The Chaplet of Divine Mercy, Said Daily at 3:00 P.M. on a Standard Rosary

 

CHAPLET OF THE DIVINE MERCY

Optional Opening Prayers:

You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls,
and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world.
O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy,
envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us.

(Repeat 3 times) O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of Mercy for us, I trust in You!

Our Father, Hail Mary and the Apostle's Creed

For each of the five decades (On each “Our Father” bead of the rosary, 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 each of the 10 “Hail Mary” beads, pray)
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Concluding prayer (Repeat 3 times)
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Optional Closing Prayer
Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy

 A prayer for the dying, those in dire need of mercy and for the end times, the Divine Mercy Chaplet is said daily at 3:00 P.M. If you are unable to say it at that time, you can devoutly say, "Jesus, I trust in You" at 3:00 P.M. and recite the chaplet at any other time of the day. It is also recommended that you say it often.

It is said on a traditional rosary.

1. Make the Sign of the Cross

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

2. Optional Opening Prayers

St. Faustina’s Prayer for Sinners
O Jesus, eternal Truth, our Life, I call upon You and I beg Your mercy for poor sinners. O sweetest Heart of my Lord, full of pity and unfathomable mercy, I plead with You for poor sinners. O Most Sacred Heart, Fount of Mercy from which gush forth rays of inconceivable graces upon the entire human race, I beg of You light for poor sinners. O Jesus, be mindful of Your own bitter Passion and do not permit the loss of souls redeemed at so dear a price of Your most precious Blood. O Jesus, when I consider the great price of Your Blood, I rejoice at its immensity, for one drop alone would have been enough for the salvation of all sinners. Although sin is an abyss of wickedness and ingratitude, the price paid for us can never be equalled. Therefore, let every soul trust in the Passion of the Lord, and place its hope in His mercy. God will not deny His mercy to anyone. Heaven and earth may change, but God's mercy will never be exhausted. Oh, what immense joy burns in my heart when I contemplate Your incomprehensible goodness, O Jesus! I desire to bring all sinners to Your feet that they may glorify Your mercy throughout endless ages (Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 72).

You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us.

(Repeat three times)
O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You!

3. Our Father

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, Amen.

4. Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.

5. The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; He descended into hell; on the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

6. The Eternal Father

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.

7. On the 10 Small Beads of Each Decade

For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

8. Repeat for the remaining decades

Saying the "Eternal Father" (6) on the "Our Father" bead and then 10 "For the sake of His sorrowful Passion" (7) on the following "Hail Mary" beads.

9. Conclude with Holy God (Repeat three times)

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

10. Optional Closing Prayers

Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion — inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.

O Greatly Merciful God, Infinite Goodness, today all mankind calls out from the abyss of its misery to Your mercy — to Your compassion, O God; and it is with its mighty voice of misery that it cries out. Gracious God, do not reject the prayer of this earth's exiles! O Lord, Goodness beyond our understanding, Who are acquainted with our misery through and through, and know that by our own power we cannot ascend to You, we implore You: anticipate us with Your grace and keep on increasing Your mercy in us, that we may faithfully do Your holy will all through our life and at death's hour. Let the omnipotence of Your mercy shield us from the darts of our salvation’s enemies, that we may with confidence, as Your children, await Your [Son’s] final coming — that day known to You alone. And we expect to obtain everything promised us by Jesus in spite of all our wretchedness. For Jesus is our Hope: through His merciful Heart, as through an open gate, we pass through to heaven (Diary, 1570).

 

We do have rosary beads and Divine Mercy Chaplet beads at our store if you need them! Just click on the link to the right of this post.

 

Saint Pio's Blessing

I'm really down in the dumps this week. I'm so low that I can see the underbelly of slugs. That's what happens sometimes when you look at yourself through other's eyes. It's not necessarily the best thing to do, after all, those people are just as flawed as you are and come with their own bag of tricks like envy, malice, and greed. The thing is, though, that the best measure of yourself is looking through the eyes of God, after all, it is He that created you to be the person that you are. God doesn't make mistakes, people do. You can't trust all people but you can trust God. You can't love others if you don't love yourself. Love yourself as God loves you.

A few weeks ago I found an incredible, "My Saint  Pio Prayer Book" in the adoration chapel. People leave things in the chapel all the time for others to take so I did just that. Two of the prayers in the booklet are truly speaking to me this week, so I'm going to share them here. I hope they help you as much as they help me.

Have a blessed week and smile! God loves you just as you are. 

Peace,
Mare


Take Up the Cross
God of mercy and love, You called St. Pio of Pietrelcino to extend the mystery of the Cross visibly into the lives of sinners and sufferers, that they might be converted to believe in the Gospel.

Through His intercession, strengthen all believers in the willingness to take up the Cross daily and follow Jesus Christ Your Son, Our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.

Saint Pio's Blessing
May Jesus comfort you in all your afflictions.
May He sustain you in dangers, watch over you always with His grace, and show you the safe path that leads to eternal salvation. And may He render you always dearer to His Divine Heart and always more worthy of Paradise. Amen.

Mercy, Mercy, Me

Picture from Catholictv.org site

It's been quite an interesting week for me. Of course, it started with Divine Mercy Sunday, which was amazing and uplifting and included a trip into the confessional with my Pastor. He thought he knew me well until I whipped out a piece of paper with a few indiscretions jotted on it and started to verbalize what I had written. The paper was a result of a case of insomnia from months ago. You know how it is when you can't sleep. You think of regrets, things you have to do and stupid things like what exactly is the purpose of a mosquito? So, there I lay with thoughts swirling around my head of events that happened, when I was about age 15, and regretting them. That's 46 years ago btw; I'm not a spring chicken. That's the incredible beauty of confession. Just as Our Lord sent his Apostles out to forgive sinners in His mercy, so too do the priests of today do that and we are absolved of our sins and sent on our merry way to repent and sin no more.

A day or so after that I got into a very deep discussion via chat with a good friend of mine about our histories and some rather startling and dark periods in our lives. From that, we went in even deeper to ask if we found it in our hearts to forgive those that had hurt us. I can't speak for my friend but for me it did momentarily bring me back to the depths of hurt that I felt, but it did also remind me that I had moved on. It had taken years to come to grips with it all but yes, I did indeed forgive them and had let go and I believed that the others that were also affected had done so as well.

Last week I was remiss when talking about Divine Mercy Sunday in not expounding on it, because, you see, mercy is a two way street. We run to Christ to ask for forgiveness, but how often do we do that for others? How often do we forgive others and show mercy to those that have truly and deeply hurt us? Yet, we are called to do just that. Jesus commanded it.

"Love one another. As I have loved you, love one another." ~ John 13:34
  
From the Sermon on the Mount ~ Lord's Prayer – “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” ~ Matthew 6:12

"Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven" ~ Matthew 18:21-22

It's not easy; it's probably one of the toughest things in the world to do, but not only is it expected of us it is also good for the soul and the psyche. Hate, resentment, revenge are not of God so why hang onto them? Light, love, healing, forgiveness, mercy are Christ-like and the more we practice it the easier it becomes. 

I ask for your forgiveness and mercy, if I have ever hurt you, regardless if it was yesterday or years ago. I am sorry. 

I leave you with the words of Paul for us to ponder and adopt. May we ALL live by these words.

"Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. " Colossians 3:13

"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." ~Ephesians 4:32

Peace,
Mare

Happy Divine Mercy Sunday, April 28, 2019~

Happy Divine Mercy Feast Day! Check your parish for celebrations and confessions starting at 3:00 PM today. Have a blessed and beautiful day!

The Church of Holy Child, Staten Island, will have a celebratory gathering with song, The Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and prayers beginning at 3:00 PM in the forum. You will then move into the church at 3:30 for Confessions, readings from St. Faustina's Diary, testimonials, veneration of the Blessed Sacrament, adoration of the image of Jesus, the Divine Mercy and Mass at 5:30 PM.

Join us for this special Feast Day and God bless you.

"The Feast of Mercy emerged from my very depths of tenderness. It is my desire that it solemnly be celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the fount of My Mercy." Jesus

 "I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. 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 grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet." Diary 699  

Jesus' Divine Mercy

Original oil painting by Ron Gatto, Holy Child Divine Mercy Chapel

If you follow my personal Twitter account or our Facebook page you will know that I have been sharing the Divine Mercy Novena, but what exactly is it and how did it come to be?

St. Maria Faustina Kowalska was a young nun, in the convent of the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Poland during the 1930s. Sr. Faustina had a rudimentary education and because of that she was given tasks in the kitchen and gardens of the convent and was even a porter. She came from a poor family that struggled during WWI, however, her family was rich in faith. Though Sr. Faustina was a gentle, pure, soul with an outwardly calm appearance, she was a deep well of faith and devotion to Our Lord and she was bestowed with many graces until her death in 1938.

If you are a Christian you are already aware of the saving mercy of Christ, but, oftentimes people need to be reminded of His graces. Our Lord and Savior needs to be present in our own lives, every day, so that we can bring others to His mercy but especially those that are in most dire need or dying.
The message of mercy is that God loves us, every one of us, no matter how great our sins. He wants us to recognize that His mercy is greater than our sins. We must call upon Him with trust, receive His mercy, and let it flow through us to others.

Throughout the years of 1931-1938 Sr. Faustina received extraordinary revelations from and visions of Jesus, hidden stigmata, participation in the Passion of the Lord, the gift of bilocation, the reading of human souls, the gift of prophecy, and the rare gift of mystical engagement and marriage.  Jesus instructed her to write down everything that she saw and was told. She did just that and the writings are known today as the Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, Divine Mercy in My Soul. Jesus gave Sr. Faustina a mission to bring souls to Him and to spread the devotion so that others may bring souls to Him as well. The prayers that he gave her were to deepen not only her faith, but others as well. With regard to the Chaplet, He told her,  

"My daughter, write that the greater the misery of a soul, the greater its right to My mercy; [urge] all souls to trust in the unfathomable abyss of My mercy, because I want to save them all. " Jesus Diary 118 

 “At three o’clock, implore My mercy, especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony…I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion.” Jesus (Diary, 1320; also, cf. Diary, 1572)

“Souls who spread the honor of My mercy…at the hour of death I will not be a Judge for them, but the Merciful Savior.” Jesus (Diary, 1075)

“When they say this chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as a just Judge but as a merciful Savior.” Jesus (Diary, 1541)

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is said daily at 3:00 P.M., which is the hour of mercy and can be said often during the day and night and especially for those dying.

1. Make the Sign of the Cross

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

2. Optional Opening Prayers

You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us.
(Repeat three times)
O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You!

3. Our Father

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, Amen.

4. Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.

5. The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; He descended into hell; on the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

6. The Eternal Father

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.

7. On the 10 Small Beads of Each Decade

For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

8. Repeat for the remaining decades

Saying the "Eternal Father" (6) on the "Our Father" bead and then 10 "For the sake of His sorrowful Passion" (7) on the following "Hail Mary" beads.

9. Conclude with Holy God (Repeat three times)

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

10. Optional Closing Prayer

Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion — inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.

"I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish. I also promise victory over [its] enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. I Myself will defend it as My own glory." Jesus, Diary 48

"Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My Mercy."  Diary 300

"My Heart overflows with great mercy for souls, and especially for poor sinners…[I]t is for them that the Blood and Water flowed from My Heart as from a fount overflowing with mercy. For them I dwell in the tabernacle as King of Mercy." (Diary, 367)

"The greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to My mercy. My mercy is confirmed in every work of My hands. He who trusts in My mercy will not perish, for all his affairs are Mine, and his enemies will be shattered at the base of My footstool." Diary 723

"Let all mankind recognize My unfathomable mercy. It is a sign for the end times; after it will come the day of justice." Diary 848

"Souls perish in spite of My bitter Passion. I am giving them the last hope of salvation; that is, the Feast of My Mercy. If they will not adore My mercy, they will perish for all eternity." Diary 965

The Feast Day of Mercy is tomorrow, April 28, 2019. Check your parish, and those around you, for Mass times, Confession and  celebratory gatherings to venerate the image and pray the Chaplet.

"I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. 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 grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet." Diary 699  

"The Feast of Mercy emerged from my very depths of tenderness. It is my desire that it solemnly be celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the fount of My Mercy." Jesus

"He who refuses to pass through the door of My mercy must pass through the door of My justice." Jesus Diary 1146 

"My Heart overflows with great mercy for souls, and especially for poor sinners. If only they could understand that I am the best of Fathers to them and that it is for them that the Blood and Water flowed from My Heart as from a fount overflowing with mercy." Jesus Diary 367

"These rays shield souls from the wrath of My Father. Happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him. I desire that the first Sunday after Easter be the Feast of Mercy." Jesus Diary 299

"My daughter, write that the greater the misery of a soul, the greater its right to My mercy; [urge] all souls to trust in the unfathomable abyss of My mercy, because I want to save them all." Jesus Diary 1182

"The greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to My mercy. My mercy is confirmed in every work of My hands. He who trusts in My mercy will not perish, for all his affairs are Mine, and his enemies will be shattered at the base of My footstool." Jesus Diary 723

"[Let] the greatest sinners place their trust in My mercy. They have the right before others to trust in the abyss of My mercy. My daughter, write about My mercy towards tormented souls. Souls that make an appeal to My mercy delight Me. To such souls I grant even more graces than they ask. I cannot punish even the greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to My compassion, but on the contrary, I justify him in My unfathomable and inscrutable mercy." Jesus Diary 1146

"I want to grant a complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My mercy. " Jesus Diary 1109

"I desire trust from My creatures. Encourage souls to place great trust in My fathomless mercy. Let the weak, sinful soul have no fear to approach Me, for even if it had more sins than there are grains of sand in the world, all would be drowned in the immeasurable depths of My mercy." Jesus Diary 1059

" I demand the worship of My mercy through the solemn celebration of the Feast and through the veneration of the image which is painted. By means of this image I shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is of no avail without works." Jesus Diary 742

"Tell [all people], My daughter, that I am Love and Mercy itself. When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls." Jesus Diary 1074

"Souls who spread the honor of My mercy I shield through their entire lives as a tender mother her infant, and at the hour of death I will not be a Judge for them, but the Merciful Savior. At that last hour, a soul has nothing with which to defend itself except My mercy. Happy is the soul that during its lifetime immersed itself in the Fountain of Mercy, because justice will have no hold on it. Jesus" Diary 1075

The Divine Mercy Novena is said on the 9 days leading up to the Feast Day. We have already completed the Novena for this year but I urge you to go to PrayMoreNovenas.com and sign up to receive all novenas so that you are ready for next year! The Novena begins on Good Friday and ends on the Saturday following Easter Sunday.

The Image and Jesus, I trust in You:
"In the evening, when I was in my cell, I became aware of the Lord  Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand was raised in blessing,  the other was touching the garment at the breast. From the opening of the garment at the breast there came forth two large rays, one red and the other pale. In silence I gazed intently at the Lord; my soul was overwhelmed with fear, but also with great joy. After a while Jesus said to me, 'paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the inscription: Jesus, I trust in You." Faustina

Some time later, Our Lord again spoke to her:

"The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous; the red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls. These  two rays issued forth from the depths of My most tender Mercy at
that time when My agonizing Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross....Fortunate is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him."Jesus.

As it has been stated above, the image is to be venerated while praying the Chaplet, saying the Novena, and on the Feast Day. Jesus, I trust in You, is an affirmation that should be prayed often. It can also be said at the hour of mercy, 3:00 P.M., in lieu of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy with the intention that the Chaplet will be said at another time during the day.

I urge you to read the Diary of St. Faustina and immerse yourself in the mercy of Jesus by saying the daily prayers, the Novena and attending the celebration of the Feast Day at your parish. I also encourage you to not only pray for others to be brought to Him but to also spread the message of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Surely, our world needs more prayers and conversions of heart to our Glorious Lord and Savior.

Have a beautiful Feast Day of Divine Mercy and a blessed Easter season.

Peace and Love,
Mare  



 

His Divine Mercy

I found this prose today while cleaning out my office. Though a bit rough, it captures my emotions from that day, which were all over the place. It was written on March 2, 2014.

"I was so inspired in the chapel today, so overwhelmed with emotion, that I grabbed my pen and paper. I love the oil painting in there by Ron Gatto and was inspired to write this." Ron owns the copyright on this image but has allowed me to share it.

His Divine Mercy

Lord, your rays of divine mercy engulf my soul.
I feel your forgiveness and unconditional love with each pulse of my heart.
Lord, if I could, I would wash your feet with my tears and let them fall as softly as a morning mist on a meadow
even though they be oceans of tears of regret for not always living my life in your light.
Oh Lord, that I could wipe the sweat from your brow and anoint your wounds with a soothing salve. It was, after all, my sins and those of others that caused your stripes.
I yearn to loosen myself from this world so that I may glorify you and give you thanks and praise
as I should each and every moment of this earthly existence.
Without the temptations of this world, how focused and insular my prayers and thoughts would be.
Make me worthy, Lord, to be with you for all eternity.
I am your humble servant who longs to see your face.
For this I pray,
Amen.

The cross before me, the world behind me. ~

A Joyous Divine Mercy Sunday to You!

Divine Mercy Sunday flows so well within the Easter season, with it's message of the mercy of Jesus Christ, who died for our sins. Jesus instructed St. Faustina to have the church establish this feast on the second Sunday of Easter.

Our Lord, Jesus, appeared to St. Faustina in 1931. She describes the vision in her diary as, ""In the evening, when I was in my cell, I became aware of the Lord Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand was raised in blessing, the other was touching the garment at the breast. From the opening of the garment at the breast there came forth two large rays, one red and the other pale. In silence I gazed intently at the Lord; my soul was overwhelmed with fear, but also with great joy. After a while Jesus said to me, 'paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the inscription: Jesus, I trust in You.'"

She started to write the messages and visions down in a diary, after being instructed to do so by her spiritual adviser.

Our Lord told Saint Faustina that anyone who approaches Him with a contrite heart on the Sunday following Easter shall be freed from all sins. 

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.

Also, the Litany of the Divine Mercy Chaplet and The Divine Mercy Chaplet itself must be said at the hour of mercy and the picture of Jesus, Divine Mercy incarnate, must be venerated.


As many of the churches in our area are conducting services at 3:00 P.M., the hour of mercy, we suggest you also check your area for services.

Following is a text that explains a little more about what is required for this Feast Day in order to receive a plenary indulgence. This plenary indulgence can be offered for the souls in Purgatory that do not have anyone to pray for them.

Jesus, I trust in You.


You can find the chaplet of Divine Mercy on our Prayer Page at: http://www.gloryglorygifts.com/the-prayer-page.html

Have a blessed day and a peaceful week!

Mare

Three conditions for the plenary indulgence And so the Supreme Pontiff, motivated by an ardent desire to foster in Christians this devotion to Divine Mercy as much as possible in the hope of offering great spiritual fruit to the faithful, in the Audience granted on 13 June 2002, to those Responsible for the Apostolic Penitentiary, granted the following Indulgences:  a plenary indulgence, granted under the usual conditions (sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer for the intentions of Supreme Pontiff) to the faithful who, on the Second Sunday of Easter or Divine Mercy Sunday, in any church or chapel, in a spirit that is completely detached from the affection for a sin, even a venial sin, take part in the prayers and devotions held in honour of Divine Mercy, or who, in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament exposed or reserved in the tabernacle, recite the Our Father and the Creed, adding a devout prayer to the merciful Lord Jesus (e.g. Merciful Jesus, I trust in you!"); A partial indulgence, granted to the faithful who, at least with a contrite heart, pray to the merciful Lord Jesus a legitimately approved invocation.   For those who cannot go to church or the seriously ill In addition, sailors working on the vast expanse of the sea; the countless brothers and sisters, whom the disasters of war, political events, local violence and other such causes have been driven out of their homeland; the sick and those who nurse them, and all who for a just cause cannot leave their homes or who carry out an activity for the community which cannot be postponed, may obtain a plenary indulgence on Divine Mercy Sunday, if totally detesting any sin, as has been said before, and with the intention of fulfilling as soon as possible the three usual conditions, will recite the Our Father and the Creed before a devout image of Our Merciful Lord Jesus and, in addition, pray a devout invocation to the Merciful Lord Jesus (e.g. Merciful Jesus, I trust in you).   If it is impossible that people do even this, on the same day they may obtain the Plenary Indulgence if with a spiritual intention they are united with those carrying out the prescribed practice for obtaining the Indulgence in the usual way and offer to the Merciful Lord a prayer and the sufferings of their illness and the difficulties of their lives, with the resolution to accomplish as soon as possible the three conditions prescribed to obtain the plenary indulgence.

You Know Not....

The Gospel reading for today reminds me of a joke I used to have hanging on the file cabinet near my desk (many years ago when I was still in banking). It showed a worker at a desk, with his feet up, doing a word search. His boss approached and said, "why aren't you working?" The worker replied, "I didn't see you coming." It still cracks me up when I think about it today all these years later and I'm smiling as I write this. 

Of course this just reminded me of another gem from my younger years, back when The Muppets were on t.v. in prime time. There was a skit where Kermit was in some kind of explosion and when his gomatta (yeah he was a gangster) showed up, and found him in the rubble, she said to him, "Oh Kermie, I thought you croaked." He replied something like I tried to but I couldn't. Ha! (I just love the play on words with the Muppets.) BTW the girlfriend was played by, I believe, Liza Minelli so it was said in such a pleasant sing-song type of voice with a bit of Brooklyn thrown in. Fabulous.

Seriously, though, we do not know the time nor the day ~ as it so eloquently points out in today's reading ~ on which the Lord will come. 

Gospel Mt 24:42-51

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this: 
if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.

“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant,
whom the master has put in charge of his household
to distribute to them their food at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so.
Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.
But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is long delayed,’
and begins to beat his fellow servants,
and eat and drink with drunkards,
the servant’s master will come on an unexpected day
and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely
and assign him a place with the hypocrites,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”

I think some people just equate this to the last day, you know like period; the end of the world. The second coming of Christ. Well yes and no, it has to do with your own day as well.

In this year alone look at how many people have died suddenly, and without warning, around the world from either natural disasters or at the hands of others. Nobody expects that they are going to die today, or any day for that matter. We seem to be very good at pushing that reality far into our consciousness. It would be very difficult to function on a daily basis if we dwelt on that reality yet it is vitally important to be ready to meet with Jesus every day of our lives. The only way to do that is to live your life as closely to Him as you possibly can. Love one another, pray fervently and often, attend services, confess your sins and atone for them, read and study the teachings of God in the Bible, stop judging people. If you are a Catholic, receive the sacraments and receive them often.
Live a Christ-like life.

A wonderful prayer that we can say daily is the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy. It is said daily at 3:00 P.M. for your own soul and for those that will die on that day. It is associated with being said in the midst of one that is dying. Jesus has promised that he will stand between that person and the fires of hell, but he will do that for ALL those that say this merciful prayer for themselves as well as those it is intended for. You can say it for people worldwide; I do, for those that will die during the week (when I'm at the adoration chapel on Sundays) and daily for those that will die over the course of the next 24 hours. It is so incredibly important to pray for others. After all, we want everyone to be in heaven.

Each and every day I want to say, "My soul is ready. Is your's...?"**

Who's with me?

Have a peaceful week.

Mare


**excerpted from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - "My soul is ready. Is your's, Doctor Jones?". Of course they own the copyright. 

The Divine Mercy Chaplet

I have been contemplating this prayer for a few weeks now and how powerful it is and the implications of saying it daily. I do try to say it daily, but let's face it, somedays I forget; somedays I am annoyed at something or someone and say eh, no, not praying today; and some I just have the best intentions but run out of steam and nod off in the middle of it. Most of the time I do say it, though, and it is part of my daily ritual just as taking a shower and having my morning cup of tea are.

A little history of the Divine Mercy Chaplet ~
From 1931 to 1938 Our Lord appeared to a Polish Sister by the name of Maria Faustina Kowalska.  Our Lord appeared to her many times during those years and told her of his Divine Mercy and that all should approach Him and ask Him for it. Anyone who approaches Him will be spared the fires of hell if they turn to Him during their life or at the moment of their death. The Chaplet is said to increase your own devotion to Christ and it is said in the presence of the dying so that He can be the just judge and grant them mercy at the moment of death. There are basically three things to remember about the chaplet:

1. You should ask for His Mercy. Jesus wants us to approach Him in prayer constantly.  He wants us to repent of our sins and ask Him to pour His mercy out upon us and upon the whole world. 
2. You should be merciful to others. Jesus wants us to receive His mercy. He wants us to extend our love and mercy to others, through forgiveness, just as He does for us. 
3. You should have complete trust in Jesus. Jesus wants us to know that the graces of His mercy are dependent upon our trust. The more we trust in Him, the more graces we will receive. 


The revelations, devotions, Feast day, image and graces were all written, by her, prior to her death in 1938. Jesus told her to record all that He had given her and the devotion of the faithful commenced just prior to her death. The notes are referred to as her Diary btw.

The chaplet is said daily at 3:00 P.M. If you cannot say the entire chaplet, which takes 7-8 minutes, you can say, "Jesus, I trust in you" at that hour and then the chaplet when you have time. Here is the Chaplet, which is on our Prayer Page at the website as well, so you can see the "rosary" prayers mentioned. It IS said on a standard rosary. http://www.gloryglorygifts.com/the-prayer-page.html.

THE DIVINE MERCY CHAPLET

​1. Make the Sign of the Cross - In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
2. Our Father (see rosary)
3. Hail Mary (see rosary)
4. The Apostle's Creed (see rosary)
5. The Eternal Father
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.
6. On the Ten Small Beads of Each Decade
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
7. Repeat for the remaining decades
Saying the "Eternal Father" (6) on the "Our Father" bead and then 10 "For the sake of His sorrowful Passion" (7) on the following "Hail Mary" beads.
8. Conclude with Holy God (Repeat three times)
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
9. Optional Closing Prayer
Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion — inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.

So, getting back to my thoughts. Jesus requested that we say the Chaplet daily for ALL of those that are going to die the day that you say it. Those who do perpetual adoration are asked to say it for ALL those that will die during the week. It occurred to me after the Orlando shootings that I had said the prayer for ALL those that died in that tragedy. That is a pretty heavy responsibility when you think about it. Jesus heard my prayer (and every other person that said it that day) for every one of those people before they ever stepped foot into that club. Do you see where this is heading? Yup, I prayed for the patrons, workers and I even prayed for the shooter. I will be honest, at first I was horrified when I realized that but since I have calmed down it has occurred to me that Jesus did say to love my enemy. Pray for my enemy for what reward is there in loving your friends and family - even the tax collectors do that (okay so I paraphrased Jesus). That is exactly what Jesus told St. Faustina when he appeared to her ~ that the Divine Mercy Chaplet is to be said for the most hardened of hearts. IF he cried out to Jesus in the last moment he could be saved. He didn't though, so my guess (though I'm not supposed to do this) is that he isn't with Jesus in paradise. 

We are living in a very messed up world that seems to be growing worse each day. I do take a small amount of comfort in knowing that Jesus heard many prayers for those that lost their lives in Dallas, Nice and Turkey this past week. May His divine mercy rest on those of the faithfully departed that we have lost and on those that we are yet to lose.

I implore  you to start saying the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy today. Increase your own devotion to Christ and pray for all humanity. The Chaplet can lead many lives to Him, even at the hour of their death. Your prayer, of this chaplet, can save a soul and that is a pretty awesome thing.

God bless, and peace

Mare

BTW: Maria Faustina Kowalska was made a saint by the Catholic Church in 2000. Pope John Paul II called her the first Saint of the new millennium.

Does God Answer Our Prayers?

Well, I think He answers my prayers, SOMETIMES.  AT Times I don't like the answer; sometimes I feel like He isn't listening. The truth of the matter is that God hears all of our prayers.

Admittedly, many days I feel very close to him and it is often on days that I least expect to find any kind of peace or solace that I experience it. I live with a chronic, often very painful, syndrome that is basically a ticking time bomb in my body. I know that it is fatal but we are all dying so that thought really doesn't bother me. After all, you do have to die in order to be with our Lord and hold his hand or be held in his embrace. Truly, I long for that day however I wouldn't do anything to speed the process along; I have too many things I want to accomplish here before that happens. There are days, though, that I am wracked with so much pain that I have curled up into my bed and under the covers. On those days I have cried out to him to relieve the pain and yes, with the help of things like Advil and warmth the pain is alleviated.

Almost a decade ago I met a man. The moment our eyes met it was like the world stopped and I got hit by a lightning bolt at the same time. We got very friendly very fast and when I was with him, even if there were hundreds of people in the room with us, it was like we were the only two people standing there. I can't even count how many nights I tossed and turned and wrote in my journal all because of him. The first few years it was agony and ecstasy as any new relationship is. You know how it is, you think of your love night and day and can't wait to see them, even if it is just a glimpse of their smile. You don't have to go anywhere or do anything special, just being with them is special enough and you want to spend all of your free time with them. The only problem was that there wasn't any sunsets and rainbows in our future. There wasn't even any dates or stolen kisses in the present. I was gob-smacked, over the moon, crazy in love with a man that was totally and completely off the market and there was no way that was going to change either. It was sheer torture. Now I'm a reasonably level-headed gal. I do not give into flights of fancy and my feet are pretty grounded in reality but the man just overwhelmed me with emotion. After a few years of intensity I finally dropped to my knees in my bedroom one night and prayed fervently that God would lift this burden from my heart. He did just that and He also knocked me on my butt for a few years too. When I saw the man a  year or so later my heart still leaped, I can't lie, but at least I was able to talk to him without blushing wildly like a school girl. God answered my prayer yet I also got the opportunity to distance myself from things so that a clearer head could prevail. He is such an awesome God for doing that for me. It does show me, though, that even if you are truly, madly, deeply in love with someone that doesn't mean that you are meant to be together. It isn't a fun part of life yet it is a fact of life (and no he was not a married man, not in the traditional way anyway).

It is mentioned in the Bible that God does not answer all prayer. John 9:31 states, "We know that God does not listen to sinners, but He does listen to the one who worships Him and does His will." Well, since we are all sinners, I am certainly flawed as you have read, does this mean that only a select few receive his response to our prayer? Seems so. I guess, if you are living a life that is rife with mortal sin don't expect to be hearing from Him anytime soon. You must have a penitent heart, turn your life to Him, and live in the graces that He has given you. If it is His will and in your best interest He will heed and answer your prayers. It takes courage and hard work to follow in His footsteps in this day and age. That is why the sacrament of Confession is such a beautiful thing. I find comfort and solace in knowing that I can unburden myself of my sins weekly, if need be, and then go on living my life with and for Christ.

There is a beautiful prayer, The Divine Mercy Chaplet, that can and should be said daily, though it is for the dying. Jesus said that ALL should say this prayer daily. This prayer is one of penitence that asks God to forgive all of your sins. It is said on a rosary. In the interest of space I will provide you with a link to our Prayer Page on the website. The link is above. This is said at 3:00 P.M., which is the holy hour. Another great habit to get into is to meditate on your sins before bed and then say an Act of Contrition. That is on our Prayer Page as well. Another wonderful prayer is The Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows. Also on that Page. That is said while you meditate on your sins and Mother Mary's sorrows. They are special beads that are available. Contact us for availability. The link is at the top of this blog.  Divine Mercy, Divine Child of Jesus, Rosary for Life, the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows and a Chaplet to St. Benedict are some that are available at the moment. 

I can promise you, if you put God first in your life, He will put you first as well. Have a great week.

Mare

Mercy, Mercy Me

This morning while eating my breakfast I happened to find Joel Olsteen on channel 4. I am not a fan of his as far as inspirational and Biblical evangelization is concerned, but I did listen for a short time while enjoying my eggs and toast.

Now granted, he is a terrific motivational speaker but I must admit that I very often have a problem with his message. Today he was speaking about avoiding people that are negative and that bring you down. He said that you deserve better than that and that God wants you to avoid those people and wants better for you. Correct me if I am wrong but I am pretty darn sure that Jesus preached from the mount that we are to love our enemies, to pray for them - for what treasure is there in loving only those that love you? Even the tax collectors love those that love them.

Obviously I am a nobody; I am not a well-known figure as Mr. Olsteen is, but how about showing mercy to those that are negative or mean to you? Pray for them and show them what the love of Christ is like. There is a reason why that person is negative or mean and I dare to say that they may be in more pain or crisis than you are; you just never, ever know what a person is dealing with in their life. To turn your back on a person is not what Christ would want us to do. He would want you to show the same love and mercy to that meanie as He shows to you. Unless you are as perfect as Christ is, you have no right to cast stones at others. Even Jesus did not do that and He IS the just judge of us all. Maybe that mean, negative person needs help and as a Christian why would Mr. Olsteen preach that you should avoid them? You should try reaching out to them. Does he not believe in the power of love, a smile or a hug?

He also said that  you (I guess his followers) deserve better than that.  Why is anyone more deserving than the rest of us mere mortals? Who said that we deserve anything in this life? It is not in the Bible. The Bible says that our treasure lies not in this life but in the next. It also says that we are all equal in God*s eyes. In God*s eyes you are equal to that person that is being negative to you and yes, He knows what is in both of your hearts. That other person may be purer in heart than you are and just having a really crappy day. Remember crappy days Mr. Olsteen? We ALL have them.  God knows what that mean person is suffering with and how they are acting and he also sees the person turning their back and walking away.

Give people the benefit of the doubt. Treat others as you would want to be treated, even if they are mean or negative to you. Be the better person that Jesus wants you to be. You do not need the Joel Osteens of the world to tell you how to live your life. You have the words of our Lord and Savior right there in your Bible. Crack it open, read it and live your life according to HIS words.

Stepping off the soapbox now. Have a peaceful week.

Mare