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Divine Mercy Devotion and Novena
Various
| 4/14/06
| Various
Posted on 04/14/2006 6:58:08 AM PDT by Knitting A Conundrum
Divine Mercy Devotion and Novena
What is Divine Mercy?
The message and devotion to Jesus as The Divine Mercy is based on the writings of Saint Faustina Kowalska, an uneducated Polish nun who, in obedience to her spiritual director, wrote a diary of about 600 pages recording the revelations she received about God's mercy. Even before her death in 1938, the devotion to The Divine Mercy had begun to spread
Mercy Prayers
There are many prayers invoking the Mercy of God. However, the two main prayers of the Divine Mercy Message and Devotion are the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy and the Divine Mercy Novena. Both are prayed daily at the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, MA. Continue reading this page for details on each prayer.
The Chaplet of The Divine Mercy
In 1935, Saint Faustina received a vision of an angel sent by God to chastise a certain city. She began to pray for mercy, but her prayers were powerless. Suddenly she saw the Holy Trinity and felt the power of Jesus' grace within her. At the same time, she found herself pleading with God for mercy with words she heard interiorly:
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; for the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world (Diary, 476).
As she continued saying this inspired prayer, the angel became helpless and could not carry out the deserved punishment (see Diary, 474, 475).
The next day, as she was entering the chapel, she again heard this interior voice, instructing her how to recite the prayer that our Lord later called "the Chaplet." From then on, she recited this form of prayer almost constantly, offering it especially for the dying.
In subsequent revelations, the Lord made it clear that the Chaplet was not just for her, but for the whole world. He also attached extraordinary promises to its recitation.
Encourage souls to say the Chaplet which I have given you (Diary, 1541). Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death (Diary, 687). 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 (Diary, 1541). Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope 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 (Diary, 687). I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy (Diary, 687). Through the Chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with My will (Diary, 1731).
Prayed on ordinary rosary beads, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is an intercessory prayer that extends the offering of the Eucharist, so it is especially appropriate to use it after having received Holy Communion at Holy Mass. It may be said at any time, but our Lord specifically told Saint Faustina to recite it during the nine days before the Feast of Mercy (the first Sunday after Easter). He then added: By this Novena, [of Chaplets] I will grant every possible grace to souls (Diary, 796).
It is likewise appropriate to pray the Chaplet during the "Hour of Great Mercy" three o'clock each afternoon (recalling the time of Christ's death on the cross). In His revelations to Saint Faustina, Our Lord asked for a special remembrance of His Passion at that hour.
The Novena to The Divine Mercy
On Good Friday, 1937, Jesus requested that Saint Faustina make a special novena before the Feast of Mercy, from Good Friday through the following Saturday. He, Himself, dictated the intentions for each day. By means of a specific prayer, she was to bring to His Heart a different group of souls each day and thus immerse them in the ocean of His mercy, begging the Father -- on the strength of Jesus' Passion -- for graces for them.
Unlike the novena of Chaplets, which Our Lord clearly wants everyone to use, this second novena seems to have been intended primarily for Saint Faustina's personal use. This can be seen from Our Lord's instructions, which address her with the word "you" in the singular.
But, since Saint Faustina was commanded to write it down, Our Lord must have intended the novena to be used by others, too. Once published, it immediately became very popular, and people prayed the novena, not only in preparation for the Feast of Mercy, but at other times as well.
The wide range of intentions, which do not include personal needs, makes the great popularity of this novena all the more astounding. In this novena we truly make the Lord's intentions our own -- a beautiful expression of the Church's privilege and duty, as the Bride of the Lord, to be the intercessor at Christ's side on the throne of mercy
The Divine Mercy Novena
Jesus asked that the Feast of the Divine Mercy 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."
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."
The different souls prayed for on each day of the novena are:
DAY 1 (Good Friday) - All mankind, especially sinners
DAY 2 (Holy Saturday) - The souls of priests and religious
DAY 3 (Easter Sunday) - All devout and faithful souls
DAY 4 (Easter Monday) - Those who do not believe in Jesus and those who do not yet know Him
DAY 5 (Easter Tuesday) - The souls of separated brethren
DAY 6 (Easter Wednesday) - The meek and humble souls and the souls of children
DAY 7 (Easter Thursday) - The souls who especially venerate and glorify Jesus' mercy
DAY 8 (Easter Friday) - The souls who are detained in purgatory;
DAY 9 (Easter Saturday) - The souls who have become lukewarm.
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy may also be offered each day for the day's intention, but is not strictly necessary to the Novena.
First Day
"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.
Second Day
"Today bring to Me the Souls of Priests and Religious,
and immerse them in My unfathomable mercy. It was they who gave me strength to endure My bitter Passion. Through them as through channels My mercy flows out upon mankind."
Most Merciful Jesus, from whom comes all that is good, increase Your grace in men and women consecrated to Your service,* that they may perform worthy works of mercy; and that all who see them may glorify the Father of Mercy who is in heaven.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the company of chosen ones 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.
* In the original text, Saint Faustina uses the pronoun "us" since she was offering this prayer as a consecrated religious sister. The wording adapted here is intended to make the prayer suitable for universal use.
Third Day
"Today bring to Me all Devout and Faithful Souls,
and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. These souls brought me consolation on the Way of the Cross. They were a drop of consolation in the midst of an ocean of bitterness."
Most Merciful Jesus, from the treasury of Your mercy, You impart Your graces in 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 grace 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 to Me those who do not believe in God and those who do not know Me,
I was thinking also of them during My bitter Passion, and their future zeal comforted My Heart. Immerse them in the ocean of My mercy."
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 do not believe in God and of those who as yet 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 You, 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.
*Our Lord's original words here were "the pagans." Since the pontificate of Pope John XXIII, the Church has seen fit to replace this term with clearer and more appropriate terminology.
Fifth Day
"Today bring to Me the Souls of those who have separated themselves from My Church*,
and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. During My bitter Passion they tore at My Body and Heart, that is, My Church. As they return to unity with the Church My wounds heal and in this way they alleviate My Passion."
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 those who have separated themselves from Your Church. 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 those who have separated themselves from Your Son's Church, who have squandered Your blessings and misused Your graces by 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 His Most Compassionate Heart. Bring it about that they also may glorify Your great mercy for endless ages. Amen.
*Our Lord's original words here were "heretics and schismatics," since He spoke to Saint Faustina within the context of her times. As of the Second Vatican Council, Church authorities have seen fit not to use those designations in accordance with the explanation given in the Council's Decree on Ecumenism (n.3). Every pope since the Council has reaffirmed that usage. Saint Faustina herself, her heart always in harmony with the mind of the Church, most certainly would have agreed. When at one time, because of the decisions of her superiors and father confessor, she was not able to execute Our Lord's inspirations and orders, she declared: "I will follow Your will insofar as You will permit me to do so through Your representative. O my Jesus " I give priority to the voice of the Church over the voice with which You speak to me" (497). The Lord confirmed her action and praised her for it.
Sixth Day
Today bring to Me the Meek and Humble Souls and the Souls of Little Children,
and immerse them in My mercy. These souls most closely resemble My Heart. They strengthened Me during My bitter agony. I saw them as earthly Angels, who will keep vigil at My altars. I pour out upon them whole torrents of grace. I favor humble souls with My confidence.
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 souls, upon humble souls, and upon little children who are enfolded in the abode which is 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 to Me the Souls who especially venerate and glorify My Mercy*,
and immerse them in My mercy. These souls sorrowed most over my Passion and entered most deeply into My spirit. They are living images of My Compassionate Heart. These souls will shine with a special brightness in the next life. Not one of them will go into the fire of hell. I shall particularly defend each one of them at the hour of death.
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 of Your mercy; and united to You, O Jesus, they 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 hearts, overflowing with joy, sing 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 that during their life, but especially at the hour of death, the souls who will venerate this fathomless mercy of His, He, Himself, will defend as His glory. Amen.
*The text leads one to conclude that in the first prayer directed to Jesus, Who is the Redeemer, it is "victim" souls and contemplatives that are being prayed for; those persons, that is, that voluntarily offered themselves to God for the salvation of their neighbor (see Col 1:24; 2 Cor 4:12). This explains their close union with the Savior and the extraordinary efficacy that their invisible activity has for others. In the second prayer, directed to the Father from whom comes "every worthwhile gift and every genuine benefit,"we recommend the "active" souls, who promote devotion to The Divine Mercy and exercise with it all the other works that lend themselves to the spiritual and material uplifting of their brethren.
Eighth Day
"Today bring to Me the Souls who are in the prison of Purgatory,
and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. Let the torrents of My Blood cool down their scorching flames. All these souls are greatly loved by Me. They are making retribution to My justice. It is in your power to bring them relief. Draw all the indulgences from the treasury of My Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only knew the torments they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and pay off their debt to My justice."
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 Purgatory, that there, too, the power of Your mercy may be celebrated.
Eternal Father, turn Your 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 but only through the Wounds of Jesus, Your dearly beloved Son; for we firmly believe that there is no limit to Your goodness and compassion. Amen.
Ninth Day
"Today bring to Me the Souls who have become Lukewarm,
and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. These souls wound My Heart most painfully. My soul suffered the most dreadful loathing in the Garden of Olives because of lukewarm souls. They were the reason I cried out: 'Father, take this cup away from Me, if it be Your will.' For them, the last hope of salvation is to run to My mercy."
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
TOPICS: Catholic; Prayer
KEYWORDS: divinemercy; jesus; prayer; stfaustina
My Jesus, I trust in thee!
To: sinkspur; GirlShortstop; Salvation; Maeve; Siobhan; tiki; SuziQ; Mr. Thorne; Tribune7; Jaded; ...
2
posted on
04/14/2006 6:58:51 AM PDT
by
Knitting A Conundrum
(Act Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly With God Micah 6:8)
To: Knitting A Conundrum
I therefore exhort you again to be trustful. A soul who trust in her Lord and places all her hope in Him has nothing to fear. The enemy of our salvation is always around us to snatch from our hearts the anchor that is to lead us to salvation, by which I mean trust in God our Father. Let us keep a very firm hold on this anchor and not relinquish it for a single moment. Otherwise all would be lost (+ Padre Pio - Letters II p 410).
3
posted on
04/14/2006 7:04:59 AM PDT
by
Knitting A Conundrum
(Act Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly With God Micah 6:8)
To: Knitting A Conundrum
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.
For the sake of His sorrowful passion,
have mercy on us, and on the whole world.
The Divine Mercy Chaplet Prayers
___________
Dear Jesus,
You are the Father's mercy
manifest in the flesh.
You call us,
each and every one,
one by one,
to come and receive the mercy you offer.
You waited in the garden,
took on our iniquities,
became our sin,
the scapegoat destined to be torn,
the sacrificial lamb
destined to bleed
a holocaust
offered in love.
You let your precious flesh
recieve the stripes of lash,
each blow
a gift to us,
an invitation to love.
You let them mock you,
with each taunt, each cut, each hurt,
you accepted all the mockery
we offer up to the father,
and turned it into an opportunity
to cure our hearts.
You let them give you a cross to carry,
you accepted the death of a slave
in pain and sorrow and blood,
your gift to us,
dying the death that would buy us life,
taking what we deserve
and turning it an invitation
to life and love.
You show us what the Father wants:
for us to love mercy
and walk humbly with our God.
May we always here your call,
and not shut our hearts.
May we learn to follow your example,
May we always find refuge
in your heart,
big enough to shelter the whole world.
Amen.
4
posted on
04/14/2006 7:42:56 AM PDT
by
Knitting A Conundrum
(Act Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly With God Micah 6:8)
To: Knitting A Conundrum
Jesus,
Divine Mercy
come to mankind
in an amazing act of love,
I trust in thee.
Jesus,
Heart of Mercy,
Pierced for us,
a fountain of healing
offered freely
to those who would seek it,
I trust in thee.
Jesus,
Mercy of God Incarnate,
Light against the darkness,
Shelter against the storm
Haven of the lost,
I trust in thee.
5
posted on
04/14/2006 8:13:11 AM PDT
by
Knitting A Conundrum
(Act Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly With God Micah 6:8)
To: Knitting A Conundrum
Dear Knitting A Conundrum,
It is good to know that you also have a solid devotion to the Divine Mercy.
As, you may know a few days back I had started a Thread on the Divine Mercy Novena.
Jesus, I trust in you.
6
posted on
04/14/2006 8:16:26 AM PDT
by
MILESJESU
(Father Robert Altier is a True Soldier of Jesus Christ. Merciful Jesus Christ, I Trust in you.)
To: SOLDIEROFJESUSCHRIST
I saw that you had one one, but since the novena starts today, I thought I would post the novena prayers.
For those who are interested and missed the first thread, here is the link:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1613302/posts
I have a Divine Mercy story of my own.
I discovered the Divine Mercy devotion while I was in a searching phase of my life, before I became Catholic, thanks to EWTN. The story of St. Faustina and the devotion were part of what drew me into the Church.
Back in 1990, when I was in RCIA, I was also attending a Life in the Spirit seminar. One day, while I was having a meeting with my sponsor in that seminar, the day before the conclusion of the seminar, which is an intense prayer service with the laying on of hands, my house was attacked by an arsonist.
We had been told we might find things to make roadblocks to stop us from completing the seminar, but little did I know what mine was going to be. My computers and TV were melted, and many things just were destroyed. I had a picture of the Divine Mercy on a wall, with a small glass lamp in front of it. When I went to see what I could find, things on that wall had melted, been burned, and I couldn't find either the lamp or the picture, and had assumed they were destroyed.
This did not stop me from going through with the event, or continuing on with the RCIA process.
I had an insurance company which had my things salvaged as best they could. The first thing I found in the first container I opened was my picture of the Divine Mercy. You would never have known it had gone through such a fire. The glass lamp came through as well. It was like a love-letter from God.
Two years ago, I found out I was born on St. Faustina's 50th birthday - one of those little things that seem interesting coincidences, until you meditate on the hand of God on the life of man.
God's loving mercy is such a gift.
7
posted on
04/14/2006 8:37:25 AM PDT
by
Knitting A Conundrum
(Act Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly With God Micah 6:8)
To: Knitting A Conundrum
8
posted on
04/14/2006 9:09:18 AM PDT
by
roamer
To: Knitting A Conundrum
9
posted on
04/14/2006 9:19:04 AM PDT
by
Salvation
(†With God all things are possible.†)
To: Knitting A Conundrum
My Jesus, I trust in Thee
My Jesus, I trust in thee,
even as the darkness gathers.
My Jesus, I trust in thee,
even as the storm clouds deepen.
My Jesus, I trust in thee,
even when the lightning threatens.
My Jesus, help me trust in thee,
even though my heart quakes.
My Jesus, help me trust in thee
even though you may seem far way.
My Jesus, help me trust in thee,
even though evil seems near.
My Jesus, may I trust in thee,
even when sorrow breaks my heart.
My Jesus, may I trust in thee,
even in the darkness of my grief.
My Jesus, may I trust in thee,
even when I don't understand why.
10
posted on
04/14/2006 9:38:32 AM PDT
by
Knitting A Conundrum
(Act Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly With God Micah 6:8)
To: Knitting A Conundrum
11
posted on
04/14/2006 7:27:39 PM PDT
by
Macoraba
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