Divine Mercy Novena Begins on Good Friday

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and the Divine Mercy Chaplet and Novena that begins on Good Friday!

rayer is the most powerful force in the world. Many of us are confused and discouraged by attitudes
and happenings that seem beyond our control. As we strive to have more and more possessions we see
family values breaking down. In many of us, faith is tepid. We hear so many saying, "I'm Christian, but ...

I don't think it's necessary for me to go to Church every Sunday."

I don't think it's necessary to go to Church on Holy Days."

If my kids go to Mass at Catholic school, that's enough for our family."

If my kids go to religion class that's enough, we shouldn't have to go to Mass too."

Artificial contraception is OK."

Abortion is a right."

As a politician I can set my personal beliefs aside and support abortion.

I can leave my faith behind me as I cast my vote."

I don't think I should have to go to Confession"

I don't commit any sins."

I need to be a little dishonest in order to keep up with others."

A few white lies are alright."

When we become lukewarm in our faith, we can easily become "supermarket" Christians, taking the
things we like from our faith and leaving the more difficult demands of faith behind. We can allow all kinds
of evil to thrive. It can become overwhelming.

Prayer is the most powerful force in the world. What would happen if thousands of us prayed at the same
time? Many of us have seen the "Passion of the Christ" this Lent. We can't help but be moved by Jesus who
died on the cross for our forgiveness and salvation. We can be inspired by Jesus who even forgave those
who put him to death. He was a true man. His faith was anything but "lukewarm."

We are called to be like Jesus. So, what can we do? We can PRAY. What would happen if thousands of us
would pray for and end to abortion? For an end to terrorism? For an end to lukewarm faith?

Let's do it! I'm asking you to make a pledge. It has two parts. The first is to pray the Rosary on Good Friday ...
for an end to abortion, an end to terrorism, an end to domestic and any kind of violence, an end to lukewarm faith.
The second is to begin the Divine Mercy Novena, nine days of special prayers for God's mercy upon those who
need it the most.

When Jesus gave Saint Faustina the intentions to pray for he said about the lukewarm and indifferent,

"These souls cause Me more suffering than any others; it was from such souls that My soul felt
the most revulsion in the Garden of Olives. It was on their account that I said: 'My Father, if it is
possible, let this cup pass Me by.' The last hope of salvation for them is to flee to My Mercy."

In her diary, St. Faustina wrote that Jesus told her:

"On each day of the novena you will bring to My heart a different group of souls and you will
immerse them in this ocean of My mercy ... On each day you will beg My Father, on the strength
of My passion, for the graces for these souls."

to pledge to pray the Rosary on Good Friday and the Divine Mercy Chaplet and
Novena that begins on Good Friday!

Saint Faustina was born Helena Kowalska in the village of Glogowiec west of Lodz, Poland, on August 25, 1905. She was the third of ten children. When she was almost twenty, she entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, whose members devote themselves to the care and education of troubled young women.

The following year she received her religious habit and was given the name Sister Maria Faustina, to which she added "of the Most Blessed Sacrament," as was permitted by her Congregation's custom.

In the 1930s, Sister Faustina received from the Lord a message of mercy that she was told to spread throughout the world. She was asked to become the apostle and secretary of God's mercy, a model of how to be merciful to others, and an instrument for reemphasizing God's plan of mercy for the world.

The message of mercy that Sister Faustina received is now being spread throughout the world; she has been recognized by the Church as a "Saint"; and her diary, Divine Mercy in My Soul, has become the handbook for devotion to The Divine Mercy. She would not have been surprised, for she had been told that the message of God's mercy would spread through her writings for the great benefit of souls.

Through Saint Faustina, Jesus also revealed special ways to live out the response to His mercy--one of which is the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, as both a novena and a prayer for the three o'clock hour -- the hour of His death.

How to Recite the Chaplet of Divine Mercy
The Chaplet of Mercy is recited using ordinary rosary beads of five decades. At the National Shrine of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts the Chaplet is preceded by two opening prayers from the Diary of Saint Faustina and followed by a closing prayer.

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.

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
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.

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.

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 Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified; died, and was buried. He descended into Hell; the third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from thence He shall 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 the life everlasting. Amen.

Encourage souls to say the Chaplet which I have given you ... Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death ... When they say this chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between my Father and the dying person, not as the Just Judge but as the Merciful Savior ... Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last home of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from my infinite mercy. I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy ... Through the Chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with My will.

to pledge to pray the Rosary on Good Friday and the Divine Mercy Chaplet and
Novena that begins on Good Friday!

Jesus asked that this Feast of the Divine Mercy (Sunday after Easter) be preceded by a Novena to the Divine Mercy which would begin on Good Friday. He gave St. Faustina an intention to pray for on each day of the Novena, saving for the last day the most difficult intention of all, the lukewarm and indifferent of whom He said:

"These souls cause Me more suffering than any others; it was from such souls that My soul felt the most revulsion in the Garden of Olives. It was on their account that I said: 'My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass Me by.' The last hope of salvation for them is to flee to My Mercy."

"On each day of the novena you will bring to My heart a different group of souls and you will immerse them in this ocean of My mercy ... On each day you will beg My Father, on the strength of My passion, for the graces for these souls."

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.

Most Merciful Jesus, from whom comes all that is good, increase Your grace in us, that we may perform worthy works of mercy, and that all who see us may glorify the Father of Mercy who is in heaven. Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the company [of chosen souls] in Your vineyard - upon the souls of priests and religious; and endow them with the strength of Your blessing. For the love of the Heart of Your Son in which they are enfolded, impart to them Your power and light, that they may be able to guide others in the way of salvation, and with one voice sing praise to Your boundless mercy for ages without end. Amen.

Most Merciful Jesus, from the treasury of Your mercy, You impart Your graces in the great abundance to each and all. Receive us into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart and never let us escape from It. We beg this of You by that most wondrous love for the heavenly Father with which Your Heart burns so fiercely. Eternal Father, turn Your Merciful gaze upon faithful souls, as upon the inheritance of Your Son. For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, grant them Your blessing and surround them with Your constant protection. Thus may they never fail in love or lose the treasure of the holy faith, but rather, with all the hosts of Angels and Saints, may they glorify Your boundless mercy for endless ages. Amen.

Fourth Day
Today Bring Me Those Who Do Not Believe In Me and Those Who Do Not Know Me

Most Compassionate Jesus, You are the Light of the whole world. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who as yet do not believe in You or do not know You. Let the rays of Your grace enlighten them that they, too, together with us, may extol Your wonderful mercy; and do not let them escape from the abode which is Your Most Compassionate Heart. Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of those who do not believe in Your Son, and of those who as yet do not know You, but who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Draw them to the light of the Gospel. These souls do not know what great happiness it is to love You. Grant that they, too, may extol the generosity of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.

Most Merciful Jesus, Goodness Itself, You do not refuse light to those who seek it of You. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of our separated brethren. Draw them by Your light into the unity of the Church, and do not let them escape from the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart; but bring it about that they, too, come to glorify the generosity of Your mercy. Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of our separated brethren, who have squandered Your blessings and misused Your graces obstinately persisting in their errors. Do not look upon their errors, but upon the love of Your Own Son and upon His bitter Passion, which He underwent for their sake, since they, too, are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Bring it about that they also may glorify Your great mercy for endless ages. Amen.

Sixth Day
Today Bring Me The Meek and Humble Souls and the Souls of Little Children

Most Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said, "Learn from Me for I am meek and humble of heart." Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart all meek and humble souls and the souls of little children. These souls send all heaven into ecstasy, and they are the heavenly Father's favorites. They are a sweet- smelling bouquet before the throne of God; God Himself takes delight in their fragrance. These souls have a permanent abode in Your Most Compassionate Heart, O Jesus, and they unceasingly sing out a hymn of love and mercy. Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon meek and humble souls, and upon the souls of little children, who are enfolded in the abode of the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls bear the closest resemblance to Your Son. Their fragrance rises from the earth and reaches Your very throne. Father of mercy and of all goodness, I beg You by the love You bear these souls and by the delight you take in them: bless the whole world, that all souls together may sing out the praises of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.

Seventh Day
Today Bring Me The Souls Who Especially Venerate and Glorify My Mercy

Most Merciful Jesus, whose Heart is Love Itself, receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who particularly extol and venerate the greatness of Your Mercy. These souls are mighty with the very power of God Himself. In the midst of all afflictions and adversities they go forward, confident in Your Mercy. These souls are united to Jesus and carry all mankind on their shoulders. These souls will not be judged severely, but Your mercy will embrace them as they depart from this life. Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls who glorify and venerate Your greatest attribute, that of Your fathomless mercy, and who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls are a living Gospel; their hands are full of deeds of mercy and their spirit, overflowing with joy, sings a canticle of mercy to You, O Most High! I beg You O God: Show them Your mercy according to the hope and trust they have placed in You. Let there be accomplished in them the promise of Jesus, who said to them, "I Myself will defend as My own glory, during their lifetime, and especially at the hour of their death, those souls who will venerate My fathomless mercy."

Most Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said that You desire mercy; so I bring into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls in Purgatory, souls who are very dear to You, and yet who must make retribution to Your justice. May the streams of Blood and Water which gushed forth from Your Heart put out the flames of purifying fire, that in that place, too, the power of Your mercy may be praised. Eternal Father, turn Your most merciful gaze upon the souls suffering in Purgatory, who are enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. I beg You, by the sorrowful Passion of Jesus Your Son, and by all the bitterness with which His most sacred Soul was flooded, manifest Your mercy to the souls who are under Your just scrutiny. Look upon them in no other way than through the Wounds of Jesus, Your dearly beloved Son; for we firmly believe that there is no limit to Your goodness and compassion. Amen.

Most Compassionate Jesus, You are Compassion Itself. I bring lukewarm souls into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart. In this fire of Your pure love let these tepid souls, who, like corpses, filled You with such deep loathing, be once again set aflame. O Most Compassionate Jesus, exercise the omnipotence of Your mercy and draw them into the very ardor of Your love; and bestow upon them the gift of holy love, for nothing is beyond Your power. Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon lukewarm souls who are nonetheless enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Father of Mercy, I beg You by the bitter Passion of Your Son and by His three- hour agony on the Cross: let them, too, glorify the abyss of Your mercy. Amen

to pledge to pray the Rosary on Good Friday and the Divine Mercy Chaplet and
Novena that begins on Good Friday!

Jesus said to Saint Faustina, "Paint an image according to the pattern you see with the signature: Jesus, I trust in You ... 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" (47, 48) ........."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' " (327)

At the request of her spiritual director, Saint Faustina asked the Lord about the meaning of the rays in the image. She heard these words in reply:

"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 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" (299)

Many different versions of this image have been painted, but Our Lord made it clear that the painting itself is not what is important.

When Saint Faustina first saw the original image that was being painted under her direction, she wept in disappointment and complained to Jesus: "Who will paint You as beautiful as You are?" (313)

"Not in the beauty of the color, nor of the brush lies the greatness of this image, but in My grace (313). My gaze from this image is like my gaze from the cross." (326)

So, no matter which version of the image we prefer, we can be assured that it is a vehicle of God's grace if it is revered with trust in His mercy.

to pledge to pray the Rosary on Good Friday and the Divine Mercy Chaplet and
Novena that begins on Good Friday!

'SPARK FROM HEAVEN': POPE SEEN AS SIGN OF COMING EVENTS AND WAS LINKED TO SEERS

With the passing of John Paul II the prophetic adrenaline is flowing as seldom before, and for good reason: the Pope not only changed history -- making himself the focus of prophecy -- but was himself wide open to supernatural manifestations.

Under John Paul II the great mystic Padre Pio was canonized, as was Sister Faustina of Poland, who received the Divine Mercy revelations. A statue exuding tears was approved in Italy, as were apparitions in such places as Kibeho, Rwanda, Cuapa, Nicaragua, and Betania, Venezuela. It was John Paul II, through Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who in 1986 stopped a local bishop from rejecting the apparitions at Medjugorje (in Bosnia-Hercegovina).

Meanwhile, and meaningfully, his passing comes quickly in the wake of the deaths of famed mystics Maria Esperanza and Sister Lucia dos Santos of Fatima -- speeding the prophetic pulse. There is also Terri Schiavo: even secular outlets are calling it an uncanny "coincidence" that the "culture of life" Pope, who lobbied hard for Terri's life, and who was reportedly deeply upset on hearing news of her death, died two days after she did -- the Pope passing in a disabled state but with the dignity he wanted for everyone.

The connection to Fatima remains the strongest mystical link. The Pope credited Our Lady of Fatima with saving his life in 1981 and is believed to be the "bishop in white" mentioned in the legendary "third secret" -- which he released in 2000.

He may also be connected to the revelation of St. Faustina Kowalska of Poland -- the Divine Mercy saint who had quoted Jesus as saying, "I bear a special love for Poland and if she will be obedient to My will, I will exalt her in might and holiness. From her will come forth the spark that will prepare the world for My final coming" (Diary 1732).

Many have long believed that John Paul II was that "spark," and such speculation can only gain momentum by further "coincidences," especially the fact that John Paul II died Saturday -- at the end of a more than weeklong Divine Mercy novena -- and on the vigil of the Feast of Divine Mercy that he himself had instituted. The first Mass offered for him was a Mass of Divine Mercy.

Thus, by that calculation, the death of the Pope is the harbinger of huge events. The death of this deeply Marian Pope also came on the First Saturday of the month, and was followed by suddenly fierce winds in Italy.

The Pope's passing also brings into play the prophecies of St. Malachy O'Morgair, an Irish monk who supposedly had a vision of the future popes while visiting Rome in 1139. The authenticity of the event is greatly disputed, and like all mysticism should be strictly discerned, but St. Malachy is said to have prophesied the list of popes through short, esoteric nicknames.

By this reckoning, if we accept it as a legitimate prophecy, John Paul II was De Labore Solis ("from the labor of the sun"), and would be followed by only two more popes -- the next being De Gloria Olivae ("from the glory of the olive") and then Petrus Romanus ("Peter the Roman").

The prophecies about the number of popes are many and often differ markedly from one another. At the popular and controversial site of Garabandal in Spain, a seer named Conchita Gonzalez once noted, "The Blessed Virgin said in 1962 that there will be only two more popes after Paul VI."

There was also St. John Bosco, who foresaw a time when a pontiff would stand at the helm of a noble ship in turbulent seas and guide it to safe passage between twin pillars that represent the Blessed Mother and the Eucharist. No Pope in history was more dedicated to the Virgin Mary than John Paul II, and he had declared the current year as the "Year of the Eucharist"!

"When this Pope will have completed the task which Jesus has entrusted to him and I will come down from Heaven to receive his sacrifice, all of you will be cloaked in a dense darkness of apostasy, which will then become general," asserted the locution of an Italian priest who is likewise as interesting as he is controversial. "There will remain faithful only that little remnant which, in these years, by accepting my motherly invitation, has let itself be enfolded in the secure refuge of my Immaculate Heart. And it will be this little faithful remnant, prepared and formed by me, that will have the task of receiving Christ, who will return to you in glory, bringing about in this way the beginning of the new era which awaits you.”

Such alleged claims have sparked fervid monitoring of the Pope and his potentially prophetic implications. Many are those who expected him to the proclaim a new dogma, believing that this declaration would lead to huge events.

Lesser and vastly more controversial prophecies claimed that John Paul II would end up in exile and die outside of Rome -- prophecies that, obviously, have turned out to be invalid. There are those who have predicted that the next Pope will be an "anti-Pope" or even the antichrist -- a drastic and dangerous prognostication. But major events are on the horizon and matters that deal with the Church are said to be in the secrets of Medjugorje. There is now the searing question of what the next Pope will do when it comes to that apparition site: Will the next Pope reverse course and allow the bishop to now make a negative judgment? John Paul reportedly read the monthly message from Medjugorje, often making statements that paralleled what Mary said there. Indeed, "Youth Day" followed messages on youth from Medjugorje. Smiling when two pictures of the Pope were brought by a woman from Osijek in 1982, the Blessed Mother of Medjugorje reportedly said, "He is your father, my angels." Concerning the Pope, who was briefed on the apparitions in an urgent letter from the pastor at St. James church in Medjugorje, the Blessed Mother also said, "Have him consider himself the father of all mankind and not only of Christians. Have him spread untiringly and with courage the message of peace and love among all mankind." According to a locutionist who was not part of the formal group of six seers, she also asked that he try to bring together Christians. This John Paul II certainly did -- traveling the globe in subsequent years, as if he heard the same voice. At one apparition on April 2, visionary Ivan Dragicevic was recommending intentions to Our Lady when, allegedly, the newly deceased Pope appeared on her left. (He was smiling, young and very happy, all in white with a long gold cape, claim e-mails that are flying about the internet. Our Lady supposedly said to Ivan: 'This is my son; he is with me.") What are we to make of it all? Could we be ready for things to occur in quick succession? Haven't matters (Esperanza, Lucia, Schiavo, and now the Pope; hurricanes; tsunamis) been moving fast as it is? And how should the Church deal with mysticism? At the same time that many bishops have hardened their stance against mystical claims, the Pope did the opposite, even receiving seers in a few instances. Ukrainian mystic Josyp Terelya -- who saw the Blessed Mother while imprisoned in a gulag -- met with the Pope both privately and in a formal session (right); and visionaries from Medjugorje (left), South America, the U.S., Asia, Europe, and other parts of the world presented him or his representatives with their messages -- many of them asserting, rightly or wrongly, that John Paul was a fellow seer. When asked if she felt the same way, famous Venezuelan seer Maria Esperanza, who asserted that the Pope bilocated to her, and who on a visit to the Vatican once presented the Pope with a picture of the Virgin (as Mary, "Reconciler of Peoples and Nations"), only smiled at the question and said, "He will never say."

[resources: The Bridge to Heaven, Queen of the Cosmos, and Medjugorje and the Church]

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Pray the Novena

Forms of Devotion
The Divine Mercy Novena of Chaplets

Intentions

For each of the nine days, our Lord gave Saint Faustina a different intention:

What You Can Do

Pray the Novena

Forms of Devotion The Divine Mercy Novena of Chaplets

Intentions

For each of the nine days, our Lord gave Saint Faustina a different intention:

What You Can Do

Forms of Devotion
The Divine Mercy Novena of Chaplets