What
is Sin?
“In its essence, sin is when you take your eye
off of the Creator and you turn it to the
creature or the created thing.”
– Fr. Chris Alar,
MIC
What is Mercy?
"Mercy is having pains in your heart for the
pains of another and taking pains to do something about their
pains."
- Fr. George Kosicki
What is the Divine Mercy?
Is Divine Mercy Optional?
It is both a message and a devotion. It is
not just a devotion. While devotions are optional, the Divine
Mercy is a message from God and the "heart of the Gospels" and
it is therefore not optional. Therefore, if you reject
Divine Mercy, you are rejecting the Gospels.
- Fr. Chris Alar,
MIC
(The Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of The Most
Blessed Virgin Mary) (Marian Seminarians, Holy Priests, Apostles
of Divine Mercy) National Shrine of The Divine Mercy,
Stockbridge, MA
"Mercy is the beating heart of the Gospel." -
Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, April 11, 2015
"The love of God for men is a merciful
love." - Pope Pius XII, Encyclical Haurietis Aquas, on devotion
to the Sacred Heart, May 15,1956
"Indeed, mercy is the central nucleus of the
Gospel message; it is the very name of God, the Face with which
he revealed himself in the Old Covenant and fully in Jesus
Christ, the incarnation of creative and redemptive Love."
- Pope Benedict XVI, Regina Caeli
message on Divine Mercy Sunday, March 30, 2008
"The flames of mercy are burning Me. I
desire to pour them out upon human souls. Oh, what pain they
cause Me when they do not want to accept them! My daughter, do
whatever is within your power to spread devotion to My mercy. I
will make up for what you lack. Tell aching mankind to snuggle
close to My merciful Heart, and I will fill it with peace. Tell
[all people], My daughter, that I am Love and Mercy itself. When
a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an
abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself,
but radiates them to other souls." (Diary 1074)
Saint Maria Faustyna Helena
Kowalska, Divine Mercy In My Soul, Diary -
Feast Day, October 5
Saint Maria Faustyna Kowalska of the Blessed
Sacrament, OLM, popularly spelled Faustina (born as Helena
Kowalska; 25 August 1905 in Głogowiec – 5 October 1938 in
Kraków, Poland) was a Polish Roman Catholic nun and mystic. She
came from a poor family that struggled during the years of World
War I. At the age of 20 years she joined the convent, of the
Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Warsaw, Poland.
She had a grade three level education, so hers were the humblest
tasks in the convent, usually in the kitchen or garden.
However, she received extraordinary revelations (visions,
conversations, and messages) from our Lord Jesus. He asked her
to record these experiences, which she compiled into notebooks.
These notebooks are known today as the Diary of Saint Maria
Faustina Kowalska (Divine Mercy In My Soul), and the words
contained within are God's loving message of Divine Mercy. Not
only is the content of her Diary exceptional, but its
form as well. While the author was uneducated and made spelling
mistakes, her handwriting was elegant and regular. Most
importantly, the text contains no erasures or changes.
She was later transferred to Płock,
and then to Vilnius where she met her confessor Father Michał
Sopoćko, who supported her devotion to the Divine Mercy.
Faustina and Father Sopoćko directed an artist to paint the
first Divine Mercy image, based on Faustina's vision of Jesus.
Father Sopoćko used the image in celebrating the first Mass on
the first Sunday after Easter.
According to The Congregation of the Sisters
of Merciful Jesus, "In the history of apparitions, there is only
one known case of Lord Jesus expressing His wish to paint a
picture with the image of Himself. He Himself presented and
approved the artistic vision of the image – showing Sister
Faustina many times His living presence in such form as is
reproduced in the painting. Moreover, promising special graces
to the worshippers of the image – He made the painting of
extraordinary religious value." (Source: http://www.faustina-message.com)
On 18 April 1993,
Pope John Paul II beatified Faustina. Subsequently, Pope John
Paul II canonized Faustina as a Saint on 30 April 2000 and
established the Feast of Divine Mercy (the feast day associated
with the message) as a feast day for the entire Church. The
feast day falls on the Second Sunday of the Easter season. On
that day, Pope John Paul II declared, "This is the happiest day
of my life." She is venerated within the Roman Catholic Church
as the "Apostle of Divine Mercy".
In 2002, the Pope
entrusted the whole world to Divine Mercy when he consecrated
The International Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Lagiewniki, a
suburb of Kraków in Poland (Divine Mercy Sanctuary). The Pope himself remembers as a young
man working in the Solvay Quarry, just a few meters from the
present-day Shrine...
https://www.saint-faustina.org
"At the heart of the Shrine of The Divine
Mercy in Kraków-Łagiewniki stands the chapel where the
miraculous image of Merciful Jesus and the tomb of St. Faustina
are to be found. This small church, consecrated in 1891 and
dedicated to St. Joseph, was built within the complex of the
convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy and once served only
the Sisters and their wards. This chapel has since witnessed the
prayer of the Apostle of The Divine Mercy and the extraordinary
graces (including the revelations of Jesus and the Blessed
Mother) received by her in this place. With her death, the
message of God’s Mercy, which by the will of Christ she gave to
the Church and the world, was deposited in this place. For this
reason the Łagiewniki Shrine became the centre of devotion to
The Divine Mercy, the place from which this message is spread
throughout the world and the place to which people from every
continent come on pilgrimage. They come asking for many graces,
to which the votive offerings in the display cases around the
chapel bear witness.
The
miraculous image of Merciful Jesus painted by Adolf Hyła is
placed above the side altar on the left side of the chapel. It
was blessed by Father Józef Andrasz SJ (Sister Faustina’s
spiritual director) on 16 April 1944, on the first Sunday after
Easter. Copies and reproductions of the image have spread
throughout the world, thereby fulfilling the words of Jesus
spoken to Sister Faustina at the first of His revelations:
I desire that this image be
venerated, first in your chapel, and [then] throughout the world
(Diary 47).
A white
marble coffin with the relics of St. Sister Faustina rests on
the altar below this image, and one relic has been placed in a
marble prie-dieu before the altar, for the convenience of
pilgrims wishing to venerate her and ask for her powerful
intercession through prayers to The Divine Mercy.
By the main
altar there is a statue of Our Lady of Mercy – the patron of the
Congregation, and in recesses to the side of the altar are
statues of St. Stanisław Kostka – the patron of youth, and of
St. Mary Magdalene – the patroness of women-penitents. At the
side altar on the right there is a picture of St. Joseph with
the Child, the image originally chosen as the patron of this
chapel and the entire property, which was once named “Józefów”
in its honour. On the side walls there are pictures: St. John
Paul II, St. Ignatius – the patron of the Congregation, and Bl.
Father Michał Sopoćko – spiritual director of St. Sister
Faustina.
In 1968, on
account of the large number of pilgrims who visited the final
resting-place of the Servant of God Sister Faustina, this chapel
dedicated to St. Joseph was entered by Cardinal Karol Wojtyła on
the list of sanctuaries in the Archdiocese of Kraków; and on 1
November 1992, the Archbishop of Kraków, Cardinal Franciszek
Macharski issued an official decree raising the chapel to the
rank of The Shrine of the Divine Mercy." (Source:
https://www.faustyna.pl)
May we ask the Lord Jesus to make us humble and simple. As He
works in our hearts, may we hear Him say to us - as He did to
St. Faustina:
You are my great joy; your love and your humility make Me leave
the heavenly throne and unite Myself with you. Love fills up the
abyss between My greatness and your nothingness. (Diary, 512)
The Shrine of Divine Mercy in Kraków-Łagiewniki,
Poland
Chapel of the miraculous image of the Merciful Jesus and the
tomb of St. Faustina
SANCTUARY OF DIVINE MERCY filmed at
KRAKOW, POLAND
The Feast Of Divine Mercy - Diary Quotes
These rays shield
souls from the wrath of My Father. Happy is the one who will
dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay
hold of him. I desire that the first Sunday after Easter be the
Feast of Mercy. (Diary 299)
And who knows
anything about this feast? No one! Even those who should be
proclaiming My mercy and teaching people about it often do not
know about it themselves. That is why I want the image to be
solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter, and I want it
to be venerated publicly so that every soul may know about it. (Diary
341)
This Feast emerged
from the very depths of My mercy, and it is confirmed in the
vast depths of My tender mercies. Every soul believing and
trusting in My mercy will obtain it. (Diary
420)
I desire that the
Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and
especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My
tender Mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon
those souls who approach the Fount of My Mercy. The soul that
will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain
complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the
divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened.
Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as
scarlet. (Diary 699)
I am
giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbour:
the first - by deed, the second - by word, the third - by
prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of
mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this
means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy. Yes, the
first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must
also be acts of mercy, and I demand the worship of My mercy
through the solemn celebration of the Feast and through the
veneration of the image which is painted. By means of this image
I shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be a reminder of
the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is of
no avail without works. (Diary 742)
Souls perish in spite
of My bitter Passion. I am giving them the last hope of
salvation; that is, the Feast of My Mercy. If they will not
adore My mercy, they will perish for all eternity.
(Diary 965)
I want to grant a
complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and
receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My mercy.
(Diary 1109)
The Feast of My Mercy
has issued forth from My very depths for the consolation of the
whole world. (Diary 1517)
The
Divine Mercy Image - Diary Quotes
Paint an image
according to the pattern you see, with the signature: Jesus, I
trust in You. I desire that this image be venerated, first in
your chapel, and [then] throughout the world. (Diary
47)
I promise that the
soul that will venerate this image will not perish. I also
promise victory over [its] enemies already here on earth,
especially at the hour of death. I Myself will defend it as My
own glory. Jesus, (Diary 48)
My image already is
in your soul. I desire that there be a Feast of Mercy. I want
this image, which you will paint with a brush, to be solemnly
blessed on the first Sunday after Easter; that Sunday is to be
the Feast of Mercy.(Diary
49)
I desire that priests
proclaim this great mercy of Mine towards souls of sinners. Let
the sinner not be afraid to approach Me. The flames of mercy are
burning Me - clamoring to be spent; I want to pour them out upon
these souls.
Jesus complained to me in these words, Distrust on the part of
souls is tearing at My insides. The distrust of a chosen soul
causes Me even greater pain; despite My inexhaustible love for
them they do not trust Me. Even My death is not enough for them.
Woe to the soul that abuses these [gifts]. (Diary
50)
When I spoke about this to Mother Superior [Rose (note30),
telling her] that God had asked this of me, she answered that
Jesus should give some sign so that we could recognize Him more
clearly. When I asked the Lord Jesus for a sign as a proof “that
You are truly my God and Lord and that this request comes from
You,” I heard this interior voice, I will make this all clear to
the Superior by means of the graces which I will grant through
this image. (Diary
51)
Know that if you
neglect the matter of the painting of the image and the whole
work of mercy, you will have to answer for a multitude of souls
on the day of judgment. (Diary
154)
I desire that your
heart be formed after the model of My merciful Heart. You must
be completely imbued with My mercy. (Diary
167)
The two rays denote
Blood and Water. The pale ray stands for the Water which makes
souls righteous. The red ray stands for the Blood which is the
life of souls...These two rays issued forth from the very depths
of My tender mercy when My agonized Heart was opened by a lance
on the Cross. These rays shield souls from the wrath of My
Father. Happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for
the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him. I desire that
the first Sunday after Easter be the Feast of Mercy. (Diary 299)
Not in the beauty of
the color, nor of the brush lies the greatness of this image,
but in My grace. (Diary 313)
My gaze from this
image is like My gaze from the cross. (Diary
326)
I am offering people a vessel with which they are to keep coming
for graces to the fountain of mercy. That vessel is this image
with the signature: "Jesus, I trust in You." (Diary 327)
I desire that the
image be publicly honored. (Diary 414)
When the image
was displayed, I saw a sudden movement of the hand of Jesus, as
He made a large sign of the cross. In the evening of the
same day, (...) I saw the image going over the town, and the
town was covered with what appeared to be a mesh and nets. As
Jesus passed, He cut through all the nets... (Diary, 416).
When I was in the Gate
of Dawn attending the ceremony during which the image was
displayed, I heard a sermon given by my confessor. When he began
to speak [Father Sopoćko] about the great Mercy of Our Lord, the
image came alive and the rays pierced the hearts of the people
gathered there, but not all to the same degree. Some received
more, some less,Great joy filled my heart to see the grace of
God. (Diary 417).
Toward the end of the service, when the
priest took the Blessed Sacrament to bless the people,
I saw Our Lord Jesus as He is represented in the image. Our Lord
gave His blessing, and the rays extended over the whole world.
Suddenly, I saw an impenetrable brightness in the form of a
crystal dwelling place, woven together from waves of brilliance
unapproachable to both creatures and spirits. Three doors led to
this resplendence. At that moment, Jesus, as He is represented
in the image, entered this resplendence through the second door
to the Unity within. (Diary, 420).
By means of this Image I shall be
granting many graces, so let every soul have access to it.
(Diary, 570)
When I received the
article about Divine Mercy with the image [on the cover], God’s
presence filled me in an extraordinary way. When I steeped
myself in prayer of thanksgiving, I
suddenly saw the Lord Jesus in a great brightness, just as He is
painted, and at His feet I saw Father Andrasz and Father
Sopocko. Both were holding pens in their hands, and flashes of
light an fire, like lightning, were coming from the tips of
their pens and striking a great crowd of people who were
hurrying I know not where. Whoever was touched by the ray of
light immediately turned his back on the crowd and held out his
hands to Jesus. Some returned with great joy, others with great
pain and compunction” (Diary 675).
I demand the worship
of My mercy through the solemn celebration of the Feast and
through the veneration of the image which is painted. By means
of this image I shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be a
reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest
faith is of no avail without works.
I am
giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor:
the first - by deed, the second - by word, the third - by
prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of
mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this
means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy. Yes, the
first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must
also be acts of mercy, and I demand the worship of My mercy
through the solemn celebration of the Feast and through the
veneration of the image which is painted. By means of this image
I shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be a reminder of
the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is of
no avail without works.
(Diary 742)
Already there
are many souls who have been drawn to My love by this image. My
mercy acts in souls through this work.
(Diary 1379)
Oh, if sinners
knew My mercy, they would not perish in such great numbers. Tell
sinful souls not to be afraid to approach Me; speak to them of
My great mercy. (Diary 1396)
Today, I saw two
enormous pillars planted in the ground; I had planted one of
them, and a certain person, S. M. (Sopocko M.), the other.
(...). These two pillars were close to each other, in the area
of the Image. And I saw the Image, raised up very high and
hanging from these two pillars. In an instant, upon these two
pillars, supported both from inside and outside, there stood a
large temple. I saw a hand finishing the temple, but I did not
see the person doing so. There was a great multitude of people,
inside and outside the temple, and the torrents issuing from the
Compassionate Heart of Jesus were flowing down upon everyone.
(Diary 1689).
Today I saw the glory of
God which flows from the Image. Many souls are receiving graces,
although they do not speak of it openly. Even though it has
faced all kinds of vicissitudes, God is receiving glory because
of it; and the efforts of Satan and of evil men are shattered
and come to naught. In spite of Satan’s anger, the Divine Mercy
will triumph over the whole world and will be worshipped by all
souls. (Diary 1789).
The
Greatest Attributes of God are Love and Mercy - Diary Quotes
On one occasion I was reflecting on the Holy
Trinity, on the essence of God. I absolutely wanted to know and
fathom who God is In an instant my spirit was caught up into
what seemed to be the next world. I saw an inaccessible light,
and in this light what appeared like three sources of light
which I could not understand. And out of that light came words
in the form of lightning which encircled heaven and earth. Not
understanding anything, I was very sad. Suddenly, from this sea
of inaccessible light came our dearly beloved Savior,
unutterably beautiful with His shining Wounds. And from this
light came a voice which said, Who God is in His Essence, no
one will fathom, neither the mind of Angels nor or man. Jesus
said to me, Get to know God by contemplating His attributes.
A moment later, He traced the sign of the cross with his hand
and vanished. (Diary 30)
I am the Lord in My
essence and am immune to orders or needs. If I call creatures
into being - that is the abyss of My mercy. (Diary 85)
Once,
one of the older Mothers [probably Mother Jane
(note43)
summoned me, and it was as if fiery bolts from the blue were
coming down upon me head, so much so that I could not even
discover what it was all about. But after a while I understood
that it was about a matter over which I had no control
whatsoever. She said to me, “Get it out of your head, Sister,
that the Lord Jesus might be communing in such an intimate way
with such a miserable bundle of imperfections as you! Bear in
mind that it is only with holy souls that the Lord Jesus
communes in this way!” I acknowledged that she was right,
because I am indeed a wretched person, but still I trust in
God’s mercy. When I met the Lord I humbled myself and said,
“Jesus, it seems that You do not associate intimately with such
wretched people as I. Be at peace, My daughter, it is
precisely through such misery that I want to show the power of
My mercy. I understood that this Mother had merely wanted to
subject me to a [salutary] humiliation. (Diary 133)
My daughter, speak to priests about this
inconceivable mercy of Mine. The flames of mercy are burning Me
- clamoring to be spent; I want to keep pouring them out upon
souls; souls just don’t want to believe in My goodness. (Diary
177)
+Once the Lord said to me, Act like a beggar who does not back
away when he gets more alms [than he asked for], but offers
thanks the more fervently. You too, should not back away and say
that you are not worthy of receiving greater graces when I give
them to you. I know you are unworthy, but rejoice all the more
and take as many treasures from My Heart as you can carry, for
then you will please Me more. And I will tell you one more thing
- take these graces not only for yourself, but also for others;
that is, encourage the souls with whom you come in contact to
trust in My infinite mercy. Oh, how I love those souls who have
complete confidence in Me - I will do everything for them.
(Diary 294)
Proclaim that mercy is the
greatest attribute of God. All the works of My hands are crowned
with mercy. (Diary 301)
Everything that you say about My goodness is true;
language has no adequate expression to extol My goodness. (Diary
359)
My Heart overflows with
great mercy for souls, and especially for poor sinners. If only
they could understand that I am the best of Fathers to them and
that it is for them that the Blood and Water flowed from My
Heart as from a fount overflowing with mercy. For them I dwell
in the tabernacle as King of Mercy. I desire to bestow My graces
upon souls, but they do not want to accept them. You, at least,
come to Me as often as possible and take these graces they do
not want to accept. In this way you will console My Heart. Oh,
how indifferent are souls to so much goodness, to so many proofs
of love! My Heart drinks only of the ingratitude and
forgetfulness of souls living in the world. They have time for
everything, but they have no time to come to Me for graces.
(Diary 367)
So I turn to you, you -
chosen souls, will you also fail to understand the love of My
Heart? Here, too, My Heart finds disappointment; I do not find
complete surrender to My love. So many reservations, so much
distrust, so much caution. To comfort you, let Me tell you that
there are souls living in the world who love Me dearly. I dwell
in their hearts with delight. But they are few. In convents too,
there are souls that fill My Heart with joy. They bear My
features; therefore the Heavenly Father looks upon them with
special pleasure. They will be a marvel to Angels and men. Their
number is very small. They are a defense for the world before
the justice of the Heavenly Father and a means of obtaining
mercy for the world. The love and sacrifice of these souls
sustain the world in existence. The infidelity of a soul
especially chosen by Me wounds My Heart most painfully. Such
infidelities are swords which pierce My Heart. (Diary 367)
Jesus, how great is Your
mercy! (Diary 383)
Love must be reciprocal. If Jesus tasted the
fullness of bitterness for me, then I, His bride, will accept
all bitterness as proof of my love for Him. (Diary 389)
He who knows how to forgive prepares for
himself many graces from God. As often as I look upon the cross,
so often will I forgive with all my heart. (Diary 390)
I am very pleased that
you had not been talking with Me, but were making My goodness
known to souls and rousing them to love Me. (Diary 404)
You are a witness of My
mercy. You shall stand before My throne forever as a living
witness to My mercy. (Diary 417)
I regard as nothing even
the greatest suffering and toil, even if they were to continue
till the end of the world; for they will come to an end, while
these souls have been saved from torments that are without end.
It was a great joy for me to see others returning to the source
of happiness, the bosom of The Divine Mercy. (Diary 421)
Praise the Lord, my soul,
for everything, and glorify His mercy, for His goodness is
without end. Everything will pass, but His mercy is without
limit or end. And although evil will attain its measure, in
mercy there is no measure. O my God, even in the punishments You
send down upon the earth I see the abyss of Your mercy, for by
punishing us here on earth You free us from eternal punishment.
Rejoice, all you creatures, for you are closer to God in His
infinite mercy than a baby to its mother’s heart. O God, You are
compassion itself for the greatest sinners who sincerely repent.
The greater the sinner, the greater his right to God’s mercy.
(Diary 423)
My Spirit shall be the rule of your life.
Your life is to be modeled on Mine, from the crib to My death on
the Cross. Penetrate My mysteries, and you will know the abyss
of My mercy towards creatures and My unfathomable goodness - and
this you shall make known to the world. Through your prayers,
you shall mediate between heaven and earth. (Diary 438)
These rays of mercy will pass through you,
just as they have passed through this Host, and they will go out
through all the world. At these words, profound joy invaded my
soul. (Diary 441)
Why are you fearful and why do you tremble
when you are united to Me? I am displeased when a soul yields to
vain terrors. Who will dare to touch you when you are with Me?
Most dear to Me is the soul that strongly believes in My
goodness and has complete trust in Me. I heap My confidence upon
it and give it all it asks.(Diary 453)
By means of this Image I shall be
granting many graces, so let every soul have access to it. (Diary,
570)
I desire that the whole world know My
Infinite mercy. I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those
souls who trust in My mercy. (Diary 687)
The greater the sinner, the greater the
right he has to My mercy. My mercy is confirmed in every work of
My hands. He who trusts in My mercy will not perish, for all his
affairs are Mine, and his enemies will be shattered at the base
of My footstool. (Diary 723)
Tell [all people], My daughter, that I am
Love and Mercy itself. When a soul approaches Me with trust, I
fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain
them within itself, but radiates them to other souls. (Diary 1074)
Apostle of My mercy, proclaim to the whole
world my unfathomable mercy. Do not be discouraged by the
difficulties you encounter in proclaiming My Mercy. These
difficulties that affect you so painfully are needed for your
sanctification and as evidence that this work is Mine. My daughter, be diligent in writing down
every sentence I tell you concerning My mercy, because this is
meant for a great number of souls who will profit from it.
(Diary 1142)
[Let] the greatest sinners place their
trust in My mercy. They have the right before others to trust in
the abyss of My mercy. My daughter, write about My mercy towards
tormented souls. Souls that make an appeal to My mercy delight
Me. To such souls I grant even more graces than they ask. I
cannot punish even the greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to
My compassion, but on the contrary, I justify him in My
unfathomable and inscrutable mercy. (Diary 1146)
I desire trust from My creatures. Encourage souls to place great
trust in My fathomless mercy. Let the weak, sinful soul have no
fear to approach Me, for even if it had more sins than there are
grains of sand in the world, all would be drowned in the
unmeasurable depths of My mercy. (Diary 1059)
My daughter, write that the greater the
misery of a soul, the greater its right to My mercy; [urge] all
souls to trust in the unfathomable abyss of My mercy, because I
want to save them all. On the cross, the fountain of My mercy
was opened wide by the lance for all souls - no one have I
excluded! (Diary 1182)
"I am love and Mercy Itself. There is no
misery that could be a match for My mercy, neither will misery
exhaust it, because as it is being granted – it increases. The
soul that trusts in My mercy is most fortunate, because I Myself
take care of it.” (Diary 1273)
Praise the Lord, my soul,
for everything, and glorify His mercy, for His goodness is
without end. Everything will pass, but His mercy is without
limit or end. And although evil will attain its measure, in
mercy there is no measure. O my God, even in the punishments You
send down upon the earth I see the abyss of Your mercy, for by
punishing us here on earth You free us from eternal punishment.
Rejoice, all you creatures, for you are closer to God in His
infinite mercy than a baby to its mother’s heart. O God, You are
compassion itself for the greatest sinners who sincerely repent.
The greater the sinner, the greater his right to God’s mercy.
(Diary 423)
As you are united with Me
in life, so will you be united at the moment of death. (Diary
1552)
“I remind
you, My daughter, that 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 open 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.” (Diary 1572)
My daughter, I demand that you devote all
your free moments to writing about My goodness and mercy. It is
your office and your assignment throughout your life to continue
to make known to souls the great mercy I have for them and to
exhort them to trust in My bottomless mercy. (Diary 1586)
Tell sinners that no one
shall escape My Hand; if they run away from My Merciful Heart,
they will fall into My Just Hands. Tell sinners that I am always
waiting for them, that I listen intently to the beating of their
heart ... when will it beat for Me? Write, that I am speaking to
them through their remorse of conscience, through their failures
and sufferings, through thunderstorms, through the voice of the
Church. And if they bring all My graces to naught, I begin to be
angry with them, leaving them alone and giving them what they
want. (Diary, 1728)
Great
Graces are Given to Those that Proclaim and Glorify the Mercy of
God
- Diary Quotes
But God has promised a great grace
especially to you and to all those . . . who will proclaim My
great mercy. I shall protect them Myself at the hour of death,
as My own glory. And even if the sins of souls were 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
extols My goodness, Satan trembles before it and flees to the
very bottom of hell. (Diary 378)
With souls that have recourse to My mercy and with those that
glorify and proclaim My great mercy to others, I will deal
according to My infinite mercy at the hour of their death. My
Heart is sorrowful, Jesus said, because even chosen souls do not
understand the greatness of My mercy. Their relationship [with
Me] is, in certain ways, imbued with mistrust. Oh, how much that
wounds My Heart! Remember My Passion, and if you do not believe
My words, at least believe My wounds. (Diary 379)
I demand from you deeds of
mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show
mercy to your neighbours always and everywhere. You must not
shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it.
I am
giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbour:
the first - by deed, the second - by word, the third - by
prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of
mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this
means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy. Yes, the
first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must
also be acts of mercy, and I demand the worship of My mercy
through the solemn celebration of the Feast and through the
veneration of the image which is painted. By means of this image
I shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be a reminder of
the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is of
no avail without works. (Diary 742)
Apostle of My mercy,
proclaim to the whole world My unfathomable mercy. Do not
be discouraged by the difficulties you encounter in proclaiming
My mercy. These difficulties that affect you so painfully are
needed for your sanctification and as evidence that this work is
Mine. My daughter, be diligent in writing down every sentence I
tell you concerning My mercy, because this is meant for a great
number of souls who will profit from it. (Diary 1142)
... Many souls … are often worried because they do not have the
material means with which to carry out an act of mercy. Yet
spiritual mercy, which requires neither permissions nor
storehouses, is much more meritorious and is within the grasp of
every soul. If a soul does not exercise mercy somehow or other,
it will not obtain My mercy on the day of judgment. Oh, if only
souls knew how to gather eternal treasure for themselves, they
would not be judged, for they would forestall My judgment with
their mercy. (Diary 1317)
God's
Justice - Diary Quotes
After Vespers today, there
was a procession to the cemetery. I could not go, because I was
on duty at the gate. But that did not stop me at all from
praying for the souls. As the procession was returning from the
cemetery to the chapel, my soul felt the presence of many souls.
I understood the great justice of God, how each one had to pay
off the debt to the last cent. (Diary 1375)
I often see snares laid for
me by souls who should not do so. I do not defend myself, but
entrust myself all the more to God, who sees within me. And I
see how these souls become entangled in their own snares. O God,
how just and good You are!
(Diary 1727)
Saint Faustina's Visions of
Heaven, Hell and Purgatory - Diary Quotes
I saw two roads. One was broad, covered with sand and flowers,
full of joy, music and all sorts of pleasures. People walked
along it, dancing and enjoying themselves. They reached the end
without realizing it. And at the end of the road there was a
horrible precipice; that is, the abyss of hell. The souls fell
blindly into it; as they walked, so they fell. And their number
was so great that it was impossible to count them.
And I saw the
other road, or rather, a path, for it was narrow and strewn with
thorns and rocks; and the people who walked along it had tears
in their eyes, and all kinds of suffering befell them. Some fell
down upon the rocks, but stood up immediately and went on. At
the end of the road there was a magnificent garden filled with
all sorts of happiness and all these souls entered there. At the
very first instant they forgot all their sufferings" (Diary
153).
Purgatory
"I saw
my Guardian Angel, who ordered me to follow him. In a moment I
was in a misty place full of fire in which there was a great
crowd of suffering souls. They were praying fervently, but to no
avail, for themselves; only we can come to their aid. The
flames, which were burning them, did not touch me at all. My
Guardian Angel did not leave me for an instant. I asked these
souls what their greatest suffering was. They answered me in one
voice that their greatest torment was longing for God. I saw Our
Lady visiting the souls in Purgatory. The souls call Her “The
Star of the Sea”. She brings them refreshment. I wanted to talk
with them some more, but my Guardian Angel beckoned me to leave.
We went out of that prison of suffering. [I heard an interior
voice which said] ‘My mercy does not want this, but justice
demands it.' Since that time, I am in closer communion with
the suffering souls.’” (Diary 20)
Hell
"Today, I was led by an Angel to the chasms of hell. It is a
place of great torture; how awesomely large and extensive it is!
The kinds of tortures I saw: the first torture that constitutes
hell is the loss of God; the second is perpetual remorse of
conscience; the third is that one’s condition will never change;
the fourth is the fire that will penetrate the soul without
destroying it, a terrible suffering, since it is a purely
spiritual fire, lit by God’s anger; the fifth torture is
conditional darkness and a terrible suffocating smell, and
despite the darkness, the devils and the souls of the damned see
each other and all the evil, both of others and their own; the
sixth torture is the constant company of satan, the seventh
torture is horrible despair, hatred of God, vile words, curses
and blasphemies. These are the tortures suffered by all the
damned together, but that is not the end of the sufferings.
There are special tortures destined for particular souls. These
are the torments of the senses. Each soul undergoes terrible and
indescribable sufferings, related to the manner in which it has
sinned. There are caverns and pits of torture where one form of
agony differs from another. I would have died at the very sight
of these tortures if the omnipotence of God had not supported
me. Let the sinner know that he will be tortured throughout all
eternity, in those senses which he made use of to sin. I am
writing this at the command of God, so that no soul may find an
excuse by saying there is no hell, or that nobody has ever been
there, and so no one can say what it is like. I, sister Faustina,
by the order of God, have visited the abysses of hell so that I
might tell souls about it and testify to its existence. I cannot
speak about it now; but I have received a command from God to
leave it in writing. The devils were full of hatred for me, but
they had to obey me at the command of God. What I have written
is but a pale shadow of the things I saw. But I noticed one
thing: that most of the souls there are those who disbelieved
that there is a hell. When I came to, I could hardly recover
from the fright. How terribly souls suffer there! Consequently,
I pray even more fervently for the conversion of sinners. I
incessantly plead God’s mercy upon them. O my Jesus, I would
rather be in agony until the end of the world, amidst the
greatest sufferings, then offend You by the least sin." (Diary
741).
Heaven
"Today
I was in heaven, in spirit, and I saw its unconceivable beauties
and the happiness that awaits us after death. I saw how all
creatures give ceaseless praise and glory to God. I saw how
great is happiness in God, which spreads to all creatures,
making them happy; and then all the glory and praise which
springs from this happiness returns to its source; and they
enter into the depths of God, contemplating the inner life of
God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, whom they will
never comprehend or fathom. This source of happiness is
unchanging in its essence, but it is always new, gushing forth
happiness for all creatures. Now I understand Saint Paul, who
said, “Eye has not seen, nor has ear heard, not has it entered
into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love
him.” (Diary 777)
And
God has given me to understand that there is but one thing that
is of infinite value in His eyes, and that is love of God; love,
love and once again, love; and nothing can compare with a single
act of pure love of God. Oh, with what inconceivable favors God
gifts a soul that loves Him sincerely! Oh, how happy is the soul
who already here on earth enjoys His special favors! And of such
are the little and humble souls. (Diary 778)
The
sight of this great majesty of God, which I came to understand
more profoundly and which is worshipped by the heavenly spirits
according to their degree of grace and the hierarchies into
which they are divided, did not cause my soul to be stricken
with terror or fear; no, no, not at all! My soul was filled with
peace and love, and the more I come to know the greatness of
God, the more joyful I become that He is as He is. And I rejoice
immensely in His greatness and am delighted that I am so little
because, since I am little, He carries me in His arms and holds
me close to His Heart. (Diary 779)
O my
God, how I pity those people who do not believe in eternal life;
how I pray for them that a ray of mercy would envelop them too,
and that God would clasp them to His fatherly bosom." (Diary
780)
