The Sunday after Easter is Divine Mercy Sunday! How should we prepare for this great Feast of Mercy? Jesus told St. Faustina that this Feast of Mercy would be a very special day when "all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened". (Diary 699) Our Lord made a great promise to all those souls who would go to Confession and then receive Him in Holy Communion on the Feast of Mercy, on the Sunday after Easter, which is now called Divine Mercy Sunday throughout the Catholic Church. Jesus promised that "The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain the complete forgiveness of sins and punishment."(Diary 699) He went on to say "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." (Diary 1109) We want to encourage everyone to take advantage of this incredible promise and the additional Plenary Indulgence on this great Feast of Mercy "Divine Mercy Sunday". We want you to benefit fully from these promises, and we also want you to notify all of your family and friends about them too and urge them to return to the practice of their faith! The Image of The Divine Mercy, which Our Lord requested to be solemnly blessed and venerated on this day, will be on display in our church. Pope John Paul II said that the image portrays the Risen Jesus Christ bringing Mercy to the whole world. Our Lord 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. I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish". (Diary 341, 48) Please take the time to visit with this Image of The Divine Mercy and venerate Jesus. Jesus said to St. Faustina "I am offering people a vessel with which they are to keep coming for graces to the fountain of mercy. That vessel is this image with the signature: Jesus, I trust in You". (Diary 327) "The two rays denote Blood and Water. 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 very depths of My tender mercy when My agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the cross. …Happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him." (Diary 299) About the feastday "Divine Mercy Sunday", Jesus said "…tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon the souls who approach the Fount of My Mercy. 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". (Diary 699) Our Lord said "When you go to confession, to this fountain of My mercy, the Blood and Water which came forth from My Heart always flows down upon your soul…" and "Every time you go to confession, immerse yourself entirely in My mercy with great trust, so that I may pour the bounty of My grace upon your soul. When you approach the confessional, know this, that I Myself am waiting there for you. I am only hidden by the priest, but I Myself act in your soul. Here the misery of the soul meets the God of mercy" (1602) Make your confession before Me. The person of the priest is… only a screen. Never analyze what sort of a priest that I am making use of; open your soul in confession to Me, and I will fill it with My light." (1725) It is required of all Catholics to confess their serious sins at least once every year. If you haven’t yet met this obligation then take advantage of this outstanding opportunity to receive an outpouring of an ocean of graces that Jesus promises on this day. Those who have already confessed their sins should make room for others. The Church allows for one to go to Confession for up to about 20 days, before or after Divine Mercy Sunday. Excerpts taken from the Diary of St. Faustina, copyright 1987 Marians of the Immaculate Conception, Stockbridge MA., USA Bulletin insert taken from the www.DivineMercySunday.com website and may be copied and re-produced without permission.
What do you mean by that Mother Superior? That I ignore the prophecies that were wrong and concentrate on the rest, or put her to rest? I believe very much in this. satan makes mistakes, falsehoods make mistakes. If there is error run away as fast as you can, right into the arms of your loving savior in the Mass.
You can read St. Faustina's Diary online http://divinemercy.heavenboundministry.com/onlinepic/stfaustinadiary.pdf
Divine Mercy Sunday is April 7th,..there are still many people that don't understand what Our Lord is promising to those who will meet the requirements of this great Feast Day,..imagine having the slate wiped clean. Jesus promises forgiveness that day but goes even further and tells us He will grant complete pardon,...so if we can manage to keep the slate clean that would mean no purgartory time. I would like to start posting the novena Our Lord requested on this thread to keep it going,..Our Lord gave St. Faustina a novena to be started on Good Friday leading up to Divine Mercy Sunday,...so I will begin posting the novena on Friday for those who would like to join me. There is one thing I would like to say,..regarding this forum and the example Jesus gives us through his Passion,...He wants us to Love one another as He has loved us,..One of the Spiritual Works of Mercy is to bear wrongs patiently,.. Satan loves to cause division,..So I pray for everyone on this forum
When we read stuff on the internet, we don't know if it is posted by the Spiritual Director, or the visionary most of the time...we don't know the details of the chain of 'approval'... When dealing with a visionary directly and red flags go up, but you stick with them because a priest or bishop believes in them and you in your heart feel that 'things are wrong' or that the priest or bishop might be taking you down the wrong path, you need to bail out and walk away and watch from afar. God gives us a discerning spirit. We HAVE TO LISTEN TO IT. I'm not saying throw the baby out with the bath water, but VISIONS AND APPARITIONS are icing on the cake --the sacraments, the Holy Mass etc. come first. When you say 'satan makes mistakes', I'm hoping you mean 'Satan lies and pulls us into that lie'. I know that is what you mean because you follow that by saying if there is error, run to the Holy Mass. I know people can make mistakes and that if corrected, they can still hold their head up high. I do believe in confronting visionaries and helping them see what is wrong--we could be in the exact same position! I had followed a false visionary for awhile. She was a friend. Even tho red flags were everywhere, I had lost my sense of direction because those who I thought were holy followed her and I also 'justified' in my mind the things she was saying. Finally it all imploded. I stood back and was ashamed that I had been duped, but wanted so much to help her and be her friend and help her see the wrong in what she was doing. I was then shown WITHOUT A DOUBT that Satan was involved BIG TIME here, and that I was to back away in a big, big way and just pray for the situation....and the priests and bishops involved....God have mercy! It is a price we pay for not being humble and for not being obedient! I saw it, I ignored it, I got burned, but thanks to God and his mercy on me----he saved me to be wiser about it all in the end and to pray for those involved. We cannot approach all this like the visionaries are rock stars. Its so serious. Its such a heavy burden. There are signs that God and our Lady give us....that things are right or wrong. We cannot be naive about these gifts. I have met people with gifts of seeing inter-dimensionally, or someone who sees signs and symbols in things, or someone who sees angels and demons. These are NOT easy gifts and I don't even begin to understand what all they see, but when I get to know these people, they are as normal as you and me and it is hard to see what God sees in THEM!! LOL I often wonder what the purpose is of these gifts....only God knows...but I do know that many have them all their lives and some pray for them to be gone every day of their lives! Its such a great burden...only God knows. So, I don't even know if I answered your question. I have gifts, as we all do. I have always been interested in God's ways and his desire to share His Spirit with us. I believe that preternatural gifts are being poured out right NOW onto those who will help God and we must be humble and accept and ask for his guidance and his direction to find someone in our lives that will guide us who is holy and worthy.
You know something MS7. That was a GREAT post. Thank you. That is how I feel, if something throws up flags for me, I back away. And yes, I meant satan tells lies, and at some point he shows himself whether it is through error or what as he leads astray where he can. I wholeheartedly agree with you on the gifts. And yes, they can be a terrible gift. (I mean terrible in the nicest possible way). I have had words for people. People who I do not know. I know in my heart I cannot leave the Church until I say something. I put my neck out, roll my eyes at God and say "Ok, here we go... or what are you doing to me?" I pass on the word. So far, thankfully, they have been received well.. Do I deserve the gifts God gives me? Absolutely not. I know the gifts he has given is his way of affirming His love for me. God always calls the needy and weak into His service. God knows I will do my utmost not to ignore His promptings. Thank you for that frank and honest post. Much appreciated..
The Chaplet of The Divine Mercy How to Recite the Chaplet The Chaplet of Mercy is recited using ordinary rosary beads of five decades. The Chaplet is preceded by two opening prayers from the Diary of Saint Faustina and followed by a closing prayer. 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 fountain 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 Apostle's 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 Ten 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.
Have found a very 'well stocked' site with many interesting articles related to the Divine Mercy devotion. Here is one. Like Poland in the 1930s, Are We Due for Chastisement? By Dr. Robert Stackpole, STD (Apr 4, 2012) Diary entry 39, which reads as follows: One day Jesus told me that He would cause a chastisement to fall upon the most beautiful city in our country. This chastisement would be that with which God had punished Sodom and Gomorrah. I saw the great wrath of God and a shudder pierced my heart. I prayed in silence. After a moment Jesus said to me, My child, unite yourself closely to Me during the Sacrifice and offer My Blood and My Wounds to My Father in expiation for the sins of that city. Repeat this without interruption throughout the entire Holy Mass. Do this for seven days. On the seventh day I saw Jesus in a bright cloud and began to beg Him to look upon the city and upon our whole country. Jesus looked [down] graciously. When I saw the kindness of Jesus, I began to beg His blessing. Immediately Jesus said, For your sake I bless the entire country. And He made a big sign of the cross over our country. Seeing the goodness of God, a great joy filled my soul. The Diary does not tell us which city in Poland that St. Faustina was referring to when she wrote that a "chastisement" would fall on "the most beautiful city in our country," but it is not hard to guess, for several reasons. First, the capital city, Warsaw, had been filled with architectural splendors in the late 17th and 18th centuries. Second, Blessed Fr. Michael Sopocko tells us in his own recollections that he questioned Sr. Faustina further about this matter. You can find a good summary of the subject in Rick Torretto's book, A Divine Mercy Resource (pp. 78-79). In that book he provides for us some important quotes. For example, Fr. Sopocko tells us in his Summarium (p. 95, no. 251): She [Sr. Faustina] wrote in her diary that Jesus Himself said that He was about to destroy one of the most beautiful cities of our country like Sodom was destroyed on account of the crimes perpetrated there [Diary, entry 39]. Having read about these things in the Diary I asked her what does the prophecy mean? She answered confirming what she wrote and replying to a further question of mine, on account of what kind of sins God was going to inflict these punishments. She answered: especially for the killing of infants not yet born, the most grievous crime of all. This special concern for the killing of unborn children fits with what St. Faustina wrote about mysterious bodily pains she experienced, which no medicines could relieve, and which she offered up to heaven, "in order to offer reparation to God for the souls murdered in the wombs of wicked mothers" ( Diary, entry 1276). Father Seraphim Michalenko, MIC, the vice-postulator of the cause for the canonization of St. Faustina, filled in the rest of the picture in an article he wrote in 1995, based on his extensive research: Her confessor [Fr. Sopocko] later discovered that, between the First and Second World Wars, the city of Warsaw, which as the capital of Poland, was also one of the great capitals of abortion in the world! While Sister Faustina lived and prayed, that city was spared. But hardly a year after her death, Poland was invaded, and by the time the war was over, Warsaw was almost completely destroyed [much like Sodom and Gomorrah!]. In other words, as the prophecy in Diary entry 39 stated, the merciful Lord prevented destruction from falling upon the city, despite the terrible crimes committed against unborn children there day after day, in response to the earnest prayers and intercessions of St. Faustina. No doubt our Savior is just as deeply grieved that another land that He has blessed in so many ways — namely, America — also has one of the most permissive (i.e., tolerant of killing) abortion laws in the world, and approximately 1.5 million children are put to death in their mother's wombs in this land every year. God is so merciful that He will not remove His protection from this country as long as pure and sincere souls plead to Him for forgiveness and forbearance, on the basis of the sorrowful passion of His Son. In Diary entry 474, St. Faustina makes it clear that the devout recitation of the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy can stay the hand of divine justice, and gain yet more time for repentance and putting an end to such horrible injustices against the innocent. Jesus said to her: I do not want to punish aching mankind, I desire to heal it, pressing it to My Merciful Heart. I use punishment when they themselves force Me to do so; My hand is reluctant to take hold of the sword of justice. (Diary, 1588) The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has called abortion an "intrinsic evil" in our society, the ending of which ought to be among the highest priorities for Catholics today. Approximately 25 percent of Americans are churchgoing Catholics, yet the most recent polls show that only 5 percent of Americans today look upon the protection of the lives of unborn children as the most important issue in the upcoming presidential and congressional elections. Something is deeply wrong here. We Catholics need to wake up — and what happened in St. Faustina's time can be a "cautionary tale" in this regard. God is not going to let this kind of indifference to the "slaughter of the innocents" going on in our midst carry on indefinitely. If we want America to continue to be blessed and to be a beacon of freedom and human rights for the world, then we each need to do our part to help protect the human rights of "the least of these my brethren" (Mt 25:46) in our midst. The very future of our country may depend on it. Pasted from <http://thedivinemercy.org/news/story.php?NID=4890&PLID=75>
The Divine Mercy Novena starts tommorrow on Good Friday http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/novena.htm
Devine Mercy Novena starts tomorrow Good Friday! Powerful Novena .I will remember you all in my novena.
What is actually even more scary - that most Catholics voted for him. I can't understand, for the life of me, why Catholics in this country traditionally are so pro-democrats - democrats are the the enemy of any religion and religious people, especially Catholics ( I know, I know about the Irish tradition in the North East, but it is XXI century and not the beginning of the XX ) Well, the same Conference made a voting rule that a Catholic in a voting booth may vote of an abortionist warrior if the other issues are of more importance to the voter ( sic !!!!!). It was only Cardinal Burke who tried to get the message to the Catholic voters - one can not vote for a pro-abortion candidate and still consider himself/herself a Catholic.
First Day of Divine Mercy Novena: Today bring to me ALL MANKIND, ESPECIALLY ALL SINNERS, and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. In this way you will console Me in the bitter grief into which the loss of souls plunges Me. Most Merciful Jesus, whose very nature it is to have compassion on us and to forgive us, do not look upon our sins but upon our trust which we place in Your infinite goodness. Receive us all into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart, and never let us escape from it. We beg this of You by Your love which unites You to the Father and the Holy Spirit. Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon all mankind and especially upon poor sinners, all enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion show us Your mercy, that we may praise the omnipotence of Your mercy for ever and ever. Amen. Say Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
Thank you Hope,..you beat me to it,..Will you be posting the next day to? What's nice about this is you can scroll up and do the chaplet with the video too. Since it is after 12 I'm starting the Novena now,..Thanks again
