The Divine Mercy Novena - Day 1

The Divine Mercy Novena

Jesus asked that the Feast of the Divine Mercy be preceded by a Novena to the Divine Mercy which would begin on Good Friday. He gave St. Faustina an intention to pray for on each day of the Novena, saving for the last day the most difficult intention of all, the lukewarm and indifferent of whom He said:

"These souls cause Me more suffering than any others; it was from such souls that My soul felt the most revulsion in the Garden of Olives. It was on their account that I said: 'My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass Me by.' The last hope of salvation for them is to flee to My Mercy."

In her diary, St. Faustina wrote that Jesus told her:

"On each day of the novena you will bring to My heart a different group of souls and you will immerse them in this ocean of My mercy ... On each day you will beg My Father, on the strength of My passion, for the graces for these souls."

First Day

"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.

1. Begin with the Sign of the Cross, 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary and The Apostles Creed.

2. Then on the Our Father Beads say the following:
Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

3. On the 10 Hail Mary Beads say the following:
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

(Repeat step 2 and 3 for all five decades).

4. Conclude with (three times):
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
•••
Source: EWTN
N.B.: I tried to post this earlier but Blogger was being quirky. I hope it helps.

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Love of Blessed Mary....

"Someone truly in love with Mary

finds time to turn to her as often as possible,

to stay as long as possible at her feet.

We would entrust our troubles and worries,

and our whole life to her."

St. Maximilian Kolbe

Micki over at http://thewindowshowsitall.blogspot.com/ somehow has the ability to post cards that reach out to me at the PERFECT TIME! This is another example! You should check her sight daily!

Our Lady of the Snows...

Living here in the Last Frontier... things are a little tougher. For example, back in SE Michigan it was sunny and in the high 50's/low 60's. Today, here in Alaska we woke up to this:

So I think it is an appropriate time to post about Our Lady of the Snows. The legend is quite interesting, and it involves snow, which makes me happy. Here is a link: Our Lady of the Snow

Devotion to Our Lady of the Snows
Usually, when one talks about devotion to the Mother of Jesus under a particular title, there is a link, either to one of Mary's qualities (Sorrowful Mother, Mother of Mercy) or to one of her apparitions (Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Guadalupe). Devotion to Mary under the title of Our Lady of the Snows is one of the oldest devotions to Mary. It has direct ties to the legend about a marvelous snowfall in Rome in 352 A.D. Mary had indicated in a dream to a wealthy, childless Roman couple that she wanted a church built in her honor and the site for this church would be covered with snow. On a hot, sultry morning on August 5, Esquiline Hill was covered with snow. All Rome proclaimed the summer snows a miracle, and a church to honor Mary was built on the hill in 358 A.D. Restored and refurbished many times, this church, now the magnificent Basilica of St. Mary Major, still stands today as the seat of devotion to Our Lady of the Snows in the Catholic Church. However, Our Lady of the Snows is honored here, not so much because of the legend, but because of her special role in the Church that is by its very nature, missionary. The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate - the congregation of priests and brothers who operate this Shrine - following the inspiration of their founder, St. Eugene De Mazenod - have always called on Mary as their principal patroness, one who looks upon their missionary efforts with a mother's love.

Devotion to Our Lady of the Snows in the Midwest
The devotion to Our Lady of the Snows was first introduced to the midwest in 1941 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Fr. Paul Schulte, O.M.I., known as "the flying priest of the Arctic," was a pilot who brought medical aid and supplies to remote Oblate missions, particularly north of the Arctic Circle. He developed a strong personal devotion to Our Lady of the Snows while working in the Oblate missions, and built a small chapel in her honor.