St. Faustina and Divine Mercy
Divine Mercy
Today is the Feast of St. Faustyna, the young Polish nun to whom Jesus appeared from 1931 to 1938 revealing the Divine Mercy. In this meditation we reflect on prayer as an essential means to receive the mercy of God.
On Friday, September 13, 1935, Faustyna writes in her Diary:
474 In the evening, when I was in my cell, I saw an Angel, the executor of divine wrath. He was clothed in a dazzling robe, his face gloriously bright, a cloud beneath his feet. From the cloud, bolts of thunder and flashes of lightning were springing into his hands; and from his hand they were going forth, and only then were they striking the earth. When I saw this sign of divine wrath which was about to strike the earth…I began to implore the Angel to hold off for a few moments, and the world would do penance. But my plea was a mere nothing in the face of the divine anger. Just then I saw the Most Holy Trinity. The greatness of Its majesty pierced me deeply…At that very moment I felt in my soul the power of Jesus‟ grace, which dwells in my soul. When I became conscious of this grace, I was instantly snatched up before the Throne of God...I found myself pleading with God for the world with words heard interiorly. As I was praying in this manner, I saw the Angel’s helplessness: he could not carry out the just punishment which was rightly due for sins. Never before had I prayed with such inner power as I did then. The words with which I prayed to God are these: Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved son, Our Lord Jesus Christ for our sins and those of the whole world; for the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us.
Then Jesus taught St. Faustyna the Divine Mercy Chaplet in which He asked her to pray in this manner: First of all, you will say one OUR FATHER and HAIL MARY and the I BELIEVE IN GOD. Then on the OUR FATHER beads you will say the following words: “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.” On the HAIL MARY beads you will say the following words: “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion have mercy on us and on the whole world.” In conclusion, three times you will recite these words: “Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.” 476
Blood and Water
Faustyna writes: While I was saying the chaplet, I heard a voice which said, Oh, what great graces I will grant to souls who say this chaplet; the very depths of My tender mercy are stirred for the sake of those who say the chaplet. Write down these words, My daughter. Speak to the world about My mercy; let all mankind recognize My unfathomable mercy. It is a sign for the end times; after it will come the day of justice. While there is still time, let them have recourse to the fount of My mercy; let them profit from the Blood and Water which gushed forth for them. 848
The Peak of Holiness in a Short Time
Jesus taught St. Faustyna that prayer is friendship with Him and that in prayer we should talk simply to him as one friend to another. Then Jesus said to Faustyna:
When you reflect upon what I tell you in the depths of your heart, you profit more than if you had read many books. Oh, if souls would only want to listen to My voice when I am speaking in the depths of their hearts, they would reach the peak of holiness in a short time. 584
Silent Reflection
But listening to Jesus requires silence
I see one rule as most important...and it is silence…the Holy Spirit does not speak to a soul that is distracted and talkative. He speaks by His quiet inspirations to a soul that is recollected, to a soul that knows how to keep silence. If silence were strictly observed, there would not be any grumbling, bitterness, slandering, or gossip, and charity would not be tarnished. In a word, many wrongs would not be done. Silent lips are pure gold and bear witness to holiness within. 552
Again Faustyna writes: If only souls would become recollected, God would speak to them at once, for dissipation drowns out the word of the Lord. 452
Silence is the sword in the spiritual struggle. 477
God Unites to Himself
St Teresa of Avila, the great doctor of Prayer tells us that if we set out on a life of prayer and persevere, we will reach contemplation, infused prayer, which is the beginning of the experience of heaven on earth. Faustyna describes what is available to all who persevere when she writes:
My communion with the Lord is now purely spiritual. My soul is touched by God and wholly absorbs itself in Him, even to the complete forgetfulness of self. Permeated by God to its very depths, it drowns in His beauty; it completely dissolves in Him…These moments are short, but their effects are lasting. The soul cannot remain long in this state; or else it would be forcibly freed of the bonds of the body forever. Even as it is, it is sustained by a miracle of God. God allows the soul to know in a clear way how much He loves it, as though it were the only object of His delight. The soul recognizes this clearly and without a veil, so to speak. It reaches out for God with all its might, but it feels like a baby; it knows that this is not within its power. Therefore, God descends to the soul and unites it to Himself in a way that…. Here, I must be silent, for I cannot describe what the soul experiences.