Catholic Bible 101
21st Century Catholic Apologetics for Mary's Spiritual Warriors
The Divine Mercy of Jesus is for sinners, and the more of a sinner you are, the more you have a right to it. This is what Jesus told Sister Faustina (during her spiritual visions of Jesus) in Poland back in the early 20th Century. Sister Faustina was a contemporary of Pope John Paul II in Poland, back when he was known as Karol Wojtyla. She died before WWII started, but thanks be to God, she wrote everything down that Jesus told her. If you are looking for a spiritual director, and can't find one, it is highly recommended that you read her book. It can be purchased from the Marians of the Immaculate Conception, who are the official promoters of the Divine Mercy message in America. This is GREAT reading while you are doing your holy hour, or just when you have 5 or 10 minutes to spare. The words of Jesus are bolded, so there is no question as to what He thinks is important in spiritual direction. For sure, no Catholic is obliged to believe in personal revelation (as opposed to public revelation in the Bible), but the Church has determined that St. Faustina's visions are worthy of belief, and there is nothing in them that runs counter to what the Bible says. If you were to take all of the sins ever committed on earth, they wouldn't amount to a grain of sand in comparison to the ocean of the Divine Mercy of Jesus Christ.
Jesus told St. Faustina to have an image painted of Him as he appeared to her once, with one hand next to His Sacred Heart, and with red and white rays emanating from His Heart. The red ray symbolizes His precious blood that saves us, and the white ray symbolizes the waters of Baptism. At the bottom of the page are the words "Jesus, I Trust in You". This image is to be venerated, and the Feast of Divine Mercy is to be celebrated on the Sunday following Easter. It took many years for this devotion to finally be realized, but thanks to Pope John Paul II, it was finally done.
Most everyone reading this page is in full agreement that Jesus is full of Divine Mercy, but that's not the question. The question is what do WE need to do to access this Divine Mercy? Do we just sit around and do nothing, or is there some response required on our part to access it ? The answer can be found by reading St. Faustina's Diary. As holy as she was, Jesus told her once that if she died that day, she would receive the equivalent of one day in Purgatory. So what does that mean for us who aren't near as holy as a cloistered nun? It means that we had better get with the program and seek out the Divine Mercy of Jesus today, or there could be many days in Purgatory awaiting us.
St. Faustina left us the Divine Mercy Chaplet, which can be said on a Rosary. It starts out with one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Apostles Creed. Then, on the large beads, instead of the Our Father, we are to recite the following:
"Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and the 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 the small beads, instead of the Hail Mary's, we are to recite the following:
"For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us, and on the whole world."
At the end of the Chaplet, we are to say 3 times the following:
"Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world."
So why should we say this chaplet? Because, according to Jesus,
"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 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 . 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. By this Novena (of Chaplets), I will grant every possible grace to souls."
"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. This is the hour of great mercy. In this hour, I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion.
As often as you hear the clock strike the third hour, immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it; invoke its omnipotence for the whole world, and particularly for poor sinners; for at that moment mercy was opened wide for every soul. In this hour you can obtain everything for yourself and for others for the asking; it was the hour of grace for the whole world — mercy triumphed over justice.
My daughter, try your best to make the Stations of the Cross in this hour, provided that your duties permit it; and if you are not able to make the Stations of the Cross, then at least step into the chapel for a moment and adore, in the Most Blessed Sacrament, My Heart, which is full of mercy; and should you be unable to step into the chapel, immerse yourself in prayer there where you happen to be, if only for a very brief instant. "
"By obedience you give great glory to Me and gain merit for yourself."
"The loss of each soul plunges Me into mortal sadness. You always console Me when you pray for sinners. The prayer most pleasing to Me is prayer for the conversion of sinners. Know, My daughter, that this prayer is always heard and answered."
"I shall protect them Myself at the hour of death, as My own glory. And even if the sins of soul are as dark as night, when the sinner turns to My mercy he gives Me the greatest praise and is the glory of My Passion. When a soul praises My goodness, Satan trembles before it and flees to the very bottom of hell."
"Know this, My daughter: if you strive for perfection you will sanctify many souls; and if you do not strive for sanctity, by the same token, many souls will remain imperfect. Know that their perfection will depend on your perfection, and the greater part of the responsibility for these souls will fall on you."
And remember how you felt when you left the movie "The Passion of the Christ"? According to Jesus, there is great power in meditating on His passion:
"There is more merit to one hour of meditation on My sorrowful Passion than there is to a whole year of flagellation that draws blood; the contemplation of My painful wounds is of great profit to you, and it brings Me great joy. I am surprised that you still have not completely renounced your self-will, but I rejoice exceedingly that this change will be accomplished during the retreat."
"Pray as much as you can for the dying. By your entreaties, obtain for them trust in My mercy, because they have most need of trust, and have it the least. Be assured that the grace of eternal salvation for certain souls in their final moment depends on your prayer. You know the whole abyss of My mercy, so draw upon it for yourself and especially for poor sinners. Sooner would heaven and earth turn into nothingness than would My mercy not embrace a trusting soul. "
Jesus also tells us about what we can do for the poor souls in purgatory:
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.
"To conquer interior temptations with the thought of the presence of God, and moreover to fight without fear. And for exterior temptations, to avoid occasions. There are, in all, seven principal means: to guard the senses, to avoid occasions, to avoid idleness, to remove temptations promptly, to remove oneself from all - and especially particular friendships, the spirit of mortification, and to reveal all these temptations to one's confessor. Besides this, there are also five means of preserving this virtue: humility, the spirit of prayer, modesty of the eyes, fidelity to the rule, a sincere devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary."
It is HIGHLY recommended that you buy this book and read it, especially during Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. As the world spins out of control with its demonic embrace of homosexual marriage, doctor-assisted suicide, abortion, pornography, embryonic stem cell research, and cloning, this book is one anchor that will keep you straight. The above quotes from the book are just the tip of a very great and holy spiritual iceberg. If you read this book and internalize its message, your whole life will change for the better, satan will be afraid of you, and you will be well on your way to heaven. Click on the image below to order it from the Marians of the Immaculate Conception. Divine Mercy - Don't leave home without it!
