DIVINE MERCY, DIVINE GIFT

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The Holy Bible starts with the  story of a gift given by God the  Father to Adam and Eve. It was  the offer to live for all eternity in the  Garden of Eden where God himself was  ready  to walk with them.  Though Adam and Eve accepted the offer, unfortunately they  proved that  they were not worthy for the  continuous enjoyment of the gift. And God had no other  way  but to  send them out of the place that He created exclusively  for them.

Then comes the  second gift. Unlike the first, this time it was a  promise to be realized after  thousands of years.  It was the promise to send  a Savior to redeem them from   where they found themselves after being  thrown out of the garden of Eden.

When Jesus Christ came to this world,  he rewrote the  then existing law by adding something that became his  hallmark. It was  Divine Mercy. Jesus summed up his  teachings by  exhorting his  followers to be  merciful as  their father in heaven is merciful. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is  merciful’ (Lk 6:36)

Jesus taught us that  mercy is a virtue of  God the Father. He  added that  those who trust in  divine mercy  will never be lost. ‘I will not  reject anyone who comes to me’ (Jn 6:37). But God’s mercy comes with a caveat. Those who seek mercy from God should be  ready to  show mercy to others as well. ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy’ (Mt 5:7). Jesus  gave priority to mercy over ritual sacrifice. ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice’ (Mt 9:13)

This  Good Friday, we  are   entering a period of  preparation  to  celebrate the Feast of  Divine Mercy which falls on the Sunday coming after Easter. We are  familiar with the chaplet of  Divine Mercy which has over the  past few decades become a part of our spiritual exercises. Apart  from that  the Novena of  Divine Mercy is a powerful prayer to be said  for nine days  preceding the  feast of Divine Mercy.

We  invite all our  readers to join us in  saying the Novena of Divine Mercy for the next nine days. The prayers for the first day are given below.

Novena of  Divine Mercy – Day 1

Meditation: 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.

Prayer: 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.

Then conclude the  Novena by saying the  Chaplet of  Divine Mercy.

‘Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need’ (Heb 4:16) for  there is no one who does not need  Divine Mercy and our days  need Divine Mercy   more than ever.

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