Today I’ll start with the Divine Mercy Novena. Today’s prayer is what I’ve dedicated this blog to and that is to bring people back to the faith. To pray for those who’ve been baptized in the faith but for whatever reason they’ve have distanced themselves from God and the Church. Family, close friends, men (and women) of St. Mary Magdalen who for a whole variety of reasons, have fallen away from their faith. Today, especially, please pray for these men and women.
Day 5 – Divine Mercy Novena:
Intention: Today bring to Me THE SOULS OF THOSE WHO HAVE SEPARATED THEMSELVES FROM MY CHURCH, and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. During My bitter Passion they tore at My Body and Heart, that is, My Church. As they return to unity with the Church, My wounds heal and in this way they alleviate My Passion.
Novena Prayers: Most Merciful Jesus, Goodness Itself, You do not refuse light to those who seek it of You. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who have separated themselves from Your Church. Draw them by Your light into the unity of the Church, and do not let them escape from the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart; but bring it about that they, too, come to glorify the generosity of Your mercy.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of those who have separated themselves from Your Son’s Church, who have squandered Your blessings and misused Your graces by obstinately persisting in their errors. Do not look upon their errors, but upon the love of Your own Son and upon His bitter Passion, which He underwent for their sake, since they, too, are enclosed in His Most Compassionate Heart. Bring it about that they also may glorify Your great mercy for endless ages.
Amen.
If you happen to be someone who has found doubt in your faith and you’re reading this blog for the first time, please come back to the Church. If you have been hurt by the Church in anyway, let me be the first to apologize on her behalf. If you doubt your faith or the existence of God, I can name 12 people who were chosen by Christ himself who had doubts. Do not despair, do not stay away. God promises an eternal paradise to those willing to accept Him. Is the only way to God through the Church? I can’t answer that question. What I can offer as an argument is that the Church, my faith, my full participation in the sacraments, my honoring the Sabbath every Sunday only strengthens my faith in God and keeps me on a path, a very narrow path, to that eternal paradise. Take a few minutes and ponder the readings for today.
Peter, chosen by Christ to be the ROCK of the Church – our foundation – denied Christ three times. He sought forgiveness from Christ, received the gift of the Holy Spirit and in today’s first reading, brought THREE THOUSAND people into the Church. Peter overcame doubt and despair and was that strong foundation Christ called him to be. You can be /do the same.
The earth if full of the goodness of the Lord…Psalm 33: 20 and 22
Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.
I will offer to you this final prayer as I finish this morning. It was given to St. Faustina, to inspire everyone who would read it, during her multiple visions of Jesus. It was from these visions that the Divine Mercy Chaplet (and Novena) were written. This coming Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday. If you have been away from the Church, come to Mass this Sunday and experience Christ’s Divine Mercy…
Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless, and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us, and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments, we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence, submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is LOVE and MERCY itself. Amen (950).
Christ has risen. Amen. Alleluia
God’s will, not mine, be done.
Be not afraid.
jesus, I trust in you.
St. Mary Magdalen Men of God 