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Sr. Faustina
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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 her 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
In her diary, Faustina wrote that Jesus told her: "I desire that during these nine days you bring souls to the fount of My mercy, that they may draw there from strength and refreshment and whatever graces they need in the hardships of life and, especially, at the hour of death On each day you will bring to My Heart a different group of souls, and you will immerse them in this ocean of My mercy, and I will bring all these souls into the house of My Father. You will do this in this life and in the next. I will deny nothing to any soul whom you will bring to the fount of My mercy. On each day you will beg My Father, on the strength of My bitter Passion, for graces for these souls. I answered, "Jesus, I do not know how to make
this novena or which souls to bring first into Your Most Compassionate
Heart." Jesus replied that He would tell me which souls to bring each day
into His Heart.
The different souls prayed for on each day of
the novena are:
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 the 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. O omnipotence of Divine Mercy, Salvation of sinful man, You are a sea of mercy and compassion;You aid him who entreats You with humility. Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon all mankind and especially
upon poor sinners, all enfolded in the Most Com-
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. The fountain of God's love Dwells in pure hearts, Bathed in the Sea of Mercy, Radiant as stars, bright as the dawn. 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. . 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 of You by that most wondrous love for the heavenly Father with which Your Heart burns so fiercely. The miracles of mercy are impenetrable.Neither the sinner nor just one will fathom them. When You cast upon us an eye of pity,You draw us all closer to Your love. 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.
and those who do not yet know Him Most Compassionate Jesus, You are the Light of the whole world. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of pagans 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. May the light of Your love Enlighten the souls in darkness; Grant that these souls will know You And, together with us, praise Your mercy. Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of pagans 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.
DAY 5 - The souls of separated brethren 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 heretics and schismatics. 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 adore the generosity of Your mercy. Even for those who have torn the garment of Your unity, A fount of mercy flows from Your Heart. The omnipotence of Your mercy, 0 God, Can lead these souls also out of error. Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of heretics and
schismatics, 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 the Most Compassionate
Heart of Jesus. Bring it about that they also may glorify Your great mercy
for endless ages .Amen.
and the souls of 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, 0 Jesus, and they unceasingly sing out a hymn of love and mercy A truly gentle and humble soul Already here on earth the air of paradise breathes, And in the fragrance of her humble heart The Creator Himself delights. Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon meek and humble souls,
and upon the souls of 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.
and glorify Jesus' 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 of 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. A soul who praises the goodness of her Lord She is always close to the living fountain And draws graces from Mercy Divine. 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, 0 Most High! I
beg You 0 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. Amen
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 the purifying fire, that in that place, too, the power of Your mercy may be praised. From the terrible heat of the cleansing fire Rises a plaint to Your mercy, And they receive comfort, refreshment, relief In the stream of mingled Blood and Water. 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
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. 0 Most Compassionate Jesus, exercise the omnipotence of Your mercy and draw them into the very ardour of Your love; and bestow upon them the gift of holy love, for nothing is beyond Your power. Fire and ice cannot be joined; Either the fire dies, or the ice melts. But by Your mercy, 0 God, You can make up for all that is lacking. 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.
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| The Essence Of The Devotion
To The Divine Mercy.
Trust
"No soul will be justified unless it turns with confidence to My mercy (11,39,40) [Let] the greatest sinners place their trust in My mercy. They have the right before others to confidence in the abyss of My mercy (111,39) Graces are drawn from [the fount of] My mercy with one vessel only, and that is - trust. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive (V.148). I make Myself dependent upon your trust; if your trust will be great, then My generosity will know no limits (11, 19). Sins of distrust wound Me most painfully" (111, 21). All the forms of devotion to the Divine Mercy revealed to Sister Faustina, then, whether it be the veneration of the image of the Divine Mercy, or the recitation of the Chaplet, or receiving the Sacraments on the Feast of Mercy, are of value only to the degree that they are expressions of trust in Jesus - the Divine Mercy incarnate. (Confession + Holy Communion is strongly Recommended) According to the evidence in Sister Faustina's Diary, Our Lord considers sacramental confession to be of the principal means of giving due honour to His Divine Mercy - honour that He claims as His due from all creatures. The fruits of Christ's death on our behalf is nowhere more in evidence than in the resurrection and life imparted to souls in the Sacraments of Baptism, Reconcilliation and Eucharist. When we profit from these we do not allow Jesus' unspeakable sufferings out of love for us to be wasted or made useless, but give God great glory by not refusing His gifts. Jeus urged Sister Faustina to:
When you go to confession, know this, that
I Myself am waiting for you in the confessional; i am only hidden by the
priest, but I myself act in the soul. Here the misery of the soul meets
the God of Mercy. Tell souls that from this fount of mercy souls draw graces
solely with the vessel of trust. If their trust is great there is no limit
to My generosity."
The Sacrament of Reconcilliation is one of the conditions for obtaining the great promise of complete forgiveness of sins and punishment due to sin through the reception of Holy Communion on the Feast of Mercy. It is no wonder that Jesus calls both Sacramental Confession and Eucharistic Communion the fount of mercy. It is likewise significant that the institution of this sacrament is proclaimed in the Gospel passage prescribed for the First Sunday After Easter - the day Our Lord desires to be known as the Feast of Mercy and to be celebrated with great solemnity. |