From March 25, 2016 - April 2, 2016: Bringing (which?) Souls to Jesus

Although there are different kinds of prayer, if you are like me, you spend a lot of time asking the Lord for this or that special favor, which isn’t a “bad” thing. For the Lord Himself said:

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matt. 7:7-8)

At the same time, we don’t need advanced theology degrees to know that our chances of receiving what we ask for increase when what we request is something that the Lord desires to give us—such as more of His Holy Spirit:

“What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spiritto those who ask him?” (Luke 11:11-13)

As we know, the Lord is interested in every aspect of our lives, both spiritual and material. Our Heavenly Father knows and provides what we need (CF. Matt. 6:8), and even counts all the hairs of our head (Cf. Matt 10:30; Luke 12:7).

In this Lenten Jubilee Year of Mercy, then, considering how available the Lord makes Himself to hear our petitions, and after considering all that the Lord suffered for our sakes, if we could fulfill His special prayer petitions; His special intentions, wouldn’t we want to do that?

Thanks to the Diary of St. Faustina, the first canonized saint of the Twenty-first Century, who is “the great apostle of mercy,” as Pope Francis described her in his Jubilee "Bull of Indiction": Misericordiae Vultus (Face of Mercy)(#24), we have an opportunity to do just that!

Starting on Good Friday and extending for eight more days, through Easter Saturday, we have the privilege of joining St. Faustina, as members of the Communion of Saints, to pray for Jesus’ special intentions! How? We can pray in union with St. Faustina for the nine groups of souls that the Lord asked her to bring to Him and to immerse in His Mercy.

Although the nine days of prayer are formalized in what is called the Divine Mercy Novena, still, even if we do not pray the Novena—or even if we do!—it is a blessing to know and to reflect on which souls the Savior of the world asked St. Faustina to bring to Him during those special days surrounding His Passion, Death, and Resurrection, and then to do likewise—to make His intentions our intentions!

And as we do so, it is good, too, to examine ourselves to determine where we fit in; to reflect on within which group(s) of souls is the Lord especially praying for us as our “Great High Priest” (Heb. 4:14). If we find that we fit into one or more groups that bring suffering to the Lord’s Merciful Heart, let us ask for His strength to move from those groups into the groups that console Him.

As we consider the groups of souls that Jesus asked St. Faustina to bring to Him and to immerse in His Mercy, it is our blessing to learn from our Redeemer which groups of souls strengthened and comforted Him in His Passion, as well as how they did that. Likewise, it is good to know who added to His suffering so that we might strive to avoid offending the Lord in the same ways today. All told, it is a privilege to be privy to some of Jesus’ Thoughts during His Passion, Thoughts He shared with St. Faustina when He gave her His prayer intentions for the Divine Mercy Novena.

Here, then, are the nine groups of souls that Jesus specifically asked St. Faustina to bring to Him in prayer from Good Friday through Easter Saturday. Let us join St. Faustina, even now after her death, since Jesus told her that He Willed that she would make this nine-day prayer both “in this life and in the next” (Diary, 1209).

On the first day of the Novena (Good Friday), Jesus asked St. Faustina to bring to Him and to immerse in the “ocean” of His Mercy: “all mankind, especially all sinners” (Diary, 1210).

From Scripture, we know that this group includes all of us:

“If we say, ‘We are without sin,’ we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing. If we say, ‘We have not sinned,’ we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1 John: 1: 8-10)

Jesus told St. Faustina that by bringing Him all humankind, especially all sinners, and immersing them in the ocean of His mercy, “…you will console Me in the bitter grief into which the loss of souls plunges Me” (Diary, 1210).

On the second day of the Novena (Holy Saturday), Jesus asked St. Faustina to bring to Him and to immerse in His “unfathomable” Mercy: the “souls of priests and religious,” through whom—“as through channels”--Jesus said that His mercy “flows out upon mankind” (Diary, 1212).

Jesus told St. Faustina that the souls of priests and religious gave Him strength to endure His bitter Passion (Diary, 1212).

“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” (Luke 10:2)

In response to the Lord’s request, let us pray for current priests and religious, as well as for more religious vocations--not just on Holy Saturday, but on all days.

On the third day of the Novena (Easter Sunday), Jesus asked St. Faustina to bring to Him and to immerse in the “ocean” of His Mercy: “all devout and faithful souls” (Diary, 1214).

According to Jesus, devout and faithful souls, like “a drop of consolation in the midst of an ocean of bitterness” brought Him “consolation on the Way of the Cross" (Diary, 1214).

At the end of our lives, what a blessing it will be to hear the Lord welcome us, “Well done, good and faithful servant…Come, share your master’s joy” (Matt. 25:21).

On the fourth day of the Novena (Easter Monday), Jesus asked St. Faustina to bring to Him and to immerse in the “ocean” of His Mercy: “[those who do not believe in God] and those who do not know Me” (Diary, 1216, [with language updated by the Church, as per EWTN explanation]).

According to Jesus, during His bitter Passion, when He was thinking of those who do not believe in God and those who do not know Him, the “future zeal” of those souls comforted His Heart (Diary, 1216).

By virtue of our Baptism, we have received Jesus’ “Great Commission” to “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). Even if we are not the ones who leave homeland on mission, by our prayers, our monetary support, and our good witness we can fulfill our Baptismal promise and responsibility.

On the fifth day of the Novena (Easter Tuesday), Jesus asked St. Faustina to bring to Him and to immerse in the “ocean” of His Mercy: “the souls of [those who have separated themselves from My Church]” (Diary, 1218, [with language updated by the Church, as per EWTN explanation]).

According to what Jesus told St. Faustina, during His bitter Passion, the souls of those who have separated themselves from His Church tore at His Body and Heart, which He said is “My Church.” However, Jesus went on to say, “As they return to unity with the Church My wounds heal and in this way they alleviate My Passion."

We know that Christian Unity is the desire of Jesus’ Heart, based on His “High Priestly Prayer,” offered for His disciples the night before He died:

“I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.” (John 17:20-21)

On the sixth day of the Novena (Easter Wednesday), Jesus asked St. Faustina to bring to Him and to immerse in His Mercy: “the meek and humble souls and the souls of little children,” whom Jesus described as souls who “most closely resemble My Heart” (Diary, 1220).

Jesus told St. Faustina that the meek and humble souls and the souls of little children strengthened Him during His bitter agony; He saw them as “earthly Angels, who will keep vigil at My altars” (Diary, 1220).

Has not Jesus invited all of us to be like these souls?

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” (Matt. 11:28-30)

“At that time the disciples approached Jesus and said, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, ‘Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’” (Matt. 18: 1-4)

On the seventh day of the Novena (Easter Thursday), Jesus asked St. Faustina to bring to Him and to immerse His Mercy: “the souls who especially venerate and glorify My mercy” (Diary, 1224).

Jesus told St. Faustina that the souls who especially venerate and glorify His Mercy were the ones who “sorrowed most” over His Passion and “entered most deeply” into His spirit; He called them “living images of My Compassionate Heart” (Diary, 1224).

In this Jubilee of Mercy, it is good to remind ourselves to live Jesus’ words:

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (Matt. 5:7)

“Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. “ (Luke 6:36)

On the eighth day of the Novena (Easter Friday), Jesus asked St. Faustina to bring to Him and to immerse in the "abyss" of His Mercy: “the souls who are in the prison of Purgatory” (Diary, 1226).

Of the souls in Purgatory, Jesus told St. Faustina, “All these souls are greatly loved by Me” (Diary, 1226).

In his Jubilee "Bull of Indiction": Misericordiae Vultus (Face of Mercy)(#15), Pope Francis calls us to perform corporal and spiritual works of mercy, one of which is praying for the living and the dead. Even in the Old Testament, God’s People had a realization of a need to pray for the dead so that they could be released from the punishment due to sins:

“He then took up a collection among all his soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas, which he sent to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory sacrifice. In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way, inasmuch as he had the resurrection in mind; for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be absolved from their sin.” (2 Maccabees 12: 43-46)

On the ninth day of the Novena (Easter Saturday), Jesus asked St. Faustina to bring to Him and to immerse in the “abyss” of His Mercy: “the souls who have become lukewarm” (Diary, 1228).

As Jesus told St. Faustina, souls who have become lukewarm “wound My Heart most painfully.” In fact, Jesus went on to elaborate, saying, “My soul suffered the most dreadful loathing in the Garden of Olives because of lukewarm souls. They were the reason I cried out: 'Father, take this cup away from Me, if it be Your will.'”

Lukewarmness, we know from Sacred Scripture, nauseates Jesus:

“I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” (Revelation 3: 15-16)

Thus, then, from Good Friday through Easter Saturday, Jesus asked St. Faustina to bring these nine groups of souls to Him and to immerse them in His Mercy: (1) “all mankind, especially all sinners,” (2)“souls of priests and religious,” (3)“all devout and faithful souls,” (4) “[those who do not believe in God] and those who do not know Me,” (5) “the souls of [those who have separated themselves from My Church],” (6) “the meek and humble souls and the souls of little children,” (7) “the souls who especially venerate and glorify My mercy,” (8) “the souls who are in the prison of Purgatory,” and (9) “the souls who have become lukewarm.”

If we wish to pray for these intentions within the context of the Divine Mercy Novena, here is a link with instructions from the EWTN website. Even if we do not wish to pray the Novena, let us keep in mind Our Savior’s special intentions, expressed to St. Faustina, and each day from Good Friday (March 25, 2016) to Easter Saturday (April 2, 2016), let us pray for all the groups of souls, according to the Lord’s wishes.

As we pray for the nine groups of souls, let us ask the intercession of St. Faustina to help us live the Jubilee Year of Mercy more fruitfully and sincerely, in keeping with the counsel of our Holy Father. In his Jubilee "Bull of Indiction": Misericordiae Vultus (Face of Mercy), Pope Francis wrote (#24):

“Our prayer also extends to the saints and blessed ones who made divine mercy their mission in life. I think especially of the great apostle of mercy, Saint Faustina Kowalska. May she, who was called to enter the depths of divine mercy, intercede for us and obtain for us the grace of living and walking always according to the mercy of God and with an unwavering trust in his love.”

If at all possible, at the end of the nine days of prayer, let us join with the Universal Church in celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday, with all the gratitude and joy we possibly can offer to our Divine Merciful Savior!

May God bless you!