May
10
2019
By Anonymous (not verified)
In her Diary, on Feb. 12, 1937, St. Faustina wrote a beautiful poem entitled "God's Love is the flower - Mercy the fruit." Saint Faustina wrote, "Let the doubting soul read these considerations on Divine Mercy and become trusting" (949). Let's consider this poem line by line that we might become more trusting of Jesus, the Divine Mercy.
Divine Mercy, gushing forth from the bosom of the Father, I trust in You.
Saint Faustina begins her poem reflecting on the Divine Mercy gushing forth from the bosom of the Father. This is what she saw when Jesus appeared to her, and what we see in the Image of Divine Mercy. Jesus is "the Face of the Father's Mercy," as Pope Francis wrote in his Bull of Indiction pronouncing the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy in 2015, so one could say, as St. Faustina does, that Jesus also shows us the Heart of the Father, which is love and mercy itself. Jesus' Heart is open in the Image of Divine Mercy, and the rays of Blood and Water gush forth from His Heart, as they eternally gush forth from the Heart of the Father. This is a sign of His great love for us.
Divine Mercy, greatest attribute of God, I trust in You.
Are not all of God's attributes equally great as they are equally infinite? Yes. However, in relationship to each one of us as a fallen human creature, Divine Mercy is the greatest attribute of God because it is by this attribute that God forgives us of all our sins, adopts us as His own son or daughter, and brings us to live with Him forever in Heaven. That is a great attribute! The One who is infinite has humbled Himself to give His very self to us. This is a sign of His great love for us, and that He is worthy of our trust.
Divine Mercy, incomprehensible mystery, I trust in You.
We could study the Scriptures, the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, Church documents, and the lives and writings of the saints for the rest of our lives, but we could never fully comprehend the depths of the mystery of God's mercy. We will be marveling and worshiping God and His great mercy for all eternity and never exhaust it. Let's spend time in prayer each day and ask the Lord to help us penetrate deeper into the mystery of His Divine Mercy for us. This should inspire in us wonder and awe (gifts of the Holy Spirit) at the great mystery of God, and draw us into deeper prayer and contemplation in our relationship with Him.
Divine Mercy, fount gushing forth from the mystery of the Most Blessed Trinity, I trust in You.
As noted above, Divine Mercy comes not only from the Son, but also from the Father. And where the Son and the Father are, so there is the Holy Spirit. As Divine Mercy expert Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC, explains, the Blood and Water gushing forth from the Heart of Jesus in the Image of Divine Mercy is precisely the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that came upon us in Baptism and cleansed us of all sin (symbolized by of the pale ray), and it is the Holy Spirit who descends upon the bread and wine like the dewfall in the Mass and transubstantiates it into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ (symbolized by the red ray). By these Sacraments, by the Blood and Water, by the Most Blessed Trinity, we are saved and transformed into the very divine life of God. The Most Blessed Trinity dwells in our souls.
Divine Mercy, unfathomed by any intellect, human or angelic, I trust in You.
The depth of the knowledge of God is unreachable by any intellect, human or angelic. By His Divine Mercy, God shares with us His knowledge, in part. We can trust in Him precisely because He is all-knowing and knows what is best for us. As we trust in Him and surrender our lives more and more completely to Him, He will direct our paths and work all things for our good (see Rom 8:28). Let's turn to Him in prayer, studying, and spiritual reading. Do not close friends know each other intimately? So, too, God wants to share with us knowledge of Himself as we grow in our friendship with Him. As a good and close friend, we will learn to trust Him more and more perfectly throughout our lifetimes.
We will continue this series next month.
Divine Mercy, gushing forth from the bosom of the Father, I trust in You.
Saint Faustina begins her poem reflecting on the Divine Mercy gushing forth from the bosom of the Father. This is what she saw when Jesus appeared to her, and what we see in the Image of Divine Mercy. Jesus is "the Face of the Father's Mercy," as Pope Francis wrote in his Bull of Indiction pronouncing the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy in 2015, so one could say, as St. Faustina does, that Jesus also shows us the Heart of the Father, which is love and mercy itself. Jesus' Heart is open in the Image of Divine Mercy, and the rays of Blood and Water gush forth from His Heart, as they eternally gush forth from the Heart of the Father. This is a sign of His great love for us.
Divine Mercy, greatest attribute of God, I trust in You.
Are not all of God's attributes equally great as they are equally infinite? Yes. However, in relationship to each one of us as a fallen human creature, Divine Mercy is the greatest attribute of God because it is by this attribute that God forgives us of all our sins, adopts us as His own son or daughter, and brings us to live with Him forever in Heaven. That is a great attribute! The One who is infinite has humbled Himself to give His very self to us. This is a sign of His great love for us, and that He is worthy of our trust.
Divine Mercy, incomprehensible mystery, I trust in You.
We could study the Scriptures, the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, Church documents, and the lives and writings of the saints for the rest of our lives, but we could never fully comprehend the depths of the mystery of God's mercy. We will be marveling and worshiping God and His great mercy for all eternity and never exhaust it. Let's spend time in prayer each day and ask the Lord to help us penetrate deeper into the mystery of His Divine Mercy for us. This should inspire in us wonder and awe (gifts of the Holy Spirit) at the great mystery of God, and draw us into deeper prayer and contemplation in our relationship with Him.
Divine Mercy, fount gushing forth from the mystery of the Most Blessed Trinity, I trust in You.
As noted above, Divine Mercy comes not only from the Son, but also from the Father. And where the Son and the Father are, so there is the Holy Spirit. As Divine Mercy expert Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC, explains, the Blood and Water gushing forth from the Heart of Jesus in the Image of Divine Mercy is precisely the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that came upon us in Baptism and cleansed us of all sin (symbolized by of the pale ray), and it is the Holy Spirit who descends upon the bread and wine like the dewfall in the Mass and transubstantiates it into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ (symbolized by the red ray). By these Sacraments, by the Blood and Water, by the Most Blessed Trinity, we are saved and transformed into the very divine life of God. The Most Blessed Trinity dwells in our souls.
Divine Mercy, unfathomed by any intellect, human or angelic, I trust in You.
The depth of the knowledge of God is unreachable by any intellect, human or angelic. By His Divine Mercy, God shares with us His knowledge, in part. We can trust in Him precisely because He is all-knowing and knows what is best for us. As we trust in Him and surrender our lives more and more completely to Him, He will direct our paths and work all things for our good (see Rom 8:28). Let's turn to Him in prayer, studying, and spiritual reading. Do not close friends know each other intimately? So, too, God wants to share with us knowledge of Himself as we grow in our friendship with Him. As a good and close friend, we will learn to trust Him more and more perfectly throughout our lifetimes.
We will continue this series next month.
DDBURG