This is a continuation of the Healing of Depression post.
This post is about the devotion to Divine Mercy, which will be explained below.
Sections:
I. Biological Evidence of Sin
II. What is a "burned out soul"?
III. Divine Mercy: What Is It?
IV. Divine Mercy Quotes
V. Intro to Learning The Chaplet of Divine Mercy
VI. The Chaplet: The Bronze Serpent
VII. Image of Divine Mercy
VIII. Conclusion
IX. Where Do I Go From Here?
Biological Evidence of Sin
Much anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation is physically rooted and can be combatted by physical means. Sleep, water, medicine.
However, there is depression, sadness, and anxiety caused directly by feeling betrayed. Everyone has experienced the first time they were lied to or betrayed. Every person, every child, feels wounded, feels hurt, when betrayed or lied to, at least, the first time.
There is no evolutionary reason for humans to become anxious, depressed, sad, or hurt when they are lied to or feel betrayed.
Humans have been lying to each other and betraying each other since sentience developed.
If we were purely evolutionary creatures, we would have evolved to never feel betrayed. It is more effective for survival to not feel anything when others hurt us. Natural selection would have long ago omitted any humans who were capable of being depressed or anxious or hurt.
You would not have to study a ten thousand word document for how to heal from anxiety or depression unless there was some unseen, invisible wound within you. If we were purely, 100% creatures of evolution with no higher calling or plan for our existence, no higher plane of existence, than you would have never been wounded or developed anxiety or depression. It is impractical for the survival of a species.
You can argue that anxiety is practical because it is a fight or flight response, but that our modern world puts this response out of sorts.
Betrayal would have never naturally evolved into a fight or flight response because betrayal is constantly present in all human living conditions, and, naturally speaking, in the earliest existence of mankind when we were fighting off wild animals, it is safer to remain among humans than to fight or flee from them, even if betrayal was committed. We would be safer among our own kind than fleeing out in the woods with wild animals or fighting each other.
Therefore, even if we had a fight or flight response that naturally evolved, it would be impractical to have evolved against humans, let alone against betrayal. For the propagation of a species, it is impractical that we would have evolved to fight each other or become angry with each other. In fact, anger wouldn't be a necessary emotion at all, even to battle ferocious wild animals or survive in a civilization that is not advanced.
If its true that, above all things, humans care about their own survival, and that survival were purely physical or evolutionary based, there could not be any suicide. Even if you were to argue that suicide is, in a sense, a way to maintain survival of an inner self (that is, not the biological self), to keep this "inner self" from being destroyed, you would have to admit to an "inner self" existing. And the very existence of this inner self that can be wounded acts against the evolution of a species, propagation of a species, because this inner self can be wounded or in pain and cause death, even death by suicide.
No matter how you look at it, evolution alone does not justify spending hours and hours studying literature to overcome a sense of depression or anxiety, which, by evolutionary standards, should not exist.
Even Scientific American, in the article about emotional feedback loops, can be quoted saying: "No one yet knows why our facial expressions influence our emotions as they seem to. The associations in our mind between how we feel and how we react may be so strong that our expressions simply end up reinforcing our emotions—there may be no evolutionary reason for the connection."
If there is no evolutionary reason for the connection, and we were purely biological, evolutionary creatures, there would simply be no connection. No connection between our facial expressions, our minds, or even our mood and health, would have ever been created.
If we are "still evolving" and will eventually "evolve out" of these emotions and reactions, ... where did these responses come from in the first place? Why did humanity ever have them? Why would humanity have ever evolved them?
There is no evolutionary or natural answer for this.
However, being hurt by being betrayed is not impractical if you have a soul, one that was made with a vision for it, an intention for your life, a purpose, and if the truth is that the soul, the inner person, was created from love that never wanted to betray or lie to you. When out and among other people, and acted against in an unloving manner, such as a lie or betrayal, that "soul" becomes wounded.
Not only that, but the wounded "soul" has power to effect the body, as depression is a measurable biological condition, an inflammation response.
We have a natural, physical body, and deeply connected to it and to the events around us, is a spirit.
Otherwise there would be no depression, anxiety, or sadness.
There would certainly never be suicide.
And invisible wounds, "sins," against us, seem to "poison" us and cause a response in the mind, body, and even in the emotional capacity of an individual.
Not only that, but even animals become stressed, depressed, sad, angry, or wounded. And even humans, who witness innocent animals abused, become wounded themselves by witnessing the pain of these creatures, as is evident by the fact that, in the U.S. at the time of writing this, Animal Control workers who care for wounded animals have the highest suicide rate. Therefore this reality of an "inner self," this "spirit," extends also to these creatures.
Even sociopaths, not capable of feeling emotions for others, can feel enraged or slighted or depressed or anxious. This, too, is not effective for evolution.
That "wound" against your (or an animal's) "inner self," or "soul," is "sin." If you are depressed or anxious or suicidal, you, your inner self, your soul, your spirit, has been sinned against.
What is a "burned out soul"?
There are those among us who no longer have “love” in them, nor do they have “no love.” They are as though already dead, as if they have nothing. Those who are empaths, deeply felt everything in the world around them. But the world drew too much out of them without putting anything back. So now they feel as if they are lacking all emotion, dead inside.
They struggle with loneliness. They have been in this battle for years, but it is a battle that no one has appreciated. Others spoke cruelly to them, as if trying to destroy them, and through this abuse, they have learned to speak cruelly to others, too. Only they lay awake at night for months, cursing themselves for hurting others, knowing firsthand how painful it is.
They tried the hardest to be who society asked them to be: some kind of crass, thrice over treated as a sex object, inundated with current events and over-politicized, swearing or trying to appear to be tough as nails or stronger than anyone, wealthy or striving-as-hard-as-possible-to-be-wealthy or successful, alcoholic or drug abusing nihilists who push themselves through all kinds of pain to keep going on this path they were instructed to follow but is a dead end, who is never allowed to accuse those who hurt them or who are now too crippled to do so, who feel as if there is no justice and, at the same time, no mercy. The misunderstood. Someone who is expected to accept all this self-destruction with poise, without questioning.
In the end, all those who pushed them into their current role abandon them, as if repulsed at the very person they urged them to become.
No one ever appreciates how much of themselves they had to destroy in order to live up to everyone’s expectations. Those who held those expectations gave them nothing in return for the intense amount of effort these people spent trying to please others, the huge chunks they ripped out of themselves willingly to make others happy, being the sort of person others taught them to be.
Those who do not abandon them for being this person? It would be better to know no one than to know those, for they are false friends. They treat them like objects. They are worse than enemies.
Everything is false, everything is a lie. No matter how much they spin their wheels, they cannot move forward. And it seems that only wolves surround them.
They hate themselves. They hate themselves for everything they have become, they hate themselves for all the filth that reached through them and out into others, and they hate themselves for all the times they were hurt by others. As if others’ hatred for them, others’ jealousy, others’ cruelty, was grafted into their own hearts and turned inward towards themselves, crushing them. One big ball of anxiety, fear, anguish, and this sort of internalized death.
And now, they are just burned out, just dead inside. Blank. Shut down.
It was all too much. Too much stress. Too much using. Too much abuse. Too much death that was internalized. Too much self-loathing. It seems like drowning, and yet, at the same time, like having been burnt by fire, twice, three times over, until there was, without a doubt, absolutely nothing left that could be caught on fire.
It is these that God, the source that created your soul out of Love, most longs to console. God desires to extract the poison out of these souls, these hearts (for the soul is not just limited to one place, but, according to Scientific American, is contained in the face, body, heart, a mirror of the physical body, only an "inner self").
God wants to tend to these lost hearts in need of consolation, these hearts that no one seems to want and that no longer want themselves. These lowly hearts that know no comfort, no matter how much comfort they try to prop up around themselves. God came to extract the poison out of the veins of these people. He came to heal these…
God didn’t create any person or any creature at all in vain, or any person without reason or without His love in mind: “All of them differ, one from another, yet none of them has he made in vain, For each in turn, as it comes, is good; can one ever see enough of their splendor?” [ Sirach ]
Divine Mercy: What is it?
It is a devotion. Devotion to The Divine Mercy involves a total commitment to God as Mercy. It is a decision to trust completely in Him, to accept His mercy with thanksgiving, and to be merciful as He is merciful.
The message takes on a powerful new focus, calling people to a deeper understanding that God’s love is unlimited and available to everyone — not just including, but especially, the greatest sinners. He wants us to recognize that His mercy is greater than our sins, so that we will call upon Him with trust, receive His mercy, and let it flow through us to others.
From the diary of a young Polish nun, this special devotion began spreading throughout the world in the 1930s. The message and devotion to God 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.
Thus, all will come to share His joy.
It is a message we can call to mind simply by remembering ABC.
A — Ask for His Mercy. God wants us to approach Him in prayer constantly, repenting of our sins and asking Him to pour His mercy out upon us and upon the whole world. He taught us a new prayer called the “Chaplet of Divine Mercy,” in which His Mercy will completely envelope the soul of the one who says the chaplet.
B — Be merciful. God wants us to receive His mercy and let it flow through us to others. He wants us to extend love and forgiveness to others just as He does to us. Let us remember these two quotes: “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Is 29:13); and “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Mt 5:7). We don't want to be hypocrites and often dealing with these people turn us and others away from God. So we do want to be merciful, and can become merciful, when God’s mercy is poured out on us.
[Also, praying for the salvation of souls can help save many sinners. So you are merciful when you pray, not only in direct physical contact with people. In fact, prayer is more merciful, although you must still be merciful to people whom you are in contact with.]
C —Completely trust in God. God wants us to know that the graces of His mercy are dependent upon our trust. The more we trust in God, the more we will receive.[ Quoted from EWTN Divine Mercy site. ]
God: Even the most hardened sinner, if he recites this [Divine Mercy] Chaplet even once, will receive grace from My Infinite Mercy. I want the whole world to know My Infinite Mercy. I want to give unimaginable graces to those who trust in My Mercy.
God to Faustina: My daughter, encourage souls to say the chaplet which I have given to you. It pleases Me to grant everything they ask of Me by saying the chaplet. When hardened sinners say it, I will fill their souls with peace, and the hour of their death will be a happy one.
God: Write this for the benefit of distressed souls; when a soul sees and realized the gravity of its sins, when the whole abyss of the misery into which it immersed itself is displayed before its eyes, let it not despair, but with trust let it throw itself into the arms of My mercy, as a child into the arms of its beloved mother. These souls have a right of priority to My compassionate Heart, they have first access to My mercy. Tell them that no soul that has called upon My mercy has been disappointed or brought to shame. I delight particularly in a soul which has placed its trust in My goodness.
God: Write that when they [pray the chaplet of Divine Mercy] 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.
God: Write this: before I come as the Just Judge, I am coming first as the King of Mercy.
God: Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy. ... Tell aching mankind to snuggle close to My merciful Heart, and I will fill it with peace.
God: The flames of mercy [and love] are burning Me. I desire to pour them out upon human souls. Oh, what pain they cause Me when they do not want to accept [My mercy and love]! The flames of mercy are burning Me – clamoring to be spent; I want to pour them out upon these souls.
God: Distrust on the part of souls is tearing at My insides. The distrust of a chosen soul causes Me even greater pain; despite My inexhaustible love for them they do not trust Me. Even My death is not enough for them. Woe to the soul that abuses these [gifts]. ... The proud remain always in poverty and misery, because My grace turns away from them to humble souls.
God: Poor soul, I see that you suffer much and that you do not have even the strength to converse with me. So I will speak to you. Even though your sufferings were very great, do not lose heart or give in to despondency. But tell Me, my child, who has dared to wound your heart? Tell me about everything, be sincere in dealing with Me, reveal all the wounds of your heart. I will heal them, and your suffering will become a source of your sanctification.
God: Speak, My beloved child, for I am always listening. I wait for you. What do you desire to say? My child, we should talk in more detail about the things that lie in your heart. Let us talk confidentially and frankly, as two hearts that love one another do.
God: You are My joy; you are My heart’s delight.
God: Tell [all people], My child, that I am Love and Mercy itself. When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls.
God: [Towards God,] act like a beggar who does not back away when he gets more alms [than he asked for], but offers thanks the more fervently. You too, should not back away and say that you are not worthy of receiving greater graces when I give them to you. I know you are unworthy, but rejoice all the more and take as many treasures from My Heart as you can carry, for then you will please Me more. And I will tell you one more thing: take these graces not only for yourself, but also for others; that is, encourage the souls with whom you come in contact to trust in My infinite mercy. Oh, how I love those souls who have complete confidence in Me–I will do everything for them.
God: My child, do not be discouraged. I know your boundless trust in Me; I know you are aware of My goodness and mercy. Let us talk in detail about everything that weighs so heavily upon your heart. Talk to Me simply, as a friend to a friend.
God: I am pleased with your efforts, O soul aspiring for perfection, but why do I see you so often sad and depressed? Tell Me, My child, what is the meaning of this sadness, and what is its cause?
God: I realize how painful it is not to be understood, and especially by those whom one loves and with whom one has been very open. But suffice it to know that I understand all your troubles and misery.
God: Learn from this that no one will understand a soul entirely–that is beyond human ability. Therefore, I have remained on earth [in the Eucharist] to comfort your aching heart and to fortify your soul, so that you will not falter on the way. You say that a dense darkness is obscuring your mind. But why, at such times, do you not come to Me, the light who can in an instant pour into your soul more understanding about holiness than can be found in any books? ... Know, too, that the darkness about which you complain I first endured in the Garden of Olives when My Soul was crushed in mortal anguish. I am giving you a share in those sufferings because of My special love for you and in view of the high degree of holiness I am intending for you in heaven. A suffering soul is closest to My Heart.
God: My beloved child, delight of My Heart, your words are dearer and more pleasing to me than the angelic chorus. All the treasures of My Heart are open to you. Take from this Heart all that you need for yourself and for the whole world. For the sake of your love [for Me], I withhold the just chastisements, which mankind has deserved. A single act of pure love [of God] pleases Me more than a thousand imperfect prayers. One of your sighs of love atones for many offenses with which the godless overwhelm Me. The smallest act of virtue has unlimited value in My eyes because of your great love for Me. In a soul that lives on My love alone, I reign as in heaven. I watch over it day and night. In it I find My happiness; My ear is attentive to each request of its heart; often I anticipate its requests. O child, especially beloved by Me, apple of My eye, rest a moment near My Heart and taste of the love in which you will delight for all eternity.
God: My child, you please Me more by [taking care of your health, physical and mental] out of obedience and love of Me than by fasting and mortifying yourself of your own will. A soul that loves Me very much must, ought to live by My will. I know your heart, and I know that it will not be satisfied by anything but My love alone. (see note #2 at bottom of this section)
God: Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy. Souls perish in spite of My bitter Passion. I am giving them the last hope of salvation; that is, the Feast of My Mercy. If they will not adore My mercy, they will perish for all eternity. Secretary of My mercy, write, tell souls about this great mercy of Mine, because the awful day, the day of My justice, is near.
Faustina: Suddenly I heard the bell in the next room, and I went in and rendered a service to a seriously sick person. [God responded], ‘My child, you gave Me greater pleasure by rendering Me that service than if you had prayed for a long time.’ I answered, “But it was not to You, God, but to that patient that I rendered this service.” And God answered me, ‘Yes, My child, but whatever you for your neighbor, you do for Me.’ [ Matthew 25:31-46 ]
Faustina: When I see that the burden is beyond my strength, I do not consider or analyze it or probe into it, but I run like a child to the [Sacred Heart] and say only one word to Him: “You can do all things.” And then I keep silent, because I know that God Himself will intervene in the matter, and as for me, instead of tormenting myself, I use that time to love Him.
Faustina: In difficult and painful moments, O my Creator, I sing You a hymn of trust, for bottomless is the abyss of my trust in You and in Your mercy!
Faustina: His goodness no one has fathomed, no one can measure, His compassion is untold. Every soul that approaches Him experiences this. He will shield her and clasp her to His merciful heart. Happy the soul that has trusted in Your goodness And has abandoned herself completely to Your mercy. Her soul is filled with the peace of love You defend her everywhere as Your own child. O soul, whoever you may be in this world, Even if your sins were as black as night, Do not fear God, weak child that you are, For great is the power of God's mercy.
God to Faustina: He said to me, “You are My Heart. Speak to sinners about My mercy.” And the God gave me interior knowledge of the whole abyss of His mercy for souls, and I learned that that which I had written is truly a drop.
Faustina: It seems to me as though God could not be happy without me, nor could I, without Him. Although I understand that, being God, He is happy in Himself and has absolutely no need of any creature, still, His goodness compels Him to give Himself to the creature, and with a generosity which is beyond understanding."
Faustina: Yes, O God, but my heart would not be able to live without You, either; for even if the hearts of all creatures were offered to me, they would not satisfy the depths of my heart.
Faustina: Among God’s chosen ones, there are some who are especially chosen... These are seraphic souls, from whom God demands greater love than He does from others. ... the soul may either follow this call or not. It depends on the soul itself whether it is faithful to these touches of the Holy Spirit, or whether it resists them. The soul which is especially marked by God will be distinguished everywhere, whether in heaven or in purgatory or in hell. In heaven, it will be distinguished from other souls by greater glory and radiance and deeper knowledge of God. In purgatory, by greater pain, because it knows God more profoundly and desires Him more vehemently. I have learned that... this kind of torment [in Purgatory, for rejecting God’s call] is the most difficult of all [the various pains of Purgatory]. In hell, [the chosen soul] will suffer more profoundly than other souls, because it knows more fully Whom it has lost. This indelible mark of God’s exclusive love, in the [soul], will not be obliterated [either in Heaven, Purgatory, or Hell].
Faustina: O my God, You have tested me so many times in this short life of mine! I have come to understand so many things, and even such that now amaze me. Oh, how good it is to abandon oneself totally to God and to give Him full freedom to act in one’s soul!
Faustina: I realize more and more how much every soul needs God’s mercy throughout life and particularly at the hour of death. This chaplet mitigates God’s anger, as He Himself told me.
Faustina and God: This evening, a certain young man was dying; he was suffering terribly. For his intention, I began to say the chaplet which God had taught me. I said it all, but the agony continued. I wanted to start the Litany of the Saints, but suddenly I heard the words, “Say the chaplet.” I understood that the soul needed the special help of prayers and great mercy. And so I locked myself in my room and fell prostrate before God and begged for mercy upon that soul. Then I felt the great majesty of God and His great justice. I trembled with fear, but did not stop begging God’s mercy for that soul. Then I took the cross off my breast, the crucifix I had received when making my vows, and I put it on the chest of the dying man and said to God, “God, look on this soul with the same love with which You looked on my holocaust on the day of my perpetual vows, and by the power of the promise which You made to me in respect to the dying and those who would invoke Your mercy on them, [grant this man the grace of a happy death].” His suffering then ceased, and he died peacefully. Oh, how much we should pray for the dying! Let us take advantage of mercy while there is still time for mercy.
Faustina: God, who in Your mercy have deigned to call man from nothingness into being, generously have You bestowed upon him nature and grace. But that seemed too little for Your infinite goodness. In Your mercy, O God, You have given us everlasting life. You admit us to Your everlasting happiness and grant us to share in Your interior life. And You do this solely out of Your mercy. You bestow on us the gift of Your grace, only because You are good and full of love. You had no need of us at all to be happy, but You, O God, want to share Your own happiness with us. But man did not stand the test. You could have punished him, like the angels, with eternal rejection, but here Your mercy appeared, and the very depths of Your being were moved with great compassion, and You promised to restore our salvation. It is an incomprehensible abyss of Your compassion that You did not punish us as we deserved. May Your mercy be glorified, O God; we will praise it for endless ages. And the angels were amazed at the greatness of the mercy which You have shown for mankind...
Faustina: To receive God’s light and recognize what God wants of us and yet not do it is a great offense against the majesty of God. Such a soul deserves to be completely forsaken by God. It resembles Lucifer, who had great light, but did not do God's will. An extraordinary peace entered my soul when I reflected on the fact that, despite great difficulties, I had always faithfully followed God’s will as I knew it. ... [G]rant me the grace to put Your will into practice as I have come to know it, O God.
Faustina: When I entered the chapel, I received an inner understanding
Faustina: My God, how little these people talk about You. They talk about everything but You. And if they talk so little [about You], it is quite probable that they do not think about You at all. The whole world interests them; but about You, their Creator, there is silence. God, I am sad to see this great indifference and ingratitude of creatures. O my God, I want to love You for them and to make atonement to You, by my love.
Mary and St. Faustina: “I am Mother to you all, thanks to the unfathomable mercy of God. Most pleasing to Me is that soul which faithfully carries out the will of God.” She gave me to understand that I had faithfully fulfilled the will of God and had thus found favor in His eyes. “Be courageous. Do not fear apparent obstacles, but fix your gaze upon the Passion of My Son, and in this way you will be victorious.“
*You cannot receive communion without going through RCIA, a free program to become Catholic. Contact your [ local diocese ] and ask for their best RCIA program.
If you don’t believe in God or never believed in His goodness, its likely because no one ever taught you how to pray, or never taught you how to pray well, or you knew how but stopped praying. But that is okay. That is in the past. God Himself will come to you and teach you about prayer once you start; if you pray even once, He will come to you and help you, so you will understand it more in the future. You just have to get started, and then God will do the rest. Put aside the doubt and fear and let God heal you, let Him have compassion on you, let He who created you love you and recreate your life so that you are joyful.
Taking care of your spiritual health means prayer. Not just a split second of prayer, not just putting your hands together and making a wish, not just holding hands in a group prayer because someone had an accident, but real, private, alone, meditative prayer that takes time and involves you, like meditating on the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Not meditating as in trascendental meditation and not prayer as in chanting mantras, but really thinking about and feeling God’s mysteries of light. That is how He will heal you, by you meditating on Him, and He, in turn, coming to you in this way and giving you the mercy and graces promised in Divine Mercy.
If you feel anxiety, I suggest you take a deep breath and realize that your anxiety, repulsion, apprehension, anger, etc., is a negative influence on you, and by that I mean a real spiritual influence, as in, a spirit, or an oppression, to try to keep you from healing and reaching God’s graces. This is called “the spirit of the world.” Take a slow, deep breath; keep calm. Call upon God in your heart to give you light and peace and solace if a moment distress comes upon you. Then the oppression will leave you and you will have peace.
Now that you have asked Him through that little prayer, God will begin to enlighten you. So now I may begin explaining how to recite the Chaplet of Divine Mercy to you.
When we look at Christ upon the Cross, especially with contrition and trust in God, we see reflected back at us all of our wounds, all the cuts and bruises and pain and bleeding of our souls. That is what Christ on the Cross is: it is the Bronze Serpent that Moses made in the desert to extract the poison from God’s Children, through a look (a meditation, this chaplet of Divine Mercy).
The Cross was used in ancient times as the ultimate symbol of fear, public humiliation, torture, and death. It was capital punishment. Death on the Cross meant excruciating pain. Victims would actually die from drowning: their lungs would fill with their own fluids because their arms were forced to be outstretched and they would drown.
Who hasn’t felt as if their soul was drowning in sorrow or pain or loneliness or guilt or from others’ abuse? That internal lingering poison that wears us out until we are dead inside? Who hasn’t felt fear, public humiliation, torture, and living death? Drowning within our souls?
When we look upon Him on the Cross, He looks back at us with mercy and love, and takes all the tortured wounds in our soul, all the fear in our heart, and all the death in our life, into His Own Person, and out of us. He never committed a wrongdoing against anyone, and as God, Life flows from Him.
Thus, we recover.
This is how God heals us when we meditate upon Him. That is how He lends us His strength.
That is one of the reasons Christians view the Cross now as a symbol of hope. It represents all the burdens and miseries of our lives, in whatever form they’re in, being transformed by God into light.
That is what the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is: it is the meditation of the Wounds of Christ and on God’s Love and Mercy. In return for our meditation and remembrance of this great sacrifice, the poison within our souls is drawn out.
God: “Were a soul like a decaying corpse so that from a human standpoint, there would be no [hope of ] restoration and everything would already be lost, it is not so with God. The miracle of Divine Mercy restores that soul in full. Oh, how miserable are those who do not take advantage of the miracle of God’s mercy!”
Miserable because the poison will only become more intense, the decay only grow worse; miserable because the singular opportunity for healing was passed up. Outside of God, there is no healing; no other source that will draw out this poison and restore light to a soul; no other “Bronze Serpent” exists.
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is composed of two primary prayers. They are recited during mental meditation. In other words, you repeat the prayers out loud and meditate in your mind. (Although you may also pray the prayers silently while you meditate if you want; or sing them. “He who sings prays twice.”)
God envelopes a soul in His Mercy when that soul recites this Chaplet, and you will be able to feel it around you. His Mercy begins healing that soul and its life, all the wounds in that soul. Also, anything can be asked of Him, and as much will be given as the soul has trust. So if the soul has a bucket of trust in God’s goodness, a bucket of graces will be poured out. If a soul has an ocean of trust in God’s goodness, an ocean of graces will be poured out. If you want more trust, pray, “help my unbelief!” [ Mark Chapter 9: http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/9 ]
You may increase your faith by reading stories of God’s intercession; testimonies of how God has acted in someone’s life. Some listed below:
God to Saint Faustina: “My Secretary, write that I am more generous toward sinners that toward the just. It was for their sake that I came down from heaven; it was for their sake that My Blood was spilled. Let them not fear to approach Me; they are most in need of My mercy.”
Lutheran Feels God’s Mercy Poured Out Via Divine Mercy Chaplet, helps heal a vice: http://www.thedivinemercy.org/news/story.php?NID=3805
Three Stories of People Who Hit Rock Bottom, Suicidal: http://www.boldradish.com/2015/01/healing-depression-anxiety-stress.html#rockbottom
Former Prostitute ‘Miss Whiplash’ Near-Death Experience (watch video, article doesn’t have everything): http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/hereford/worcs/8261078.stm
Porn Addict, Sex Addict, Alcoholic: http://marytakeover.livejournal.com/22082.html
Atheist concerned about dying, who hit rock bottom after a string of empty relationships and losing her only passion in life due to injury, which was dancing: http://marytakeover.livejournal.com/15708.html
Rosary of Liberation, 31 testimonies: http:// www.boldradish.com/p/rosary-of-liberation.html
Cocaine Addict: http://marytakeover.livejournal.com/15493.html
The two prayers of the Chaplet are, “For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!” and “Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement of our sins and those of the whole world!”
They are recited in this way:
0—Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement of our sins and those of the whole world!
1—For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!
2—For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!
3—For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!
4—For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!
5—For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!
6—For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!
7—For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!
8—For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!
9—For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!
10—For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!
One opening prayer, followed by 10 repeating prayers, is known as a “decade.”
5 “decades” are recited for a complete “Divine Mercy Chaplet.” That means you recite the above “decade” 5 times in a row.
You can say the Divine Mercy Chaplet any number of times during the day. It is recommended that you say it daily.
What are you supposed to meditate on while reciting this chaplet? What are you supposed to be thinking about?
You can think about God’s mercy and love. I include quotes from St. Faustina’s Diary, Divine Mercy in my Soul, throughout this page.
You can meditate on His Passion. You can look at artistic depictions of His Passion, on a crucifix, and/or read the scriptures on His Passion (which are linked to within this document). The gospels are unique to all other written documents because the words are living, in a spiritual sense. They are “the four living creatures” described in the book of Revelation; they “feel” different even from other religious texts in other religions. They are mystical, alive.
Included in this document is also a chaplet composed of the lines from the 7 penitential psalms (http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year/lent/seven-penitential-psalms-songs-of-suffering-servant.cfm)
The first time I prayed it, I “saw” a scene like the pieta. We’ve all had an art history class in school, but in case you’ve forgotten, “the pieta” is any artistic depiction of Mary holding her Son after His Body has been removed from the Cross, after He’s died and right before His burial. It means “pity.” One of the most famous Pietas is Michelangelo’s Pieta.
Only it wasn’t Mary offering up the body of her Son in this vision, it was
Our Lord promises to deliver souls who pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy from their spiritual enemies as well as (if they have them) any people who are their enemies.
Make the Sign of the Cross: Touch your forehead with your dominant hand and say, "In the name of the Father." With the same hand, touch the middle of your chest and say, "and of the Son." Again using the same hand, touch your left shoulder and say, "and of the Holy", then touch your right shoulder and say, "Ghost. AMEN."
That is called “making the sign of the Cross.”
For the sake of learning, I will put the Apostle’s Creed, Our Father, and Hail Mary prayers at the end of the Chaplet.
Chaplet:
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.
O Lord, rebuke me not in Your indignation, nor chastise me in Your wrath. Ps 6:2
Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak: heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. Ps 6:3
And my soul is troubled exceedingly: but You, O Lord, how long? Ps 6:4
I will give you understanding, and I will instruct you in this way, in which you shall go: I will fix My Eyes upon you. Ps 31:8
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Many are the scourges of the sinner, but mercy shall encompass him that hopes in the Lord. Ps 31:10
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, you just, and glory, all you right of heart. Ps 31:11
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Rebuke me not, O Lord, in Your indignation ... For Your arrows are fastened in me: and Your hand has been strong upon me. Ps 37:2-3
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the
whole world.
There is no health in my flesh, because of Your wrath: there is no peace for my bones, because of my sins. Ps 37:4
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
I am become miserable, and am bowed down even to the end: I walked sorrowful all the day long. Ps 37:7
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
I am afflicted and humbled exceedingly: I roared with the groaning of my heart. Ps 37:9
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Lord, all my desire is before You, and my groaning is not hidden from You. My heart is troubled, my strength has left me. Ps 37:10-11
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
My friends and my neighbors have drawn near, and stood against me. And they that were near me stood afar off: And they that sought my soul used violence. Ps 37:12-13
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
For in You, O Lord, have I hoped: You will hear me, O Lord my God. Ps 37:16
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
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 I am ready for scourges: and my sorrow is continually before me. Ps 37:18
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Forsake me not, O Lord my God: do not depart from me. Attend unto my help, O Lord, the God of my salvation. Ps 37:22-23
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy. And according to the multitude of Your tender mercies blot out my iniquity. ... You shall wash me, and my soul shall be made whiter than snow. Ps 50:3,9
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
To my hearing You shall give joy and gladness: and the bones that have
You shall arise and have mercy on Sion: for it is time to have mercy on it, for the time is come. Ps 101:14
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
For the Lord has built up Sion: and he shall be seen in his glory. Ps 101:17
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
He has had regard to the prayer of the humble: and he has not despised their petition. Ps 101:18
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord. Ps 129:1
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Lord, hear my voice. Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication. Ps 129:2
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
For with You there is merciful forgiveness: and by reason of Your law, I have waited for You, O Lord. Ps 129:4
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
My soul has relied on His Word: my soul has hoped in the Lord. Ps 129:4-5
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
From the morning watch even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord. Ps 129:6
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Because with the Lord there is mercy: and with him plentiful redemption. Ps 129:7
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities. Ps 129:8
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
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.
Hear, O Lord, my prayer: give ear to my supplication in Your truth: hear me in Your justice. Ps 142:1
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
For the enemy has persecuted my soul: he has brought down my life to the earth. Ps 142:3
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
He has made me to dwell in darkness as those that have been dead of old: and my spirit is in anguish within me: my heart within me is troubled. Ps 142:3-4
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
I stretched forth my hands to You: my soul is as earth without water unto You. Ps 142:6
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Hear me speedily, O Lord: my spirit has fainted away. Turn not away Your face from me. Ps 142:7
Now, we still have to say the prayers that typically open the Chaplet that I skipped in the beginning for the sake of your learning. Recite the following prayers (Our Father, Hail Mary, Apostle’s Creed) even if you do not believe or do not yet understand them. In time, understanding will come upon you, God will enlighten you; in the meanwhile, say them anyway because they are powerful spiritual armor, like medicine for your spirit:
Our Father: Our Father in Heaven,
Holy is Your Name,
Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done, on earth as in Heaven.
Give us today our daily bread
and forgive us the wrong we have done
as we forgive those who wrong us.
Do not subject us to the final test
but deliver us from the evil one. Amen.
(This prayer composed of scripture from Luke 11:2 and Matthew 6:9.
"forgive us our wrong," etc. instead of the more formal wording "our trespasses" because it allows me to make more sense of my duties towards God and man; this version's wording is approved of with a nihil obstat and imprimatur from the New Saint Joseph's People's Prayer Book)
Hail Mary: Hail Mary, full of grace, our Lord is with you!
Blessed are you among women and Blessed is the Fruit of Your Womb,
our Lord, Jesus Christ in Whom I trust!
O Virgin Saint Mary, O Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at
all times and at the hour of our death! Amen.
(The Hail Mary is composed of scripture from Luke 1:26-28 and Luke 1:39-45
The variations here are from the Syrian version of the Hail Mary and from St. Louis de Montfort's book "Secrets of the Rosary." I prefer the Syrian additions and the lack of "thee" and "thou" because it is more reverent while at the same time more conversational, not putting God on a pedestal so far from me that He is not apart of my life, in which I never say "thee" or "thou," but I feel as if I am conversing with the Blessed Mother—who is also my mother—directly.)
Apostle's Creed: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen, 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. On the third day He arose from the dead. He ascended into Heaven and is seated 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 Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. AMEN.
——
There is more to read and for you to learn. Now I give you instructions. You see that God has said that it is better for you to be obedient to His Will than it is for you to suffer? Obey His Will now, then, in what I tell you.
Recite the Chaplet of Divine Mercy every day. Speak with God about all your miseries and problems, and accept peace from Him. Do not think your misery will be too much and He will not be able to give you peace. Do not reject His healing. Do not fight His peace.
Get nuns and monks to pray for you.
http://archstl.org/prayer/request-a-prayer Prayer request that gets over 100 contemplative nuns praying for you.
https://www.amm.org/petition/default.aspx?FormID=316&emlcode=IGO5 Many Masses and prayers and good works offered for you by monks
Bold Radish prayer request, we send your intentions to various convents by handwritten mail.
Recite the prayer in the Conclusion section of this document daily, as well. Then continue reading the quotes about Divine Mercy that are listed below that, the sections about spirituality and about God’s interest in daily tasks. You may also strongly consider reading the Diary of St. Faustina, linked below.
This step is very important as well. Listen and obey it carefully. Do all in your power to heal from depression and anxiety. Admit when you suffer from either of these two things, do not be in denial about them. BoldRadish fl has a lot of free resources for that purpose. You must do everything you can to be healthy: mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually healthy. That should be your primary focus. Then you will be peaceful and happy and able to accomplish your dreams and fulfill your life's purpose.
God wants you to be healed and to receive His peace and joy. You must not stop asking Him to guide you and help you heal, even if you think you are “well enough.” You must continue to ask Him to heal you, even if you think you don’t need it. It will be a sign of humility and He will respond by giving you great joy and a peace that the world cannot give you.
Finally, stay away from people who want to destroy you, destroy your soul, or who encourage the occult or any self-destructive activities. Forgive them, but stay away from them. Do not think about or communicate with them in any way. Do not sin. Forget your misery. Add them to a prayer request and then stay away from them. (I discuss this further in later sections.)
This is many things to do, these are each large tasks. Don’t put them off. God will help you: keep returning to Him, to the Divine Mercy, for graces and strength.
Faustina: The Lord gave me to know how very pleasing to Him is a soul who lives in accordance with the will of God. It thereby gives very great glory to God...
God: The soul that trusts in My mercy is most fortunate, because I Myself take care of it.
Another way to meditate while reciting the Chaplet of Divine Mercy: You may read the scriptural quotes for the Sorrowful Passion while reciting the chaplet of Divine Mercy. This is known as “meditating on the Passion.” There are four Gospels, written by four different saints. All of which chronicle the Passion. The various points of view have been combined here, with links to the individual chapters if you want to read them uncombined:
http://www.boldradish.com/p/rosary.html
There are five sorrowful mysteries. Each sorrowful mystery is meditated on while saying a “decade” of the Divine Mercy chaplet. So, for example, you would read the scripture for the first mystery, the Agony in the Garden. Then you would recite the first decade of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy while thinking about what you had just read.
Because God is infinite and He is also the Word of God, meditating upon scripture is mediating upon God Himself. There are an infinite number of new things to learn, realize and be enlightened about from meditating even on the same scripture repeatedly. Ask the Holy Ghost to enlighten you about new things in the scripture while you are praying. It will never become tiring or boring; God is ever new. Each day with Him is a new experience; each prayer with Him is a new experience, if we focus on Him and ask Him to help us experience His newness.
God: +Oh, how much I am hurt by a soul’s distrust! Such a soul professes that I am Holy and Just, but does not believe that I am Mercy and does not trust in My Goodness. Even the devils glorify My Justice but do not believe in My Goodness.
God: My Heart rejoices in this title of Mercy.
God: Proclaim that mercy is the greatest attribute of God. All the works of My hands are crowned with mercy.
This is the wonderful Vilnius Divine Mercy Image. It is the first version of the image and the only one painted under the guidance of Saint Faustina herself. Amazingly, the face of Jesus in this image is nearly a perfect match to the face on the Shroud of Turin, about which Faustina knew nothing.
The following is from a pamphlet adapted from a booklet "Divine Mercy Image Explained" by Father Michael Gaitley, MIC, with Ecclesiastical Approval.
"A powerful detail of the Vilnius Image of Divine Mercy is God's gaze. If you look closely, you can see that his gaze is not directly at the viewer. Rather, while his eyes look toward us, they face downward. This comes across as a deeply humble, non-threatening gesture as anyone who has ever worked with battered animals knows.
"Animals that have been abused by their owners are often skittish and ready to run away whenever someone approaches them. Therefore, in order to draw close to them, one must do so slowly and without looking directly at them, so they don't feel threatened. This is how God approaches us in the Divine Mercy Image. There, he takes a small step toward us without looking directly at us. Of course, he knows that we've been wounded by original sin, that we're ready to run off and hide. But he doesn't want this. Rather, he wants us to let him approach us, embrace us with the rays of his mercy, and receive his healing grace and blessing. So, his gaze is one of great love but also one of great humility and gentleness.
"How do we know that God's gaze in the Divine Mercy Image is one of "great love"? Because he tells us as much. In the Diary of St. Faustina, we read, "My gaze from this image is like My gaze from the Cross" (326). In other words, his gaze is one of greatest love, for "Greater love no man has than this, to lay down his life for his friends" (Jn 15:13). God showed this love for us on the Cross, where he laid down his life for us, and we can see this love in his gentle and merciful gaze."
What can we do with this image? How can we venerate it?
We can pray before the image. We can speak to God while looking on the face of this image. We can talk to Him about anything. In fact, we should trust Him with even minor details of our life. He will grant miracles in answer to our prayers prayed before this image.
A meditation:
Let us say we have some false idol that we hold onto. What is a false idol? It is anything we treasure dearly, that we enjoy thinking about, and acting towards, thinking it will give us ultimate happiness, that is not God.
For example, let's pretend I have this false idol that is vengeance. Let's say I enjoy thinking, whenever I can in my free time, of getting revenge on those who wronged me. When I think of it, it is my soul, my heart, "looking" at this idol, "adoring" this idol. With my body and mind and resources, I work for this idol. I am filled with anger when I think of them, and feel empowered when I think of hurting them. I want them to feel as bad as they made me feel. Let's say they hurt me out of their envy, when I just wanted to be friends, I didn't want them to envy me. So now, to hurt them. I imagine doing horrible violence to them. I want to do things that will make them envious, because I know how much envy consumes them. So I even start working on doing things that will make them envious.
Thus, my vengeance, my anger, because a most precious thing to me. It becomes the most precious possession I own because it is the fuel I have for doing everything else.
But when anything becomes an idol, when anything is precious above God and we gear our whole lives towards them, when we put them above God, they make us extremely miserable. Or insane. The unbalanced state they cause is what personality disorders are, their very definition. Either way, miserable or insane, we are very unstable and unhappy, sometimes even depressed and suicidal.
(You can see now that those who don't know God or pray to Him at all are prone to making everything into idols and becoming very miserable. And if you are coming in from not knowing Him, you can understand now how you had so little peace.)
God has every resource in His Hands. Including happiness. There are people surrounded by fame, wealth, family, success, all the best medical care, and who, deep down inside, are lonely and miserable and depressed, no matter what or who they have.
God can give you happiness, no matter what you don't have. In fact, to shame the proud who don't turn to Him, He gives joy to those who humble themselves before Him.
And He can help you work for your dreams, which He Himself put in your heart, in hopes that you would turn to Him and ask Him to help you with them.
So there's no reason to anxiously or fearfully or desperately work for your dreams (because God Himself will give you joy, right now, as soon as you ask, even while you still don't have your dreams fulfilled) and there's no reason to hold any idol above God because, even if you got the idol, only God could make you happy. Without Him, no matter what you have, you won't be joyful or peaceful or not feel lonely, deep down inside. Only God can fulfill those things.
He wants you to fulfill your dreams but not out of desperation, but out of love for Him.
Some examples of other false idols are greed (wanting money, material possessions), relationships (if I had such-and-such relationship, if my familial relationships were repair, if I had a wife/husband, if I had a baby, then I'd finally be happy), fame, sex, drugs, a good job, good grades, good looks, strength, being better than others, being perfect/doing things perfectly, ... etc. etc. almost anything can be an idol. Controlling others' actions, politics, current events, all can idols. Fear can be an idol. Anxiety. Doubt. Self-hatred. Hatred of another. Hatred of anything can be idolized, especially if we are called to be stable, gentle people. Obsession with another person. Obsession with anything, no matter what it is. Popularity. A talent, something you do.
It can even be an obsession with a mistake you made. It can be holding onto a sin. It can be self-pity. It can be a memory that is bad, that is very painful and hideous. It can be a relationship that is very toxic, very poisonous. It can be any memory that seems stuck in your mind, not letting you move on. It can be any moment of abuse in your life, any moment of pain, even pain and shame over something you did wrong. Everything within you is seen by God, with even greater clarity than you yourself see it. And He wants to heal everything. Everything you did, everything someone did to you, everything that you are clinging to that is poisoning you, every bad relationship in your life, every single drop of poison in you.
It can be grief. It can be loss. It can be rejection, or denial. It can be misplaced guilt, or appropriately placed guilt. Perhaps it is something about you that causes a lot of harm to others. A controlling attitude, a quick temper, a terrible fear or anxiety. Maybe its a specific event, or an on-going problem. A sin. Envy. Pride. Arrogance. Lack of confidence in God. A verbal problem. Saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Arguing. Gossip. Telling people's secrets. Saying too much or too little. Belittling others. Cussing. Blasphemy, taking God's Name in vain. A worry, a concern for the future, perhaps.
It can be even a goal. Anything at all precious to you. Perhaps something that you might be concerned about being an idol, but you don't know if its an idol or not.
Anything that is apart of you.
It can even be a physical pain. God teaches us we must unite all our pain to His great pain on the Cross, to complete His Passion. “For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry [to God], ‘[Papa,] Father!’ The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.” (Romans 8)
In the same way that God suffered for the salvation of souls, we spiritually unite our suffering to His great suffering of Betrayal and pain on the Cross for the salvation of souls. He not only often relieves us or heals us of our suffering, but He glorifies our suffering, sanctifies it.
For those without God, their suffering is meaningless. They don't understand why they suffer. But for those with God, who unite their suffering to His Great Suffering, our suffering suddenly has tremendous meaning. Although God urges us to try to heal and helps us to heal, our suffering becomes beautiful, holy, meaningful, helpful, salvific. That is why He is the Christ, the Savior of humanity: He made our misery no longer meaningless, we are no longer alone in our misery.
What we are going to do is use this Divine Mercy image to hand our suffering, or our idols that we might love very much but that make us insane or will eventually hurt us when they fail us, over to God.
God said to Saint Faustina: "My daughter, faithfully live up to the words which I speak to you. Do not value any external thing too highly, even if it were to seem very precious to you. Let go of yourself, and abide with Me continually. Entrust everything to Me and do nothing on your own, and you will always have great freedom of spirit. No circumstances or events will ever be able to upset you. Set little store on what people say. Let everyone judge you as they like. Do not make excuses for yourself, it will do you no harm. Give away everything at the first sign of a demand, even if they were the most necessary things. Do not ask for anything without consulting Me. Allow them to take away even what is due you – respect, your good name – let your spirit rise above all that. And so, set free from everything, rest close to My Heart, not allowing your peace to be disturbed by anything. My pupil, consider the words which I have spoken to you."
Guided imagery: You can do this every day you want, even over the same topic/idol, or thing that is bothering you or plaguing you or causing you pain. Your life will transform.
Imagine that you are standing before God, as seen in the Vilnius Divine Mercy Image. Everything around you is a beautiful dark blue, like late evening. He is the only thing there. He can see everything in you. He stands meek and humble and quiet, with a small smile, because He is so happy to see you turning to Him.
Imagine this idol, this desire or poison. Imagine it perfectly in your mind, whatever scenario it is, whether a memory or a fantasy. If it is not an idol but a physical or psychological illness or pain, picture how it handicaps you.
Imagine now that all you are imagining is being transformed into a colored substance, or colored light. What color(s) is it?
This colored light is running in narrow bands all over your spiritual body. It is in many places. Where is it? Your toes? Your spine? Your bowels? Your arms? Your neck? Your genitals? Your stomach? Your face? Is any part of it touching your eyes? Your wrists? Your brain? A particular organ? Your skin? Has it attached to a muscle, blood, bone...?
Imagine that you are taking your spirit-hands and pulling then through your spirit body. You are collecting all of the colored light/substance that is this idol, poison or pain that runs throughout your body.
You see that it sticks to certain parts of your body. You have to tug to get it off. Where is it sticking? Where is it coming up easily? How gentle or hard do you have to tug? Do you have to ask God's help, to pull His Hands through you to get it unstuck in certain areas?
You have collected all of the colored light, or God has helped you and has placed it in your hands.
You hold it in your hands.
It is larger than both your hands, slightly. You pack it all together. You can manipulate its shape.
What shape is it? Is it a perfect sphere? Is it lop-sided? Does it act like a liquid, or a gas? Is it a hard solid? Is it crystalline? Does it move or hold still? If it moves, is it fast or slow? Does light penetrate it? Is it reflective? Is it milky, or clear? Iridescent?
Is it very beautiful to you? Is it precious? Is it the most precious goal you have, the most precious, dearest thing, or is it something that you want to get rid of, that you find hideous? Are you afraid of it? Or do you find it wonderful, beautiful? Is it a sin in and of itself or is it only a sin because you cherish it more than you cherish your relationship with God?
Whatever it is to you, you hand it over to God.
He smiles, lowers His eyes in gratitude and humility, delighted that you would hand this over to Him. Even if it is something painful or hideous, He is so pleased that you would entrust it to Him. He is so pleased to take it for you.
You see that it seems to disappear into the brilliant light coming out of His Heart. He places whatever you handed to Him into His Heart.
This light from His Heart seems to find all the places in your spirit body that were touched by this idol, poison or desire. It is filling and repairing all of the openings or damage done to you by what you handed over to Him.
The two rays wash over you everywhere now, penetrating you as if you were translucent. They go through you, but also touch you, reaching every organ, tissue, cell. Your whole spirit.
Your spirit glows softly, the way a translucent stone glows when you shine a flashlight through it. You see this soft glow outside of you, surrounding you, as well. You realize it is the Mercy of God's Love, protecting you, your soul. Making your soul cozy. Giving you strength to reject bad people, places, thoughts, or actions.
End of guided imagery.
If it was an idol, a sin, or a past error or bad event/memory that you have already been to confession for, or something bad that happened to you long ago, you promise Him not to ever think about it again. He gives you much strength to do this. If you fail in this and do think of it again, you can always come back here and He will embrace you and help you start over again with this process, removing all of it from you. Sometimes spiritual cancers can grow back and need to be removed many times, sometimes they are gone completely after one time. Either way, it will bring you very close to God.
If it is something you haven't been to confession for or you have never been baptized, this light gives you tremendous power to seek reconciliation in Confession, that you can be united to God and protected by God in a more powerful way, and He can piece together your life in a bigger and more miraculous way.
(This practice can also be done with spiritual attachments that may have happened from playing with the occult or keeping bad company.)
God: Write, speak of My mercy. Tell souls where they are to look for solace; that is, in the Tribunal of Mercy [the Sacrament of Reconciliation]. There the greatest miracles take place [and] are incessantly repeated. To avail oneself of this miracle, it is not necessary to go on a great pilgrimage or to carry out some external ceremony; it suffices to come with faith to the feet of My representative and to reveal to him one’s misery, and the miracle of Divine Mercy will be fully demonstrated. Were a soul like a decaying corpse so that from a human standpoint, there would be no [hope of ] restoration and everything would already be lost, it is not so with God. The miracle of Divine Mercy restores that soul in full. Oh, how miserable are those who do not take advantage of the miracle of God’s mercy! You will call out in vain, but it will be too late.
End of meditation.
We can hand over many daily things to Him through this image.
We can also hand over what we are doing at any specific time to Him. It can be little things, big things, mundane things. What are some examples?
For example, I used to not draw very well. But almost overnight, God made me to draw very well. He also made me to write very well, and be able to write a great deal in a relatively short amount of time (without being manic).
Before we start something, we can reach into the very depths of ourselves and hand over what we are doing to God.
It can be basic things, like our next shower. Or our next meal. Preparing our meal. Preparing something to drink. Checking our email. We can go before this Divine Mercy Image or imagine it and reach inside ourselves and hand over what we are about to do, our actions, to God. It can be anything. Even our decorating. You want to decorate a room? Put it in God's Hands. Get dressed in the morning? God Himself will help us. You'll look so put together. And it will all be easier than normal, easier than without Him. Better and easier.
He lived on earth, in the hidden life, so He could help us with every day, small things. If you place your gardening in His Hands, He will help you work out the best, most beautiful garden. He will help your plants grow better than they could have without His help. Your money? He will help you think of all sorts of ideas for being successful. Creativity? He will again give you all sorts of new ideas. He is newness, creation. He creates the clouds in the sky every night. Beautiful pieces of moving artwork. Of course He'd be glad to help you with any work, any endeavor.
And we can also offer anything we do to Him. We can do it for Him. Even mundane, daily tasks. "... whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Colossians ch 3) You can go grocery shopping and offer the act of it to God. And then you can prepare your meal and eat your meal, offering those actions to God, too. Doing it, essentially, for Him.
He also works miracles through the Divine Mercy Image. You can ask Him for special graces. Healing. Help.
I personally asked Him to heal me of a skin condition. It was something that had cost me hours in time, incredible physical and psychological pain, money, treatments, doctor visits, even the threat of surgery, antibiotics.
The next morning after asking Him, my skin was significantly better. Also, a I didn't tell anyone I was asking for this, but within a few days, my parents purchased for me a herbal treatment for thyroid conditions, which I have slightly and which effect the skin. Also, at the same time, my mother got a oil that was for an entirely different problem she was having, but it turned out it worked amazingly on my skin, as well, and I had never heard of it as a treatment for my specific condition.
So please, yes, frequently turn to the Divine Mercy image, when possible. Either in your mind or casually looking at it throughout the day from time to time, and/or during your morning and evening prayers.
Conclusion
I conclude with another prayer for enlightenment. It is a very simple prayer, although it is very mystical, and I explain why I include it, so that He Himself, not by human means but by His own Light, might open your mind to understand what I am telling you, the way He did for me to understand before you, and countless others before me.
The prayer we are going to say so that you will come to understand these things is a consecration to the Heart of God. What is a consecration? It is to make sacred. Your mind, your thoughts, your person, will be made sacred through the grace of God, if we appeal to His Compassionate Heart.
First, I will tell you the promises God has made about the consecration to His Divine Heart so that you will understand what you are doing, and why, if you say this prayer at least once a day, in a year from now, you will have “tasted the fruits of Heaven”: you will have experienced moments of deep peace and significant light and enlightenment in your soul. It is not anything magic—the prayer itself, its wording, is almost inconsequential—it is that you are appealing in a special way to God to enlighten you, and it is He Himself, not any “magic words,” Who will give you this peace and joy, Who will begin to act in your life.
The Twelve Great Promises of God, Revealed Through Holy St. Margaret Mary, For Those Devoted To His Sacred Heart:
God:
1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life. 2. I will establish peace in their families.
3. I will console them in all their troubles.
4. They shall find in My Heart an assured refuge during life and
especially during the spiritual trials accompanying death.
5. I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings.
6. Sinners shall find in My Heart the source of an infinite ocean of
mercy.
7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection.
9. I will bless the homes in which an image of My Heart shall be
exposed and honored.
10. I will give to priests the power of touching the most hardened hearts. 11. Those who propagate this devotion shall have their names written in
My Heart, never to be effaced.
12. The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those who shall
receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months the
And know that it is not anything other than the effort to contact Him on your part that is causing it. Some people believe they themselves are manifesting these Divine Promises. This is in grave error, because it is not from humans—even your own human self—that these promises are fulfilled, but by God, through His Love and Mercy. Those who believe it is their work will soon, by the fruits of their erroneous belief, come to understand this is not true. And those who do not turn to Him, but turn only to their own efforts, will find they cannot move their life forward even one millimeter, no matter how hard they push.
I would like to spare you those trials and tell you now that it is God’s work in our lives. That way, you will swiftly move forward because it will be Him moving you forward, and He can't help but grant more graces to those who appreciate Him. We have only to invite Him to give us these promises through our repeated consecrations, and He Himself will fulfill those promises; He Himself will bring us closer to Him.
Only the God Who created your heart, and who initially created your life, can recreate your heart and your life. You may assist Him through your prayers and works and efforts, but only He can recreate what was created. This ought to bring you great joy: if you are sad, He can recreate a life in which you are joyful and peaceful, beyond what you have ever known without Him, or would be able to know without Him. It will be very different from how you imagine a happy life to be, because He will create a life for you beyond your imagination, giving you things that people destroy themselves and others to try to obtain, but can never obtain them because they never turn to God.
There is a prophecy against those who hear the Word of God and hold onto it for a short time and then fall away. It is written in the “Parable of the Sower.” I will warn you in advanced so that you might make the decision to not fall away from this simple practice I have just shared with you. So that, in a moment of weakness when you say, “my life is fine, I no longer need to consecrate my heart to the Sacred Heart and I no longer need to be enveloped in God’s Mercy, that can wait until the last moments of my life,” you will remember this parable, and you will say, “I must continue to pray that little prayer I wrote down, as well as the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, every day; it will be very pleasing to God if I pray them, and then I will be very happy, as well.”
Matthew Chapter 13: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear.
“Hear then the parable of the sower. The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it, and the evil one comes and steals away what was sown in his heart. The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away. The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit. But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”
Now, you see, you must continue to pray these prayers, that all of the promises may be manifest, or else your latter condition will be worse than your present condition. You will have no more armor of God if you stop. Your heart will become more worn out that it was before you turned to God, if you turn from God after finding Him. You want to be the fertile soul and yield a hundredfold or sixtyfold or thirtyfold. I want you to yield a thousandfold. You, the student, will surpass me, the teacher, in wisdom and knowledge and happiness and peace. That is what I desire for you.
There is something to be said about saying the Consecration prayer at 5PM (17:00). I would suggest saying it first thing in the morning, and set an alarm to say it at 5PM. Many people have found that this seems to be a supernaturally significant hour for the Sacred Heart. You can say it while looking at an image of the Sacred Heart [ there are many, but here is one ]. You may also say it before you recite the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, or any time that you want to.
The “Hour of Great Mercy” is 3PM (15:00), the hour Christ died on the Cross. Typically, the Divine Mercy Chaplet is recited during this hour. Anything made in request of His Passion during this hour will be granted, provided it is His Will. If it is not His Will, submit to His Will and He will grant you even better. “Eye has not seen nor ear heard what God has prepared for those who love Him.”
Saying any prayer nine times in a row (either nine days in a row or immediately, nine
times in a row) is called a “novena.” For example, if I pray “God, please grant me healing of depression,” and then recite the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and do this once a day, nine days in a row, I have just completed a “novena.”
Of course, intentions don’t have to be limited to 9 days. Nor does the Chaplet of Divine Mercy have to be limited to once a day. I could say it nine times in a row for the same intention in one day.
An “irresistible novena” is a prayer said with the same intention 54 times in a row: 27 times in petition, and 27 times in thanksgiving, even if the grace hasn’t yet been received (that is, 9 x 3 novenas). The concept of irresistible novenas is generally intended for the Holy Rosary, but is this not the God of mercy? He will be touched with so much trust, even if it is recited with the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
You can also pray every day for the same intention, or multiple intentions, without a limit of 9 or 54... It is important to pray daily, anyway; very important.
The Divine Mercy Chaplet is a deliverance prayer, as well as a petition for whatever you need, either a grace or wisdom, or corporeal needs (money, food, clothing, friendship, life, education, medical, etc.).
One of the things I've noticed when I've prayed for someone to have something and God has given it to them is that, if they don't pray daily in thanksgiving for what they have received, acknowledging humbly that God is the one who helps them, or if they use what they got for sin, He takes it away from them. They think they can use other means, away from God, to get it back, but it always ends in tragedy. Because any time we put false idols above God, it ends in tragedy.
For example, sin, if you pray to get a promotion to be someone's boss, you get it, and then you aren't encouraging to the people you're working under, but are rude or abusive, become obsessed with money and serving it instead of God, and don't continue praying daily to God, but instead decide you got the promotion of your own merits alone; if you pray for a boyfriend or girlfriend and then forget God completely/become obsessed with that person, or fornicate, or treat that person cruelly, gossip about that person, treat him or her like an object, or ignore that person, or brag to others; if you pray for wisdom and then use your wisdom to belittle others or in an unwise way, or to feel superior to others, instead of humbled that God gave you wisdom; then He removes those gifts so you can't hurt yourself or others.
It makes sense, just for the safety of your soul, which couldn't handle certain gifts at a certain time in your life because it wasn't strong enough not to abuse them. Its also to test us, strengthen us, that we put God above anyone or anything else, so we are purified of false idols which cause so much misery in our lives and destroy others' lives as well. So in order to stop someone from sinning and damaging their and others' souls, He ends up having to take back the gifts He gave in order to try to get that person to humble his/herself again, like that person was when s/he was asking for the gifts.
You can save yourself from going through this ordeal by being very humble, daily, to God, and not rude or arrogant to people, and even when you have what you want, to depend on God and not the new thing that you got.
He also sometimes doesn't grant things that we want because they wouldn't be good for our souls, even if, in and of themselves, they are not bad. It might just be that its not the thing He wants for our life path, and if we got that, it would keep us from getting something better that He wants for us. He sees our entire lives and best path for them to go to be the happiest and most fulfilling for us. I've experienced this many, many times in my own life and so I always recommend submitting yourself to the Holy Will of God when asking for something, and if it doesn't happen, to still submit to the Will of God. Usually when we don't get what we want its because something so much better that we could not have even imagined it (and so couldn't have asked for it) it about to be given to us. I sincerely have seen this happen, I talk about it in other posts, too. That's why I'm always shocked people who didn't get something they wanted and so stopped praying... They really missed out... Even in times of extreme stress, we need to trust God, and turn our extreme stress over to Him, not turn away from Him... There is no one else to turn to. We can say with Peter, "Master, You alone are God, Who else can help me?" John 6:60-71
So keep trusting in God, so that you don't end up leading a foolish life away from Him and rejecting His greatest gifts for your life. Reading the Diary of St. Faustina will help you to learn to trust in God's goodness more and more. It is very important to read.
I recommend you also read Spiritual Warfare Prayers and Saint Michael the Archangel booklets, available for free here:
http://www.mediafire.com/view/9smxs8s32j83w2r/spiritual-warfare-prayers-st-michael-the-archangel.pdf
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy can be recited on ordinary Rosary beads. A search on ebay or amazon for "catholic rosary beads" will come up with a variety of types of rosaries. The Rosary Army gives away free knotted Rosaries.
We are urged to pray daily for an hour a day. If you don't have time, understand that God controls time. If you make time to pray for God, you will find that you have more time throughout the day, that somehow everything seems to fit together. God created time for us, for our benefit. We must turn to Him and pray for an hour a day. I will tell you an easy prayer schedule that will help you.
There are many other texts you could read, and even some videos you could watch. Many of them are listed in the posts on Bold Radish, which can be picked through from the Prayer Request page.
"I consent to allow You to be master of my heart, Merciful King. Cleanse it, reign over it, heal it. My doubts are cleansed away by Your Infinite Mercy. My discouragement, exaggerated anxiety, which are products of self-love, I trade to You for Your merciful Love. Replace my anxiety and discouragement with Your Love. I know by my humility of this prayer, more is gained than any of my faults could have lost, because You shield me in Your Mercy. You grant me more than I ask for because You are tender and merciful towards hearts in which You reign. By Your Mercy alone I know I have not messed up Your plans or Your timing, because You are mercy itself! You control all work, plans and time. You know my efforts and bid me rest close to Your Heart, which fills me with relief, peace, and strength to continue working hard for Your kingdom."
(That is the prayer I prayed for confidence while working so hard on writing these posts, and being so anxious that I could not do it quickly or well enough. But God reassured me and filled me with His peace, once I allowed Him to reign in my heart.)
So, you see, reading that Diary is really a grace-filled event, and you really would benefit greatly from it. It would benefit your soul to read the Diary of St. Faustina, bit by bit, for part of your hour of prayer.
We often, after becoming enamored with God, want to share with others. But we quickly find that others around us can't even begin to understand anything we are talking about. They do not understand how our suffering can be transformed by God into joy, or how God loves us, or encloses us in His Mercy, or even put into words what knowing God is like.
Sometimes we even try to go to other people who call themselves Christians, and they can't understand us, nor do they know anything about God at all. It becomes very confusing.
God is the God of the interior life. He reigns within us, it is a most intimate bond. How could anyone understand? Especially those who have not experienced it, who are not yet "awake"? And those who do understand, those rare few, there is almost nothing to say to them, because you both know already that God is acting in your souls.
The most important thing to do is to love God more and more within yourself. He states, over and over again to St. Faustina, who becomes so distraught that no one loves Him, that the way to bring the Kingdom of Heaven on earth is to love Him, in private. Faustina did more to save souls that those who loved God less but spoke a million words to a million people. You will understand more when you read her Diary. It will console you a great deal when you are faced with a world that neither knows nor cares about God. You will come to understand that your love of Him, in private, without even speaking to others, will save the world, will save souls.
The thing is, even if someone in the world has a hundred friends, they are forever lonely if they do not have God. And the soul that knows God, communicates with Him like this? Though they might go through the most horrendous trials, though they might have no one on earth to talk to, they are never alone, they no longer feel lonely.
That is what I remember most about learning about God, communicating with Him and praying and talking to Him. That I was so alone within my own soul before, and I have never been alone since. I can't remember what I thought about or cared about before I knew Him. I often try to guess, but I can't remember. Its like another lifetime ago. Its as if I wasn't born until I started to know God, to pray to Him, to be embraced by His Mercy through this devotion.
You will know that great joy, too.
So, when others are frantic about current events or laws that go into effect or which politician is doing what, you will know to ignore that sort of thing. Worrying about that is for people who don't believe in God or people who don't trust in God. We know better, that our battle is not with flesh but with principalities and powers (Ephesians 6), and that is why Jesus wasn't a politician but a carpenter, working for his father, and a fabric dyer, making a living on his skills and creativity instead of running for office or enacting laws, and why Saint Paul never gave long discourses about the extensive politics of the day that were happening all around them, but instead talked about how to love God more and live in His Will more and more. We will focus on loving God, thinking about Him, and watching Him work in our lives, and ignore what's going on in the world, which no longer can affect our joy.
Also, while you must pray for God for an hour a day without doing anything else (ie, not while doing your morning or nighttime chores, but 100% focusing on God), it is really best not to go over an hour. Praying too much, could interfere with what you're supposed to be doing, and it could mean that you aren't trusting in God, you think its your own efforts (your own prayers) that are at work. It could also be a sign of workaholism or perfectionism. The book The Imitation of Mary goes into this topic, which is why I recommend that book. It discusses many daily life problems and situations that a Christian faces and how to overcome them and complete the Will of God in them. Its a very powerful guide.
The most important thing you can work on now is becoming healthy, psychologically healthy, spiritually healthy. Avoid the occult and get your lives in order for God, with His help, by handing over your problems to Him, and working to overcome them. He will give you strength.
Work on overcoming anxiety and depression and becoming healthy. That is your most important task right now. Work With God to do that.
In Jesus' Name, the Name above all names, do not throw my words over your shoulder, but listen and obey; pray for understanding.
I will update more in the future; for now, enjoy the following prayer for becoming a Saint.
Prayer of consecration the Divine Heart to make me a saint, to be prayed from the heart, sincerely, daily, after waking up:
Lord God, Give me the peace and the joy that only a Saint experiences. Give me the grace to not refuse any more of your graces. You, God, made water come out of the rock in the desert to nourish your people. Make Your grace in my own hard heart. Put Your wisdom in my heart, that wisdom which You were so pleased to give to Solomon. You remove stones from my path so that I might not get harmed, but because I never see them, I never thank You for the great troubles You spare me from. Give me appreciation for every one of the graces You give me, the smallest grace, so You will be pleased to grant me more. Send Your angel to touch my mouth that nothing that offends You may ever come from it so that I am not subjected to Your justice. I ask I speak encouragingly, as one who knows the Love and Mercy of God; to be charitable with my time to those who sincerely need me or want to share with me, and have wisdom to avoid those who are insincere. I ask that I not accuse, for “the Accuser” is Satan. When Your angel touches my mouth, make it a touch that pervades my mind and heart, so that my intention and innermost dialogue might not offend You, either, that I may be sincere and therefore Your true child. When will You transform me so that I accept Your graces and stop offending You? When will You transform me into Yourself? Remove all things that foster peacelessness and joylessness in my heart; fill me with Yourself. Lead me to the top of Your Holy Mountain. Extract the poison from my heart, all sins within me and working against me. Sever all ties within my heart from those who hate You, be they under the guise of religious or of the worldly; sever ties from those who would fill me with poison, that the punishment to befall them might not come into my being but that I might be preserved from them; and remove the net they have cast over me that prevents You from blessing me; bind and cast them out in Your Name that they might no longer hurt other souls or themselves but wait to be unbound if they turn to Your Mercy, for You are the only God, there is no other, and only You can save them, unbind all the knots in their lives; but teach me to be merciful to all, as You are merciful, asking for no repayment from them, making excuses for them, seeing each one as a unique and individual child that You created, that I am incapable of understanding fully. I want only You in my heart. Clean my heart which I now hand over and consecrate to Your Sacred Heart. That heart of mine that is so worthless, so poisonous, so toxic, were it not for Your work in it. A thousand years is but a day and a day is a thousand years for You. In an instant, You could transform my heart into a magnificent into a magnificent castle for You to dwell in day and night, O Divine Carpenter. Do not let the world into my heart, cast out doubt, self-love, and lack of confidence in You. Guard my heart for You alone, O God, that I might love others, not out of need or selfish interest, but with You own pure Love. When will I cease offending You? The idea of offending Your goodness, Your Mercy, Your Love, Your perfection, Your Will, grieves me. Must I wait until I’ve died before I will stop sinning? You are the God of Life, who came that we may have life and have it in abundance. Please do not wait so long! I wish to be purified; I wish to be a stone that has been worn down by the flowing river until it is smooth, my personality mild and peaceful and joyful, despite circumstances, good or bad; I wish, for Your sake, that no fault be found in me so that there is nothing keeping us apart. Make me like a trusting, purring kitten in Your Arms, full of joy with intense love of its Master, You who can do all things! Make me so that I do not turn a blind eye to my faults and to all that is contrary to Your Will, but help me to seize ahold of them firmly, strangle them, wage supernatural vicious war against them, and cast them into the furnace of Your Sacred Heart, that they may be burned and never within me again! I see how I can do nothing without Your grace, so to compensate for all my faults, I offer You Your own most Sacred, Enflamed Heart, which You have offered to me out of Your Love. I give this Heart of God to You, O God, that You may be most deservedly and perfectly loved, and to make up for all the worthlessness of mankind which abuses Your Kindness and my own failures. I will never defend myself against the words of men but trust in You, that I might have true peace. I will forgive instantly anyone who fights me and just keep on loving You and turning to You for peace and joy and happiness. I cast out all sadness and all anger, in Your Name; I reject the world that ignores You, with all its needless cares and gossip, busybody and domination, manipulation and lies, curses and hatred, and put it in Your Hands; You, O savior, save it! I will think of all of these problems no more because they are in Your Hands. Save souls, Lord; I am a small child; for a human it is impossible to go to Heaven: You Yourself must save me, and save souls. I deserve nothing, I deserve no grace, but Your great goodness desires to share Your grace with poor souls, so please stoop down and fill my heart with all the graces that others refuse to accept from You. Your great goodness doesn’t need me but Your Love does, because it needs the creature It has created to love it in return: so make my heart joyful and loving to You, peaceful, and bring it to snuggle close to Your Merciful Heart, always and forever. Never let me be separated from You.
Continue reading: Divine Mercy II: the Kingdoms of Light and Darkness
See also our Prayer Request page with a link to our other articles, and Saint Philomena page to learn about devotion to this merciful and delightful saint and how she will help you in your daily life, grow closer to God and heal. She is patroness of impossible causes, bringing families back together or bringing people together, miracles big and small, financial troubles, mental health issues (depression, disorders, anxiety), and especially good for those suffering from a curse of from playing with the occult (she's a deliverance/exorcism saint), or to pray to her instead of playing with the occult because her intercession is so powerful with God that you will see amazing things happen, as well as long term effects of her intercession.
This post is about the devotion to Divine Mercy, which will be explained below.
Sections:
I. Biological Evidence of Sin
II. What is a "burned out soul"?
III. Divine Mercy: What Is It?
IV. Divine Mercy Quotes
V. Intro to Learning The Chaplet of Divine Mercy
VI. The Chaplet: The Bronze Serpent
VII. Image of Divine Mercy
VIII. Conclusion
IX. Where Do I Go From Here?
Biological Evidence of Sin
Much anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation is physically rooted and can be combatted by physical means. Sleep, water, medicine.
However, there is depression, sadness, and anxiety caused directly by feeling betrayed. Everyone has experienced the first time they were lied to or betrayed. Every person, every child, feels wounded, feels hurt, when betrayed or lied to, at least, the first time.
There is no evolutionary reason for humans to become anxious, depressed, sad, or hurt when they are lied to or feel betrayed.
Humans have been lying to each other and betraying each other since sentience developed.
If we were purely evolutionary creatures, we would have evolved to never feel betrayed. It is more effective for survival to not feel anything when others hurt us. Natural selection would have long ago omitted any humans who were capable of being depressed or anxious or hurt.
You would not have to study a ten thousand word document for how to heal from anxiety or depression unless there was some unseen, invisible wound within you. If we were purely, 100% creatures of evolution with no higher calling or plan for our existence, no higher plane of existence, than you would have never been wounded or developed anxiety or depression. It is impractical for the survival of a species.
You can argue that anxiety is practical because it is a fight or flight response, but that our modern world puts this response out of sorts.
Betrayal would have never naturally evolved into a fight or flight response because betrayal is constantly present in all human living conditions, and, naturally speaking, in the earliest existence of mankind when we were fighting off wild animals, it is safer to remain among humans than to fight or flee from them, even if betrayal was committed. We would be safer among our own kind than fleeing out in the woods with wild animals or fighting each other.
Therefore, even if we had a fight or flight response that naturally evolved, it would be impractical to have evolved against humans, let alone against betrayal. For the propagation of a species, it is impractical that we would have evolved to fight each other or become angry with each other. In fact, anger wouldn't be a necessary emotion at all, even to battle ferocious wild animals or survive in a civilization that is not advanced.
If its true that, above all things, humans care about their own survival, and that survival were purely physical or evolutionary based, there could not be any suicide. Even if you were to argue that suicide is, in a sense, a way to maintain survival of an inner self (that is, not the biological self), to keep this "inner self" from being destroyed, you would have to admit to an "inner self" existing. And the very existence of this inner self that can be wounded acts against the evolution of a species, propagation of a species, because this inner self can be wounded or in pain and cause death, even death by suicide.
No matter how you look at it, evolution alone does not justify spending hours and hours studying literature to overcome a sense of depression or anxiety, which, by evolutionary standards, should not exist.
Even Scientific American, in the article about emotional feedback loops, can be quoted saying: "No one yet knows why our facial expressions influence our emotions as they seem to. The associations in our mind between how we feel and how we react may be so strong that our expressions simply end up reinforcing our emotions—there may be no evolutionary reason for the connection."
If there is no evolutionary reason for the connection, and we were purely biological, evolutionary creatures, there would simply be no connection. No connection between our facial expressions, our minds, or even our mood and health, would have ever been created.
If we are "still evolving" and will eventually "evolve out" of these emotions and reactions, ... where did these responses come from in the first place? Why did humanity ever have them? Why would humanity have ever evolved them?
There is no evolutionary or natural answer for this.
However, being hurt by being betrayed is not impractical if you have a soul, one that was made with a vision for it, an intention for your life, a purpose, and if the truth is that the soul, the inner person, was created from love that never wanted to betray or lie to you. When out and among other people, and acted against in an unloving manner, such as a lie or betrayal, that "soul" becomes wounded.
Not only that, but the wounded "soul" has power to effect the body, as depression is a measurable biological condition, an inflammation response.
We have a natural, physical body, and deeply connected to it and to the events around us, is a spirit.
Otherwise there would be no depression, anxiety, or sadness.
There would certainly never be suicide.
And invisible wounds, "sins," against us, seem to "poison" us and cause a response in the mind, body, and even in the emotional capacity of an individual.
Not only that, but even animals become stressed, depressed, sad, angry, or wounded. And even humans, who witness innocent animals abused, become wounded themselves by witnessing the pain of these creatures, as is evident by the fact that, in the U.S. at the time of writing this, Animal Control workers who care for wounded animals have the highest suicide rate. Therefore this reality of an "inner self," this "spirit," extends also to these creatures.
Even sociopaths, not capable of feeling emotions for others, can feel enraged or slighted or depressed or anxious. This, too, is not effective for evolution.
That "wound" against your (or an animal's) "inner self," or "soul," is "sin." If you are depressed or anxious or suicidal, you, your inner self, your soul, your spirit, has been sinned against.
What is a "burned out soul"?
There are those among us who no longer have “love” in them, nor do they have “no love.” They are as though already dead, as if they have nothing. Those who are empaths, deeply felt everything in the world around them. But the world drew too much out of them without putting anything back. So now they feel as if they are lacking all emotion, dead inside.
They struggle with loneliness. They have been in this battle for years, but it is a battle that no one has appreciated. Others spoke cruelly to them, as if trying to destroy them, and through this abuse, they have learned to speak cruelly to others, too. Only they lay awake at night for months, cursing themselves for hurting others, knowing firsthand how painful it is.
They tried the hardest to be who society asked them to be: some kind of crass, thrice over treated as a sex object, inundated with current events and over-politicized, swearing or trying to appear to be tough as nails or stronger than anyone, wealthy or striving-as-hard-as-possible-to-be-wealthy or successful, alcoholic or drug abusing nihilists who push themselves through all kinds of pain to keep going on this path they were instructed to follow but is a dead end, who is never allowed to accuse those who hurt them or who are now too crippled to do so, who feel as if there is no justice and, at the same time, no mercy. The misunderstood. Someone who is expected to accept all this self-destruction with poise, without questioning.
In the end, all those who pushed them into their current role abandon them, as if repulsed at the very person they urged them to become.
No one ever appreciates how much of themselves they had to destroy in order to live up to everyone’s expectations. Those who held those expectations gave them nothing in return for the intense amount of effort these people spent trying to please others, the huge chunks they ripped out of themselves willingly to make others happy, being the sort of person others taught them to be.
Those who do not abandon them for being this person? It would be better to know no one than to know those, for they are false friends. They treat them like objects. They are worse than enemies.
Everything is false, everything is a lie. No matter how much they spin their wheels, they cannot move forward. And it seems that only wolves surround them.
They hate themselves. They hate themselves for everything they have become, they hate themselves for all the filth that reached through them and out into others, and they hate themselves for all the times they were hurt by others. As if others’ hatred for them, others’ jealousy, others’ cruelty, was grafted into their own hearts and turned inward towards themselves, crushing them. One big ball of anxiety, fear, anguish, and this sort of internalized death.
And now, they are just burned out, just dead inside. Blank. Shut down.
It was all too much. Too much stress. Too much using. Too much abuse. Too much death that was internalized. Too much self-loathing. It seems like drowning, and yet, at the same time, like having been burnt by fire, twice, three times over, until there was, without a doubt, absolutely nothing left that could be caught on fire.
It is these that God, the source that created your soul out of Love, most longs to console. God desires to extract the poison out of these souls, these hearts (for the soul is not just limited to one place, but, according to Scientific American, is contained in the face, body, heart, a mirror of the physical body, only an "inner self").
God wants to tend to these lost hearts in need of consolation, these hearts that no one seems to want and that no longer want themselves. These lowly hearts that know no comfort, no matter how much comfort they try to prop up around themselves. God came to extract the poison out of the veins of these people. He came to heal these…
God didn’t create any person or any creature at all in vain, or any person without reason or without His love in mind: “All of them differ, one from another, yet none of them has he made in vain, For each in turn, as it comes, is good; can one ever see enough of their splendor?” [ Sirach ]
Divine Mercy: What is it?
It is a devotion. Devotion to The Divine Mercy involves a total commitment to God as Mercy. It is a decision to trust completely in Him, to accept His mercy with thanksgiving, and to be merciful as He is merciful.
The message takes on a powerful new focus, calling people to a deeper understanding that God’s love is unlimited and available to everyone — not just including, but especially, the greatest sinners. He wants us to recognize that His mercy is greater than our sins, so that we will call upon Him with trust, receive His mercy, and let it flow through us to others.
From the diary of a young Polish nun, this special devotion began spreading throughout the world in the 1930s. The message and devotion to God 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.
Thus, all will come to share His joy.
It is a message we can call to mind simply by remembering ABC.
A — Ask for His Mercy. God wants us to approach Him in prayer constantly, repenting of our sins and asking Him to pour His mercy out upon us and upon the whole world. He taught us a new prayer called the “Chaplet of Divine Mercy,” in which His Mercy will completely envelope the soul of the one who says the chaplet.
B — Be merciful. God wants us to receive His mercy and let it flow through us to others. He wants us to extend love and forgiveness to others just as He does to us. Let us remember these two quotes: “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Is 29:13); and “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Mt 5:7). We don't want to be hypocrites and often dealing with these people turn us and others away from God. So we do want to be merciful, and can become merciful, when God’s mercy is poured out on us.
[Also, praying for the salvation of souls can help save many sinners. So you are merciful when you pray, not only in direct physical contact with people. In fact, prayer is more merciful, although you must still be merciful to people whom you are in contact with.]
C —Completely trust in God. God wants us to know that the graces of His mercy are dependent upon our trust. The more we trust in God, the more we will receive.
(Edit: I'm so sorry! I'm very upset. I just found out the beautiful, simple EWTN website that brought me to God so long ago, is now completely gone. The little Divine Mercy website was taken down and now the site looks like a horrible Soviet Iron Curtain version of old site, with no images, no colors except a hideously depressing greyish green, and no information except watered down information that seems to sow disbelief more than hope. I am very sorry. ... I could not find another website about Divine Mercy that was as easily accessible for beginners as that one, I thought thedivinemercy.org was too complicated and too aimed towards Catholics instead of people who know nothing about how to pray, and it seems to focus on people instead of on God and the Divine Mercy Image. ... I am so sorry, my heart goes out to you and I wish there was a better site. But TheDivineMercy.org is probably the best place to try to weed through, it does have a basics section but that section has very few quotes. It doesn't have many quotes from Jesus to St Faustina... it's extremely upsetting to me. I put a lot of quotes below, a lot of them were what I remembered over a decade ago from reading from the now-gone good little EWTN website, because the quotes seemed to have been etched in my mind forever. I hope they help you, too and inspire you to trust in God!)
Edit 2: Yay! BR found some Divine Mercy websites. I hope they are also helpful to you in addition to what you are reading here. Have a blessed day!
https://www.facebook.com/DivineMercyOfficial/videos/501365237202801
https://www.praydivinemercy.com/
https://divinemercy.com/
https://divinemercy.life/divine-mercy-prayers/
Divine Mercy Quotes
God didn’t create any person or any creature at all in vain, or any person without reason or without His love in mind: “All of them differ, one from another, yet none of them has he made in vain, For each in turn, as it comes, is good; can one ever see enough of their splendor?” [ Sirach ]
Various excerpts from God speaking of His Love to St. Faustina, from the book Divine Mercy in My Soul (for free to read here):
God: Encourage souls to place great trust in My fathomless mercy. Let the weak, sinful soul have no fear to approach Me, for even if it had more sins than there are grains of sand in the world, all would be drowned in the immeasurable depths of My mercy.
God: Let the greatest sinners place their trust in My mercy. They have the right before others to trust in the abyss of My mercy. My daughter, write about My mercy towards tormented souls. Souls that make an appeal to My mercy delight Me. To such souls I grant even more graces than they ask. I cannot punish even the greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to My compassion, but on the contrary, I justify him in My unfathomable and inscrutable mercy. Write: before I come as a just Judge, I first open wide the door of My mercy. He who refuses to pass through the door of My mercy must pass through the door of My justice...
God: There are souls with whom I can do nothing. They are souls that are continuously observing others, but know nothing of what is going on within their own selves. They talk about others continually, even during times of grand silence, which is reserved for speaking only with Me. Poor souls, they do not hear My words; their interior remains empty. They do not look for Me within their own hearts, but in idle talk, where I am never to be found. They sense their emptiness, but they do not recognize their own guilt, while souls in whom I reign completely are a constant source of remorse to them. Instead of correcting themselves, their hearts swell with envy, and if they do not come to their senses, they plunge in even deeper. A heart, which thus far is envious, now begins to be filled with hate. And they are already at the edge of the precipice. They are jealous of my gifts in other souls, but they themselves are unable and unwilling to accept them.
God: My chosen one, I will give you even greater graces that you may be the witness of My infinite mercy throughout all eternity.
God: Come to Me, all of you. Be not afraid of your Savior; O sinful soul. I make the first move to come to you, for I know that by yourself you are unable to lift yourself to me. Child, do not run away from your Father; be willing to talk openly with your God of mercy who wants to speak words of pardon and lavish his graces on you. How dear your soul is to Me! I have inscribed your name upon My hand; you are engraved as a deep wound in My Heart.
God: My child, do you fear the God of mercy? My holiness does not prevent Me from being merciful. Behold, for you I have established a throne of mercy on earth – the tabernacle – and from this throne I desire to enter into your heart. I am not surrounded by a retinue or guards. You can come to me at any moment, at any time; I want to speak to you and desire to grant you grace.
God: My mercy is greater than your sins and those of the entire world. Who can measure the extent of my goodness? For you I descended from heaven to earth; for you I allowed myself to be nailed to the cross; for you I let my Sacred Heart be pierced with a lance, thus opening wide the source of mercy for you. Come, then, with trust to draw graces from this fountain. I never reject a contrite heart. Your misery has disappeared in the depths of My mercy. Do not argue with Me about your wretchedness. You will give me pleasure if you hand over to me all your troubles and griefs. I shall heap upon you the treasures of My grace.
God: You will not be alone, because I am with you always and everywhere. Near to My Heart, fear nothing. … Know that My eyes follow every move of your heart with great attention. … What are you afraid of? If you are with Me, who will dare touch you? Nevertheless, I am very pleased that you confide your fears to Me, My child. Speak to Me about everything in a completely simple and human way; by this you will give Me great joy. I understand you because I am God-Man. This simple language of your heart is more pleasing to Me than the hymns composed in My honor. Know, My child, that the simpler your speech is, the more you attract Me to yourself. And now, be at peace close to My Heart. Be at peace, My child. See, you are not alone. My Heart watches over you.
God: Tell sinners that no one shall escape My Hand; if they run away from My merciful Heart, they will fall into My Just Hands. Tell sinners that I am always waiting for them, that I listen intently to the beating of their heart.... When will it beat for Me? Write, that I am speaking to them through their remorse of conscience, through their failures and sufferings, through thunderstorms, through the voice of the Church. And if they bring all My graces to naught, I begin to be angry with them, leaving them alone and giving them what they want.
God: The graces I grant you are not for you alone, but for a great number of other souls as well.... And your heart is My constant dwelling place, despite the misery that you are. I united Myself with you, take away your misery and give you My mercy. I perform works of mercy in every soul. The greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to My mercy. My mercy is confirmed in every work of My hands. He who trusts in My mercy will not perish, for all his affairs are mine, and his enemies will be shattered at the base of My footstool.
God: My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity.
God: Rest close to My Heart. Known to Me are your efforts.
God: I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy.
God didn’t create any person or any creature at all in vain, or any person without reason or without His love in mind: “All of them differ, one from another, yet none of them has he made in vain, For each in turn, as it comes, is good; can one ever see enough of their splendor?” [ Sirach ]
Various excerpts from God speaking of His Love to St. Faustina, from the book Divine Mercy in My Soul (for free to read here):
God: Encourage souls to place great trust in My fathomless mercy. Let the weak, sinful soul have no fear to approach Me, for even if it had more sins than there are grains of sand in the world, all would be drowned in the immeasurable depths of My mercy.
God: Let the greatest sinners place their trust in My mercy. They have the right before others to trust in the abyss of My mercy. My daughter, write about My mercy towards tormented souls. Souls that make an appeal to My mercy delight Me. To such souls I grant even more graces than they ask. I cannot punish even the greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to My compassion, but on the contrary, I justify him in My unfathomable and inscrutable mercy. Write: before I come as a just Judge, I first open wide the door of My mercy. He who refuses to pass through the door of My mercy must pass through the door of My justice...
God: There are souls with whom I can do nothing. They are souls that are continuously observing others, but know nothing of what is going on within their own selves. They talk about others continually, even during times of grand silence, which is reserved for speaking only with Me. Poor souls, they do not hear My words; their interior remains empty. They do not look for Me within their own hearts, but in idle talk, where I am never to be found. They sense their emptiness, but they do not recognize their own guilt, while souls in whom I reign completely are a constant source of remorse to them. Instead of correcting themselves, their hearts swell with envy, and if they do not come to their senses, they plunge in even deeper. A heart, which thus far is envious, now begins to be filled with hate. And they are already at the edge of the precipice. They are jealous of my gifts in other souls, but they themselves are unable and unwilling to accept them.
God: My chosen one, I will give you even greater graces that you may be the witness of My infinite mercy throughout all eternity.
God: Come to Me, all of you. Be not afraid of your Savior; O sinful soul. I make the first move to come to you, for I know that by yourself you are unable to lift yourself to me. Child, do not run away from your Father; be willing to talk openly with your God of mercy who wants to speak words of pardon and lavish his graces on you. How dear your soul is to Me! I have inscribed your name upon My hand; you are engraved as a deep wound in My Heart.
God: My child, do you fear the God of mercy? My holiness does not prevent Me from being merciful. Behold, for you I have established a throne of mercy on earth – the tabernacle – and from this throne I desire to enter into your heart. I am not surrounded by a retinue or guards. You can come to me at any moment, at any time; I want to speak to you and desire to grant you grace.
God: My mercy is greater than your sins and those of the entire world. Who can measure the extent of my goodness? For you I descended from heaven to earth; for you I allowed myself to be nailed to the cross; for you I let my Sacred Heart be pierced with a lance, thus opening wide the source of mercy for you. Come, then, with trust to draw graces from this fountain. I never reject a contrite heart. Your misery has disappeared in the depths of My mercy. Do not argue with Me about your wretchedness. You will give me pleasure if you hand over to me all your troubles and griefs. I shall heap upon you the treasures of My grace.
God: You will not be alone, because I am with you always and everywhere. Near to My Heart, fear nothing. … Know that My eyes follow every move of your heart with great attention. … What are you afraid of? If you are with Me, who will dare touch you? Nevertheless, I am very pleased that you confide your fears to Me, My child. Speak to Me about everything in a completely simple and human way; by this you will give Me great joy. I understand you because I am God-Man. This simple language of your heart is more pleasing to Me than the hymns composed in My honor. Know, My child, that the simpler your speech is, the more you attract Me to yourself. And now, be at peace close to My Heart. Be at peace, My child. See, you are not alone. My Heart watches over you.
God: Tell sinners that no one shall escape My Hand; if they run away from My merciful Heart, they will fall into My Just Hands. Tell sinners that I am always waiting for them, that I listen intently to the beating of their heart.... When will it beat for Me? Write, that I am speaking to them through their remorse of conscience, through their failures and sufferings, through thunderstorms, through the voice of the Church. And if they bring all My graces to naught, I begin to be angry with them, leaving them alone and giving them what they want.
God: The graces I grant you are not for you alone, but for a great number of other souls as well.... And your heart is My constant dwelling place, despite the misery that you are. I united Myself with you, take away your misery and give you My mercy. I perform works of mercy in every soul. The greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to My mercy. My mercy is confirmed in every work of My hands. He who trusts in My mercy will not perish, for all his affairs are mine, and his enemies will be shattered at the base of My footstool.
God: My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity.
God: Rest close to My Heart. Known to Me are your efforts.
God: I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy.
God: Even the most hardened sinner, if he recites this [Divine Mercy] Chaplet even once, will receive grace from My Infinite Mercy. I want the whole world to know My Infinite Mercy. I want to give unimaginable graces to those who trust in My Mercy.
God to Faustina: My daughter, encourage souls to say the chaplet which I have given to you. It pleases Me to grant everything they ask of Me by saying the chaplet. When hardened sinners say it, I will fill their souls with peace, and the hour of their death will be a happy one.
God: Write this for the benefit of distressed souls; when a soul sees and realized the gravity of its sins, when the whole abyss of the misery into which it immersed itself is displayed before its eyes, let it not despair, but with trust let it throw itself into the arms of My mercy, as a child into the arms of its beloved mother. These souls have a right of priority to My compassionate Heart, they have first access to My mercy. Tell them that no soul that has called upon My mercy has been disappointed or brought to shame. I delight particularly in a soul which has placed its trust in My goodness.
God: Write that when they [pray the chaplet of Divine Mercy] 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.
God: Write this: before I come as the Just Judge, I am coming first as the King of Mercy.
God: Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy. ... Tell aching mankind to snuggle close to My merciful Heart, and I will fill it with peace.
God: The flames of mercy [and love] are burning Me. I desire to pour them out upon human souls. Oh, what pain they cause Me when they do not want to accept [My mercy and love]! The flames of mercy are burning Me – clamoring to be spent; I want to pour them out upon these souls.
God: Distrust on the part of souls is tearing at My insides. The distrust of a chosen soul causes Me even greater pain; despite My inexhaustible love for them they do not trust Me. Even My death is not enough for them. Woe to the soul that abuses these [gifts]. ... The proud remain always in poverty and misery, because My grace turns away from them to humble souls.
God: Poor soul, I see that you suffer much and that you do not have even the strength to converse with me. So I will speak to you. Even though your sufferings were very great, do not lose heart or give in to despondency. But tell Me, my child, who has dared to wound your heart? Tell me about everything, be sincere in dealing with Me, reveal all the wounds of your heart. I will heal them, and your suffering will become a source of your sanctification.
God: Speak, My beloved child, for I am always listening. I wait for you. What do you desire to say? My child, we should talk in more detail about the things that lie in your heart. Let us talk confidentially and frankly, as two hearts that love one another do.
God: You are My joy; you are My heart’s delight.
God: Tell [all people], My child, that I am Love and Mercy itself. When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls.
God: [Towards God,] act like a beggar who does not back away when he gets more alms [than he asked for], but offers thanks the more fervently. You too, should not back away and say that you are not worthy of receiving greater graces when I give them to you. I know you are unworthy, but rejoice all the more and take as many treasures from My Heart as you can carry, for then you will please Me more. And I will tell you one more thing: take these graces not only for yourself, but also for others; that is, encourage the souls with whom you come in contact to trust in My infinite mercy. Oh, how I love those souls who have complete confidence in Me–I will do everything for them.
God: My child, do not be discouraged. I know your boundless trust in Me; I know you are aware of My goodness and mercy. Let us talk in detail about everything that weighs so heavily upon your heart. Talk to Me simply, as a friend to a friend.
God: I am pleased with your efforts, O soul aspiring for perfection, but why do I see you so often sad and depressed? Tell Me, My child, what is the meaning of this sadness, and what is its cause?
God: I realize how painful it is not to be understood, and especially by those whom one loves and with whom one has been very open. But suffice it to know that I understand all your troubles and misery.
God: Learn from this that no one will understand a soul entirely–that is beyond human ability. Therefore, I have remained on earth [in the Eucharist] to comfort your aching heart and to fortify your soul, so that you will not falter on the way. You say that a dense darkness is obscuring your mind. But why, at such times, do you not come to Me, the light who can in an instant pour into your soul more understanding about holiness than can be found in any books? ... Know, too, that the darkness about which you complain I first endured in the Garden of Olives when My Soul was crushed in mortal anguish. I am giving you a share in those sufferings because of My special love for you and in view of the high degree of holiness I am intending for you in heaven. A suffering soul is closest to My Heart.
God: My beloved child, delight of My Heart, your words are dearer and more pleasing to me than the angelic chorus. All the treasures of My Heart are open to you. Take from this Heart all that you need for yourself and for the whole world. For the sake of your love [for Me], I withhold the just chastisements, which mankind has deserved. A single act of pure love [of God] pleases Me more than a thousand imperfect prayers. One of your sighs of love atones for many offenses with which the godless overwhelm Me. The smallest act of virtue has unlimited value in My eyes because of your great love for Me. In a soul that lives on My love alone, I reign as in heaven. I watch over it day and night. In it I find My happiness; My ear is attentive to each request of its heart; often I anticipate its requests. O child, especially beloved by Me, apple of My eye, rest a moment near My Heart and taste of the love in which you will delight for all eternity.
God: My child, you please Me more by [taking care of your health, physical and mental] out of obedience and love of Me than by fasting and mortifying yourself of your own will. A soul that loves Me very much must, ought to live by My will. I know your heart, and I know that it will not be satisfied by anything but My love alone. (see note #2 at bottom of this section)
God: Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy. Souls perish in spite of My bitter Passion. I am giving them the last hope of salvation; that is, the Feast of My Mercy. If they will not adore My mercy, they will perish for all eternity. Secretary of My mercy, write, tell souls about this great mercy of Mine, because the awful day, the day of My justice, is near.
God: My child, 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 for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the Fount of My Mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion* shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. 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. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness.
God: 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 for the whole world. I will allow you to enter into My mortal sorrow. In this hour, I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of me in virtue of My Passion.
God: You see, My child, what you are of yourself. The cause of your falls is that you rely too much upon yourself and too little on Me. But let this not sadden you so much. You are dealing with the God of mercy, which your misery cannot exhaust. Remember, I did not allot only a certain number of pardons. ...fear not, because you are not alone. I am always supporting you, so lean on Me as you struggle, fearing nothing. Take the vessel of trust and draw from the fountain of life – for yourself, but also for other souls, especially such as are distrustful of My goodness.
God: Do not fear. I am watching you this very moment and am helping
God: 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 for the whole world. I will allow you to enter into My mortal sorrow. In this hour, I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of me in virtue of My Passion.
God: You see, My child, what you are of yourself. The cause of your falls is that you rely too much upon yourself and too little on Me. But let this not sadden you so much. You are dealing with the God of mercy, which your misery cannot exhaust. Remember, I did not allot only a certain number of pardons. ...fear not, because you are not alone. I am always supporting you, so lean on Me as you struggle, fearing nothing. Take the vessel of trust and draw from the fountain of life – for yourself, but also for other souls, especially such as are distrustful of My goodness.
God: Do not fear. I am watching you this very moment and am helping
you.
God: Without special help from Me, you are not even capable of accepting My graces. You know who you are.
God: After some time, inner emptiness and dissatisfaction will come to her attention. Oh, if only she would turn to Me then, I would help her to cleanse her heart, and I would fulfill everything in her soul; but without her knowledge and consent, I cannot be the Master of her heart.
God: My child, I want to repose in your heart, because many souls have thrown Me out of their hearts today. I have experienced sorrow unto death.
God: My child, that you may answer My call worthily, receive Me daily in Holy Communion*. It will give you strength...
God: Oh, how painful it is to Me that souls so seldom unite themselves to Me in Holy Communion*. I wait for souls, and they are indifferent toward Me. I love them tenderly and sincerely, and they distrust Me. I want to lavish My graces on them, and they do not want to accept them. They treat Me as a dead object, whereas My Heart is full of love and mercy. In order that you may know at least some of My pain, imagine the most tender of mothers who has great love for her children, while those children spurn her love. Consider her pain. No one is in a position to console her. This is but a feeble image and likeness of My love. “They have not cried to me from their hearts when they wailed upon their beds. ... Though I wished to redeem them, they spoke lies against me.” [ Hosea 7 ]
God: My child, make the resolution never to rely on people. Entrust yourself completely to My Will saying, “Not as I want, but according to Your will, O God, let it be done unto me.” These words, spoken from the depths of one’s heart, can raise a soul to the summit of sanctity in a short time. In such a soul I delight. Such a soul gives Me glory. Such a soul fills heaven with the fragrance of her virtue. But understand that the strength by which you bear sufferings comes from frequent
God: Without special help from Me, you are not even capable of accepting My graces. You know who you are.
God: After some time, inner emptiness and dissatisfaction will come to her attention. Oh, if only she would turn to Me then, I would help her to cleanse her heart, and I would fulfill everything in her soul; but without her knowledge and consent, I cannot be the Master of her heart.
God: My child, I want to repose in your heart, because many souls have thrown Me out of their hearts today. I have experienced sorrow unto death.
God: My child, that you may answer My call worthily, receive Me daily in Holy Communion*. It will give you strength...
God: Oh, how painful it is to Me that souls so seldom unite themselves to Me in Holy Communion*. I wait for souls, and they are indifferent toward Me. I love them tenderly and sincerely, and they distrust Me. I want to lavish My graces on them, and they do not want to accept them. They treat Me as a dead object, whereas My Heart is full of love and mercy. In order that you may know at least some of My pain, imagine the most tender of mothers who has great love for her children, while those children spurn her love. Consider her pain. No one is in a position to console her. This is but a feeble image and likeness of My love. “They have not cried to me from their hearts when they wailed upon their beds. ... Though I wished to redeem them, they spoke lies against me.” [ Hosea 7 ]
God: My child, make the resolution never to rely on people. Entrust yourself completely to My Will saying, “Not as I want, but according to Your will, O God, let it be done unto me.” These words, spoken from the depths of one’s heart, can raise a soul to the summit of sanctity in a short time. In such a soul I delight. Such a soul gives Me glory. Such a soul fills heaven with the fragrance of her virtue. But understand that the strength by which you bear sufferings comes from frequent
Communions*. So approach this fountain of mercy often, to draw with the vessel of trust whatever you need.
God: My child, why do you attach such importance to the teaching and the talk of people? I Myself want to teach you; that is why I arrange things so that you cannot attend those conferences. In a single moment, I will bring you to know more than others will acquire through many years of toil.
God: Write, speak of My mercy. Tell souls where they are to look for solace; that is, in the Tribunal of Mercy [the Sacrament of Reconciliation] There the greatest miracles take place [and] are incessantly repeated. To avail oneself of this miracle, it is not necessary to go on a great pilgrimage or to carry out some external ceremony; it suffices to come with faith to the feet of My representative and to reveal to him one’s misery, and the miracle of Divine Mercy will be fully demonstrated. Were a soul like a decaying corpse so that from a human standpoint, there would be no [hope of ] restoration and everything would already be lost, it is not so with God. The miracle of Divine Mercy restores that soul in full. Oh, how miserable are those who do not take advantage of the miracle of God’s mercy! You will call out in vain, but it will be too late.
God: My child, I assure you of a permanent income on which you will live. Your duty will be to trust completely in My goodness, and My duty will be to give you all you need. I am making Myself dependent upon your trust: if your trust is great, then My generosity will be without limit.
God: My child, ... those whom you love in a special way, I too love in a special way, and for your sake, I shower My graces upon them. I am
pleased when you tell Me about them, but don‟t be doing so with such excessive effort.
God: I am concerned about every beat of your heart. Every stirring of your love is reflected in My Heart. I thirst for your love.
God: My love deceives no one. Who God is in His Essence, no one will
God: My child, why do you attach such importance to the teaching and the talk of people? I Myself want to teach you; that is why I arrange things so that you cannot attend those conferences. In a single moment, I will bring you to know more than others will acquire through many years of toil.
God: Write, speak of My mercy. Tell souls where they are to look for solace; that is, in the Tribunal of Mercy [the Sacrament of Reconciliation] There the greatest miracles take place [and] are incessantly repeated. To avail oneself of this miracle, it is not necessary to go on a great pilgrimage or to carry out some external ceremony; it suffices to come with faith to the feet of My representative and to reveal to him one’s misery, and the miracle of Divine Mercy will be fully demonstrated. Were a soul like a decaying corpse so that from a human standpoint, there would be no [hope of ] restoration and everything would already be lost, it is not so with God. The miracle of Divine Mercy restores that soul in full. Oh, how miserable are those who do not take advantage of the miracle of God’s mercy! You will call out in vain, but it will be too late.
God: My child, I assure you of a permanent income on which you will live. Your duty will be to trust completely in My goodness, and My duty will be to give you all you need. I am making Myself dependent upon your trust: if your trust is great, then My generosity will be without limit.
God: My child, ... those whom you love in a special way, I too love in a special way, and for your sake, I shower My graces upon them. I am
pleased when you tell Me about them, but don‟t be doing so with such excessive effort.
God: I am concerned about every beat of your heart. Every stirring of your love is reflected in My Heart. I thirst for your love.
God: My love deceives no one. Who God is in His Essence, no one will
fathom, neither the mind of Angels nor or man. Get to know God by contemplating His attributes.
God: My child, if I demand through you that people revere My mercy, you should be the first to distinguish yourself by this confidence in My mercy. I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it. I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor: the first by deed, the second – by [kind, not harsh] word, the third – by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy. Yes, the first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be acts of mercy, and I demand the worship of My mercy through the solemn celebration of the Feast and through the veneration of the image which is painted. By means of this image I shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is of no avail without works. [James 2: "So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead."] But no good work can be done without the assistance of God, even in that good work. Words of St. Faustina: “O my God, You Yourself must help me in everything, because You see how very little I am, and so I depend solely on Your goodness.”
God: Every soul... should reflect My mercy. My Heart overflows with compassion and mercy for all. The heart of My beloved must resemble Mine; from her heart must spring the fountain of My mercy for souls; otherwise I will not acknowledge her as Mine. Faustina writes of her own words: "We resemble God most when we forgive our neighbors. God is Love, Goodness, and Mercy..." (remember, forgiveness isn't the same as reconciliation. If a person is harmful to you, you must forgive them but you should stay away from them.)
Faustina: God is Love and Mercy.
Faustina: When I hesitate on how to act in some situations, I always ask Love. It advises best.
God: My child, if I demand through you that people revere My mercy, you should be the first to distinguish yourself by this confidence in My mercy. I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it. I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor: the first by deed, the second – by [kind, not harsh] word, the third – by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy. Yes, the first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be acts of mercy, and I demand the worship of My mercy through the solemn celebration of the Feast and through the veneration of the image which is painted. By means of this image I shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is of no avail without works. [James 2: "So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead."] But no good work can be done without the assistance of God, even in that good work. Words of St. Faustina: “O my God, You Yourself must help me in everything, because You see how very little I am, and so I depend solely on Your goodness.”
God: Every soul... should reflect My mercy. My Heart overflows with compassion and mercy for all. The heart of My beloved must resemble Mine; from her heart must spring the fountain of My mercy for souls; otherwise I will not acknowledge her as Mine. Faustina writes of her own words: "We resemble God most when we forgive our neighbors. God is Love, Goodness, and Mercy..." (remember, forgiveness isn't the same as reconciliation. If a person is harmful to you, you must forgive them but you should stay away from them.)
Faustina: God is Love and Mercy.
Faustina: When I hesitate on how to act in some situations, I always ask Love. It advises best.
Faustina: Suddenly I heard the bell in the next room, and I went in and rendered a service to a seriously sick person. [God responded], ‘My child, you gave Me greater pleasure by rendering Me that service than if you had prayed for a long time.’ I answered, “But it was not to You, God, but to that patient that I rendered this service.” And God answered me, ‘Yes, My child, but whatever you for your neighbor, you do for Me.’ [ Matthew 25:31-46 ]
Faustina: When I see that the burden is beyond my strength, I do not consider or analyze it or probe into it, but I run like a child to the [Sacred Heart] and say only one word to Him: “You can do all things.” And then I keep silent, because I know that God Himself will intervene in the matter, and as for me, instead of tormenting myself, I use that time to love Him.
Faustina: In difficult and painful moments, O my Creator, I sing You a hymn of trust, for bottomless is the abyss of my trust in You and in Your mercy!
Faustina: His goodness no one has fathomed, no one can measure, His compassion is untold. Every soul that approaches Him experiences this. He will shield her and clasp her to His merciful heart. Happy the soul that has trusted in Your goodness And has abandoned herself completely to Your mercy. Her soul is filled with the peace of love You defend her everywhere as Your own child. O soul, whoever you may be in this world, Even if your sins were as black as night, Do not fear God, weak child that you are, For great is the power of God's mercy.
God to Faustina: He said to me, “You are My Heart. Speak to sinners about My mercy.” And the God gave me interior knowledge of the whole abyss of His mercy for souls, and I learned that that which I had written is truly a drop.
Faustina: It seems to me as though God could not be happy without me, nor could I, without Him. Although I understand that, being God, He is happy in Himself and has absolutely no need of any creature, still, His goodness compels Him to give Himself to the creature, and with a generosity which is beyond understanding."
Faustina: Yes, O God, but my heart would not be able to live without You, either; for even if the hearts of all creatures were offered to me, they would not satisfy the depths of my heart.
Faustina: Among God’s chosen ones, there are some who are especially chosen... These are seraphic souls, from whom God demands greater love than He does from others. ... the soul may either follow this call or not. It depends on the soul itself whether it is faithful to these touches of the Holy Spirit, or whether it resists them. The soul which is especially marked by God will be distinguished everywhere, whether in heaven or in purgatory or in hell. In heaven, it will be distinguished from other souls by greater glory and radiance and deeper knowledge of God. In purgatory, by greater pain, because it knows God more profoundly and desires Him more vehemently. I have learned that... this kind of torment [in Purgatory, for rejecting God’s call] is the most difficult of all [the various pains of Purgatory]. In hell, [the chosen soul] will suffer more profoundly than other souls, because it knows more fully Whom it has lost. This indelible mark of God’s exclusive love, in the [soul], will not be obliterated [either in Heaven, Purgatory, or Hell].
Faustina: O my God, You have tested me so many times in this short life of mine! I have come to understand so many things, and even such that now amaze me. Oh, how good it is to abandon oneself totally to God and to give Him full freedom to act in one’s soul!
Faustina: I realize more and more how much every soul needs God’s mercy throughout life and particularly at the hour of death. This chaplet mitigates God’s anger, as He Himself told me.
Faustina and God: This evening, a certain young man was dying; he was suffering terribly. For his intention, I began to say the chaplet which God had taught me. I said it all, but the agony continued. I wanted to start the Litany of the Saints, but suddenly I heard the words, “Say the chaplet.” I understood that the soul needed the special help of prayers and great mercy. And so I locked myself in my room and fell prostrate before God and begged for mercy upon that soul. Then I felt the great majesty of God and His great justice. I trembled with fear, but did not stop begging God’s mercy for that soul. Then I took the cross off my breast, the crucifix I had received when making my vows, and I put it on the chest of the dying man and said to God, “God, look on this soul with the same love with which You looked on my holocaust on the day of my perpetual vows, and by the power of the promise which You made to me in respect to the dying and those who would invoke Your mercy on them, [grant this man the grace of a happy death].” His suffering then ceased, and he died peacefully. Oh, how much we should pray for the dying! Let us take advantage of mercy while there is still time for mercy.
Faustina: God, who in Your mercy have deigned to call man from nothingness into being, generously have You bestowed upon him nature and grace. But that seemed too little for Your infinite goodness. In Your mercy, O God, You have given us everlasting life. You admit us to Your everlasting happiness and grant us to share in Your interior life. And You do this solely out of Your mercy. You bestow on us the gift of Your grace, only because You are good and full of love. You had no need of us at all to be happy, but You, O God, want to share Your own happiness with us. But man did not stand the test. You could have punished him, like the angels, with eternal rejection, but here Your mercy appeared, and the very depths of Your being were moved with great compassion, and You promised to restore our salvation. It is an incomprehensible abyss of Your compassion that You did not punish us as we deserved. May Your mercy be glorified, O God; we will praise it for endless ages. And the angels were amazed at the greatness of the mercy which You have shown for mankind...
Faustina: To receive God’s light and recognize what God wants of us and yet not do it is a great offense against the majesty of God. Such a soul deserves to be completely forsaken by God. It resembles Lucifer, who had great light, but did not do God's will. An extraordinary peace entered my soul when I reflected on the fact that, despite great difficulties, I had always faithfully followed God’s will as I knew it. ... [G]rant me the grace to put Your will into practice as I have come to know it, O God.
Faustina: When I entered the chapel, I received an inner understanding
of the great reward that God is preparing for us, not only for our good deeds, but also for our sincere desire to perform them.
Faustina: I find myself so weak that were it not for Holy Communion I would fall continually. One thing alone sustains me, and that is Holy Communion. From it I draw my strength [to accept the graces of God and fulfill them]; in it is all my comfort. I fear life on days when I do not receive Holy Communion. I fear my own self. God concealed in the Host is everything to me. From the tabernacle I draw strength, power, courage and light. Here, I seek consolation in time of anguish. I would not know how to give glory to God if I did not have the Eucharist in my heart.
Faustina: O God, You alone know what I suffer, but I will keep silent and will not say anything about it to any creature, because I know that no one will comfort me. You are everything to me, O God, and Your holy will is my nourishment. I am living now on what I will live on in eternity. I have great reverence for Saint Michael the Archangel; he had no example to follow in doing the will of God, and yet he fulfilled God's will faithfully.
Faustina: My God, You see how weak I am of myself. Therefore, You Yourself direct my affairs. And know, O God, that without you I will not budge for any cause, but with You I will take on the most difficult things.
Faustina: During the night, I was suddenly awakened and knew that some soul was asking me for prayer, and that it was in much need of prayer. Briefly, but with all my soul, I asked God for grace for her.
Faustina and God: The following afternoon, when I entered the ward, I saw someone dying, and learned that the agony had started during the night. When I verified it–it had been at the time when I had been asked for prayer. And just then, I heard a voice in my soul: "Say the chaplet which I taught you." I ran to fetch my rosary and knelt down by the dying person and, with all the ardor of my soul, I began to say the chaplet. Suddenly the dying person opened her eyes and looked at me; I had not managed to finish the entire chaplet when she died, with extraordinary peace. I fervently asked God to fulfill the promise He had given me for the recitation of the chaplet. He gave me to know that the soul had been granted the grace. He had promised me. That was the first soul to receive the benefit of the [Divine Mercy] promise. I could feel the power of mercy envelop that soul.
Faustina: I find myself so weak that were it not for Holy Communion I would fall continually. One thing alone sustains me, and that is Holy Communion. From it I draw my strength [to accept the graces of God and fulfill them]; in it is all my comfort. I fear life on days when I do not receive Holy Communion. I fear my own self. God concealed in the Host is everything to me. From the tabernacle I draw strength, power, courage and light. Here, I seek consolation in time of anguish. I would not know how to give glory to God if I did not have the Eucharist in my heart.
Faustina: O God, You alone know what I suffer, but I will keep silent and will not say anything about it to any creature, because I know that no one will comfort me. You are everything to me, O God, and Your holy will is my nourishment. I am living now on what I will live on in eternity. I have great reverence for Saint Michael the Archangel; he had no example to follow in doing the will of God, and yet he fulfilled God's will faithfully.
Faustina: My God, You see how weak I am of myself. Therefore, You Yourself direct my affairs. And know, O God, that without you I will not budge for any cause, but with You I will take on the most difficult things.
Faustina: During the night, I was suddenly awakened and knew that some soul was asking me for prayer, and that it was in much need of prayer. Briefly, but with all my soul, I asked God for grace for her.
Faustina and God: The following afternoon, when I entered the ward, I saw someone dying, and learned that the agony had started during the night. When I verified it–it had been at the time when I had been asked for prayer. And just then, I heard a voice in my soul: "Say the chaplet which I taught you." I ran to fetch my rosary and knelt down by the dying person and, with all the ardor of my soul, I began to say the chaplet. Suddenly the dying person opened her eyes and looked at me; I had not managed to finish the entire chaplet when she died, with extraordinary peace. I fervently asked God to fulfill the promise He had given me for the recitation of the chaplet. He gave me to know that the soul had been granted the grace. He had promised me. That was the first soul to receive the benefit of the [Divine Mercy] promise. I could feel the power of mercy envelop that soul.
Faustina: My God, how little these people talk about You. They talk about everything but You. And if they talk so little [about You], it is quite probable that they do not think about You at all. The whole world interests them; but about You, their Creator, there is silence. God, I am sad to see this great indifference and ingratitude of creatures. O my God, I want to love You for them and to make atonement to You, by my love.
Mary and St. Faustina: “I am Mother to you all, thanks to the unfathomable mercy of God. Most pleasing to Me is that soul which faithfully carries out the will of God.” She gave me to understand that I had faithfully fulfilled the will of God and had thus found favor in His eyes. “Be courageous. Do not fear apparent obstacles, but fix your gaze upon the Passion of My Son, and in this way you will be victorious.“
*You cannot receive communion without going through RCIA, a free program to become Catholic. Contact your [ local diocese ] and ask for their best RCIA program.
Intro to Learning Divine Mercy Chaplet
“Eternal Father, I offer You the great Wound in the Heart of Your Son to heal the wounds of my own heart.”
The most eloquent speaker, the wisest person in the universe, could come and speak before me, but all those words would be lost on me if I did not have the grace to understand her. So I open this document with the above prayer for healing.
God can bring from darkness, light; from misery, healing; from worthlessness, value; from death, life. We must pray—that is, ask God directly—to give us this light of understanding. This is because He is a greater spirit than we are, and is benevolent and charitable and desires to enlighten our own spirit. In a single moment, His wisdom can enlighten us. In an instant, He can shed more light on us than those who work their whole lives to understand, but never ask Him for understanding.
“Eternal Father, I offer You the great Wound in the Heart of Your Son to heal the wounds of my own heart.”
The most eloquent speaker, the wisest person in the universe, could come and speak before me, but all those words would be lost on me if I did not have the grace to understand her. So I open this document with the above prayer for healing.
God can bring from darkness, light; from misery, healing; from worthlessness, value; from death, life. We must pray—that is, ask God directly—to give us this light of understanding. This is because He is a greater spirit than we are, and is benevolent and charitable and desires to enlighten our own spirit. In a single moment, His wisdom can enlighten us. In an instant, He can shed more light on us than those who work their whole lives to understand, but never ask Him for understanding.
Even a person with an extremely high IQ can be a fool if she doesn’t turn to ask God specifically for wisdom. From Him alone comes wisdom.
If you don’t believe in God or never believed in His goodness, its likely because no one ever taught you how to pray, or never taught you how to pray well, or you knew how but stopped praying. But that is okay. That is in the past. God Himself will come to you and teach you about prayer once you start; if you pray even once, He will come to you and help you, so you will understand it more in the future. You just have to get started, and then God will do the rest. Put aside the doubt and fear and let God heal you, let Him have compassion on you, let He who created you love you and recreate your life so that you are joyful.
Taking care of your spiritual health means prayer. Not just a split second of prayer, not just putting your hands together and making a wish, not just holding hands in a group prayer because someone had an accident, but real, private, alone, meditative prayer that takes time and involves you, like meditating on the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Not meditating as in trascendental meditation and not prayer as in chanting mantras, but really thinking about and feeling God’s mysteries of light. That is how He will heal you, by you meditating on Him, and He, in turn, coming to you in this way and giving you the mercy and graces promised in Divine Mercy.
If you feel anxiety, I suggest you take a deep breath and realize that your anxiety, repulsion, apprehension, anger, etc., is a negative influence on you, and by that I mean a real spiritual influence, as in, a spirit, or an oppression, to try to keep you from healing and reaching God’s graces. This is called “the spirit of the world.” Take a slow, deep breath; keep calm. Call upon God in your heart to give you light and peace and solace if a moment distress comes upon you. Then the oppression will leave you and you will have peace.
Now that you have asked Him through that little prayer, God will begin to enlighten you. So now I may begin explaining how to recite the Chaplet of Divine Mercy to you.
The Chaplet: The Bronze Serpent
I will first introduce a concept to you.
We were never meant to internalize our sufferings. That is not how God built us. By internalize our sufferings, I mean: become depressed, laden with guilt and sin, whether our own wrongdoings or the cruelty others committed against us. Those open, bleeding wounds, festering in our souls. Trapping us. Relived memories and remorse. They make us like the living dead, taking light and life from us. They are poison in us. An intangible poison that a physical medicine cannot pull out of us.
The best metaphor for this is the Bronze Serpent.
The Israelites were wandering in the desert. They had just escaped oppression from the Egyptians, who had chased after them and demanded they return. God stopped the Egyptians and began leading His children through the desert, towards their permanent home that they were intended to take, under His guidance, and live in peace.
They began to turn from God, complaining against Him even though He had worked all these miracles in their lives. This separated the people from God’s protection, because they rebelled against Him. Without His protection, snakes were able to come and bite the people. They began dying of the snake venom.
Then the people realized they had been ungrateful and turned back to God, and asked Moses to intercede for them: “We have sinned in complaining against the Lord and you. Pray to the Lord to take the serpents from us.”
So Moses prayed for the people, and the Lord said to Moses: Make a snake and mount it on a pole, and everyone who has been bitten will look at it and recover. Accordingly Moses made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever the serpent bit someone, the person looked at the bronze serpent and recovered. http://www.usccb.org/bible/numbers/21
I will first introduce a concept to you.
We were never meant to internalize our sufferings. That is not how God built us. By internalize our sufferings, I mean: become depressed, laden with guilt and sin, whether our own wrongdoings or the cruelty others committed against us. Those open, bleeding wounds, festering in our souls. Trapping us. Relived memories and remorse. They make us like the living dead, taking light and life from us. They are poison in us. An intangible poison that a physical medicine cannot pull out of us.
The best metaphor for this is the Bronze Serpent.
The Israelites were wandering in the desert. They had just escaped oppression from the Egyptians, who had chased after them and demanded they return. God stopped the Egyptians and began leading His children through the desert, towards their permanent home that they were intended to take, under His guidance, and live in peace.
They began to turn from God, complaining against Him even though He had worked all these miracles in their lives. This separated the people from God’s protection, because they rebelled against Him. Without His protection, snakes were able to come and bite the people. They began dying of the snake venom.
Then the people realized they had been ungrateful and turned back to God, and asked Moses to intercede for them: “We have sinned in complaining against the Lord and you. Pray to the Lord to take the serpents from us.”
So Moses prayed for the people, and the Lord said to Moses: Make a snake and mount it on a pole, and everyone who has been bitten will look at it and recover. Accordingly Moses made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever the serpent bit someone, the person looked at the bronze serpent and recovered. http://www.usccb.org/bible/numbers/21
When we look at Christ upon the Cross, especially with contrition and trust in God, we see reflected back at us all of our wounds, all the cuts and bruises and pain and bleeding of our souls. That is what Christ on the Cross is: it is the Bronze Serpent that Moses made in the desert to extract the poison from God’s Children, through a look (a meditation, this chaplet of Divine Mercy).
The Cross was used in ancient times as the ultimate symbol of fear, public humiliation, torture, and death. It was capital punishment. Death on the Cross meant excruciating pain. Victims would actually die from drowning: their lungs would fill with their own fluids because their arms were forced to be outstretched and they would drown.
Who hasn’t felt as if their soul was drowning in sorrow or pain or loneliness or guilt or from others’ abuse? That internal lingering poison that wears us out until we are dead inside? Who hasn’t felt fear, public humiliation, torture, and living death? Drowning within our souls?
When we look upon Him on the Cross, He looks back at us with mercy and love, and takes all the tortured wounds in our soul, all the fear in our heart, and all the death in our life, into His Own Person, and out of us. He never committed a wrongdoing against anyone, and as God, Life flows from Him.
Thus, we recover.
This is how God heals us when we meditate upon Him. That is how He lends us His strength.
That is one of the reasons Christians view the Cross now as a symbol of hope. It represents all the burdens and miseries of our lives, in whatever form they’re in, being transformed by God into light.
That is what the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is: it is the meditation of the Wounds of Christ and on God’s Love and Mercy. In return for our meditation and remembrance of this great sacrifice, the poison within our souls is drawn out.
God: “Were a soul like a decaying corpse so that from a human standpoint, there would be no [hope of ] restoration and everything would already be lost, it is not so with God. The miracle of Divine Mercy restores that soul in full. Oh, how miserable are those who do not take advantage of the miracle of God’s mercy!”
Miserable because the poison will only become more intense, the decay only grow worse; miserable because the singular opportunity for healing was passed up. Outside of God, there is no healing; no other source that will draw out this poison and restore light to a soul; no other “Bronze Serpent” exists.
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is composed of two primary prayers. They are recited during mental meditation. In other words, you repeat the prayers out loud and meditate in your mind. (Although you may also pray the prayers silently while you meditate if you want; or sing them. “He who sings prays twice.”)
God envelopes a soul in His Mercy when that soul recites this Chaplet, and you will be able to feel it around you. His Mercy begins healing that soul and its life, all the wounds in that soul. Also, anything can be asked of Him, and as much will be given as the soul has trust. So if the soul has a bucket of trust in God’s goodness, a bucket of graces will be poured out. If a soul has an ocean of trust in God’s goodness, an ocean of graces will be poured out. If you want more trust, pray, “help my unbelief!” [ Mark Chapter 9: http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/9 ]
You may increase your faith by reading stories of God’s intercession; testimonies of how God has acted in someone’s life. Some listed below:
God to Saint Faustina: “My Secretary, write that I am more generous toward sinners that toward the just. It was for their sake that I came down from heaven; it was for their sake that My Blood was spilled. Let them not fear to approach Me; they are most in need of My mercy.”
Lutheran Feels God’s Mercy Poured Out Via Divine Mercy Chaplet, helps heal a vice: http://www.thedivinemercy.org/news/story.php?NID=3805
Three Stories of People Who Hit Rock Bottom, Suicidal: http://www.boldradish.com/2015/01/healing-depression-anxiety-stress.html#rockbottom
Former Prostitute ‘Miss Whiplash’ Near-Death Experience (watch video, article doesn’t have everything): http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/hereford/worcs/8261078.stm
Porn Addict, Sex Addict, Alcoholic: http://marytakeover.livejournal.com/22082.html
Atheist concerned about dying, who hit rock bottom after a string of empty relationships and losing her only passion in life due to injury, which was dancing: http://marytakeover.livejournal.com/15708.html
Rosary of Liberation, 31 testimonies: http:// www.boldradish.com/p/rosary-of-liberation.html
Cocaine Addict: http://marytakeover.livejournal.com/15493.html
The two prayers of the Chaplet are, “For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!” and “Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement of our sins and those of the whole world!”
They are recited in this way:
0—Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement of our sins and those of the whole world!
1—For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!
2—For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!
3—For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!
4—For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!
5—For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!
6—For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!
7—For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!
8—For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!
9—For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!
10—For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!
One opening prayer, followed by 10 repeating prayers, is known as a “decade.”
5 “decades” are recited for a complete “Divine Mercy Chaplet.” That means you recite the above “decade” 5 times in a row.
You can say the Divine Mercy Chaplet any number of times during the day. It is recommended that you say it daily.
What are you supposed to meditate on while reciting this chaplet? What are you supposed to be thinking about?
You can think about God’s mercy and love. I include quotes from St. Faustina’s Diary, Divine Mercy in my Soul, throughout this page.
You can meditate on His Passion. You can look at artistic depictions of His Passion, on a crucifix, and/or read the scriptures on His Passion (which are linked to within this document). The gospels are unique to all other written documents because the words are living, in a spiritual sense. They are “the four living creatures” described in the book of Revelation; they “feel” different even from other religious texts in other religions. They are mystical, alive.
Included in this document is also a chaplet composed of the lines from the 7 penitential psalms (http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year/lent/seven-penitential-psalms-songs-of-suffering-servant.cfm)
The first time I prayed it, I “saw” a scene like the pieta. We’ve all had an art history class in school, but in case you’ve forgotten, “the pieta” is any artistic depiction of Mary holding her Son after His Body has been removed from the Cross, after He’s died and right before His burial. It means “pity.” One of the most famous Pietas is Michelangelo’s Pieta.
Only it wasn’t Mary offering up the body of her Son in this vision, it was
me. It was an overwhelming image because I felt so unworthy of making the offering, but essentially that is what is happening when you recite the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
Up until that point, I had never understood what was meant when people said that God made an offering for our sins. I never understood that because God is not knowledge, or sayings, or words, or tracts: God is an experience. It must be experienced, firsthand. This chaplet allows for many graces; experiencing His Mercy is the greatest of graces.
It is spiritually extremely powerful.
I recommend also reciting the Divine Mercy Chaplet while meditating on images (paintings, statues) of the Passion.
Crucifixion depictions:
https://www.google.com/search?q=crucifixion +painting&tbm=isch
https://www.google.com/search?q=crucifixion+statue&tbm=isch
https://www.pinterest.com/jesusmartinez/crucifixion/
The following has quotes taken from the penitential psalms, selected by Haapala. 7 Penitential Psalms: http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year/lent/seven-penitential-psalms-songs-of-suffering-servant.cfm
The quotes in the following chaplet aren’t a necessary part of the Divine Mercy chaplet. Only the two prayers mentioned above—“For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!” and “Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement of our sins and those of the whole world!”—are essential to the prayer. The quotes above each prayer in the following Chaplet are simply to help you meditate on God’s Mercy. Opening up a browser window to images of the pieta or crucifixion may also help you meditate (see previous links).
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy opens up with what’s called the Apostle’s Creed, the Our Father, and the Hail Mary prayers, all of which derive from scriptures. Even if you don’t believe everything stated in the Apostle’s Creed, it is a good idea to pray it anyway, because it is spiritually quite a powerful prayer. It is like supernatural armor.
Quotes from His Sorrowful Passion by Christine Haapala, available at amazon.com. There is another chaplet in the same book with more quotes and pictures in the same book. Excellent for meditation.
Up until that point, I had never understood what was meant when people said that God made an offering for our sins. I never understood that because God is not knowledge, or sayings, or words, or tracts: God is an experience. It must be experienced, firsthand. This chaplet allows for many graces; experiencing His Mercy is the greatest of graces.
It is spiritually extremely powerful.
I recommend also reciting the Divine Mercy Chaplet while meditating on images (paintings, statues) of the Passion.
Crucifixion depictions:
 |
| Crucifixion, Gabriel Metsu |
https://www.google.com/search?q=crucifixion+statue&tbm=isch
https://www.pinterest.com/jesusmartinez/crucifixion/
The following has quotes taken from the penitential psalms, selected by Haapala. 7 Penitential Psalms: http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year/lent/seven-penitential-psalms-songs-of-suffering-servant.cfm
The quotes in the following chaplet aren’t a necessary part of the Divine Mercy chaplet. Only the two prayers mentioned above—“For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!” and “Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement of our sins and those of the whole world!”—are essential to the prayer. The quotes above each prayer in the following Chaplet are simply to help you meditate on God’s Mercy. Opening up a browser window to images of the pieta or crucifixion may also help you meditate (see previous links).
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy opens up with what’s called the Apostle’s Creed, the Our Father, and the Hail Mary prayers, all of which derive from scriptures. Even if you don’t believe everything stated in the Apostle’s Creed, it is a good idea to pray it anyway, because it is spiritually quite a powerful prayer. It is like supernatural armor.
Quotes from His Sorrowful Passion by Christine Haapala, available at amazon.com. There is another chaplet in the same book with more quotes and pictures in the same book. Excellent for meditation.
Our Lord promises to deliver souls who pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy from their spiritual enemies as well as (if they have them) any people who are their enemies.
Make the Sign of the Cross: Touch your forehead with your dominant hand and say, "In the name of the Father." With the same hand, touch the middle of your chest and say, "and of the Son." Again using the same hand, touch your left shoulder and say, "and of the Holy", then touch your right shoulder and say, "Ghost. AMEN."
You will have said, "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. AMEN," while forming a cross over yourself. If you prefer, you can substitute "Ghost" for "Spirit.” They're the same thing, "ghost" is just an older way of phrasing "spirit," which is more contemporary.
That is called “making the sign of the Cross.”
For the sake of learning, I will put the Apostle’s Creed, Our Father, and Hail Mary prayers at the end of the Chaplet.
Chaplet:
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.
O Lord, rebuke me not in Your indignation, nor chastise me in Your wrath. Ps 6:2
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak: heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. Ps 6:3
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
And my soul is troubled exceedingly: but You, O Lord, how long? Ps 6:4
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the
whole world.
Turn to me, O Lord, and deliver my soul: O save me for Your mercy's sake. ... who shall confess to You in hell? Ps 6:5-6
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
I have laboured in my groanings, every night I will wash my bed: I will water my couch with my tears. Ps 6:7
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity: for the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping. Ps 6:9
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
The Lord has heard my supplication: the Lord has received my prayer. Ps 6:10
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Ps 31:1
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me: I am turned in my anguish, whilst the thorn is fastened. Ps 31:4
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
You are my refuge from the trouble which has encompassed me: my Joy, deliver me from them that surround me. Ps 31:7
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
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.
Turn to me, O Lord, and deliver my soul: O save me for Your mercy's sake. ... who shall confess to You in hell? Ps 6:5-6
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
I have laboured in my groanings, every night I will wash my bed: I will water my couch with my tears. Ps 6:7
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity: for the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping. Ps 6:9
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
The Lord has heard my supplication: the Lord has received my prayer. Ps 6:10
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Ps 31:1
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me: I am turned in my anguish, whilst the thorn is fastened. Ps 31:4
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
You are my refuge from the trouble which has encompassed me: my Joy, deliver me from them that surround me. Ps 31:7
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
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.
I will give you understanding, and I will instruct you in this way, in which you shall go: I will fix My Eyes upon you. Ps 31:8
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Many are the scourges of the sinner, but mercy shall encompass him that hopes in the Lord. Ps 31:10
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, you just, and glory, all you right of heart. Ps 31:11
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Rebuke me not, O Lord, in Your indignation ... For Your arrows are fastened in me: and Your hand has been strong upon me. Ps 37:2-3
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the
whole world.
There is no health in my flesh, because of Your wrath: there is no peace for my bones, because of my sins. Ps 37:4
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
I am become miserable, and am bowed down even to the end: I walked sorrowful all the day long. Ps 37:7
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
I am afflicted and humbled exceedingly: I roared with the groaning of my heart. Ps 37:9
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Lord, all my desire is before You, and my groaning is not hidden from You. My heart is troubled, my strength has left me. Ps 37:10-11
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
My friends and my neighbors have drawn near, and stood against me. And they that were near me stood afar off: And they that sought my soul used violence. Ps 37:12-13
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
For in You, O Lord, have I hoped: You will hear me, O Lord my God. Ps 37:16
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
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 I am ready for scourges: and my sorrow is continually before me. Ps 37:18
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Forsake me not, O Lord my God: do not depart from me. Attend unto my help, O Lord, the God of my salvation. Ps 37:22-23
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy. And according to the multitude of Your tender mercies blot out my iniquity. ... You shall wash me, and my soul shall be made whiter than snow. Ps 50:3,9
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
To my hearing You shall give joy and gladness: and the bones that have
been humbled shall rejoice. Turn away Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Ps 50:10-11
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Create a clean heart in me, O God. ... Cast me not away from Your face; and take not Your holy spirit from me. Ps 50:12-13
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Restore unto me the joy of Your salvation, and strengthen me with a perfect spirit. Ps 50:14
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit: a contrite and humbled heart, O God, You will not despise. Ps 50:19
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Hear, O Lord, my prayer: and let my cry come to You. Ps 101:2
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Turn not away Your face from me: in the day when I am in trouble, incline Your ear to me. In what day soever I shall call upon You, hear me speedily. Ps 101:3
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
All the day long my enemies reproach me: and they that praised me did swear against me. Ps 101:9
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
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.
Create a clean heart in me, O God. ... Cast me not away from Your face; and take not Your holy spirit from me. Ps 50:12-13
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Restore unto me the joy of Your salvation, and strengthen me with a perfect spirit. Ps 50:14
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit: a contrite and humbled heart, O God, You will not despise. Ps 50:19
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Hear, O Lord, my prayer: and let my cry come to You. Ps 101:2
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Turn not away Your face from me: in the day when I am in trouble, incline Your ear to me. In what day soever I shall call upon You, hear me speedily. Ps 101:3
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
All the day long my enemies reproach me: and they that praised me did swear against me. Ps 101:9
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
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.
You shall arise and have mercy on Sion: for it is time to have mercy on it, for the time is come. Ps 101:14
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
For the Lord has built up Sion: and he shall be seen in his glory. Ps 101:17
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
He has had regard to the prayer of the humble: and he has not despised their petition. Ps 101:18
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord. Ps 129:1
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Lord, hear my voice. Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication. Ps 129:2
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
For with You there is merciful forgiveness: and by reason of Your law, I have waited for You, O Lord. Ps 129:4
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
My soul has relied on His Word: my soul has hoped in the Lord. Ps 129:4-5
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
From the morning watch even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord. Ps 129:6
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Because with the Lord there is mercy: and with him plentiful redemption. Ps 129:7
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities. Ps 129:8
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
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.
Hear, O Lord, my prayer: give ear to my supplication in Your truth: hear me in Your justice. Ps 142:1
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
For the enemy has persecuted my soul: he has brought down my life to the earth. Ps 142:3
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
He has made me to dwell in darkness as those that have been dead of old: and my spirit is in anguish within me: my heart within me is troubled. Ps 142:3-4
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
I stretched forth my hands to You: my soul is as earth without water unto You. Ps 142:6
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Hear me speedily, O Lord: my spirit has fainted away. Turn not away Your face from me. Ps 142:7
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Cause me to hear Your mercy in the morning; for in You have I hoped. Ps 142:8
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Make the way known to me, wherein I should walk: for I have lifted up my soul to You. Ps 142:8
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord, to You have I fled: teach me to do Your will, for You art my God. Ps 142:9-10
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
You will bring my soul out of trouble: and in Your mercy You will destroy my enemies. Ps 142:11-12
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
I am Your servant. Ps 142:12
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Holy God, Holy Might One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Holy God, Holy Might One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Holy God, Holy Might One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Concluding prayer (optional): 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.
Cause me to hear Your mercy in the morning; for in You have I hoped. Ps 142:8
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Make the way known to me, wherein I should walk: for I have lifted up my soul to You. Ps 142:8
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord, to You have I fled: teach me to do Your will, for You art my God. Ps 142:9-10
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
You will bring my soul out of trouble: and in Your mercy You will destroy my enemies. Ps 142:11-12
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
I am Your servant. Ps 142:12
For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Holy God, Holy Might One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Holy God, Holy Might One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Holy God, Holy Might One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Concluding prayer (optional): 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.
Now, we still have to say the prayers that typically open the Chaplet that I skipped in the beginning for the sake of your learning. Recite the following prayers (Our Father, Hail Mary, Apostle’s Creed) even if you do not believe or do not yet understand them. In time, understanding will come upon you, God will enlighten you; in the meanwhile, say them anyway because they are powerful spiritual armor, like medicine for your spirit:
Our Father: Our Father in Heaven,
Holy is Your Name,
Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done, on earth as in Heaven.
Give us today our daily bread
and forgive us the wrong we have done
as we forgive those who wrong us.
Do not subject us to the final test
but deliver us from the evil one. Amen.
(This prayer composed of scripture from Luke 11:2 and Matthew 6:9.
"forgive us our wrong," etc. instead of the more formal wording "our trespasses" because it allows me to make more sense of my duties towards God and man; this version's wording is approved of with a nihil obstat and imprimatur from the New Saint Joseph's People's Prayer Book)
Hail Mary: Hail Mary, full of grace, our Lord is with you!
Blessed are you among women and Blessed is the Fruit of Your Womb,
our Lord, Jesus Christ in Whom I trust!
O Virgin Saint Mary, O Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at
all times and at the hour of our death! Amen.
(The Hail Mary is composed of scripture from Luke 1:26-28 and Luke 1:39-45
The variations here are from the Syrian version of the Hail Mary and from St. Louis de Montfort's book "Secrets of the Rosary." I prefer the Syrian additions and the lack of "thee" and "thou" because it is more reverent while at the same time more conversational, not putting God on a pedestal so far from me that He is not apart of my life, in which I never say "thee" or "thou," but I feel as if I am conversing with the Blessed Mother—who is also my mother—directly.)
Apostle's Creed: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen, 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. On the third day He arose from the dead. He ascended into Heaven and is seated 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 Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. AMEN.
There is another important prayer in the Conclusion section of this document. The following are new quotes about Divine Mercy, from St. Faustina’s Diary, from which the Chaplet of Divine Mercy was revealed to the world.
God: My child, listen to the voice of your merciful Father. O soul steeped in darkness, do not despair. All is not yet lost. Come and confide in your God, who is love and mercy.
God: I never reject a contrite heart. Your misery has disappeared in the depths of My mercy. Do not argue with Me about your wretchedness. You will give me pleasure if you hand over to me all your troubles and griefs. I shall heap upon you the treasures of My grace.
God: My child, all your sins have not wounded My Heart as painfully as your present lack of trust does–that after so many efforts of My love and mercy, you should still doubt My goodness.
God: Here, soul, are all the treasures of My Heart. Take everything you need from it. Tell me all, My child, hide nothing from Me, because My loving Heart, the Heart of your Best Friend, is listening to you.
God: My omnipotent mercy is active here. Happy the soul that takes advantage of this grace. What joy fills My Heart when you return to me. Because you are weak, I take you in My arms and carry you to the home of My Father.
God: Child, speak no more of your misery; it is already forgotten. Listen, My child, to what I desire to tell you. Come close to My wounds and draw from the Fountain of Life whatever your heart desires. Drink copiously from the Fountain of Life and you will not weary on your journey. Look at the splendors of My Mercy and do not fear the enemies of your salvation. Glorify My mercy.
God: Do not be absorbed in your misery–you are still too weak to speak of it–but, rather; gaze on My Heart filled with goodness, and be imbued
God: My child, listen to the voice of your merciful Father. O soul steeped in darkness, do not despair. All is not yet lost. Come and confide in your God, who is love and mercy.
God: I never reject a contrite heart. Your misery has disappeared in the depths of My mercy. Do not argue with Me about your wretchedness. You will give me pleasure if you hand over to me all your troubles and griefs. I shall heap upon you the treasures of My grace.
God: My child, all your sins have not wounded My Heart as painfully as your present lack of trust does–that after so many efforts of My love and mercy, you should still doubt My goodness.
God: Here, soul, are all the treasures of My Heart. Take everything you need from it. Tell me all, My child, hide nothing from Me, because My loving Heart, the Heart of your Best Friend, is listening to you.
God: My omnipotent mercy is active here. Happy the soul that takes advantage of this grace. What joy fills My Heart when you return to me. Because you are weak, I take you in My arms and carry you to the home of My Father.
God: Child, speak no more of your misery; it is already forgotten. Listen, My child, to what I desire to tell you. Come close to My wounds and draw from the Fountain of Life whatever your heart desires. Drink copiously from the Fountain of Life and you will not weary on your journey. Look at the splendors of My Mercy and do not fear the enemies of your salvation. Glorify My mercy.
God: Do not be absorbed in your misery–you are still too weak to speak of it–but, rather; gaze on My Heart filled with goodness, and be imbued
with My sentiments. Strive for meekness and humility; be merciful to others, as I am to you; and, when you feel your strength failing, if you come to the fountain of mercy to fortify your soul, you will not grow weary on your journey.
God: It is in My Passion that you must seek light and strength.
Faustina: After the confession, I meditated on the terrible Passion, and I understood that what I was suffering was nothing compared to the Savior’s Passion, and that even the smallest imperfection was the cause of this terrible suffering. Then my soul was filled with very great contrition, and only then I sensed that I was in the sea of the unfathomable mercy of God. Oh, how few words I have to express what I am experiencing! I feel I am like a drop of dew engulfed in the depths of the bottomless ocean of divine mercy.
God: Fear nothing; I am with you.
Faustina, while ill: I still had to ask the sister who was in charge of the sick to bring me my meal. When I told her this, she burst out of the chapel into the corridor after me to give me a piece of her mind: “Why on earth are you going to bed, Sister, etc......” I asked her not to bother bringing me anything. I am writing all this very briefly because it is not my intention to write about such things, and I am doing so merely to dissuade souls from treating others in this way, for this is displeasing to the Lord. In a suffering soul we should see Jesus Crucified, and not a loafer or burden on the community. A soul who suffers with submission to the will of God draws down more blessings on the whole community than all the working. Poor indeed is a convent where there are no sick. God often grants many and great graces out of regard for the soul who are suffering, and He withholds many punishments solely because of the suffering souls.
Faustina: O my God, when shall we look upon souls with higher motives in mind? When will our judgments be true? You give us occasions to practice deeds of mercy, and instead we use the occasions to pass judgment. In order to know whether the love of God flourishes [between people], one must ask how they treat the sick, the disabled,
God: It is in My Passion that you must seek light and strength.
Faustina: After the confession, I meditated on the terrible Passion, and I understood that what I was suffering was nothing compared to the Savior’s Passion, and that even the smallest imperfection was the cause of this terrible suffering. Then my soul was filled with very great contrition, and only then I sensed that I was in the sea of the unfathomable mercy of God. Oh, how few words I have to express what I am experiencing! I feel I am like a drop of dew engulfed in the depths of the bottomless ocean of divine mercy.
God: Fear nothing; I am with you.
Faustina, while ill: I still had to ask the sister who was in charge of the sick to bring me my meal. When I told her this, she burst out of the chapel into the corridor after me to give me a piece of her mind: “Why on earth are you going to bed, Sister, etc......” I asked her not to bother bringing me anything. I am writing all this very briefly because it is not my intention to write about such things, and I am doing so merely to dissuade souls from treating others in this way, for this is displeasing to the Lord. In a suffering soul we should see Jesus Crucified, and not a loafer or burden on the community. A soul who suffers with submission to the will of God draws down more blessings on the whole community than all the working. Poor indeed is a convent where there are no sick. God often grants many and great graces out of regard for the soul who are suffering, and He withholds many punishments solely because of the suffering souls.
Faustina: O my God, when shall we look upon souls with higher motives in mind? When will our judgments be true? You give us occasions to practice deeds of mercy, and instead we use the occasions to pass judgment. In order to know whether the love of God flourishes [between people], one must ask how they treat the sick, the disabled,
and the infirm who are there.
God: My child, know that if I allow you to feel and have a more profound knowledge of My sufferings, that is a grace from Me. But when your mind is dimmed and your sufferings are great, it is then that you take an active part in My Passion, and I am conforming you more fully to Myself. It is your task to submit yourself to My will at such times, more than at others...
God: I don’t demand mortification from you, but obedience. By obedience you give great glory to Me and gain merit for yourself.
Faustina: It was as if I mistrusted [God’s goodness]. In one of my morning talks with Him I said, “are You not an illusion?” He answered me: My love deceives no one.
God: My daughter, do you think you have written enough about My mercy? What you have written is but a drop compared to the ocean. I am Love and Mercy Itself. There is no misery that could be a match for My mercy, neither will misery exhaust it, because as it is being granted– it increases. The soul that trusts in My mercy is most fortunate, because I Myself take care of it.
Faustina: On the evening of the last day before my departure from Vilnius, an elderly sister revealed the condition of her soul to me. She said that she had already been suffering interiorly for several years, that it seemed to her that all her confessions had been bad, and that she had doubts as to whether the Lord Jesus had forgiven her. I asked her if she had ever told her confessor about this. She answered that she had spoken many times about this to her confessors and...."the confessors are always telling me to be at peace, but still I suffer very much, and nothing brings me relief, and it constantly seems to me that God has not forgiven me." In answered, “You should obey your confessor, Sister, and be fully at peace, because this is certainly a temptation.”
Faustina: But she entreated me with tears in her eyes to ask God if He had forgiven her and whether her confessions had been good or not. I answered forcefully, “Ask Him yourself, Sister, if you don't believe your confessors!” But she clutched my hand and did not want to let me go until I gave her an answer, and she kept asking me to pray for her and to let her know what God would tell me about her. Crying bitterly, she would not let me go and said to me, “I know that the Lord God speaks to you, Sister.” Since she was clutching my hand and I could not wrench myself away, I promised her I would pray for her. In the evening, during Benediction, I heard these words in my soul:
God: Tell her that her disbelief wounds My heart more than the sins she committed.
Faustina: When I told her this, she began to cry like a child, and great joy entered her soul. I understood that God wanted to console this soul through me. Even though it cost me a good deal, I fulfilled God’s wish.
Faustina: The bowels of God’s mercy are opened for us
Through the life of Jesus, stretched on the cross.
O sinner, you must not doubt or despair,
But trust in mercy, for you also can become holy
God: My child, faithfully live up to the words which I speak to you. Do not value any external thing too highly, even if it were to seem very precious to you. Let go of yourself, and abide with Me continually. Entrust everything to Me and do nothing on your own, and you will always have great freedom of spirit. No circumstances or events will ever be able to upset you. Set little store on what people say. Let everyone judge you as they like. Do not make excuses for yourself, it will do you no harm. Give away everything at the first sign of a demand, even if they were the most necessary things. Do not ask for anything without consulting Me. Allow them to take away even what is due you – respect, your good name – let your spirit rise above all that. And so, set free from everything, rest close to My Heart, not allowing your peace to be disturbed by anything. My pupil, consider the words which I have spoken to you.
God: My child, know that if I allow you to feel and have a more profound knowledge of My sufferings, that is a grace from Me. But when your mind is dimmed and your sufferings are great, it is then that you take an active part in My Passion, and I am conforming you more fully to Myself. It is your task to submit yourself to My will at such times, more than at others...
God: I don’t demand mortification from you, but obedience. By obedience you give great glory to Me and gain merit for yourself.
Faustina: It was as if I mistrusted [God’s goodness]. In one of my morning talks with Him I said, “are You not an illusion?” He answered me: My love deceives no one.
God: My daughter, do you think you have written enough about My mercy? What you have written is but a drop compared to the ocean. I am Love and Mercy Itself. There is no misery that could be a match for My mercy, neither will misery exhaust it, because as it is being granted– it increases. The soul that trusts in My mercy is most fortunate, because I Myself take care of it.
Faustina: On the evening of the last day before my departure from Vilnius, an elderly sister revealed the condition of her soul to me. She said that she had already been suffering interiorly for several years, that it seemed to her that all her confessions had been bad, and that she had doubts as to whether the Lord Jesus had forgiven her. I asked her if she had ever told her confessor about this. She answered that she had spoken many times about this to her confessors and...."the confessors are always telling me to be at peace, but still I suffer very much, and nothing brings me relief, and it constantly seems to me that God has not forgiven me." In answered, “You should obey your confessor, Sister, and be fully at peace, because this is certainly a temptation.”
Faustina: But she entreated me with tears in her eyes to ask God if He had forgiven her and whether her confessions had been good or not. I answered forcefully, “Ask Him yourself, Sister, if you don't believe your confessors!” But she clutched my hand and did not want to let me go until I gave her an answer, and she kept asking me to pray for her and to let her know what God would tell me about her. Crying bitterly, she would not let me go and said to me, “I know that the Lord God speaks to you, Sister.” Since she was clutching my hand and I could not wrench myself away, I promised her I would pray for her. In the evening, during Benediction, I heard these words in my soul:
God: Tell her that her disbelief wounds My heart more than the sins she committed.
Faustina: When I told her this, she began to cry like a child, and great joy entered her soul. I understood that God wanted to console this soul through me. Even though it cost me a good deal, I fulfilled God’s wish.
Faustina: The bowels of God’s mercy are opened for us
Through the life of Jesus, stretched on the cross.
O sinner, you must not doubt or despair,
But trust in mercy, for you also can become holy
God: My child, faithfully live up to the words which I speak to you. Do not value any external thing too highly, even if it were to seem very precious to you. Let go of yourself, and abide with Me continually. Entrust everything to Me and do nothing on your own, and you will always have great freedom of spirit. No circumstances or events will ever be able to upset you. Set little store on what people say. Let everyone judge you as they like. Do not make excuses for yourself, it will do you no harm. Give away everything at the first sign of a demand, even if they were the most necessary things. Do not ask for anything without consulting Me. Allow them to take away even what is due you – respect, your good name – let your spirit rise above all that. And so, set free from everything, rest close to My Heart, not allowing your peace to be disturbed by anything. My pupil, consider the words which I have spoken to you.
——
There is more to read and for you to learn. Now I give you instructions. You see that God has said that it is better for you to be obedient to His Will than it is for you to suffer? Obey His Will now, then, in what I tell you.
Recite the Chaplet of Divine Mercy every day. Speak with God about all your miseries and problems, and accept peace from Him. Do not think your misery will be too much and He will not be able to give you peace. Do not reject His healing. Do not fight His peace.
Get nuns and monks to pray for you.
http://archstl.org/prayer/request-a-prayer Prayer request that gets over 100 contemplative nuns praying for you.
https://www.amm.org/petition/default.aspx?FormID=316&emlcode=IGO5 Many Masses and prayers and good works offered for you by monks
Bold Radish prayer request, we send your intentions to various convents by handwritten mail.
Recite the prayer in the Conclusion section of this document daily, as well. Then continue reading the quotes about Divine Mercy that are listed below that, the sections about spirituality and about God’s interest in daily tasks. You may also strongly consider reading the Diary of St. Faustina, linked below.
This step is very important as well. Listen and obey it carefully. Do all in your power to heal from depression and anxiety. Admit when you suffer from either of these two things, do not be in denial about them. BoldRadish fl has a lot of free resources for that purpose. You must do everything you can to be healthy: mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually healthy. That should be your primary focus. Then you will be peaceful and happy and able to accomplish your dreams and fulfill your life's purpose.
God wants you to be healed and to receive His peace and joy. You must not stop asking Him to guide you and help you heal, even if you think you are “well enough.” You must continue to ask Him to heal you, even if you think you don’t need it. It will be a sign of humility and He will respond by giving you great joy and a peace that the world cannot give you.
Finally, stay away from people who want to destroy you, destroy your soul, or who encourage the occult or any self-destructive activities. Forgive them, but stay away from them. Do not think about or communicate with them in any way. Do not sin. Forget your misery. Add them to a prayer request and then stay away from them. (I discuss this further in later sections.)
This is many things to do, these are each large tasks. Don’t put them off. God will help you: keep returning to Him, to the Divine Mercy, for graces and strength.
Faustina: The Lord gave me to know how very pleasing to Him is a soul who lives in accordance with the will of God. It thereby gives very great glory to God...
God: The soul that trusts in My mercy is most fortunate, because I Myself take care of it.
Another way to meditate while reciting the Chaplet of Divine Mercy: You may read the scriptural quotes for the Sorrowful Passion while reciting the chaplet of Divine Mercy. This is known as “meditating on the Passion.” There are four Gospels, written by four different saints. All of which chronicle the Passion. The various points of view have been combined here, with links to the individual chapters if you want to read them uncombined:
http://www.boldradish.com/p/rosary.html
There are five sorrowful mysteries. Each sorrowful mystery is meditated on while saying a “decade” of the Divine Mercy chaplet. So, for example, you would read the scripture for the first mystery, the Agony in the Garden. Then you would recite the first decade of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy while thinking about what you had just read.
Because God is infinite and He is also the Word of God, meditating upon scripture is mediating upon God Himself. There are an infinite number of new things to learn, realize and be enlightened about from meditating even on the same scripture repeatedly. Ask the Holy Ghost to enlighten you about new things in the scripture while you are praying. It will never become tiring or boring; God is ever new. Each day with Him is a new experience; each prayer with Him is a new experience, if we focus on Him and ask Him to help us experience His newness.
The Image of Divine Mercy
He said of this image that it will be a fount from which souls will repeatedly turn to in order to draw graces from God’s Mercy.
Faustina and God: In the evening, when I was in my cell, I saw God clothed in a white garment. One hand [was] raised in the gesture of blessing, the other was touching the garment at the heart. From beneath the garment, slightly drawn aside from at heart, there were emanating two large rays, one red, the other pale. In silence I kept my gaze fixed on God; my soul was struck with awe, but also with great joy. After a while, He said to me, “Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: ‘Jesus, I trust in You’” (Diary, 47).
God: “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. I want this image, which you will paint with a brush, to be solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter; that Sunday is to be the Feast of Mercy. I desire that priests proclaim this great mercy of Mine towards
He said of this image that it will be a fount from which souls will repeatedly turn to in order to draw graces from God’s Mercy.
Faustina and God: In the evening, when I was in my cell, I saw God clothed in a white garment. One hand [was] raised in the gesture of blessing, the other was touching the garment at the heart. From beneath the garment, slightly drawn aside from at heart, there were emanating two large rays, one red, the other pale. In silence I kept my gaze fixed on God; my soul was struck with awe, but also with great joy. After a while, He said to me, “Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: ‘Jesus, I trust in You’” (Diary, 47).
God: “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. I want this image, which you will paint with a brush, to be solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter; that Sunday is to be the Feast of Mercy. I desire that priests proclaim this great mercy of Mine towards
souls of sinners. Let the sinner not be afraid to approach Me. The flames of mercy are burning Me – clamoring to be spent; I want to pour them out upon these souls. Distrust on the part of souls is tearing at My insides. The distrust of a chosen soul causes Me even greater pain; despite My inexhaustible love for them they do not trust Me. Even My death is not enough for them. Woe to the soul that abuses these [gifts].”
Faustina and God: I suddenly saw the Lord Jesus, who said to me with great kindness, “My daughter, look at My merciful Heart.” As I fixed my gaze on the Most Sacred Heart, the same rays of light, as are represented in the image as blood and water, came forth from it, and I understood how great is the Lord’s mercy.
Faustina: When, on one occasion, my confessor told me to ask God the meaning of the two rays in the image, I answered, “Very well, I will ask the Lord.”
Faustina: During prayer I head these words within me:
God: 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... (Water is the Sacrament of Baptism and Blood is the Sacrament of Communion, the Eucharist)
God: 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.
God: These rays shield souls from the wrath of My Father. Happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him. I desire that the first Sunday after Easter be the Feast of Mercy.
God: +Ask of my faithful servant [Father Sopocko] that, on this day, he tell the whole world of My great mercy; that whoever approaches the Fount of Life on this day will be granted complete remission of sins and punishment.
God: +Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy.
Faustina and God: I suddenly saw the Lord Jesus, who said to me with great kindness, “My daughter, look at My merciful Heart.” As I fixed my gaze on the Most Sacred Heart, the same rays of light, as are represented in the image as blood and water, came forth from it, and I understood how great is the Lord’s mercy.
Faustina: When, on one occasion, my confessor told me to ask God the meaning of the two rays in the image, I answered, “Very well, I will ask the Lord.”
Faustina: During prayer I head these words within me:
God: 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... (Water is the Sacrament of Baptism and Blood is the Sacrament of Communion, the Eucharist)
God: 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.
God: These rays shield souls from the wrath of My Father. Happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him. I desire that the first Sunday after Easter be the Feast of Mercy.
God: +Ask of my faithful servant [Father Sopocko] that, on this day, he tell the whole world of My great mercy; that whoever approaches the Fount of Life on this day will be granted complete remission of sins and punishment.
God: +Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy.
God: +Oh, how much I am hurt by a soul’s distrust! Such a soul professes that I am Holy and Just, but does not believe that I am Mercy and does not trust in My Goodness. Even the devils glorify My Justice but do not believe in My Goodness.
God: My Heart rejoices in this title of Mercy.
God: Proclaim that mercy is the greatest attribute of God. All the works of My hands are crowned with mercy.
 |
| Vilnius Image of Divine Mercy, right-click to view fullsize |
The following is from a pamphlet adapted from a booklet "Divine Mercy Image Explained" by Father Michael Gaitley, MIC, with Ecclesiastical Approval.
"A powerful detail of the Vilnius Image of Divine Mercy is God's gaze. If you look closely, you can see that his gaze is not directly at the viewer. Rather, while his eyes look toward us, they face downward. This comes across as a deeply humble, non-threatening gesture as anyone who has ever worked with battered animals knows.
"Animals that have been abused by their owners are often skittish and ready to run away whenever someone approaches them. Therefore, in order to draw close to them, one must do so slowly and without looking directly at them, so they don't feel threatened. This is how God approaches us in the Divine Mercy Image. There, he takes a small step toward us without looking directly at us. Of course, he knows that we've been wounded by original sin, that we're ready to run off and hide. But he doesn't want this. Rather, he wants us to let him approach us, embrace us with the rays of his mercy, and receive his healing grace and blessing. So, his gaze is one of great love but also one of great humility and gentleness.
"How do we know that God's gaze in the Divine Mercy Image is one of "great love"? Because he tells us as much. In the Diary of St. Faustina, we read, "My gaze from this image is like My gaze from the Cross" (326). In other words, his gaze is one of greatest love, for "Greater love no man has than this, to lay down his life for his friends" (Jn 15:13). God showed this love for us on the Cross, where he laid down his life for us, and we can see this love in his gentle and merciful gaze."
What can we do with this image? How can we venerate it?
We can pray before the image. We can speak to God while looking on the face of this image. We can talk to Him about anything. In fact, we should trust Him with even minor details of our life. He will grant miracles in answer to our prayers prayed before this image.
A meditation:
Let us say we have some false idol that we hold onto. What is a false idol? It is anything we treasure dearly, that we enjoy thinking about, and acting towards, thinking it will give us ultimate happiness, that is not God.
For example, let's pretend I have this false idol that is vengeance. Let's say I enjoy thinking, whenever I can in my free time, of getting revenge on those who wronged me. When I think of it, it is my soul, my heart, "looking" at this idol, "adoring" this idol. With my body and mind and resources, I work for this idol. I am filled with anger when I think of them, and feel empowered when I think of hurting them. I want them to feel as bad as they made me feel. Let's say they hurt me out of their envy, when I just wanted to be friends, I didn't want them to envy me. So now, to hurt them. I imagine doing horrible violence to them. I want to do things that will make them envious, because I know how much envy consumes them. So I even start working on doing things that will make them envious.
Thus, my vengeance, my anger, because a most precious thing to me. It becomes the most precious possession I own because it is the fuel I have for doing everything else.
But when anything becomes an idol, when anything is precious above God and we gear our whole lives towards them, when we put them above God, they make us extremely miserable. Or insane. The unbalanced state they cause is what personality disorders are, their very definition. Either way, miserable or insane, we are very unstable and unhappy, sometimes even depressed and suicidal.
(You can see now that those who don't know God or pray to Him at all are prone to making everything into idols and becoming very miserable. And if you are coming in from not knowing Him, you can understand now how you had so little peace.)
God has every resource in His Hands. Including happiness. There are people surrounded by fame, wealth, family, success, all the best medical care, and who, deep down inside, are lonely and miserable and depressed, no matter what or who they have.
God can give you happiness, no matter what you don't have. In fact, to shame the proud who don't turn to Him, He gives joy to those who humble themselves before Him.
And He can help you work for your dreams, which He Himself put in your heart, in hopes that you would turn to Him and ask Him to help you with them.
So there's no reason to anxiously or fearfully or desperately work for your dreams (because God Himself will give you joy, right now, as soon as you ask, even while you still don't have your dreams fulfilled) and there's no reason to hold any idol above God because, even if you got the idol, only God could make you happy. Without Him, no matter what you have, you won't be joyful or peaceful or not feel lonely, deep down inside. Only God can fulfill those things.
He wants you to fulfill your dreams but not out of desperation, but out of love for Him.
Some examples of other false idols are greed (wanting money, material possessions), relationships (if I had such-and-such relationship, if my familial relationships were repair, if I had a wife/husband, if I had a baby, then I'd finally be happy), fame, sex, drugs, a good job, good grades, good looks, strength, being better than others, being perfect/doing things perfectly, ... etc. etc. almost anything can be an idol. Controlling others' actions, politics, current events, all can idols. Fear can be an idol. Anxiety. Doubt. Self-hatred. Hatred of another. Hatred of anything can be idolized, especially if we are called to be stable, gentle people. Obsession with another person. Obsession with anything, no matter what it is. Popularity. A talent, something you do.
It can even be an obsession with a mistake you made. It can be holding onto a sin. It can be self-pity. It can be a memory that is bad, that is very painful and hideous. It can be a relationship that is very toxic, very poisonous. It can be any memory that seems stuck in your mind, not letting you move on. It can be any moment of abuse in your life, any moment of pain, even pain and shame over something you did wrong. Everything within you is seen by God, with even greater clarity than you yourself see it. And He wants to heal everything. Everything you did, everything someone did to you, everything that you are clinging to that is poisoning you, every bad relationship in your life, every single drop of poison in you.
It can be grief. It can be loss. It can be rejection, or denial. It can be misplaced guilt, or appropriately placed guilt. Perhaps it is something about you that causes a lot of harm to others. A controlling attitude, a quick temper, a terrible fear or anxiety. Maybe its a specific event, or an on-going problem. A sin. Envy. Pride. Arrogance. Lack of confidence in God. A verbal problem. Saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Arguing. Gossip. Telling people's secrets. Saying too much or too little. Belittling others. Cussing. Blasphemy, taking God's Name in vain. A worry, a concern for the future, perhaps.
It can be even a goal. Anything at all precious to you. Perhaps something that you might be concerned about being an idol, but you don't know if its an idol or not.
Anything that is apart of you.
It can even be a physical pain. God teaches us we must unite all our pain to His great pain on the Cross, to complete His Passion. “For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry [to God], ‘[Papa,] Father!’ The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.” (Romans 8)
In the same way that God suffered for the salvation of souls, we spiritually unite our suffering to His great suffering of Betrayal and pain on the Cross for the salvation of souls. He not only often relieves us or heals us of our suffering, but He glorifies our suffering, sanctifies it.
For those without God, their suffering is meaningless. They don't understand why they suffer. But for those with God, who unite their suffering to His Great Suffering, our suffering suddenly has tremendous meaning. Although God urges us to try to heal and helps us to heal, our suffering becomes beautiful, holy, meaningful, helpful, salvific. That is why He is the Christ, the Savior of humanity: He made our misery no longer meaningless, we are no longer alone in our misery.
What we are going to do is use this Divine Mercy image to hand our suffering, or our idols that we might love very much but that make us insane or will eventually hurt us when they fail us, over to God.
God said to Saint Faustina: "My daughter, faithfully live up to the words which I speak to you. Do not value any external thing too highly, even if it were to seem very precious to you. Let go of yourself, and abide with Me continually. Entrust everything to Me and do nothing on your own, and you will always have great freedom of spirit. No circumstances or events will ever be able to upset you. Set little store on what people say. Let everyone judge you as they like. Do not make excuses for yourself, it will do you no harm. Give away everything at the first sign of a demand, even if they were the most necessary things. Do not ask for anything without consulting Me. Allow them to take away even what is due you – respect, your good name – let your spirit rise above all that. And so, set free from everything, rest close to My Heart, not allowing your peace to be disturbed by anything. My pupil, consider the words which I have spoken to you."
Guided imagery: You can do this every day you want, even over the same topic/idol, or thing that is bothering you or plaguing you or causing you pain. Your life will transform.
[ Editor’s note: I’d like to point out that, yes you do hand over your problems to Jesus and yes He does bathe you in His light, but He doesn’t bathe you in His grace because you’ve imagined Him doing so. Then it would be you doing it, or rather, just your imagination. You aren't invoking Him, He's freely and mercifully giving you His grace. He is in control, not you. … Instead, it is really happening and it is God doing it, whether you imagine it or not or realize it or not. Also you don’t have to go through any sort of guided imagery to pray or to hand things over to God. You can just talk to Him normally and ask for help, and He will help you no matter what you imagine or don’t imagine. Because it isn’t you, it’s Him doing it and not because we deserve it but because He is infinitely Merciful. He is God, and He is not subject to any command -- if He does anything for us, it is out of Infinite Mercy we don't deserve and so should be very grateful for. ]
Imagine this idol, this desire or poison. Imagine it perfectly in your mind, whatever scenario it is, whether a memory or a fantasy. If it is not an idol but a physical or psychological illness or pain, picture how it handicaps you.
Imagine now that all you are imagining is being transformed into a colored substance, or colored light. What color(s) is it?
This colored light is running in narrow bands all over your spiritual body. It is in many places. Where is it? Your toes? Your spine? Your bowels? Your arms? Your neck? Your genitals? Your stomach? Your face? Is any part of it touching your eyes? Your wrists? Your brain? A particular organ? Your skin? Has it attached to a muscle, blood, bone...?
Imagine that you are taking your spirit-hands and pulling then through your spirit body. You are collecting all of the colored light/substance that is this idol, poison or pain that runs throughout your body.
You see that it sticks to certain parts of your body. You have to tug to get it off. Where is it sticking? Where is it coming up easily? How gentle or hard do you have to tug? Do you have to ask God's help, to pull His Hands through you to get it unstuck in certain areas?
You have collected all of the colored light, or God has helped you and has placed it in your hands.
You hold it in your hands.
It is larger than both your hands, slightly. You pack it all together. You can manipulate its shape.
What shape is it? Is it a perfect sphere? Is it lop-sided? Does it act like a liquid, or a gas? Is it a hard solid? Is it crystalline? Does it move or hold still? If it moves, is it fast or slow? Does light penetrate it? Is it reflective? Is it milky, or clear? Iridescent?
Is it very beautiful to you? Is it precious? Is it the most precious goal you have, the most precious, dearest thing, or is it something that you want to get rid of, that you find hideous? Are you afraid of it? Or do you find it wonderful, beautiful? Is it a sin in and of itself or is it only a sin because you cherish it more than you cherish your relationship with God?
Whatever it is to you, you hand it over to God.
He smiles, lowers His eyes in gratitude and humility, delighted that you would hand this over to Him. Even if it is something painful or hideous, He is so pleased that you would entrust it to Him. He is so pleased to take it for you.
You see that it seems to disappear into the brilliant light coming out of His Heart. He places whatever you handed to Him into His Heart.
This light from His Heart seems to find all the places in your spirit body that were touched by this idol, poison or desire. It is filling and repairing all of the openings or damage done to you by what you handed over to Him.
The two rays wash over you everywhere now, penetrating you as if you were translucent. They go through you, but also touch you, reaching every organ, tissue, cell. Your whole spirit.
Your spirit glows softly, the way a translucent stone glows when you shine a flashlight through it. You see this soft glow outside of you, surrounding you, as well. You realize it is the Mercy of God's Love, protecting you, your soul. Making your soul cozy. Giving you strength to reject bad people, places, thoughts, or actions.
End of guided imagery.
If it was an idol, a sin, or a past error or bad event/memory that you have already been to confession for, or something bad that happened to you long ago, you promise Him not to ever think about it again. He gives you much strength to do this. If you fail in this and do think of it again, you can always come back here and He will embrace you and help you start over again with this process, removing all of it from you. Sometimes spiritual cancers can grow back and need to be removed many times, sometimes they are gone completely after one time. Either way, it will bring you very close to God.
If it is something you haven't been to confession for or you have never been baptized, this light gives you tremendous power to seek reconciliation in Confession, that you can be united to God and protected by God in a more powerful way, and He can piece together your life in a bigger and more miraculous way.
(This practice can also be done with spiritual attachments that may have happened from playing with the occult or keeping bad company.)
God: Write, speak of My mercy. Tell souls where they are to look for solace; that is, in the Tribunal of Mercy [the Sacrament of Reconciliation]. There the greatest miracles take place [and] are incessantly repeated. To avail oneself of this miracle, it is not necessary to go on a great pilgrimage or to carry out some external ceremony; it suffices to come with faith to the feet of My representative and to reveal to him one’s misery, and the miracle of Divine Mercy will be fully demonstrated. Were a soul like a decaying corpse so that from a human standpoint, there would be no [hope of ] restoration and everything would already be lost, it is not so with God. The miracle of Divine Mercy restores that soul in full. Oh, how miserable are those who do not take advantage of the miracle of God’s mercy! You will call out in vain, but it will be too late.
End of meditation.
We can hand over many daily things to Him through this image.
We can also hand over what we are doing at any specific time to Him. It can be little things, big things, mundane things. What are some examples?
For example, I used to not draw very well. But almost overnight, God made me to draw very well. He also made me to write very well, and be able to write a great deal in a relatively short amount of time (without being manic).
Before we start something, we can reach into the very depths of ourselves and hand over what we are doing to God.
It can be basic things, like our next shower. Or our next meal. Preparing our meal. Preparing something to drink. Checking our email. We can go before this Divine Mercy Image or imagine it and reach inside ourselves and hand over what we are about to do, our actions, to God. It can be anything. Even our decorating. You want to decorate a room? Put it in God's Hands. Get dressed in the morning? God Himself will help us. You'll look so put together. And it will all be easier than normal, easier than without Him. Better and easier.
He lived on earth, in the hidden life, so He could help us with every day, small things. If you place your gardening in His Hands, He will help you work out the best, most beautiful garden. He will help your plants grow better than they could have without His help. Your money? He will help you think of all sorts of ideas for being successful. Creativity? He will again give you all sorts of new ideas. He is newness, creation. He creates the clouds in the sky every night. Beautiful pieces of moving artwork. Of course He'd be glad to help you with any work, any endeavor.
And we can also offer anything we do to Him. We can do it for Him. Even mundane, daily tasks. "... whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Colossians ch 3) You can go grocery shopping and offer the act of it to God. And then you can prepare your meal and eat your meal, offering those actions to God, too. Doing it, essentially, for Him.
He also works miracles through the Divine Mercy Image. You can ask Him for special graces. Healing. Help.
I personally asked Him to heal me of a skin condition. It was something that had cost me hours in time, incredible physical and psychological pain, money, treatments, doctor visits, even the threat of surgery, antibiotics.
The next morning after asking Him, my skin was significantly better. Also, a I didn't tell anyone I was asking for this, but within a few days, my parents purchased for me a herbal treatment for thyroid conditions, which I have slightly and which effect the skin. Also, at the same time, my mother got a oil that was for an entirely different problem she was having, but it turned out it worked amazingly on my skin, as well, and I had never heard of it as a treatment for my specific condition.
So please, yes, frequently turn to the Divine Mercy image, when possible. Either in your mind or casually looking at it throughout the day from time to time, and/or during your morning and evening prayers.
Conclusion
I conclude with another prayer for enlightenment. It is a very simple prayer, although it is very mystical, and I explain why I include it, so that He Himself, not by human means but by His own Light, might open your mind to understand what I am telling you, the way He did for me to understand before you, and countless others before me.
The prayer we are going to say so that you will come to understand these things is a consecration to the Heart of God. What is a consecration? It is to make sacred. Your mind, your thoughts, your person, will be made sacred through the grace of God, if we appeal to His Compassionate Heart.
First, I will tell you the promises God has made about the consecration to His Divine Heart so that you will understand what you are doing, and why, if you say this prayer at least once a day, in a year from now, you will have “tasted the fruits of Heaven”: you will have experienced moments of deep peace and significant light and enlightenment in your soul. It is not anything magic—the prayer itself, its wording, is almost inconsequential—it is that you are appealing in a special way to God to enlighten you, and it is He Himself, not any “magic words,” Who will give you this peace and joy, Who will begin to act in your life.
The Twelve Great Promises of God, Revealed Through Holy St. Margaret Mary, For Those Devoted To His Sacred Heart:
God:
1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life. 2. I will establish peace in their families.
3. I will console them in all their troubles.
4. They shall find in My Heart an assured refuge during life and
especially during the spiritual trials accompanying death.
5. I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings.
6. Sinners shall find in My Heart the source of an infinite ocean of
mercy.
7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection.
9. I will bless the homes in which an image of My Heart shall be
exposed and honored.
10. I will give to priests the power of touching the most hardened hearts. 11. Those who propagate this devotion shall have their names written in
My Heart, never to be effaced.
12. The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those who shall
receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months the
grace of final repentance; they shall not die under My displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments; My Heart shall be their assured refuge at the last hour.
Nihil Obstat: Rev. Tery Tekippe, Censor Librorum.
Imprimatur: Most Rev. Francis B. Schulte, Archbishop of New Orleans,
December 29, 1989
From the book Prayers and Heavenly Promises, compiled by Joan
Carroll Cruz, published by TAN Books.
Daily Consecration Prayer to the Sacred Heart: “To Your Heart, O God of Heaven, I consecrate my own heart. Manifest Your Promises in my life. You see my spiritual heart. It is dried out, burnt over and over again by the world, ashen and white, shrunken for lack of life; unable, on its own, to pump any life through me. No one in this world wants my heart; no one can know what to do with it. Even I do not want it, shrunken and burned out as it is. Please, You take it. Place the Divine Fire from Your Own Heart onto my heart: this Fire, unlike the fire of the world, will not destroy my heart. Your Fire will restore my heart to what my heart was meant—by Your Own Design—to be. It will give me life instead of take it away. Your own Life will flow through me. You Who are Dying to save my life, You Who so dearly desire to pour out Your Mercy upon souls, I now consecrate my heart to You, that You may pour out all Your Abundant Mercy and Love onto my heart, my soul, my life. Preserve me from the false path, and fortify me, heal my life path. Preserve me from the wolf and the snake, the evil lion and the evil dragon; extract the poison from me and from all souls I may have harmed. Fill me up, o God, with Your healing, peace and joy, and reconcile my life to Your Life.”
There, you have consecrated your heart.
There are many consecration prayers to the Sacred Heart. That is one that I have written specifically for you. Any of them, so long as a prayer of consecration is made (“I consecrate my heart to You”), will work. If you say the above prayer every day, you will start to see the 12 promises He made manifesting in your own life. Bit by bit, He will shed His abundant light on you, and begin healing your life. Write that prayer down. Say it at least once a day. Let God heal you and lead you to healing. Meditate frequently on the Promises of the Sacred Heart, and greatly desire the fulfillment of these promises in your life. Eagerly look forward to them, because they are coming, so long as you stay with Him.
Nihil Obstat: Rev. Tery Tekippe, Censor Librorum.
Imprimatur: Most Rev. Francis B. Schulte, Archbishop of New Orleans,
December 29, 1989
From the book Prayers and Heavenly Promises, compiled by Joan
Carroll Cruz, published by TAN Books.
Daily Consecration Prayer to the Sacred Heart: “To Your Heart, O God of Heaven, I consecrate my own heart. Manifest Your Promises in my life. You see my spiritual heart. It is dried out, burnt over and over again by the world, ashen and white, shrunken for lack of life; unable, on its own, to pump any life through me. No one in this world wants my heart; no one can know what to do with it. Even I do not want it, shrunken and burned out as it is. Please, You take it. Place the Divine Fire from Your Own Heart onto my heart: this Fire, unlike the fire of the world, will not destroy my heart. Your Fire will restore my heart to what my heart was meant—by Your Own Design—to be. It will give me life instead of take it away. Your own Life will flow through me. You Who are Dying to save my life, You Who so dearly desire to pour out Your Mercy upon souls, I now consecrate my heart to You, that You may pour out all Your Abundant Mercy and Love onto my heart, my soul, my life. Preserve me from the false path, and fortify me, heal my life path. Preserve me from the wolf and the snake, the evil lion and the evil dragon; extract the poison from me and from all souls I may have harmed. Fill me up, o God, with Your healing, peace and joy, and reconcile my life to Your Life.”
There, you have consecrated your heart.
There are many consecration prayers to the Sacred Heart. That is one that I have written specifically for you. Any of them, so long as a prayer of consecration is made (“I consecrate my heart to You”), will work. If you say the above prayer every day, you will start to see the 12 promises He made manifesting in your own life. Bit by bit, He will shed His abundant light on you, and begin healing your life. Write that prayer down. Say it at least once a day. Let God heal you and lead you to healing. Meditate frequently on the Promises of the Sacred Heart, and greatly desire the fulfillment of these promises in your life. Eagerly look forward to them, because they are coming, so long as you stay with Him.
And know that it is not anything other than the effort to contact Him on your part that is causing it. Some people believe they themselves are manifesting these Divine Promises. This is in grave error, because it is not from humans—even your own human self—that these promises are fulfilled, but by God, through His Love and Mercy. Those who believe it is their work will soon, by the fruits of their erroneous belief, come to understand this is not true. And those who do not turn to Him, but turn only to their own efforts, will find they cannot move their life forward even one millimeter, no matter how hard they push.
I would like to spare you those trials and tell you now that it is God’s work in our lives. That way, you will swiftly move forward because it will be Him moving you forward, and He can't help but grant more graces to those who appreciate Him. We have only to invite Him to give us these promises through our repeated consecrations, and He Himself will fulfill those promises; He Himself will bring us closer to Him.
Only the God Who created your heart, and who initially created your life, can recreate your heart and your life. You may assist Him through your prayers and works and efforts, but only He can recreate what was created. This ought to bring you great joy: if you are sad, He can recreate a life in which you are joyful and peaceful, beyond what you have ever known without Him, or would be able to know without Him. It will be very different from how you imagine a happy life to be, because He will create a life for you beyond your imagination, giving you things that people destroy themselves and others to try to obtain, but can never obtain them because they never turn to God.
There is a prophecy against those who hear the Word of God and hold onto it for a short time and then fall away. It is written in the “Parable of the Sower.” I will warn you in advanced so that you might make the decision to not fall away from this simple practice I have just shared with you. So that, in a moment of weakness when you say, “my life is fine, I no longer need to consecrate my heart to the Sacred Heart and I no longer need to be enveloped in God’s Mercy, that can wait until the last moments of my life,” you will remember this parable, and you will say, “I must continue to pray that little prayer I wrote down, as well as the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, every day; it will be very pleasing to God if I pray them, and then I will be very happy, as well.”
Matthew Chapter 13: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear.
“Hear then the parable of the sower. The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it, and the evil one comes and steals away what was sown in his heart. The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away. The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit. But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”
Now, you see, you must continue to pray these prayers, that all of the promises may be manifest, or else your latter condition will be worse than your present condition. You will have no more armor of God if you stop. Your heart will become more worn out that it was before you turned to God, if you turn from God after finding Him. You want to be the fertile soul and yield a hundredfold or sixtyfold or thirtyfold. I want you to yield a thousandfold. You, the student, will surpass me, the teacher, in wisdom and knowledge and happiness and peace. That is what I desire for you.
There is something to be said about saying the Consecration prayer at 5PM (17:00). I would suggest saying it first thing in the morning, and set an alarm to say it at 5PM. Many people have found that this seems to be a supernaturally significant hour for the Sacred Heart. You can say it while looking at an image of the Sacred Heart [ there are many, but here is one ]. You may also say it before you recite the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, or any time that you want to.
The “Hour of Great Mercy” is 3PM (15:00), the hour Christ died on the Cross. Typically, the Divine Mercy Chaplet is recited during this hour. Anything made in request of His Passion during this hour will be granted, provided it is His Will. If it is not His Will, submit to His Will and He will grant you even better. “Eye has not seen nor ear heard what God has prepared for those who love Him.”
Saying any prayer nine times in a row (either nine days in a row or immediately, nine
times in a row) is called a “novena.” For example, if I pray “God, please grant me healing of depression,” and then recite the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and do this once a day, nine days in a row, I have just completed a “novena.”
Of course, intentions don’t have to be limited to 9 days. Nor does the Chaplet of Divine Mercy have to be limited to once a day. I could say it nine times in a row for the same intention in one day.
An “irresistible novena” is a prayer said with the same intention 54 times in a row: 27 times in petition, and 27 times in thanksgiving, even if the grace hasn’t yet been received (that is, 9 x 3 novenas). The concept of irresistible novenas is generally intended for the Holy Rosary, but is this not the God of mercy? He will be touched with so much trust, even if it is recited with the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
You can also pray every day for the same intention, or multiple intentions, without a limit of 9 or 54... It is important to pray daily, anyway; very important.
The Divine Mercy Chaplet is a deliverance prayer, as well as a petition for whatever you need, either a grace or wisdom, or corporeal needs (money, food, clothing, friendship, life, education, medical, etc.).
One of the things I've noticed when I've prayed for someone to have something and God has given it to them is that, if they don't pray daily in thanksgiving for what they have received, acknowledging humbly that God is the one who helps them, or if they use what they got for sin, He takes it away from them. They think they can use other means, away from God, to get it back, but it always ends in tragedy. Because any time we put false idols above God, it ends in tragedy.
For example, sin, if you pray to get a promotion to be someone's boss, you get it, and then you aren't encouraging to the people you're working under, but are rude or abusive, become obsessed with money and serving it instead of God, and don't continue praying daily to God, but instead decide you got the promotion of your own merits alone; if you pray for a boyfriend or girlfriend and then forget God completely/become obsessed with that person, or fornicate, or treat that person cruelly, gossip about that person, treat him or her like an object, or ignore that person, or brag to others; if you pray for wisdom and then use your wisdom to belittle others or in an unwise way, or to feel superior to others, instead of humbled that God gave you wisdom; then He removes those gifts so you can't hurt yourself or others.
It makes sense, just for the safety of your soul, which couldn't handle certain gifts at a certain time in your life because it wasn't strong enough not to abuse them. Its also to test us, strengthen us, that we put God above anyone or anything else, so we are purified of false idols which cause so much misery in our lives and destroy others' lives as well. So in order to stop someone from sinning and damaging their and others' souls, He ends up having to take back the gifts He gave in order to try to get that person to humble his/herself again, like that person was when s/he was asking for the gifts.
You can save yourself from going through this ordeal by being very humble, daily, to God, and not rude or arrogant to people, and even when you have what you want, to depend on God and not the new thing that you got.
He also sometimes doesn't grant things that we want because they wouldn't be good for our souls, even if, in and of themselves, they are not bad. It might just be that its not the thing He wants for our life path, and if we got that, it would keep us from getting something better that He wants for us. He sees our entire lives and best path for them to go to be the happiest and most fulfilling for us. I've experienced this many, many times in my own life and so I always recommend submitting yourself to the Holy Will of God when asking for something, and if it doesn't happen, to still submit to the Will of God. Usually when we don't get what we want its because something so much better that we could not have even imagined it (and so couldn't have asked for it) it about to be given to us. I sincerely have seen this happen, I talk about it in other posts, too. That's why I'm always shocked people who didn't get something they wanted and so stopped praying... They really missed out... Even in times of extreme stress, we need to trust God, and turn our extreme stress over to Him, not turn away from Him... There is no one else to turn to. We can say with Peter, "Master, You alone are God, Who else can help me?" John 6:60-71
So keep trusting in God, so that you don't end up leading a foolish life away from Him and rejecting His greatest gifts for your life. Reading the Diary of St. Faustina will help you to learn to trust in God's goodness more and more. It is very important to read.
I recommend you also read Spiritual Warfare Prayers and Saint Michael the Archangel booklets, available for free here:
http://www.mediafire.com/view/9smxs8s32j83w2r/spiritual-warfare-prayers-st-michael-the-archangel.pdf
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy can be recited on ordinary Rosary beads. A search on ebay or amazon for "catholic rosary beads" will come up with a variety of types of rosaries. The Rosary Army gives away free knotted Rosaries.
Where Do I Go From Here?
We are urged to pray daily for an hour a day. If you don't have time, understand that God controls time. If you make time to pray for God, you will find that you have more time throughout the day, that somehow everything seems to fit together. God created time for us, for our benefit. We must turn to Him and pray for an hour a day. I will tell you an easy prayer schedule that will help you.
Typically half an hour in the morning and half an hour at night, is the easiest way to break this hour up. You can recite your prayers while venerating God in the Eucharist (can be found online here or, if that doesn't work, another site here)
You might start with reciting the consecration listed in the conclusion section. Then recite the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, sincerely, from your heart. Then read from a holy text, written by a person who is already a Saint in Heaven. You might consider reading the Diary of Saint Faustina.
Read “Divine Mercy in My Soul,” Diary of St. Faustina, for Free, Here
There are many other texts you could read, and even some videos you could watch. Many of them are listed in the posts on Bold Radish, which can be picked through from the Prayer Request page.
You will spend a portion of your prayer time reading and learning about God. But you must always remember to do this with God. God Himself will teach you more about Himself than you will find in any book. While it is very, very important to read holy works, it is equally important to pray to God before you read, and while you read, asking Him to enlighten your mind and tell you about Himself while you read. Ask Him questions. Talk to Him. Praise His great mercy as you read. Love Him. And praise Him also for His great saints that He created to better help enlighten you.
Many, many scholars have lived, live now, and will live, who study theology and God, who even have doctorates and degrees, but never, ever grasp Him or understand Him because they do not humble themselves and ask Him directly to explain Himself to them. God is an experience. The more you know of Him, the less you know of Him, because He is infinite. You must always ask Him about Himself, with awe and wonder at His vastness.
But you must include some time to just talk to God in your own words. To find thanksgiving for Him. Have a conversation with Him about your every day life, about what is on your mind. All your fears and anxieties. The practice that I explained in the Divine Mercy Image part of this post. Talk to Him while looking at the Miraculous Divine Mercy image or the Eucharist.
A great and holy guide for learning to speak to God can be found here, written by Alphonsus Ligori, entitled How to Converse Familiarly and Frequently with God. It is a very important text, very short, easy to read, and will really explain God's Mercy. It will help you learn how to carry your conversation with God throughout the day. You must never go for several hours without turning your thoughts towards God.
As previously stated, you should also read the Divine Mercy in My Soul, by St. Faustina. There is so much beauty in it about God's love and mercy.
She is a mystic and God speaks directly to her a lot. One of the great things about this is that we can make up our own prayers based on what God is saying to us. For example, He says:
God: My child, know that the greatest obstacles to holiness are discouragement
and an exaggerated anxiety. These will deprive you of the ability to practice
virtue. All temptations united together ought not disturb your interior peace, not even momentarily. Sensitiveness and discouragement are the fruits of self-love.
You should not become discouraged, but strive to make My love reign in place of
your self-love. Have confidence, My child. Do not lose heart in coming for
pardon, for I am always ready to forgive you. As often as you beg for it, you
glorify My mercy.
We can turn this into a beautiful prayer:
(That is the prayer I prayed for confidence while working so hard on writing these posts, and being so anxious that I could not do it quickly or well enough. But God reassured me and filled me with His peace, once I allowed Him to reign in my heart.)
So, you see, reading that Diary is really a grace-filled event, and you really would benefit greatly from it. It would benefit your soul to read the Diary of St. Faustina, bit by bit, for part of your hour of prayer.
We often, after becoming enamored with God, want to share with others. But we quickly find that others around us can't even begin to understand anything we are talking about. They do not understand how our suffering can be transformed by God into joy, or how God loves us, or encloses us in His Mercy, or even put into words what knowing God is like.
Sometimes we even try to go to other people who call themselves Christians, and they can't understand us, nor do they know anything about God at all. It becomes very confusing.
God is the God of the interior life. He reigns within us, it is a most intimate bond. How could anyone understand? Especially those who have not experienced it, who are not yet "awake"? And those who do understand, those rare few, there is almost nothing to say to them, because you both know already that God is acting in your souls.
The most important thing to do is to love God more and more within yourself. He states, over and over again to St. Faustina, who becomes so distraught that no one loves Him, that the way to bring the Kingdom of Heaven on earth is to love Him, in private. Faustina did more to save souls that those who loved God less but spoke a million words to a million people. You will understand more when you read her Diary. It will console you a great deal when you are faced with a world that neither knows nor cares about God. You will come to understand that your love of Him, in private, without even speaking to others, will save the world, will save souls.
The thing is, even if someone in the world has a hundred friends, they are forever lonely if they do not have God. And the soul that knows God, communicates with Him like this? Though they might go through the most horrendous trials, though they might have no one on earth to talk to, they are never alone, they no longer feel lonely.
That is what I remember most about learning about God, communicating with Him and praying and talking to Him. That I was so alone within my own soul before, and I have never been alone since. I can't remember what I thought about or cared about before I knew Him. I often try to guess, but I can't remember. Its like another lifetime ago. Its as if I wasn't born until I started to know God, to pray to Him, to be embraced by His Mercy through this devotion.
You will know that great joy, too.
So, when others are frantic about current events or laws that go into effect or which politician is doing what, you will know to ignore that sort of thing. Worrying about that is for people who don't believe in God or people who don't trust in God. We know better, that our battle is not with flesh but with principalities and powers (Ephesians 6), and that is why Jesus wasn't a politician but a carpenter, working for his father, and a fabric dyer, making a living on his skills and creativity instead of running for office or enacting laws, and why Saint Paul never gave long discourses about the extensive politics of the day that were happening all around them, but instead talked about how to love God more and live in His Will more and more. We will focus on loving God, thinking about Him, and watching Him work in our lives, and ignore what's going on in the world, which no longer can affect our joy.
Also, while you must pray for God for an hour a day without doing anything else (ie, not while doing your morning or nighttime chores, but 100% focusing on God), it is really best not to go over an hour. Praying too much, could interfere with what you're supposed to be doing, and it could mean that you aren't trusting in God, you think its your own efforts (your own prayers) that are at work. It could also be a sign of workaholism or perfectionism. The book The Imitation of Mary goes into this topic, which is why I recommend that book. It discusses many daily life problems and situations that a Christian faces and how to overcome them and complete the Will of God in them. Its a very powerful guide.
The most important thing you can work on now is becoming healthy, psychologically healthy, spiritually healthy. Avoid the occult and get your lives in order for God, with His help, by handing over your problems to Him, and working to overcome them. He will give you strength.
Work on overcoming anxiety and depression and becoming healthy. That is your most important task right now. Work With God to do that.
In Jesus' Name, the Name above all names, do not throw my words over your shoulder, but listen and obey; pray for understanding.
I will update more in the future; for now, enjoy the following prayer for becoming a Saint.
Prayer of consecration the Divine Heart to make me a saint, to be prayed from the heart, sincerely, daily, after waking up:
Lord God, Give me the peace and the joy that only a Saint experiences. Give me the grace to not refuse any more of your graces. You, God, made water come out of the rock in the desert to nourish your people. Make Your grace in my own hard heart. Put Your wisdom in my heart, that wisdom which You were so pleased to give to Solomon. You remove stones from my path so that I might not get harmed, but because I never see them, I never thank You for the great troubles You spare me from. Give me appreciation for every one of the graces You give me, the smallest grace, so You will be pleased to grant me more. Send Your angel to touch my mouth that nothing that offends You may ever come from it so that I am not subjected to Your justice. I ask I speak encouragingly, as one who knows the Love and Mercy of God; to be charitable with my time to those who sincerely need me or want to share with me, and have wisdom to avoid those who are insincere. I ask that I not accuse, for “the Accuser” is Satan. When Your angel touches my mouth, make it a touch that pervades my mind and heart, so that my intention and innermost dialogue might not offend You, either, that I may be sincere and therefore Your true child. When will You transform me so that I accept Your graces and stop offending You? When will You transform me into Yourself? Remove all things that foster peacelessness and joylessness in my heart; fill me with Yourself. Lead me to the top of Your Holy Mountain. Extract the poison from my heart, all sins within me and working against me. Sever all ties within my heart from those who hate You, be they under the guise of religious or of the worldly; sever ties from those who would fill me with poison, that the punishment to befall them might not come into my being but that I might be preserved from them; and remove the net they have cast over me that prevents You from blessing me; bind and cast them out in Your Name that they might no longer hurt other souls or themselves but wait to be unbound if they turn to Your Mercy, for You are the only God, there is no other, and only You can save them, unbind all the knots in their lives; but teach me to be merciful to all, as You are merciful, asking for no repayment from them, making excuses for them, seeing each one as a unique and individual child that You created, that I am incapable of understanding fully. I want only You in my heart. Clean my heart which I now hand over and consecrate to Your Sacred Heart. That heart of mine that is so worthless, so poisonous, so toxic, were it not for Your work in it. A thousand years is but a day and a day is a thousand years for You. In an instant, You could transform my heart into a magnificent into a magnificent castle for You to dwell in day and night, O Divine Carpenter. Do not let the world into my heart, cast out doubt, self-love, and lack of confidence in You. Guard my heart for You alone, O God, that I might love others, not out of need or selfish interest, but with You own pure Love. When will I cease offending You? The idea of offending Your goodness, Your Mercy, Your Love, Your perfection, Your Will, grieves me. Must I wait until I’ve died before I will stop sinning? You are the God of Life, who came that we may have life and have it in abundance. Please do not wait so long! I wish to be purified; I wish to be a stone that has been worn down by the flowing river until it is smooth, my personality mild and peaceful and joyful, despite circumstances, good or bad; I wish, for Your sake, that no fault be found in me so that there is nothing keeping us apart. Make me like a trusting, purring kitten in Your Arms, full of joy with intense love of its Master, You who can do all things! Make me so that I do not turn a blind eye to my faults and to all that is contrary to Your Will, but help me to seize ahold of them firmly, strangle them, wage supernatural vicious war against them, and cast them into the furnace of Your Sacred Heart, that they may be burned and never within me again! I see how I can do nothing without Your grace, so to compensate for all my faults, I offer You Your own most Sacred, Enflamed Heart, which You have offered to me out of Your Love. I give this Heart of God to You, O God, that You may be most deservedly and perfectly loved, and to make up for all the worthlessness of mankind which abuses Your Kindness and my own failures. I will never defend myself against the words of men but trust in You, that I might have true peace. I will forgive instantly anyone who fights me and just keep on loving You and turning to You for peace and joy and happiness. I cast out all sadness and all anger, in Your Name; I reject the world that ignores You, with all its needless cares and gossip, busybody and domination, manipulation and lies, curses and hatred, and put it in Your Hands; You, O savior, save it! I will think of all of these problems no more because they are in Your Hands. Save souls, Lord; I am a small child; for a human it is impossible to go to Heaven: You Yourself must save me, and save souls. I deserve nothing, I deserve no grace, but Your great goodness desires to share Your grace with poor souls, so please stoop down and fill my heart with all the graces that others refuse to accept from You. Your great goodness doesn’t need me but Your Love does, because it needs the creature It has created to love it in return: so make my heart joyful and loving to You, peaceful, and bring it to snuggle close to Your Merciful Heart, always and forever. Never let me be separated from You.
