Divine Mercy

I feel compelled to go into some detail about a rather important devotion. I call it a devotion, but actually it is a way of life. The way to life actually (Eternal Life). I am of course speaking about The Divine Mercy. I have decided to discuss Divine Mercy very early in my blogging career due to the simple fact that it is just that important.

Divine Mercy has been around since the Prophets of the Old Testament. It is nothing new, but in the early 1930's a Polish nun named Maria Fuastina Kowalska saw an apparition of the Risen Christ. He instructed her to "have an image painted according to the pattern you see". He also told her to sign it with the words "Jesus I trust in You". Our Lord continued to appear to Faustina in many different stages of his earthly life. Sometimes He would appear as He looked in His Passion. Other times He would appear as the Infant Jesus. When He appeared as the Risen Lord, He would have the two rays emanating from His Sacred Heart. I am speaking of the pale ray and the red ray which are pictured in the image. The red ray represents the Sacred Blood of Christ which gushed forth from the heart of Jesus at the thrust of Longinus' lance at the crucifixion of Our Lord. The pale ray represents the waters of Baptism that bring us forth unto Eternal Life. Both blood and water gushed forth from the Sacred Heart of Jesus ushering in the forgiveness of sin and the birth of the Church, our means of Salvation.

http://thedivinemercy.org/


As it has become my habit to recommend spiritually edifying reading material on this blog, I would like to recommend Saint Faustinas' diary entitled "Divine Mercy in My Soul". Published by Marian Press out of the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Stockbridge Massachusetts.

I have inserted a link above to the homepage of the Shrine for anyone who would like to learn more about Divine Mercy. I have found this diary to be a great source of inspiration and wisdom.

In the book Sister Faustina eloquently confides both her personal struggles and her deep conviction to her mission, the mission of spreading the message of Divine Mercy. Tho a poor and uneducated nun, Sister Faustina articulately, and poetically elaborates on both the human component and the inner workings of the spiritual dimension of the Soul. The book is in it's essence, a love story. A beautiful account of a deeply spiritual persons great love for her Creator/Savior. I cannot imagine anyone reading this book and not coming away profoundly changed. It is filled with Divine Revelation, as Jesus imparts knowledge about the inner workings of the Soul to Faustina. One comes away from reading this book feeling the spiritual presence of God.

It is therefore incumbent upon all Catholic Christians to spread this message of Gods greatest attribute, His unfathomable Mercy. "Tho your sins be as scarlet, they can be washed clean in the Blood of the Lamb". The message of Divine Mercy is one of great hope. Its' essence is what has been defined as "Love poured out and rejected, and still poured out all the more". Saint Faustina suffered greatly with Tuberculosis and died on October 5th 1938 at the age of 33. She was canonized by Pope John Paul II on April 30th 2000. She offered all her earthly sufferings for the salvation of poor sinners, and she continues to intercede for us to this very day. I strongly encourage everyone to say the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy daily and pray for Mercy for the great outrages perpetrated against Almighty God by a sinful world.

The Chaplet of the Divine Mercy;
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of The Holy Spirit. Amen
You expired Jesus, but the source of Life gushed forth for Souls, and an ocean of Mercy opened up for the whole world.
Oh fount of Life unfathomable Divine Mercy. Envelope the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us.

Oh Blood and Water which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You. (three times)

(one Our Father)
(one Hail Mary)
(The Apostles Creed)
(on the Our Father beads 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 for those of the whole world.
(on the Hail Mary beads of the Rosary pray) For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have Mercy on us and on the whole world.
(after 5 decades of this pray) Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One. Have Mercy on us, and on the whole world. (three times)

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 times we might not despair, nor become despondent. But, with great confidence, submit ourselves to your Holy Will, which is, Love and Mercy itself. Amen
Jesus I trust in You.