Dear Parishioners and Friends of Transfiguration Parish,
The 2nd Sunday of Easter is traditionally known as Divine Mercy Sunday, and I cannot think of two consecutive Sundays of the Church year that are more full of the awesome, wonder of God. We continue with the joy of the Risen Christ on Easter Sunday right into thanksgiving for Jesus’ Divine Mercy. I suggest there is nothing we need more during this coronavirus pandemic than the joy of the Resurrection, and our desire for Jesus’ Divine Mercy.
Allow me to share these words from St. Faustina’s Diary, 1273. These are the words of Jesus, and I think they have great value to all of us right now. Jesus said to St. Faustina, “I am love and Mercy Itself. There is no misery that could be a match for My mercy…The soul that trusts in My mercy is most fortunate, because I Myself take care of it.”
What can we say about the Divine Mercy of Jesus? The thing that probably first comes to our minds is that through His Divine Mercy, Jesus forgives us of our sins! Just imagine the fullness of the love of Jesus, who loves us so much that He willingly sacrificed His life on the cross to take away our sins and give us the promise of new and everlasting life. If we can think of nothing else about His Divine Mercy, we can know that Jesus loves us so much that He forgives us of our sins whenever we come to Him with a repentant heart, and ask for His Divine Mercy. I am humbled just thinking about the measure of Jesus’ love for me.
Especially at this time, I think there are a couple more aspects of Jesus’ Divine Mercy that we should remember. In addition to forgiving us of our sins, Jesus, through His Divine Mercy, frees us from our doubts and fears. Can any of us say we have not experienced some doubts and fears during this pandemic? We are all going through a very difficult time which we have never encountered. Doesn’t it help us persevere knowing that Jesus spoke these words to His disciples? Jesus said, “Do not be afraid,” and “Peace be with you.”
I wish I could answer the question that is likely on all of our minds. When will we be able to gather again for public Mass? When will we return to a sense of normalcy? I have no answer, but I am encouraged that things do appear to be getting better, albeit slowly. That said, I urge everyone to continue staying at home, and maintaining social distance guidelines. Above all, keep praying for each other, and for an end of this coronavirus pandemic. Join me in having faith in the Risen Christ whose Divine Mercy is always with us. I can think of no better way to close this letter than with the Responsorial Psalm for Divine Mercy Sunday. “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting.”
God bless.
Deacon Chris
A PRAYER FOR DIVINE MERCY
O greatly Merciful god, Infinite Goodness, today all mankind calls out from the abyss of its misery to Your mercy— to Your compassion, O God: and it is with its mighty voice of misery that it cries out. Gracious God, do not reject the prayer of this earth’s exiles! O Lord, Goodness beyond our understanding, who are acquainted with our misery through and through, and know that by our own power we cannot ascend to You, we implore You: anticipate us with Your grace and keep on increasing Your mercy in us, that we may faithfully do Your holy will through our life and at death’s hour.
Let the omnipotence of Your mercy shield us from the darts of our salvation’s enemies, that we may with confidence, as Your children, await Your final coming—that day known to You alone. And we expect to obtain everything promised us by Jesus in spite of all our wretchedness. For Jesus is our Hope: Through His merciful Heart as through an open gate we pass through to heaven. Amen.
Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 1570
The Daily Prayer for Priests
By St. Therese of the Child Jesus
O Jesus, I pray for your faithful and fervent priests;
For your unfaithful and tepid priest;
For your priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields.
For your tempted priests;
For your lonely and desolate priests;
For your young priests;
For the souls of your priests in Purgatory.
But above all, I recommend to you the priests dearest to me:
The priest who baptized me;
The priests who absolved me from my sins;
The priests at whose Masses I assisted and who gave me Your Body and Blood in Holy Communion;
The priests who taught and instructed me;
All the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way (especially …)
O Jesus, keep them all close to your heart,
And bless them abundantly in time and in eternity.
Amen.
I found this in a book written by Father Ronald Rolheiser titled, “Sacred Fire, A Vision for a Deeper Human and Christian Maturity.” This begins chapter six in the book which is titled, “Drawing Strength From Prayer.” I think it is worth sharing.
Deacon Chris
The Difference
By Grace L. Naessens
I got up early one morning and rushed right into the day;
I had so much to accomplish, I didn’t have time to pray.
Problems just tumbled about me and grew heavier with each task;
Why doesn’t God help me, I wondered; He answered, “You didn’t ask.”
I wanted to see joy and beauty, but the day toiled on, gray and bleak;
I wondered why God didn’t show me – He said, “But you didn’t seek.”
I tried to come into God’s presence; I used all my keys at the lock;
God gently and lovingly chided, “My child, you didn’t knock.”
I woke up early this morning and paused before entering the day;
I had so much to accomplish that I had to take time to pray.
Prayer for Persecuted Christians
O God of all the nations,
the One God who is and was and always will be,
in your providence you willed that your Church
be united to the suffering of your Son.
Look with mercy on your servants
who are persecuted for their faith in you.
Grant them perseverance and courage
to be worthy imitators of Christ.
Bring your wisdom upon leaders of nations
to work for peace among all peoples.
May your Spirit open conversion
for those who contradict your will,
that we may live in harmony.
Give us the grace to be united in truth and freedom,
and to always seek your will in our lives.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Our Lady, Queen of Peace, pray for us!
I found this in the book, “Everything Starts from Prayer, St. Mother Teresa’s Meditations on Spiritual Life for People of All Faiths.”
A good prayer to start our days.
God bless
Deacon Chris
In the words of St. Teresa of Calcutta:
“Wherever they are, the Missionaries of Charity start the day’s work with the same prayer from their community prayer book:
MISSIONARIES OF CHARITY PRAYER
Dear Lord, the Great Healer, I kneel
before you, since every perfect gift
must come from you. I pray, give skill to
my hands, clear vision to my mind,
kindness and meekness to my heart.
Give me singleness of purpose, strength
to lift up a part of the burden of my
suffering fellowmen, and a realization
of the privilege that is mine. Take from
my heart all guile and worldliness, that
with the simple faith of a child, I may
Rely on you.
Amen.