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"Today bring to Me all Devout and Faithful Souls, and       immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. These souls brought  me consolation on the Way of the Cross. They were a drop of  consolation in the midst of an ocean of bitterness." 

Most Merciful Jesus, from the treasury of Your mercy, You impart Your graces in great abundance to each and all. Receive us into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart and never let us escape from It. We beg this grace of You by that most wondrous love for the heavenly Father with which Your Heart burns so fiercely.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon faithful souls, as upon the inheritance of Your Son. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, grant them Your blessing and surround them with Your constant protection. Thus may they never fail in love or lose the treasure of the holy faith, but rather, with all the hosts of Angels and Saints, may they glorify Your boundless mercy for endless ages. Amen.

For Reflection:             

Sometimes we don’t think to pray for devout and faithful souls because we think they don’t need prayer. They do! Who is God placing on your heart today?

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"Today bring to Me the Souls of Priests and Religious, and immerse them in My unfathomable mercy. It was they who gave me strength to endure My bitter Passion. Through them as through channels My mercy flows out upon mankind."

Most Merciful Jesus, from whom comes all that is good, increase Your grace in men and women consecrated to Your service, that they may perform worthy works of mercy; and that all who see them may glorify the Father of Mercy who is in heaven.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the company of chosen ones in Your vineyard -- upon the souls of priests and religious; and endow them with the strength of Your blessing. For the love of the Heart of Your Son in which they are enfolded, impart to them Your power and light, that they may be able to guide others in the way of salvation and with one voice sing praise to Your boundless mercy for ages without end. Amen.      

For Reflection:             

Name every priest and religious the Lord is placing on your heart and place them in the Sacred Heart of Jesus? Record their names.

 

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"Today bring to Me all mankind, especially all sinners, and immerse  them in the ocean of My mercy. In this way you will console Me in the  bitter grief into which the loss of souls plunges Me."

Most Merciful Jesus, whose very nature it is to have compassion on us and to forgive us, do not look upon our sins but upon our trust which we place in Your infinite goodness. Receive us all into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart, and never let us escape from It. We beg this of You by Your love which unites You to the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon all mankind and especially upon poor sinners, all enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion show us Your mercy, that we may praise the omnipotence of Your mercy for ever and ever. Amen.

For Reflection:             

Who is the one sinner I most wish to plunge into the ocean of Jesus’ mercy? What do I wish to say about this person to the Lord?  

 

 

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“Who can measure the extent of My goodness? For you I descended from heaven to earth; for you I allowed Myself to be nailed to the Cross; for you I let My Sacred Heart be pierced with a lance, thus opening wide the source of mercy for you. Come, then, with trust to draw graces from this fountain.”

                                                            -Jesus to St. Faustina Kowalska

For Reflection:             

What is Jesus saying directly to you through these words? What do you say back to Him? For the next nine days, pray the Divine Mercy Novena with receptivity and trust that you will draw from the fountain of the Sacred Heart the very grace you most need.

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Ever-patient in her yearning Though her tear-filled eyes were burning, Mary gazed upon her Son.

For Reflection:             

In his writing, The Spirituality of Waiting, Henri Nouwen gives five characteristics of waiting. He tells us waiting is a movement. “People who wait have received a promise that allows them to wait. … They have received something that is a work in them, like a seed that has started to grow… So waiting is never a movement from nothing to something. It is always a movement from something to something more."           

How is this truth depicted in the stanza above? Consider Mary’s gaze. What might have been transpiring in her heart as Mary looked upon her Son and as He gazed upon her? What promise(s) had she received and what might be the “something more” still yet to come?

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With what pain and desolation, With what noble resignation, Mary watched her dying Son.

 

 For Reflection:             

Many spiritual writers have discussed the “spirituality of waiting” and the virtues it requires. Some of these are patience, long-suffering, trust, surrender, humility, gratitude, receptivity, hope. In what ways do you think Mary embodied all of these as she watched her Son die? Which of these do you most need to acquire?

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While she waited in her anguish, Seeing Christ in torment languish, Bitter sorrow pierced her heart.

For Reflection:             

This verse tells us Mary “waited.” What attitude of heart do you think marked Mary’s disposition as she waited? What virtues? Recall a time when you, too, waited. What marked your disposition? What virtues did you exhibit?

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At the cross her station keeping, Mary stood in sorrow weeping When her Son was crucified.  

For Reflection:             

Father Faber tells us that each consecutive suffering of Our Lady outstripped its predecessor in pain, because each new suffering had “more love to torture, and therefore more power of inflicting pain.” In this first verse of the Stabat Mater, Mary experiences the fifth sword to her heart. She is at the summit of her suffering. Consider Father Faber’s quote in light of this. What do you think he means by “more love to torture?” What is the connection between love and pain? To what extent are you willing to truly love?

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        Closing Prayer to Our Lady

 O Mary, our Mother, with thine arms outstretched –

     those tender arms in which the eternal God

delighted to dwell when He became our blood Brother –

    plead our cause. With thine eyes of mercy,

   beseech of Him for us, thy children,

the grace that in our exile we may resemble thee,

        His most devoted follower, and so at last,

    in union with thee, may glorify Him forever!

For Reflection:             

Which of these sentiments, petitions, desires most expresses my heart and why?

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“…since the measure of our grace will always be inferior to [Mary’s}, we must adorn our souls with virtue through correspondence with the degree of grace that God bestows on us. Thus will we walk in her footsteps and, like her, grow in humility, in purity, and in love of God.”

For Reflection:             

Of all the lessons presented this month, which one lesson do I most need to learn? What virtues does this lesson require? Using a particular examination of conscience (see page 45 of the  Women of Grace Journal in the link below) what strategies can I employ to make this lesson a pattern of my life?

http://www.womenofgrace.com/App_Uploads_Docs/Journals/women_of_grace_journal_issue_7.pdf

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