Anger and Letting Go of the Past

I've felt so stressed out and taken advantage of lately (right about now, my bestie is probably thinking "you're too nice, Jane Bennet") that I've been getting crankier than usual. I usually have patience to spare and can let things go but that superpower seems to have left me in the past couple of days. The easiest thing would be for me to get angry and sulk. Of course, being me, I have to do things the hard way... which means dealing with the crankiness and trying to defuse it before it gets out of control. I prefer to stay out of the confessional for as long as I possibly can so I need to remind myself to: "cease from anger, and leave rage; have no emulation to do evil." (Psalm 37:8) Anger/wrath is, after all, a deadly sin.

First, I have to remind myself of how terrible anger actually is for you. Not only does it eat at you and is likely to make you think of really unhealthy (read: dumb) things to do, but it actually destroys the better emotion, which is love. I actually kept reminding myself yesterday after being interrupted when praying... after I told this person to please not interrupt me while I was praying -- pet peeve of mine. I kept repeating "defeat it with love, defeat it with love." Do any of you remember (that is credited to Buddha) that I posted on my Facebook and Twitter, saying: "Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die"? Yeah, anger is exactly like that.

My approach to anger is to usually walk away from the situation (most of the time, literally walk away) but since I couldn't, I stayed quiet. I know that I have a sharp tongue when pushed beyond my limit so choose to hold it in until I can release it in a more healthy way. This means I lose myself in something solitary (such as reading, listening to music through headphones, writing out what's bothering me, etc.) or exercise (such as walking, cleaning, dancing, etc.) I think that's why the house is so clean (haha, jk!; I just don't like it being dirty). Yesterday I had a chance to let off steam by working hard on cleaning my dad's tomb stone, cutting the grass around it, pulling weeds, and focusing on that.

You know my avoidance of social networks as of late? It's helped take a lot of the stress away from my life. If you get upset with people's comments, why not try to limit the amount of socializing? I am giving myself a total of 2 hours per day to comment and chat. Also, I'm keeping myself out of arguments. It's just not worth it.

I've been hit with the Spring Cleaning bug (both online and off) and have been emptying out my inbox. I have some really old emails (we're talking at least 5-6 years old), many of which bring back unpleasant memories. Over the weekend I found some old emails exchanged with the last young man I was "serious" about. I didn't think I had any left but, sure enough, they were there. While I confess that I didn't immediately delete them, I did eventually do it a few minutes later. I know many gals have keepsakes of old relationships but I don't like to. I'm pretty sure my future husband would appreciate me not worrying about past relationships. Let it go. Let it all go.

And speaking of letting go, I still have a lot of things from my CINO college alma mater (I can't believe it's been almost a year since I graduated). I'm going through my files and desk and shredding the papers that I don't need. I am keeping some things for evidence (never know when I'll need proof that they were teaching liberation theology) but anything that isn't necessary is getting chucked.

If you're holding onto anger or have things that bring bad memories, this is the perfect time to let go. We're still in Eastertide. It's a time for new, better, hopeful beginnings. Don't wait until the New Year to make changes and improve something. Do it now. Let go of anything that causes you unhappiness or that keeps you from God. Fight anger wth love. Let go of the negative. To quote one of my favorite songs, "let yourself go, relax." (Link is to the Gene Kelly version).

You know what would be a good idea? Praying the Rosary when angry (or on the verge of becoming angry) or praying a Hail Mary when you're throwing away or deleting things that need to be out of your life. For every unpleasant memory you have of someone, say a prayer for them. Thank God for where you are at the moment; you no longer have to deal with whatever it was that made you upset. :)

Anyway, just wanted to write this out because apparently I'm not the only one dealing with crankiness these days. :)

I'll leave you all with Fred and Ginger dancing along to the instrumental version of "Let Yourself Go" from the 1936 movie Follow the Fleet. Yes, this is an example of the kind of movies I'm most fond of. :)



As always, thanks for reading and God bless!

What I Learned Wednesday #15: Gluten Free Catholic Edition

I didn't plan to have the last two WILW posts to be themed but that is life for you. ;)

Since yesterday's doctor appointment ended with my doctor telling me that I should avoid eating wheat, I thought about what this meant to me since I love to receive the Eucharist as frequently as possible. I love daily Mass and receiving the Eucharist is the cherry on top of that dairy-free sundae. Because we don't know whether it's a wheat allergy or if I have Celiac Disease (yes, there's a difference between the two), we don't know whether I can receive the low-gluten hosts and/or just the altar wine.

Oh, side note, a little background on my situation: I've been eating foods made out of mostly brown rice flour and cereal that's gluten free for the past couple of months because I wanted to see if it was the reason why my stomach problems going haywire. The only wheat I allowed in my system was in the Eucharist. I had no problem with the hosts and I was (have been) on the mend. A week before my doctor appointment, I reintroduced wheat into my system in the form of Bisquick pancake mix. Stomach problems started the first day. Anxiety, headaches, "brain fog", and extreme fatigue shortly followed (all of these, btw, point to Celiac disease). Anxiety also has the same symptoms so I don't know if it's one or the other. I haven't had wheat since Monday morning (last trip to Disneyland) and I haven't felt as exhausted as I did last week. So it may be or may not. My county health insurance doesn't cover the blood tests to determine anything, nor can I afford to pay for it out of pocket, so we're just winging it at the moment.

Since I forgot to ask my doctor whether I could try the low-gluten hosts at yesterday's appointment (remember, I had no reaction with the host on its own) and have to wait until tomorrow to call and ask, here are some of the options I have found for fellow gluten-free Catholics.

1. Gluten free hosts are invalid but low-gluten hosts are allowed. I'm very much a "by the rules" kind of gal. If it's illegal, I don't do it. No, not even jaywalking. If something's against Church teachings or against what the Vatican (i.e. CDF) says, I avoid it. So, of course, when this issue came up, I looked into it. The USCCB clearly states that the hosts must have some wheat in order for it to be valid. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI (back when he was Prefect of the CDF) said it himself. Low-gluten alternatives are available (and they thankfully also list places you can order them from) and I could easily pay for those out of my own pocket as they are inexpensive (and worth it even if they were costly).

2. If you can't have any gluten at all, you can still receive the graces by taking the Precious Blood only. As I inquired (via Twitter this morning) what some Celiac Catholics did, I learnt that some drink the wine from a separate chalice. I've personally had the wine only a handful of times since my first communion because the doctor has me avoiding alcohol due to my anxiety. However, if I have to be 100% gluten-free, I am going to have make special arrangements. I don't know if they have any Celiac Catholics at my parish so I don't know if there is already a separate chalice for them or if one will have to be purchased... which I will, again, do out of my own pocket. I don't believe in burdening the parish with additional costs because of something that is my own problem so I'm going to have to save up or even take donations if it takes too long (which, if you know me, you know will be hard for me as I was brought up to earn things by my own hard work and not to take advantage of anyone's generosity). I already looked at the prices at Cotters (local supplier to parishes; I could live in this store) and it's going to be a dent in my wallet.

3. If for some reason you can't have low gluten hosts OR even the smallest amount of the wine, the only option left is to receive spiritual communion. This is the option that I am dreading the most because it won't be the same. I actually feel like tearing up thinking that this may be my only option. I will not get ahead of myself though. And, if it is the only option, I pray to God that I will grow more in my spirituality and grow closer to Him despite my not being able to physically receive Him. If this is what I must do, I must learn to change how I do things while still strengthening my own faith.

Like I said, I am not going to get ahead of myself but I am looking at my options. I pray that the Holy Spirit helps my doctor come up with the best decision for me and my health. I think I'm going to do the 9-Hour Novena to the Infant of Prague as well. We'll see how it all goes.

If you know anyone who has a wheat allergy or cannot have gluten (or, at least, think that it may be the cause of their health problems), please pass this along. I am sure I will write more about the topic later on.

Anyway, I have to go pick up my mom from work (please pray for her - she's been having problems with her right foot for months now and she's on her feet all 8 hours).

I hope you're all having a great week thus far. If you have any prayer requests, please send them by way. :D

As always, thanks for reading and God Bless! :D

What I Learned Wednesday #14: "Oh Yes, She Did" Edition

I've behind on my What I Learned Wednesday posts because I either haven't had anything to write or because I was too busy on the day of (and the day before). Anyway, since I am socializing on social networks less, I have more to write... and more to learn, apparently.

This #WILW post is a little different. I have learned new faith-related things this week but I've also noticed that there are things I haven't learned as a Catholic blogger; things that I feel are very important. Instead of listing things I have discovered about the faith, I'm going to be making a list of things I have been missing even though I do know. Got it? Okay, here we go...

1. Despite my having this blog for over five years, I have yet to learn to quote the Bible and the Catechism in my posts, regularly. Have y'all noticed this? Sure, I occasionally do have a verse quoted but usually not. I have two reasons (poor excuses, really) for this. First, I've sort of assumed that everyone who reads this blog either knows the same amount or more than I do about the Catholic Faith... or at least Christianity. I've assumed that you know the Bible better than I do. The second reason is the main reason why I don't quote verses (and it goes with the first). Because I have assumed this, I have wanted to save myself the embarrassment of interpreting something wrong and/or quoting the wrong thing. Even though I do have a BA in Religious Studies (and seriously considered a Masters in Theology), I spent most of my undergrad studies "learning" about how orthodox Christianity is wrong, why the Church and the Church hierarchy is "evil" (I'm paraphrasing but basically their words), and little to nothing about the Truth. Not their version of the Truth but the actual thing. I have studied on my own but my memory is so horrible these days that I remember reading it in the Bible and the Catechism... but I don't remember where. That is my second reason. My memory is shot and, when I'm crunched for time, I just give up on providing a quote. And before you get all "well, can't you look it up?" on me, the answer is "no" on the Catechism and "I should" on the Bible. I don't actually own a copy of the Catechism. I've been borrowing from the library. It's been on my Amazon wishlist for (I kid you not) a couple of years now. One day. In the meantime, I really should quote the Bible more often because I have three copies of that and there is no excuse.

2. I should be more open about my failings as a Catholic. I don't know if you've noticed this about bloggers in general but very few of us actually own up to not being "perfect" Catholics. We want to present the best side of ourselves to the world. There's nothing wrong with that but I feel like it makes readers feel as though there's something wrong with them for not being on that level. I know I've felt that reading other blogs. I personally do own up to things I fail at (not as often as I would like) because that's who I am. I am far from perfect. Some of the priests who know me will say that I'm too hard on myself but I just don't want to make excuses for myself and I don't want to fall into a bad habit. I have days or weeks in which I don't keep up my prayers as I should or I do something sinful that's become a habit, such as the sin of sloth. I sometimes have a real problem procrastinating and doing things at the last minute because I have, unfortunately, gotten used to having all this free time on my hands. I waste a lot of time. It's horrible. I've had some really wonderful compliments in which people think I have it all together spiritually but I don't. I often forget to pray before and after my meals because it isn't something we did when I was growing up. Sometimes I think of things that could make me fall into sin and I get tempted to say "well, I can go to confession for it this week" (and thus sin because that's presumption of God's mercy) and that stops me... but I have weeks when it's a reoccurring mental struggle. It's these little things that I feel I should be more open about. We're all human and I want this blog to show that. We all make mistakes, but God forgives us and that's a beautiful thing we should never forget.

3. I'm stuck on what else to write so... here's a Blimey Cow video that I enjoyed. Guys, a lot of this is common sense but I still think y'all should watch. Maybe this will help us interact with one another. Don't worry, I have something planned for us gals soon as well. ;)



And now I'm off to be more productive... or at least try. ;) Hope y'all have a great day. :D

As always, thanks for reading and God bless! :D

Giving Up (But Not Completely) Social Networks.

I have a confession to make. I have not been online much in the past two weeks (and especially last week) because I've felt burnt out on social networks. After my lunch date with my good friend (and one time guest blogger), Andrew, as well as a random road trip around L.A. with Joe two weeks ago, I was reminded of how much I prefer to live offline. Sounds a bit weird but let me explain what I mean.

Since my freelance writing work has me online most of the day (doing research and writing), I spend a ridiculous amount of time online. We're talking from the time I wake up at 4:30 a.m. until the time I go to sleep (anywhere between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m.) I spend (or was spending, I should say) a good portion of that time on social networks since it was the only way I would get some socializing in. It became a monotonous routine that left me feeling burnt out a couple of months ago. The fact that my mother told me that I needed to get out of the house (since I have been working from home since late last summer) pretty much told me everything I needed to know. I am now healthier than I was a few months ago. Freelance writing is slowing down (it dries up every couple of months) and I don't expect to be doing it for much longer now that I've decided to change careers. If my friends want to contact me, they know they can get a hold of me through my phone, whether via text or a call. Basically, I'm learning to live my life offline again... and it's surprisingly easier than I was anticipating.

I was expecting to have a hard time prying myself off of Twitter and Facebook. I did have a hard time at first. I had to log myself out on the browser so any time I clicked on the bookmarks, it would come up with the main page, asking me to log in. I have pretty good restraint (years of practice; my parents thought me to distinguish between wants and needs) so it didn't take long for me to break that habit. I've also been busying myself with reading and doing research on grad schools, which helps with the perpetual boredom I feel as a freelance writer. I've found myself wanting to spend more time reading and working on my own novel than I have wasting time online.

Pope Francis recently said that we should reject gossip (which, let's face it, we do and read a lot of on social networks) and it got me thinking about how I spend my time online. I came to the conclusion that, aside from a couple of really good conversations with good friends, a lot of what I personally post is worthless. Do you guys really need to know how many times a day I swoon over Gilbert Blythe? Do you really need to what I'm eating? No, not really. I also see a lot of things that make me unhappy. Lots of arguments. Lots of criticisms. A lot of miscommunication. A lot of my own stress comes from these and more things that have their root in miscommunication and clashing personalities online.

When I put these things into consideration, and added the fact that once I start grad school I'll have even less time to chat online since my focus will be on that, it made sense for me to drastically cut my time on social networks. Sure, I'll still tweet but it won't be as much (or, hopefully, as pointless) as before. I'm going to try to go back to using emails and snail mail as my preferred methods of keeping in touch (never been much of a phone person) when I am busy. Also, the less I tweet and "status update" on Twitter and Facebook, the more I'll have to blog about. Five years of Twitter and nine years of Facebook (been around since it was called The Facebook and only college/university students could join) will do that to a person. ;)

So, you see, I'm giving up social networks, but not completely. I'll still be around and I definitely plan to blog more often since I'll have more to share (the more I tweet, the less I have to blog). I have big plans and I would love continuing to share that with my readers, but I'm going to be doing it on this blog and not so much on social networks. :)

Anyway, I just wanted to let y'all know that. I know a couple of you notice when I don't tweet as much so this was a sort of explanation for y'all. I'm writing this on Sunday night (scheduled to post on Monday) but my mind won't change. It's something I've been wanting to do for a while now (hence my April Fool's Day joke).

I hope you all had a great weekend and have a great week. Don't know when I'll post again but I don't think I'm going to wait 9 days like I did this time around. ;)

As always, thanks for reading and God bless. :D

Divine Mercy Novena, Day Nine

Ninth Day

"Today bring to Me the Souls who have become Lukewarm,

and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. These souls wound My Heart most painfully. 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.' For them, the last hope of salvation is to run to My mercy." 

Most compassionate Jesus, You are Compassion Itself. I bring lukewarm souls into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart. In this fire of Your pure love, let these tepid souls who, like corpses, filled You with such deep loathing, be once again set aflame. O Most Compassionate Jesus, exercise the omnipotence of Your mercy and draw them into the very ardor of Your love, and bestow upon them the gift of holy love, for nothing is beyond Your power.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon lukewarm souls who are nonetheless enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Father of Mercy, I beg You by the bitter Passion of Your Son and by His three-hour agony on the Cross: Let them, too, glorify the abyss of Your mercy. Amen. 

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Divine Mercy Novena, Day Eight

Eighth Day
"Today bring to Me the Souls who are in the prison of Purgatory,

and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. Let the torrents of My Blood cool down their scorching flames. All these souls are greatly loved by Me. They are making retribution to My justice. It is in your power to bring them relief. Draw all the indulgences from the treasury of My Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only knew the torments they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and pay off their debt to My justice."  

Most Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said that You desire mercy; so I bring into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls in Purgatory, souls who are very dear to You, and yet, who must make retribution to Your justice. May the streams of Blood and Water which gushed forth from Your Heart put out the flames of Purgatory, that there, too, the power of Your mercy may be celebrated.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls suffering in Purgatory, who are enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. I beg You, by the sorrowful Passion of Jesus Your Son, and by all the bitterness with which His most sacred Soul was flooded: Manifest Your mercy to the souls who are under Your just scrutiny. Look upon them in no other way but only through the Wounds of Jesus, Your dearly beloved Son; for we firmly believe that there is no limit to Your goodness and compassion. Amen.

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I've Made Some Big, Life-Changing Decisions

As you can probably guess from the title, I've decided to share some pretty big decisions that I've made over the last couple of weeks. These decisions range from changes in my career, residence, and some other faith related changes.

First, as some of you may know, I recently did a St. Thomas Aquinas novena regarding grad school. If you've read this blog long enough, you know that I had been struggling to figure out what to do about grad school since before I graduated last year. Did I want to follow up my Religious Studies BA with a Master's in Theology? Did I want to follow my dream of being a writer and pursue a MFA in Creative Writing? I was torn between the two and, up until a few weeks ago, I was still undecided. Then I was inspired by the son of one of my dearest friends (Kathryn) to look into becoming a Speech Therapist. Well, I technically had a dream that I was visiting her family and had told her that I wished I was a therapist so I could help her, but it was enough to trigger the curiosity in me. After one of my Godmothers brought it up (without knowing that I was considering it), I really looked into it and it all sort of clicked for me.

Up until my father's death, I often talked how I had wished I had the stomach to become a doctor or even a nurse. I can handle some things but blood and seeing open cuts and wounds will make me faint. That's why I ruled that out early on. However, I've always wanted to help people out somehow. Then, as I said, it clicked for me. My mom and my uncle have stutters. Three of my best friends have children with autism. This is something I could do to really help people. I definitely have the patience, the heart to help, and it suits my personality. I even checked out my personality profile (I'm an INFP) for kicks and, sure enough, Speech Pathologist is on the list. So, after all of the things I've explained (as well as a lot of prayer), I've decided to change careers. I will always write but I think I'll be more comfortable writing my own novels and articles on the side and have Speech-Language Pathology as my main career.

It wasn't easy to get to this decision. Freelance writing is incredibly unstable. I knew that when I started last year. While I have really enjoyed some of my assignments (I'll always make time to write for H&R Block; side note: my latest post for them was published today), overall, I've been unhappy. I love writing but I figured out a few weeks back that (except for my H&R Block assignments, as well as those I've written for Envoy Magazine), most of my work has left me feeling empty and like I'm wasting my time. I no longer feel as though this is what God has planned for me. Sure, Speech Pathology pays a lot more (which is why I hesitated on the decision; I didn't want to make it based on greed or anything like that) but that's not why I want to do it. I just think that what I have to offer the world would be better spent helping others than writing  about which movies are currently playing "On Demand" for a cable company I personally ditched two weeks ago.

Along with the change of career, I've also decided to relocate. I've been wanting to move out of Los Angeles since, I kid you not, I was about 6 years old and I'll hopefully (finally!) get a chance to as I pursue this journey. All of the grad programs I want to apply to are in colder climates, which works for me; I'm sick of the hot weather. I will apply to a program here as well but I'm considering that as my backup. I am sure God will help guide me exactly where He wants me to be.

All of this has made me rely more on my faith, wanting to do God's will, and take my own feelings out of the equation. I loathe math with every fiber of my being but I'm going to have to get over it because I need at least one more upper division math class to take. As far as schools go, (from what I know) there are no orthodox Catholic universities that offer a SLP Masters degree. Not happy about that (would've loved to have attended a good Catholic uni) but maybe it's what I need to strengthen my faith. Also, a lot of the universities on the top of my list are in very liberal cities, which is going to be fun. Yes, there was a hint of sarcasm when I wrote that last sentence. lol. I definitely have my pick of the university I would love to attend, and the city in which it is in is my ideal to live in, but it's not about what I want. Again, it's about God's will and what He would like me to do. I just have to surrender any selfish desires and trust Him. I'm going to immerse myself in more prayer over the next couple of months (I'll be applying this autumn to begin during Fall 2014) and go from there.

I know that all these changes will alter a lot of things in my life. I will have to leave behind my comfort zone. I'm going to have to challenge myself in ways I wasn't anticipating. Overall, I'm hoping that my resolution to trust God completely and not worry about the future will prove to be a success because, as I wrote last month, it's never been easy for me to completely let go in the past. A new career. A new place to live in (I've lived at the same address for the past 22 years). And I will possibly have to do this by myself, without anyone there to help me. *gulp*

Anyway, just wanted to share this. If y'all can spare a prayer, I'd grateful appreciate it. :D

Sorry for the long post but, well, you guys know I love to write a little too much sometimes. lol.

I hope y'all have a great start of  the weekend. :D If you have any prayer requests, please send them by way. :D

As always, thanks for reading and God bless!

Divine Mercy Novena, Day Seven

Seventh Day
Today bring to Me the Souls who especially venerate and glorify My Mercy*,

and immerse them in My mercy. These souls sorrowed most over my Passion and entered most deeply into My spirit. They are living images of My Compassionate Heart. These souls will shine with a special brightness in the next life. Not one of them will go into the fire of hell. I shall particularly defend each one of them at the hour of death.

Most Merciful Jesus, whose Heart is Love Itself, receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who particularly extol and venerate the greatness of Your mercy. These souls are mighty with the very power of God Himself. In the midst of all afflictions and adversities they go forward, confident of Your mercy; and united to You, O Jesus, they carry all mankind on their shoulders. These souls will not be judged severely, but Your mercy will embrace them as they depart from this life.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls who glorify and venerate Your greatest attribute, that of Your fathomless mercy, and who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls are a living Gospel; their hands are full of deeds of mercy, and their hearts, overflowing with joy, sing a canticle of mercy to You, O Most High! I beg You O God:

Show them Your mercy according to the hope and trust they have placed in You. Let there be accomplished in them the promise of Jesus, who said to them that during their life, but especially at the hour of death, the souls who will venerate this fathomless mercy of His, He, Himself, will defend as His glory. Amen.

*The text leads one to conclude that in the first prayer directed to Jesus, Who is the Redeemer, it is "victim" souls and contemplatives that are being prayed for; those persons, that is, that voluntarily offered themselves to God for the salvation of their neighbor (see Col 1:24; 2 Cor 4:12). This explains their close union with the Savior and the extraordinary efficacy that their invisible activity has for others. In the second prayer, directed to the Father from whom comes "every worthwhile gift and every genuine benefit,"we recommend the "active" souls, who promote devotion to The Divine Mercy and exercise with it all the other works that lend themselves to the spiritual and material uplifting of their brethren.

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Divine Mercy Novena, Day Six

Sixth Day
Today bring to Me the Meek and Humble Souls and the Souls of  Little Children,

and immerse them in My mercy. These souls most closely resemble My Heart. They strengthened Me during My bitter agony. I saw them as earthly Angels, who will keep vigil at My altars. I pour out upon them whole torrents of grace. I favor humble souls with My confidence.  

Most Merciful Jesus, You yourself have said, "Learn from Me for I am meek and humble of heart." Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart all meek and humble souls and the souls of little children. These souls send all heaven into ecstasy and they are the heavenly Father's favorites. They are a sweet-smelling bouquet before the throne of God; God Himself takes delight in their fragrance. These souls have a permanent abode in Your Most Compassionate Heart, O Jesus, and they unceasingly sing out a hymn of love and mercy.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon meek souls, upon humble souls, and upon little children who are enfolded in the abode which is the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls bear the closest resemblance to Your Son. Their fragrance rises from the earth and reaches Your very throne. Father of mercy and of all goodness, I beg You by the love You bear these souls and by the delight You take in them: Bless the whole world, that all souls together may sing out the praises of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.

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Divine Mercy Novena, Day Five

Fifth Day
"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."  

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.

*Our Lord's original words here were "heretics and schismatics," since He spoke to Saint Faustina within the context of her times. As of the Second Vatican Council, Church authorities have seen fit not to use those designations in accordance with the explanation given in the Council's Decree on Ecumenism (n.3). Every pope since the Council has reaffirmed that usage. Saint Faustina herself, her heart always in harmony with the mind of the Church, most certainly would have agreed. When at one time, because of the decisions of her superiors and father confessor, she was not able to execute Our Lord's inspirations and orders, she declared: "I will follow Your will insofar as You will permit me to do so through Your representative. O my Jesus " I give priority to the voice of the Church over the voice with which You speak to me" (497). The Lord confirmed her action and praised her for it.


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Divine Mercy Novena, Day Four

Fourth Day
"Today bring to Me those who do not believe in God and those who do not know Me,

I was thinking also of them during My bitter Passion, and their future zeal comforted My Heart. Immerse them in the ocean of My mercy."

Most compassionate Jesus, You are the Light of the whole world. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who do not believe in God and of those who as yet do not know You. Let the rays of Your grace enlighten them that they, too, together with us, may extol Your wonderful mercy; and do not let them escape from the abode which is Your Most Compassionate Heart.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of those who do not believe in You, and of those who as yet do not know You, but who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Draw them to the light of the Gospel. These souls do not know what great happiness it is to love You. Grant that they, too, may extol the generosity of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.

*Our Lord's original words here were "the pagans." Since the pontificate of Pope John XXIII, the Church has seen fit to replace this term with clearer and more appropriate terminology.

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