Divine Mercy, the Key to Jesus’ Heart

Divine Mercy, the Key to Jesus’ Heart

The Divine Mercy of Jesus Christ is infinitely greater than all of the sins ever committed by mankind. No matter how many sins you have committed and no matter how grievous they were, one simple confession to a priest is all it takes to be forgiven for them (along with contrition for them and a firm purpose of amendment to stop committing them). “As the Father has loved me, so I love you, abide in my love,” said Jesus to us all in John 15:9. Our Father loves Jesus with an infinite love, and that is how much Jesus loves you and me, even though we are all sinners! 

How do we abide in Jesus’ love? By eating His flesh and drinking His blood in the Eucharist! John 6:56 says, “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.” The Church gives us the two great sacraments of Confession and the Eucharist as a continual way to overcome the devil and the sins of the flesh. If we make them an integral part of our life in Christ, then we are on the way to holiness and heaven!

The Mercy of God in the Bible

Exodus 25:17: “Then you shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth.” (Here we see the mercy of God from the very beginning of salvation history, with Moses building the Ark of the Covenant, a foreshadowing of the Blessed Virgin Mary.)

Deuteronomy 13:17: “None of the devoted things shall cleave to your hand; that the Lord may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and show you mercy, and have compassion on you, and multiply you, as he swore to your fathers.” (Even after the second desert generation had greatly sinned, God still showed them mercy).

Tobit 13:6: “If you turn to him with all your heart and with all your soul, to do what is true before him, then he will turn to you and will not hide his face from you. But see what he will do with you; give thanks to him with your full voice. Praise the Lord of righteousness, and exalt the King of the ages. I give him thanks in the land of my captivity, and I show his power and majesty to a nation of sinners. Turn back, you sinners, and do right before him; who knows if he will accept you and have mercy on you?” [Here we see God’s prescription for obtaining his mercy – complete surrender to Him and His will, with thanksgiving (Eucharist) and praise (the Holy Mass)].

1 Maccabees 4:24: “On their return they sang hymns and praises to Heaven, for he is good, for his mercy endures for ever.” (Singing praise to God always in thanksgiving is what we all should do, because the mercy of God never stops while we are still breathing. After death we get His justice!)

Psalm 51:1: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy steadfast love; according to thy abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. “

Psalm 28:13: “He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” (Go to CONFESSION!)

Sirach 5:6: “Do not say, “His mercy is great, he will forgive the multitude of my sins,” for both mercy and wrath are with him, and his anger rests on sinners.” (Don’t expect mercy if you are unrepentant for your sins.)

Matthew 5:7: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” (If you want God’s mercy for yourself, you must show mercy to others as well.)

Luke 1:50: “And his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation.” (“Fear” is in the sense of awe, reverence, and obedience, not in the sense of being afraid of our Father. If you ignore God your entire life, don’t expect His mercy at the end of your life!)

Luke 10:36-37: “Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed mercy on him.” And Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” (Jesus said that we must love our neighbors as ourselves. Showing mercy to them is how we do that.)

Romans 9:16: “So it depends not upon man’s will or exertion, but upon God’s mercy.” (All of our efforts are useless unless we are actively seeking out God’s mercy.)

2 Timothy 1:18: “May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that Day—and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus.” (Here St. Paul prays for the deceased Onesiphorus, on the day he is judged by God. Praying for the dead is indeed Biblical!)

The Diary of St. Faustina

The following are all quotes from St. Faustina’s Diary, “Divine Mercy in My Soul.” In it, she quotes both what Jesus and Mary said to her, as well as her own thoughts. The Diary is officially approved by the Catholic Church as being authentic. Go to http://www.marian.org to buy a copy and read it for yourself. The words of Jesus are bolded for quick reference. The words of the Blessed Mother are italicized as well. Reading this diary is like going on a retreat!

Jesus said to Sister Faustina:

“At three o’clock, implore My mercy, especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony. This is the hour of great mercy. In this hour, I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion. As often as you hear the clock strike the third hour, immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it; invoke its omnipotence for the whole world, and particularly for poor sinners; for at that moment mercy was opened wide for every soul. In this hour you can obtain everything for yourself and for others for the asking; it was the hour of grace for the whole world — mercy triumphed over justice.”

“My daughter, try your best to make the Stations of the Cross in this hour, provided that your duties permit it; and if you are not able to make the Stations of the Cross, then at least step into the chapel for a moment and adore, in the Most Blessed Sacrament, My Heart, which is full of mercy; and should you be unable to step into the chapel, immerse yourself in prayer there where you happen to be, if only for a very brief instant.””By obedience you give great glory to Me and gain merit for yourself.”

“The loss of each soul plunges Me into mortal sadness. You always console Me when you pray for sinners. The prayer most pleasing to Me is prayer for the conversion of sinners. Know, My daughter, that this prayer is always heard and answered.”

“I shall protect them (sinners) Myself at the hour of death, as My own glory. And even if the sins of soul are as dark as night, when the sinner turns to My mercy he gives Me the greatest praise and is the glory of My Passion. When a soul praises my goodness, Satan trembles before it and flees to the very bottom of hell.”

“Know this, My daughter: if you strive for perfection you will sanctify many souls; and if you do not strive for sanctity, by the same token, many souls will remain imperfect. Know that their perfection will depend on your perfection, and the greater part of the responsibility for these souls will fall on you.”

“There is more merit to one hour of meditation on My sorrowful Passion than there is to a whole year of flagellation that draws blood; the contemplation of My painful wounds is of great profit to you, and it brings Me great joy. I am surprised that you still have not completely renounced your self-will, but I rejoice exceedingly that this change will be accomplished during the retreat.”

“Pray as much as you can for the dying. By your entreaties, obtain for them trust in My mercy, because they have most need of trust, and have it the least. Be assured that the grace of eternal salvation for certain souls in their final moment depends on your prayer. You know the whole abyss of My mercy, so draw upon it for yourself and especially for poor sinners. Sooner would heaven and earth turn into nothingness than would My mercy not embrace a trusting soul.”

“Today bring to Me the souls who are in the prison of Purgatory, and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. Let the torrents of My Blood cool down their scorching flames. All these souls are greatly loved by Me. They are making retribution to My justice. It is in your power to bring   them relief. Draw all the indulgences from the treasury of My Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only knew the torments they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and pay off their debt to My justice.”

“You Yourself command me to exercise the three degrees of mercy. The first: the act of mercy, of whatever kind. The second: the word of mercy—If I cannot carry out a work of mercy, I will assist by my words. The third: prayer — if I cannot show mercy by deeds or words, I can always do so by prayer. My prayer reaches out even there where I cannot reach out physically.”

**Remember 7– One good confession is all it takes to keep you out of hell! Just do it! 

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy

Using the rosary, begin with the Apostles’ Creed, one Our Father, and one Hail Mary. Then, on the Our Father beads, say, “Eternal Father, I offer you the body and the 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, say “For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.”

At the end of the Chaplet, we are to say three times the following: “Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.”

“Whoever will recite this chaplet will receive great mercy at the hour of death. When they say this chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between my Father and the dying person, not as the just judge, but as the merciful savior. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from my infinite mercy.” –  Jesus to St. Faustina

Summary

None of us is making it to heaven without Divine Mercy. We should always pray the Chaplet,  especially at 3 PM, which is the hour of Divine Mercy when Jesus died on the cross. It pleases our Lord very much when we ask for His Mercy, because He is Mercy itself and likes to give Himself to us. Praying daily for Divine Mercy increases both our humility and our holiness, without which we cannot reach heaven.  So say the chaplet of Divine Mercy whenever you can, and show mercy to others as well. You won’t regret it, and it will change your life forever (and ever. Amen)!