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Home , Divine Mercy, Mercy, Mercy (The Walking Dead)

PROMISES OF DIVINE I trust in You. (Based on the “Diary— in My ” By St. ) Prepared by the Apostolate of Divine Mercy—Orange County Affiliate

On the Novena to the Divine Mercy (Starting ) (1209)

“I desire that during these nine days you bring to the fount of My Mercy, that they may draw therefrom strength and refreshment and whatever grace they need in the hardships of life, and especially at the hour of death.” “I will bring all these souls into the house of My Father…” “I will deny nothing to any soul whom you will bring to the fount of My mercy.”

On the Feast of Mercy (Mercy Sunday, 2nd Sunday of ) (699) “I pour out whole ocean of graces upon souls who will approach the fount of My Mercy.” “The soul that will go to and receive Holy Communion on that day shall obtain complete of sins and punishment. ...Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet.”

On the Chaplet of Divine Mercy

“Unceasingly recite the Chaplet that I have taught you. Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death…. Priests will recommend it to sinners as a last of . Even the most hardened sinner, if he recites this Chaplet even once, will receive grace from My infinite mercy…. By means of it you can ask and obtain anything, if what you ask for will be compatible with My will…… I want the whole world to know My infinite mercy. I want to give unimaginable graces to those who trust in My mercy. (687)

“At the hour of their death, I defend as My own glory every soul that will say this chaplet; or when others say it for a dying person, the is the same. When this chaplet is said by the beside of a dying person, ’s anger is placated, unfathomable mercy envelops the soul, and the very depths of My tender mercy are moved for the sake of the sorrowful Passion of My Son.” (811)

On the Hour of Grace—The 3’Oclock

“In this hour I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request to Me in virtue of My Passion…” (1320) “….for at that moment mercy was opened wide for every soul… at that hour grace came to pass for the whole world…. Mercy triumphed over .” (1572)

Some desires and promises of our Lord As spoken by Him to St. Faustina, and recorded by her in , in the 1930’s

(Excerpts from her diary)

Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: Jesus, I trust in you. I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish.

I want the image to be solemnly blessed on the first Sunday Easter, and I want it to be venerated publicly so that every soul may know about it.

I want to grant a complete pardon to the souls who will go to confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My Mercy.

My heart overflows with great mercy for souls, and especially for poor sinners.

The greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to 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.

How very much I desire the salvation of souls! I want to pour out my divine life into human souls and sanctify , if only they were willing to accept My grace. The greatest sinners would achieve great sanctity, if only they would trust in My mercy.

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.

St. Faustina and The Divine Mercy

It was to Sr. Faustina Kowalska that Jesus first appeared as the Divine Mercy. She reported this event in her diary as follows: “In the evening (Feb. 22, 1931), when I was in my cell, I saw the Lord Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand was raised in the gesture of a blessing, the other touching the garment at the breast, there were emanating two large rays, one red, the other pale. Jesus said to me, “Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the inscription: ‘Jesus, I Trust In You.’ Sr. Faustina, Helena Kowalska, was born on August 25, 1905, in the village of Glogoweic, in Lodz County, Poland. On August 1, 1925, she entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. She went through her postulancy in Warsaw, and then was sent to the novitiate house in Krakow, where during her investiture she was given the name Sister Mary Faustina and was incorporated into the novitiate. On May 1, 1933, she took her perpetual vows. After only a few weeks of convent life her health began to deteriorate. In August, 1934, she suffered a violent attack of asthma for the first time. After having been brought back to the convent in Krakow, she died there on October 5th.

SOME IMPORTANT CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF BLESSED FAUSTINA

August 25, 1905 - Helen Kowalska is born in the village of Glogowiec, Turek County, Lodz Province, Poland. Two days later she is baptized in St. Casimir Church, Swinice Warcskie, Lodz Province. August 27, 1912 - At the age of seven, Helen hears for the first time a voice in her soul, calling her to a more perfect way of life (Diary 1:3). July 1924 - Helen goes to Warsaw to enter a convent. She applies at the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. The Superior assessed her as “No one special” and puts her to the test, telling her to go to work so she can pay for her wardrobe. Summer 1924 - She goes to work as a domestic. August 1, 1925 - She again applies to the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, and this time she was accepted. April 30, 1926 - After an eight day retreat, she received her habit and her name in , Sister Mary Faustina. April 16, 1928 - On Good Friday, the flame of Divine Love encompasses the novice. She forgets past , and she more clearly recognizes how much Christ suffered for her (Diary I:10). October 5, 1938 - Rev. T. Czaputa, together with the assembled sisters, prayed at the beside the for the dying. Sister Faustina conscious to the end, unites with those praying. At 10:45 p.m., Sister Mary Faustina Kowalska, after long sufferings borne with great patience, goes to the Lord for her reward. October 7, 1938 - The funeral of sister Faustina Kowalska takes place on the First Friday of the month and the Feast of Our Lady of the . Sister Faustina is buried in the convent cemetery situated in the garden of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, 3/9 Wronia Street, Lagiewniki, Cracow. October 21, 1965 - Twenty-seven years after the death of Sister Faustina, Bishop Julian Groblicki, specially delegated by Archbishop Karol Wojtyla, begins with a solemn session in the Archdiocese of Cracow, the Informative Process relating to the life and virtues of Sister Faustina. From this moment, Sister Faustina is worthy of the title, Servant of God. November 25, 1966 - While the Informative Process relating to the virtues, writings and devotion of the Servant of God Sister Faustina is being conducted (October 21, 1965 to September 20, 1967), her remains were exhumed and translated to a tomb specially prepared for this purpose in the chapel of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. Over the tomb is a black slab with a cross in the center. The slab usually has fresh flowers brought by the faithful, who plead for numerous graces through the intercession of Sister Faustina. September 20, 1967 - His Eminence, Karol Cardinal Wojtyla, with a solemn session, closes the Informative Process of the Servant of God in the Cracow Archdiocese. January 31, 1968 - By a Decree of the Sacred Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the Process of Beatification of the Servant of God Sister Faustina H. Kowalska is formally inaugurated.

Source: - Divine Mercy in My Soul, A Diary of Sister M. Faustina Kowalska

April 13, 1993 - The Process of Beatification of the Servant of God Sister Faustina H. Kowalska is completed. She was beatified in as Blessed Faustina Kowalska.

Pope John Paul II recognized the importance of this image and proclaimed that the Sunday after Easter should be celebrated as “.” He canonized Sister Faustina as a Saint on April 30, 2000.

D I V I N E M E R C Y S U N D A Y Sunday after Easter

WHO was Sister Faustina, What is Divine Mercy, and Why Should I Care?

Part 1 of a 4 Part Series

Sister Maria Faustina Kowalska was an uneducated Polish nun from the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Poland. She was born in 1905 and entered the Congregation in 1925, after a of the suffering Christ. She was a member of the Congregation for 13 years in Poland, where she worked as a cook, gardener, and porter. During her time as a nun, Jesus revealed Himself to her many times in visions and instructions. At the specific request of our Lord Jesus, and following His example, she made a sacrifice of her life for sinners. Jesus chose Sister Faustina as the and Secretary of His mercy so that she would share the urgent message of Divine Mercy with the world. In the 1930’s, in obedience to her spiritual director Father Sopocko, and later at the command of Jesus Himself, Sister Faustina kept a diary. The finished product was some 600 pages detailing the she was receiving form Jesus Christ about God’s mercy. Consumed by tuberculosis and innumerable sufferings, which she offered for poor sinners, Sister Faustina died at the age of 33. The devotion to Divine Mercy began to spread even before Sister Faustina’s death in 1938. During the war-torn years, 1939-1945, the movement gained strength and spread throughout Poland and Lithuania. In 1941, the devotion was brought to the United States by a Polish priest, Father Joseph Jarzebowski. Although skeptical, he vowed that if he safely reached America he would the rest of his life spreading the Divine Mercy message and devotion. He followed through on his promise and with the help of the Marians in America, spread the word. By 1953, some 25 million pieces of Divine Mercy literature had been distributed around the world. In 1958 and 1959, as was predicted in Sister Faustina’s diary, The Divine Mercy devotion lost credibility. Because of an erroneous translation, the forbade the spreading of the Divine Mercy devotion. Twenty years later, in 1978, the ban was completely lifted due to the intervention of the Archbishop of Krakow, Karol Cardinal Wojtyla. (You know him as Pope John Paul II) In 1993, Pope John Paul II beautified Sister Faustina. In 2000 he canonized her and in accordance with the revelations of Jesus our Savior to Sister Faustina as recorded in her diary, Pope John Paul II declared that the Sunday after Easter would be celebrated as Divine Mercy Sunday. At St. James, we have been celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday since 2002.

WHO was Sister Faustina, What is Divine Mercy, and Why Should I Care?

Part 2 of a 4 Part Series

There are so many references to God’s mercy in the , that it would takes pages and pages to enumerate them. But the message of mercy, both God’s towards , and ours towards our fellow man is critical to our salvation. In seeking God’s mercy, first we must acknowledge that we are sinners. Jesus bought the Father’s limitless mercy for us with His life. God’s mercy is just sitting there waiting for us, and all we need to do is ask. Consider the Our Father, the Lord’s Prayer. We say it all the time, but do we hear the words we are saying? “…and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Jesus gave us this prayer, so it follows that all parts of it are important. It is a template for our lives. We are to ask for God’s mercy, and we are to show mercy to others. In grade school we learned the from the . “Blessed are the merciful for they shall be shown mercy.” The history of the Jewish people in the Old Testament is the convincing proof of God’s mercy. They turned from Him repeatedly, but when they cried out to Him, He forgave and rescued them. Then as the greatest manifestation of His mercy, He sent Jesus to His people, and ultimately, to the world. In the bible, the definition of mercy is “A radiation of God’s love which takes into consideration the weakness of His creatures.” Consider entry 1074 from Sister Faustina’s diary. “When a soul approaches Me (Jesus) with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls.”

The ABC’s of Mercy: Ask for His mercy. “Ask and it will be given to you…for everyone who asks, receives” (Mt 7:7,8) Be merciful to others. “Be merciful even as your Father is merciful” (Lk 6:36) Completely trust in Jesus. “I have opened My Heart as a living fountain of mercy. Let all souls draw life from it. Let them approach this sea of mercy with trust.” (Diary 1520) “Come then with trust to draw graces from this fountain. I never reject a contrite heart.” (Diary 1485) “Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy.” (Diary 300).

WHO was Sister Faustina, What is Divine Mercy, and Why Should I Care?

Part 3 of a 4 Part Series

The banner that we hang in church on Divine Mercy Sunday is patterned after a vision Sister Faustina had of our Lord in 1931. Our Lord’s instruction to her to paint this image is detailed in her diary. The way Jesus appears with His right hand raised in blessing, His left hand over His heart, wearing a white garment and the rays emanating from His heart is exactly how Sister Faustina saw Him. The 2 rays denote blood and water. The pale ray stands for the water which makes souls righteous. The red ray stands for the blood of souls. He also declared to her that the words “Jesus I trust in You” were to appear on the painted image. And He promised that the soul which venerates this image will not perish. “I want the image to be solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter, and I want it to be venerated publicly so that every soul may know about it.” (Diary 341) The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is prayed on a regular rosary, but on each decade instead of one Our Father and 10 Hail Mary’s, different prayers are recited, imploring our heavenly Father for His mercy. As prescribed by Jesus, the Chaplet is to be prayed at the 3 o’clock hour, the hour of His death. “Encourage souls to say the chaplet which I have given you.” (Diary 1541) “Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death.” (Diary 687) That is why we begin at 2 pm, so that by 3 pm we are starting to pray the chaplet. Additionally as part of our celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday we have exposition and adoration of the Blessed . Jesus promised complete forgiveness of sins and punishment to those who would receive the of Reconciliation and Holy on Divine Mercy Sunday. “I want to grant a complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My mercy.” (Diary 1109) And, “The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion will obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment.” (Diary 699) This is an incredible promise! As if all the other promises of Christ are not enough, He gives us this. How much our God must love us to give us this of mercy! And all He asks in return is for us to trust in Him. “The graces of My mercy are drawn by means of one vessel only, and that is----trust. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive.” (Diary 1578) No one should feel unworthy of the promises of Jesus Christ, for He says “The greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to My mercy.” (Diary 723) “Souls that make an appeal to My mercy delight Me. To such souls I grant even more than they ask. I cannot punish even the greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to My .” (Diary 1146)

WHO was Sister Faustina, What is Divine Mercy, and Why Should I Care?

Part 4 of a 4 Part Series

God in His infinite wisdom did not intend for man to live in isolation. The proof of that is in Genesis (2:18). When God saw that Adam was , He said “It is not good for man to be alone, let us make a helpmate for him.” When we do not show mercy to others, we isolate ourselves from our fellow man. And by extension, we isolate ourselves from our God. Remember what Jesus said, “Whatever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me.” It is therefore fitting that we are at all times merciful to one another, and in doing so, we will actually be in closer relationship with God. Remember our Lord’s command to “let your light shine before men, in order that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” (Mt 5:16) “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 to excuse yourself from it.” (Diary 742) These deeds of mercy are to be accomplished by three means: our actions, our words, and our prayers. THE CORPORAL Feed the hungry Give drink to the thirsty Clothe the naked Shelter the homeless (Did you take in someone left homeless by Katrina?) Comfort the imprisoned (Not all prisons are physical jails) Visit the Bury the dead THE SPIRITUAL WORKS OF MERCY Admonish sinners Instruct the uninformed (Don’t be afraid to share what you know about Jesus) Counsel the doubtful Comfort the sorrowful Be patient with those in error (When you’re driving don’t curse other drivers) Forgive offenses Pray for the living and the dead No matter how much we may be hurting and think our own life is troubled, there is always someone worse off who needs an act of mercy from us. One small act can change someone’s entire life. As we go about our daily lives we should be looking for opportunities in which we can practice the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. And remember, the best way to GET a blessing is to BE a blessing to someone else. A blessing only becomes a blessing when you give it away.