Today is the Feast of Divine Mercy Sunday, the first Sunday after Easter. Jesus promised extraordinary graces on Divine Mercy Sunday when He said: "On that day are open all the divine floodgates through which graces flow." He wants us to ask Him and He calls on us to trust in Him.
"My daughter, tell the whole world about my inconceivable mercy…the soul that will go to confession and receive Holy Communion (on the Feast of Mercy) shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day are opened all the divine floodgates through which graces flow. Let no soul fear to draw near to me, even though its sins be 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 from the very depths of my most tender mercy." Diary of Saint Faustina 699
Jesus is the One we meet in confession and He comes, not just to forgive, but to heal, to free, to strengthen and to transform us through the power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Run to confession, especially on this Feast Day of The Divine Mercy or within this week.
O Blood and Water which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a
Fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You.
Jesus I trust in You.
My friend Heather reminded me that she
gave a talk on Confession many years ago.
She said I spoke to her about Confession after her talk and I said, “I
don’t even know what I would say.” As I
share my thoughts on the Image of Divine Mercy, you will see why that is so funny!
Anyone who knows me knows that my heart is
“on fire” for Divine Mercy. How did that
happen? It was through Eucharistic Adoration, Confession and the
Chaplet of Divine Mercy. I want to focus on the rays of Blood and Water coming from the Heart
of Jesus in the Image.
In the Gospel of Luke Chapter 12, Jesus said, “I have
come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!”
When words like fire, earth and water are used in Sacred
Scripture, there is always a deeper meaning behind them. What did Jesus
mean by setting the earth on fire? Fire
can do many things. Fire can melt, destroy and heat up elements. It
also has the capacity to purify. When a piece of iron is heated up by
fire, it can be molded and shaped. Without the fire, the iron remains
cold and immovable.
And it is the same with us. This is how the Holy Spirit works in our lives. When we allow the Holy Spirit to take possession of our hearts, He sets our hearts on fire. Many times in Sacred Scripture, the image of fire is used as purification. It is through the action and power of the Holy Spirit along with our cooperation that the fire of the Holy Spirit takes over our hearts. He purifies us and fills us with His gifts and fruits to help us keep the fire burning for Him.
How can you become "on fire" for the Lord? Spend time with Him in Eucharistic Adoration. Jesus set my heart on fire during adoration. My husband Dave and I have a date every Friday night with Jesus in adoration. It's the best date ever! Nine year old Lily Grace is the little one we prayed for and the reason the John 10:10 Prayer Ministry began. She is a little bundle of love. One of her favorite expressions is, "This is the best day ever!" Every day is the best day ever to Lily! We are so blessed by the love and joy she shares with everyone she meets!
What do you do when you love someone! You spend time with them. That's how you get to know them. When you go to Eucharistic Adoration, just go, and spend time with Jesus. As you gaze at Him, He gazes back at you with great love. As you spend more time with Him, two great things happen. You get to know Jesus and He helps you get to know yourself.
Saint Catherine of Siena said, "Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire."
During Eucharistic Adoration, Jesus is
Present, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. His Love pours out of the Eucharist
like the rays of Blood and Water gushing forth from His Sacred Heart pouring into
the heart of every person who comes to visit Him.
In 1931, Jesus appeared to Saint Faustina
in a vision and said, “Paint an image
according to the pattern you see, with the signature: Jesus, I trust in
You...My gaze from this Image is like My
gaze from the Cross.” Jesus described the
Image as a “Vessel of Graces” to which people could come and seek His love and
mercy, as a source of grace, comfort, solace, hope and miracles. Jesus told Saint Faustina the two rays denote Blood and Water.
As I gaze at the Image of Divine Mercy, I think
about confession. Jesus set my heart on
fire through the Sacrament of
Reconciliation. After we confess our
sins and the priest extends his hand and gives the beautiful words of
Absolution, I imagine Jesus standing over me pouring out the rays of Blood and
Water from His Heart. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is God’s Mercy to us. He
knows we are all sinners and He loves us so much. During confession, Jesus forgives our sins
and He pours out His sanctifying grace upon us which helps us to sin no more
and strengthens us to be the person He created us to be.
In 2006, I went on a pilgrimage to Medjugorje. One of Our
Lady’s messages is monthly confession. I promised Our Lady I would make that a
part of my life and I have. I cannot
begin to tell you the graces I have received. Confession
is where Grace and Mercy meet. Jesus told Saint Faustina to bring her miseries
to this Throne of Grace. Once you
receive God’s mercy, you have a great desire to share it with others. Divine
Mercy is a great miracle in the soul. God can take our sufferings,
hurts, sins, failures and faults and transform us into something beautiful for
Him. God has called you to be His
witness, his chosen instrument. In the
darkness of the world today, you will be called to stand up and speak the
truth, to be His witness.
Jesus will entrust souls to you, souls He
wants you to pray for. I know
a young man who had all the “things of the world,” a nice home, a fancy car,
girlfriend and his own business. He was Catholic and went to church once in a
while but didn’t take his faith seriously. One day, his grandmother committed suicide. That tragedy had a great
effect on him. On his way to work, he
didn’t know why but he kept driving out of the way to pass by a church. He did
this for a long time. Finally one day, he stopped and went in. There was a priest in the church and he told
the priest about his grandmother. The
priest told this young man that “there is no time with God” and that he could
pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for his grandmother’s soul. The young man did
this and his journey in prayer led him to the seminary and he is now a
beautiful priest.
Saint Faustina had a vision and heard the words of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy in her soul, “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.” She began
reciting this prayer constantly, offering it for the sick and dying. Jesus said to her, “Encourage souls to say the Chaplet which I have given you. I desire to grant unimaginable graces to
those souls who trust in My mercy. The
Chaplet of Divine Mercy is a
powerful intercessory prayer that extends the offering of the Eucharist.
Prayer is a spiritual work of mercy. Never give up praying for the conversion of a
soul, living or dead. Jesus has entrusted that soul to you and He hears your
prayers. Do
not waste your sufferings! Save souls by giving your sufferings and miseries to
Jesus. Be apostles of Divine Mercy. Consecrate
your life to Jesus through Mary. Trust
in Jesus more every day. Perform works of mercy and be merciful.
In this Extraordinary Jubilee
Year of Mercy on Divine Mercy Sunday, I offer you a threefold challenge: make a weekly date with Jesus in
Eucharistic Adoration, promise Our Lady you will go to Confession monthly and
pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy every day for the living and the dead.
Jesus we trust in You.
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