The following is an excerpt from the Marian Press book 52 Weeks with St. Faustina by Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle:
“My daughter, those words of your heart are pleasing to Me, and by saying the chaplet you are bringing humankind closer to Me.”
— Jesus to St. Faustina (Diary, 929)
Week 30 — What kind of prayer mitigates God’s anger? This week’s spiritual exercise will reveal that. We’ll also discuss St. Faustina’s prayer life, especially her desire to pray for the dying and her dedication to this great work of mercy. Following Jesus’ example, Sr. Faustina learned to pray longer. She knew well the necessity of perseverance in prayer and expressed it through a compelling true story. We’ll take a look at Church teaching on prayer as well. Let’s dig in!
The Church teaches us about the importance of prayer and how it should animate our lives. Specifically, the Catechism states, “Prayer is the life of the new heart. It ought to animate us at every moment. But we tend to forget him who is our life and our all. This is why the Fathers of the spiritual life in the Deuteronomic and prophetic traditions insist that prayer is a remembrance of God often awakened by the memory of the heart.” Saint Gregory of Nazianzus stated, “We must remember God more often than we draw breath” (CCC, 2697). Further, the Catechism points out, “But we cannot pray ‘at all times’ if we do not pray at specific times, consciously willing it. These are the special times of Christian prayer, both in intensity and duration” (CCC, 2697).
We can learn the rhythm of prayer and carve out times for prayer that are most appropriate to our lives. The Catechism teaches, “The Tradition of the Church proposes to the faithful certain rhythms of praying intended to nourish continual prayer.” For instance, the Church teaches various kinds of daily prayer “[s]uch as morning and evening prayer, grace before and after meals, the Liturgy of the Hours. Sundays, centered on the Eucharist, are kept holy primarily by prayer.” In addition, we learn, “The cycle of the liturgical year and its great feasts are also basic rhythms of the Christian’s life of prayer” (CCC, 2698). Prayer should always rise from a contrite and humble heart. It should become as natural as breathing. However, we cannot become complacent and only pray when we feel like it. We must carve out times for prayer and make them happen. Certainly, there are times when our prayers get interrupted by important needs.
I always say that these times are when our Lord is calling us from our contemplative or scheduled prayer to a more active prayer in the form of taking care of the need that unfolded before us. But let us be sure to get back to conversing with our Creator as soon as we are able, and also remember to offer up all of those “interruptions” for His glory!
There are many ways to pray. Each person has his or her own way of offering sincere and loving prayer, or they might even form a new approach to prayer as he or she grows in the spiritual life. For instance, St. Faustina often prayed without words when her humble and contrite heart earnestly cried out to God. The Catechism states, “The Lord leads all persons by paths and in ways pleasing to him, and each believer responds according to his heart’s resolve and the personal expressions of his prayer.” There are three major expressions of prayer, according to Christian Tradition. They are “vocal, meditative, and contemplative. They have one basic trait in common: composure of heart. This vigilance in keeping the Word and dwelling in the presence of God makes these three expressions intense times in the life of prayer” (CCC, 2699).
Faustina’s Familial Examples of Prayer
We recall that from early childhood, Sr. Faustina was faithful to prayer. Her father’s example of starting his day with prayer before the sun came up, belting out his “Hours” (that is, fervently singing the Little Office of the Immaculate Conception or the Psalms) made quite an indelible impression on the entire family. The children might have pulled their pillows over their ears, but they learned quickly from their father’s expression of faith and their mother’s prayerful and loving guidance, as well.
As was discussed earlier, Sr. Faustina continued to grow in her faith as she navigated her life and ultimately ended up in the convent where, by God’s grace, she became a great intercessor and prayer warrior for sinners, the sick, the dying, and the souls in Purgatory. Prayer doesn’t necessarily come easily, though, and for many holy souls, there are various periods of great aridity and even darkness during prayer as these souls are being purged and burnished in Jesus’ furnace of love. As we know, Sr. Faustina struggled through many periods of difficulty in praying as well as a couple of dark nights, feeling deeply afflicted and abandoned. Her example of perseverance in prayer and striving for holiness throughout trying times are very edifying.
The young mystic had a huge heart for her neighbor. She desired to bring consolation and relief to others while not expecting the same help for herself, so much so that she acquired the nickname “Dump.” She would discuss this with Jesus. “My heart is always open to the sufferings of others; and I will not close my heart to the sufferings of others, even though because of this I have been scornfully nicknamed ‘dump’; that is, [because] everyone dumps his pain into my heart.” Yet, when Sr. Faustina was taunted, she would poignantly say, “[E]veryone has a place in my heart and I, in return, have a place in the Heart of Jesus. Taunts regarding the law of love will not narrow my heart.” Instead, she continued, “My soul is always sensitive on this point, and Jesus alone is the motive for my love of neighbor” (Diary, 871).
Sister Faustina’s Faithfulness to Prayer
On January 7, 1937, during a Holy Hour, Sr. Faustina learned a foundational truth about the absolute necessity of prayer and the fact that whether or not we pray as we should determines various outcomes, including God’s great plans. Sister Faustina wrote that the Lord allowed her to taste His Passion. “I shared in the bitterness of the suffering that filled His soul to overflowing. Jesus gave me to understand how a soul should be faithful to prayer despite torments, dryness, and temptations; because oftentimes the realization of God’s great plans depends mainly on such prayer.” Further, “[i]f we do not persevere in such prayer, we frustrate what the Lord wanted to do through us or within us.” Powerful and insightful words from our humble nun. Yet she gives full credit to Jesus and instructs us, “Let every soul remember these words: ‘And being in anguish, He prayed longer.’” She said: “I always prolong such prayer as much as is in my power and in conformity with my duty” (Diary, 872). Can we strive to do the same — to pray longer?
One evening, Sr. Faustina prayed intensely for a young dying man. She began to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet (which you can find in the back of this book). She recalled, “I said it all, but the agony continued.” Just as she was about to begin the Litany of the Saints, Sr. Faustina heard the words, “Say the chaplet.” She immediately understood that the dying soul needed God’s mercy, and she begged for it, finally taking the crucifix that she had received on the day of her perpetual vows off her neck and placing it on the chest of the dying man. She cried out, “Jesus, 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 ended, and he died peacefully. Sister Faustina wrote, “Oh, how much we should pray for the dying! Let us take advantage of mercy while there is still time for mercy” (Diary, 1035). She added, “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” (Diary, 1036).
Sister Faustina shared an intimate, holy relationship with her Lord Jesus, always sharing with Him deeply from her heart. One day after Holy Communion, she told Him that she desired so much to tell Him something. Jesus asked her what it was. “Jesus,” she said, “I beg You, by the inconceivable power of Your mercy, that all souls who will die today escape the fire of hell, even if they have been the greatest sinners.” What a very tall request! In addition, Sr. Faustina did not hesitate to remind Jesus what day it was! “Today is Friday, the memorial of Your bitter agony on the Cross; because Your mercy is inconceivable, the Angels will not be surprised at this.” She was amazingly sincere and sweet, but sure got her points across!
Jesus replied, “My beloved daughter, you have come to know well the depths of My mercy. I will do what you ask, but unite yourself continually with My agonizing Heart and make reparation to My justice. Know that you have asked Me for a great thing, but I see that this was dictated by your pure love for Me; that is why I am complying with your requests” (Diary, 873). Truly amazing!
Something to Ponder
Earlier in this chapter, I quoted St. Gregory of Nazianzus, who said, “We must remember God more often than we draw breath.” Take a moment to ponder that. Sister Faustina wrote, “Let every soul remember these words: ‘And being in anguish, He prayed longer.’” According to Sr. Faustina and Jesus, we must persevere in prayer, even when we don’t feel like it (especially then!). We certainly don’t want to frustrate God’s plans for us by giving up on prayer. No matter how we feel, we can lift our heart to God and plead for His great mercy and love. Take time this week to ponder your prayer life. Do you rush through your prayers? Do you make sure you have scheduled enough time for daily prayer? Can you make a conscious effort to cut down on some technology to spend more time in silence conversing with God? Don’t forget about the dying and souls in Purgatory. They absolutely need our prayers.
A Merciful Action
Pray about works of mercy you can carry out this week. Ask Jesus to help you to be more attentive to the needs of those around you. Can you move beyond your comfort zone this week to speak about the faith and the need for prayer to someone who might be agnostic or an atheist, or who has left the Church? God will open up opportunities to do so if you pray and trust Him.
A PRAYER OF MERCY FOR THIS WEEK
(To be prayed each day this week.)
Dear Merciful Jesus, teach me Your ways. Help me to persevere in prayer, no matter how I feel. Mother Mary, help me.
Saint Faustina, please pray for me.
Jesus, I trust in You!
Amen.
You can order 52 Weeks with St. Faustina by Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle here:
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Image by Penny Hauffe
