Jun
20
2007
0
By Anonymous (not verified)
Through St. Faustina, the merciful Savior is offering the aching mankind new ways of receiving grace and mercy flowing from His loving heart. These new channels include the Image of The Divine Mercy (discussed in Divine Mercy Cenacle Three), the Divine Mercy Chaplet, the Feast of Mercy (or Divine Mercy Sunday), the Novena to The Divine Mercy, and the Hour of Great Mercy, or meditation on Christ's Passion at 3 O'clock in the afternoon. Although these means of receiving God's mercy are new in form, they all proclaim the timeless message of God's merciful love. They also draw us back to the Paschal Mystery and its sacramental fountain - the Holy Eucharist. From the Lord, who suffered, died and rose for us flows loving mercy for all.
Jesus reminds us through St. Faustina: "My Heart overflows with great mercy for souls, and especially for poor sin- ners. ... [I]t is for them that the Blood and Water flowed from My Heart as from a fount overflowing with mercy. For them I dwell in the tabernacle as King of Mercy (367*).
Our Lord revealed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy to St. Faustina in 1935. As she prayed for her country, she saw in a vision "an angel sent by God to chastise a certain city. She began to pray for mercy, but her prayers were powerless. Suddenly she saw the Holy Trinity and felt the power of Jesus' grace within her. At the same time she found herself pleading with God for mercy with words she heard interiorly:
"Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world; for the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us" (475). As she continued saying this inspired prayer, the angel became helpless and could not carry out the deserved punishment (see 474, 475).
The next day, as she was entering the chapel, she again heard this interior voice, instructing her how to recite the prayer that our Lord later called "the Chaplet." This time, after "have mercy on us" were added the words "and on the whole world" (476). From then on, she recited this form of prayer almost constantly, offering for various intentions. In subsequent revelations, the Lord made it clear that the Chaplet was not just for her, but for the whole world.
The Divine Mercy Chaplet, in the words of Jesus recorded by St. Faustina in her Diary, is a very powerful prayer, especially for obtaining grace of mercy for the dying (see 1797) and for the conversion of hardened sinners (see 687). It is also an efficacious prayer for obtaining special graces and favors (see 1541), to appease God's anger (see Diary, 476), to avert natural disasters (see 474, 1128), and to dispel the attacks of the evil one (see, 1798).
The Divine Mercy Chaplet, as a prayer, receives its power from the Lord's Passion and Death. It is the Lord's Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity that we offer to the Father in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world. In that sense it is also a Eucharistic prayer. In the Eucharist we believe that Jesus is truly and substantially present in His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. And it is through this Jesus we seek forgiveness and mercy.
1. The importance of praying the Chaplet for the dying and our Lord's promises attached to it.
Our Lord told St. Faustina, "Say unceasingly 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 their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite mercy" (687). "Write that when they say this Chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as the just Judge but as the merciful Savior" (1541). "Pray as much as you can for the dying. By your entreaties, obtain for them trust in My mercy, because they have most need of trust, and have it the least. Be assured that the grace of eternal salvation for certain souls in their final moment depends on your prayer. You know the whole abyss of My mercy, so draw upon it for yourself and especially for poor sinners. Sooner would heaven and earth turn into nothingness than would My mercy not embrace a trusting soul. (1777) "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 pardon is the same" (811). The Divine Mercy Chaplet is one
of the best means of assisting the dying. It is the one that Jesus revealed to St. Faustina and insisted that she use often - even continuously.
2. St. Faustina's love for the sick and dying was deep and her payer fervent.
"God and Souls" was the motto of St. Faustina and she was faithful to it no matter how ill she was. When Our Lord asked her to pray and offer the Chaplet for sinners and the dying she would do so diligently. She was often given the grace to know when a dying person desired, or needed prayer. She would be alerted to the moment by her Guardian Angel, or by our Lord Himself. At those times, she would pray until she no longer felt the need to pray, or sensed peace, or learned that the person had died. At special times she would even hear the soul say to her interiorly, "Thank You!" She wished to en- courage others not to forget the dying. She wrote: "Oh, dying souls are in such great need of prayer! O Jesus, inspire souls to pray often for the dying" (1015).
For the hour of death is the most important hour of life.
3. Praying the Chaplet for the dying from a distance?
The following personal experiences recorded by St. Faustina in her Diary show that one does not have to be at the bedside physically to offer efficacious prayer for the dying. She wrote,
"It sometimes happens that the dying person is in the second or third building away, yet for the spirit, space does not exist. It sometimes happens that I know about a death occurring several hundred kilometers away. This has happened several times with regard to my family and relatives and also sisters in religion, and even souls whom I have not known during their lifetime" (835).
We know that with God, in the eternal now, there is no space or time. We can pray for our dying loved ones from far away and know that Jesus will be at their bedside as the Merciful Savior.
4. Our late Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, encouraged prayer for the dying and for pro-life causes and imparted upon those who do so his special blessings.
Pope John Paul II, on the eve of the third millennium, encouraged people to pray for the sick and dying, especially in the presence of Jesus during Eucharistic Adoration. By means of a personally signed parchment, he imparted a special Apos- tolic Blessing, "to all the faithful, who during Adoration of Our Most Merciful Savior in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the altar will be praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet for the sick and for those throughout the world who will be dying in that hour."
The blessing is particularly relevant for members of our ministry, as Eucharistic Apostles, and for all Eucharistic adorers. In chapels throughout the world, they are reciting, or praying The Divine Mercy Chaplet for the sick and dying. They are part of an International Registry established by the ministry, and are found on our website at www.thedivinemer- cy.org. We currently have over 450 chapels worldwide praying The Divine Mercy Chaplet hourly during Eucharistic Adora- tion for the sick and dying. This includes fourteen cloistered convents of Poor Clares in India and Bangladesh, and chapels in the United States, Canada, the Philippines, and around the world. A copy of the blessing is available for Chapels whose adorers pray for the sick and dying.
Knowing that there are people all over the world praying for the dying should provide great comfort to those who have lost a loved one. We must trust in the unfathomable mercy of God. We must not forget the promise our Lord made to St. Faustina: "When they say this chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as the just Judge but as the merciful Savior (1541).
In addition, on the Feast of the Annunciation (March 25) in 2003, Pope John Paul II imparted a special Apostolic Blessing on all Eucharistic Apostles and faithful worldwide who recite The Divine Mercy Chaplet "for mothers, that they not abort their offspring; for infants in danger of being put to death in the womb; for a change of heart of providers of abortions and their collaborators; for human victims of stem cell research, genetic manipulation, cloning and euthanasia; and for all entrusted with the government of peoples, that they promote the 'Culture of Life' so as to put an end to the 'Culture of Death.'" Churches or pro-life groups that want to spread this prayer for those intentions should contact us, and we can send them a copy of the blessing.
* References without a source listed with the number are taken from the Dairy of Saint Maria Faustina.
Jesus reminds us through St. Faustina: "My Heart overflows with great mercy for souls, and especially for poor sin- ners. ... [I]t is for them that the Blood and Water flowed from My Heart as from a fount overflowing with mercy. For them I dwell in the tabernacle as King of Mercy (367*).
Our Lord revealed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy to St. Faustina in 1935. As she prayed for her country, she saw in a vision "an angel sent by God to chastise a certain city. She began to pray for mercy, but her prayers were powerless. Suddenly she saw the Holy Trinity and felt the power of Jesus' grace within her. At the same time she found herself pleading with God for mercy with words she heard interiorly:
"Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world; for the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us" (475). As she continued saying this inspired prayer, the angel became helpless and could not carry out the deserved punishment (see 474, 475).
The next day, as she was entering the chapel, she again heard this interior voice, instructing her how to recite the prayer that our Lord later called "the Chaplet." This time, after "have mercy on us" were added the words "and on the whole world" (476). From then on, she recited this form of prayer almost constantly, offering for various intentions. In subsequent revelations, the Lord made it clear that the Chaplet was not just for her, but for the whole world.
The Divine Mercy Chaplet, in the words of Jesus recorded by St. Faustina in her Diary, is a very powerful prayer, especially for obtaining grace of mercy for the dying (see 1797) and for the conversion of hardened sinners (see 687). It is also an efficacious prayer for obtaining special graces and favors (see 1541), to appease God's anger (see Diary, 476), to avert natural disasters (see 474, 1128), and to dispel the attacks of the evil one (see, 1798).
The Divine Mercy Chaplet, as a prayer, receives its power from the Lord's Passion and Death. It is the Lord's Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity that we offer to the Father in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world. In that sense it is also a Eucharistic prayer. In the Eucharist we believe that Jesus is truly and substantially present in His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. And it is through this Jesus we seek forgiveness and mercy.
1. The importance of praying the Chaplet for the dying and our Lord's promises attached to it.
Our Lord told St. Faustina, "Say unceasingly 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 their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite mercy" (687). "Write that when they say this Chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as the just Judge but as the merciful Savior" (1541). "Pray as much as you can for the dying. By your entreaties, obtain for them trust in My mercy, because they have most need of trust, and have it the least. Be assured that the grace of eternal salvation for certain souls in their final moment depends on your prayer. You know the whole abyss of My mercy, so draw upon it for yourself and especially for poor sinners. Sooner would heaven and earth turn into nothingness than would My mercy not embrace a trusting soul. (1777) "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 pardon is the same" (811). The Divine Mercy Chaplet is one
of the best means of assisting the dying. It is the one that Jesus revealed to St. Faustina and insisted that she use often - even continuously.
2. St. Faustina's love for the sick and dying was deep and her payer fervent.
"God and Souls" was the motto of St. Faustina and she was faithful to it no matter how ill she was. When Our Lord asked her to pray and offer the Chaplet for sinners and the dying she would do so diligently. She was often given the grace to know when a dying person desired, or needed prayer. She would be alerted to the moment by her Guardian Angel, or by our Lord Himself. At those times, she would pray until she no longer felt the need to pray, or sensed peace, or learned that the person had died. At special times she would even hear the soul say to her interiorly, "Thank You!" She wished to en- courage others not to forget the dying. She wrote: "Oh, dying souls are in such great need of prayer! O Jesus, inspire souls to pray often for the dying" (1015).
For the hour of death is the most important hour of life.
3. Praying the Chaplet for the dying from a distance?
The following personal experiences recorded by St. Faustina in her Diary show that one does not have to be at the bedside physically to offer efficacious prayer for the dying. She wrote,
"It sometimes happens that the dying person is in the second or third building away, yet for the spirit, space does not exist. It sometimes happens that I know about a death occurring several hundred kilometers away. This has happened several times with regard to my family and relatives and also sisters in religion, and even souls whom I have not known during their lifetime" (835).
We know that with God, in the eternal now, there is no space or time. We can pray for our dying loved ones from far away and know that Jesus will be at their bedside as the Merciful Savior.
4. Our late Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, encouraged prayer for the dying and for pro-life causes and imparted upon those who do so his special blessings.
Pope John Paul II, on the eve of the third millennium, encouraged people to pray for the sick and dying, especially in the presence of Jesus during Eucharistic Adoration. By means of a personally signed parchment, he imparted a special Apos- tolic Blessing, "to all the faithful, who during Adoration of Our Most Merciful Savior in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the altar will be praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet for the sick and for those throughout the world who will be dying in that hour."
The blessing is particularly relevant for members of our ministry, as Eucharistic Apostles, and for all Eucharistic adorers. In chapels throughout the world, they are reciting, or praying The Divine Mercy Chaplet for the sick and dying. They are part of an International Registry established by the ministry, and are found on our website at www.thedivinemer- cy.org. We currently have over 450 chapels worldwide praying The Divine Mercy Chaplet hourly during Eucharistic Adora- tion for the sick and dying. This includes fourteen cloistered convents of Poor Clares in India and Bangladesh, and chapels in the United States, Canada, the Philippines, and around the world. A copy of the blessing is available for Chapels whose adorers pray for the sick and dying.
Knowing that there are people all over the world praying for the dying should provide great comfort to those who have lost a loved one. We must trust in the unfathomable mercy of God. We must not forget the promise our Lord made to St. Faustina: "When they say this chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as the just Judge but as the merciful Savior (1541).
In addition, on the Feast of the Annunciation (March 25) in 2003, Pope John Paul II imparted a special Apostolic Blessing on all Eucharistic Apostles and faithful worldwide who recite The Divine Mercy Chaplet "for mothers, that they not abort their offspring; for infants in danger of being put to death in the womb; for a change of heart of providers of abortions and their collaborators; for human victims of stem cell research, genetic manipulation, cloning and euthanasia; and for all entrusted with the government of peoples, that they promote the 'Culture of Life' so as to put an end to the 'Culture of Death.'" Churches or pro-life groups that want to spread this prayer for those intentions should contact us, and we can send them a copy of the blessing.
* References without a source listed with the number are taken from the Dairy of Saint Maria Faustina.
