Prophets have preached, calling us all to turn again and be saved. The Blessed Virgin has come in apparition after apparition, bringing devotions, counsel, and warnings to the world, some of which we have answered, much of which has been ignored.
But there's no time for ignoring those warnings, those prophecies, those teachings of saints and popes now. Now is the time of mercy; now is the acceptable time for us to bring out our light from under the bushel basket, to proclaim the Good News to a people long straining to hear such words, to be what we have been called to be, and answer the darkness of the present age with the light from beyond the stars, with the life that is eternal, with the grace from outside of the universe.
And we who have listened to the Apostle of Divine Mercy, St. Faustina Kowalska, have been told of one special way in particular of bringing about a happy resolution to the spiritual wars of the present age.
We have a strength we do not often use, and the times are too dire for us to continue to waste time.
We have a help in our spiritual combat, a weapon in the war with the powers and principalities of this present darkness, that could set the armies of the accuser of the brethren to flight in so many of our present battles - and do we remember to use it?
What weapon is this? Veneration of the Image of Divine Mercy.
Jesus said to St. Faustina:
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 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 (Diary, 47, 48).
We are promised victory over our enemies. Jesus promises us victory in exchange for so little - the veneration of the Divine Mercy Image. Consider how many and how strong are the enemies of the Church, of the Catholic faith and the moral teachings of the magisterium today! Consider the persecutions striking the Church across the globe, and the terrible things done to our brethren by ISIS jihadis, in North Korean and Eritrean concentration camps, among other places, in Chinese prisons, and the list goes on.Consider, and remember, and then let us do something about it.
Let us take up the weapons of our warfare with the knowledge that mercy is the limit on evil, that the Lord is our strength and vengeance is His, and that the best way to defeat an enemy is to make a friend, a brother out of them. Let us pray for the conversion, salvation, and sanctification of our enemies, and grace, healing, and peace for them and their families. Let us venerate the image of Divine Mercy, praying the Chaplet and the Rosary before it, beseeching the Lord God for victory over our enemies, even if those enemies include those closest to us who do not care about our salvation, who do not desire our fidelity to Jesus Christ. Let us ask God for the grace of victory over our enemies, even if those enemies include our sinful selves, touched by the wounding aftereffects of original sin: darkened intellects, weakened wills, and disordered passions.
Let us ask God to make good on His promises, for He is ever faithful and all powerful, fully capable of fulfilling His pledge far beyond anything we could ever begin to imagine. Let us beseech Him for victory over our enemies, and win a luminous triumph of love and mercy in this present dark age of the world.
