the prayers, testimonials, Communion and Confession that is offered on that day. I am far from perfect. If you have never been to a Divine Mercy Feast Day celebration, I highly recommend you go to one tomorrow in your area. Just as a glass of milk does a body good, Divine Mercy does a soul good.
Anyway, while I was sitting in mass Communion time came and I just sat and listened (because I had eaten a bologna sandwich before I had gotten there). The organist play the MOST beautiful song. After the first few bars I realized that the song was one I knew and liked tremendously from the movie, "Titanic." It is a haunting song, and if I close my eyes I can see the images of the James Cameron movie with the Strauss couple dying together, Benjamin Guggenheim and his man servant going out in their finest dress and John Jacob Astor insisting Madeleine get in a boat while the steerage people were locked below. The waters swirled through the halls and crashed through the windows causing havoc and death. I can envision the drunk chef hanging onto the front of the boat and riding it down as it sunk (he survived). I was frankly surprised to hear the song playing and after the service I went to the organist, Sandra, who is terrific by the way, and asked her what the name of the song was that she played. She thought for a moment and headed for the sheet music while I answered my own question and said, "Nearer My God to Thee", you know, from Titanic. She said, "that is why Fr. Travers asked me to play it. Tomorrow is the anniversary." She thought it was funny because he told her to tell him if anyone recognized it and I was the only one that did. I am in awe of that story like so many others. Titanic that is; not my conversation with Sandra. I have read books about it; seen every movie and even read the transcripts from the hearings. I have looked at the faces and the stories and the artifacts left behind and even watched a forensics thing on the History channel that identified some buried in Novia Scotia, but I think my most memorable experience associated with Titanic was on a Thanksgiving Day 15 years ago.
The Titanic actually sailed on my birthday, April 10th, but my memory is from Thanksgiving 1997. It seems the family was scattered that year so Tom and I decided to bring Thanksgiving dinner up to my Grandma's house. Tom's little friend came with us too. The conversation was light and airy and we had some wonderful chuckles. Grandma was in her 90s and Tom was just 14. He told her that we had just gone to see the movie, "Titanic," that week. She immediately got a far off look in her eyes and said, "oh I remember that day." I believe at that point forks full of stuffing, turkey or mashed potatoes stopped in mid air as two sets of 14-year old eyes and one set of my 39 year old peepers just looked at her with our mouths agape. She remembered sitting on the steps of her home and hearing about it. She was far removed from New York City, but the news even spread to her small town, USA. It was the most humbling and incredible dinner I have ever experienced. She remembered the deaths of the Tsar and his family in Russia too. Amazing. I had all that incredible wealth of knowledge right at my fingertips for a little under 40 years and never knew it or thought about it until that Thanksgiving day. Grandma is now gone; almost 10 years. Titanic is long gone - 100 years have passed. Long before Kate and Leo came along we had the tragic stories of Titanic. We will remember fondly the love stories that unfolded or didn't, the brave heroics of some and the cowardice of others and the tragedy of lives cut short. But just like love and memories of Titanic that one Thanksgiving day, with my beloved Grandma, it will go on, and on.
Have a blessed Divine Mercy Sunday.
Peace,
Mare
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