THE DELUGE /  by Joe Castorino

Inspired by Francis Danby’s masterpiece

Far, far away,

on the stormy grey sea,

Noah’s grand wooden ark

slowly and gently bobs

up and down, up and down,

in the waves of Divine Mercy,

but as I turn to the right,

my heart stops when I see

dark cascades of rain all around,

pouring madly out of the turbulent

black clouds like cool liquid lava.

I stand atop what was once a tall

mountain, surrounded by the

devastating deluge and flood,

and clusters of screeching

men and women encircle me,

clinging like crabs to the wet rocks,

but many have already fallen

into the swirling sea below and

clutch desperately to the feeble

branches of submerged oak trees,

hoping the tempest will cease.

Only hours later, I’m the only

survivor, but I won’t last much

longer since the water is up to my

waist, and it is more and more

difficult to maintain my hold of the

wet boulder I’ve been sitting on all

day, and as I hopelessly look

around, I only see grey water and

black skies, and the relentless rain

that brings with it God’s justice.

PRAYER OF SAINT BONAVENTURE /  by Joe Castorino

Pierce, O most sweet Lord Jesus,

My inmost soul with the most joyous

And healthful wound of your love,

And with true, calm, and most holy apostolic charity,

That my soul may ever languish and melt

With entire love and longing for you,

May yearn for you and for your courts,

May long to be dissolved and to be with you.

Grant that my soul may hunger after you,

The Bread of Angels,

The refreshment of holy souls,

Our daily and super substantial bread,

Having all sweetness and savor

And every delightful taste.

May my heart ever hunger after

And feed upon you,

Whom the angels desire to look upon,

And may my inmost soul be filled

With the sweetness of your savor;

May it ever thirst for you,

The fountain of life,

The fountain of wisdom and knowledge,

The fountain of eternal light,

The torrent of pleasure,

The fullness of the house of God;

May it ever surround you,

Seek you, find you,

Run to you, come up to you,

Meditate on you, speak of you,

And do all for the praise and glory of your name,

With humility and discretion,

With love and delight,

With ease and affection,

With perseverance to the end;

And be you alone ever my hope,

My entire confidence, my riches,

My delight, my pleasure, my joy,

My rest and tranquility, my peace,

My sweetness, my food, my refreshment,

My refuge, my help, my wisdom,

My portion, my possession, my treasure;

May my mind be ever fixed on you,

And may my heart be ever firm

And rooted in you immovably.

Amen.

THE ANIMALS ENTERING NOAH'S ARK /  by Joe Castorino

Inspired by Jacopo Bassano’s masterpiece

Old Noah and his family,

shunned and mocked by

their know-it-all neighbors,

diligently gather the animals

into the cozy confines of

the grand wooden ark;

when all are on board and

they lock up the vessel,

from very high in the sky

a peaceful dove looks down and

the ark looks like a giant oyster,

protecting its treasure from

the swiftly advancing storm.

ADAM AND EVE /  by Joe Castorino

Inspired by Tiziano Vecellio’s masterpiece



As the serpent seductively

smiles at Adam and Eve,

their teeth tear the flesh

of the juicy fruit -- and, oh!

the intense sweetness

and overwhelming delight!

but very suddenly they

shudder and convulse

in their deadly disobedience,

as their souls are poisoned

by the black sugar of sin.

THE GARDEN OF EDEN /  by Joe Castorino

Inspired by Thomas Cole’s masterpiece

Adam and Eve gratefully gaze

in awe and wonder at the

beauty of God’s holy creation;

beyond the sublime peace

of the verdant meadow and

the fresh tropical fruit trees

that lovingly embrace it,

a whispering waterfall sparkles

like aquamarine crystal in

the warm welcoming sun

and gracefully pours into

the pristine lake below;

rising majestically behind it

is a towering mountain of rock

that stands in stately grandeur,

piercing the serene blue sky,

joyfully pointing to the realm

of the Heavenly Homeland.

ST. JOHN PAUL II'S PRAYER OF DIVINE MERCY /  by Joe Castorino

God, merciful Father,

in Your Son, Jesus Christ,

You have revealed Your love

and poured it out upon us

in the Holy Spirit,

the Comforter.

We entrust to You today 

the destiny of the whole world

and of every man and woman.

Bend down to us sinners, 

heal our weakness,

conquer all evil,

and grant that all peoples of the earth

may experience Your mercy.

In You, the Triune God, 

may they ever find the source of hope.

Eternal Father,

for the sake of the sorrowful Passion

and Resurrection of Your Son,

have mercy on us,

and upon the whole world!

Amen.

ST. CHARLES DE FOUCAULD'S PRAYER OF ABANDONMENT /  by Joe Castorino

Father, I abandon myself 

into your hands.

Do with me what you will.

Whatever you may do, I thank you.

I am ready for all; I accept all.

Let only your will be done in me 

and in all your creatures.

I wish no more than this, O Lord.

Into your hands I commend my soul.

I offer it to you

with all the love of my heart, 

for I love you, Lord, 

and so need to give myself,

to surrender myself into your hands 

without reserve 

and with boundless confidence, 

for you are my father.

Amen.

TRANSFIGURED BY DIVINE MERCY /  by Joe Castorino

The storm strikes

In the hour of terror,

And the dark one

Ferociously temps me,

Speedily swirling

In the winds around me,

Faster and faster,

Roaring loudly,

Trying to intimidate me

And make me act rashly.

But Our Lord Jesus

Takes His time,

And asks me to surrender,

To focus in a special way

On His sorrowful passion,

To have great trust

In His divine mercy —

And so he transfigures

The hour of terror into

The Hour of Divine Mercy.

DIVINE ARTISTRY /  by Joe Castorino

The canvas of my life

Is messy and sloppy,

Because I make mistakes,

So very many mistakes,

With my clumsy brushstrokes,

But, indeed, I am blessed,

Because the Divine Artist

Dips His cross-shaped brush

Into His most precious blood,

And paints and colors my life

With His divine mercy,

Patiently, joyfully, lovingly,

And transforms my life into a

Magnificent masterpiece.

ST. FRANCIS DE SALES' EVENING PRAYER /  by Joe Castorino

Based on the writing of St. Francis de Sales

Dearest Heavenly Father,

Through the Holy Spirit

I humbly give you thanks for

The affections and resolutions

You have given me today

In my meditations,

As well as for your great

Goodness and divine mercy.

Eternal Father, I offer to 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.

I wholeheartedly implore you

To share with me the abundant

Graces and virtues

Of your most holy Son,

And to bless my affections and resolutions,

So that I may faithfully fulfill them.

I also thank you for

Having taken care of me today,

And now I will examine

How I have conducted myself

Throughout the course of this day…

For all the good I have done,

I sincerely and wholeheartedly

Thank you for it;

For anything I have done wrong

In thought, word, or deed,

I ask pardon of you,

The Divine Mercy,

And I resolve to confess it

At the first opportunity,

And to make careful

Amendment for it.

In your Divine Providence,

And through the intercession of

Our Lady, the angels,

And the saints,

Please take care of

My body, and my soul,

The Church, and my diocese,

My parish, and my pastor,

My relatives, and my friends,

And everyone else in the world,

That the windows of our souls

Will be closed

Against the shadows of hell.

Thus, with your blessing, dear God,

I go to take the rest

That you have decreed

As necessary for me.

Amen.

(Follow this with an Our Father and a Hail Mary)

THE RESOLUTION PRAYER /  by Joe Castorino

After Meditation upon Sacred Scripture or the Mysteries of the Holy Rosary

Inspired by St. Francis de Sales

Dearest Jesus,

King of Divine Mercy,

By the power of the Holy Spirit,

I resolve today to ________,

For the glory of God the Father.

O Mystical Rose,

Our Lady of Love,

Please remind me

Of the sweet scent

Of this spiritual bouquet,

And please pray for me,

That I may put this virtue

Into practice today.

Amen.

ST. FRANCIS DE SALES' MORNING PRAYER /  by Joe Castorino

Based on the writing of St. Francis de Sales

Dearest God,

I adore you profoundly.

I thank you for the grace

Of preserving me

During this past night,

And I implore your pardon

If I have committed any sin

During the course of it.

I realize that the present day

Is given to me in order to gain

The future day of eternity,

And I plan on using this day well.

Looking ahead to what

Awaits me today,

I now make a firm resolution

To sincerely serve you and

Also advance in holy devotion;

Therefore, this is my spiritual plan:

______________________.

Lord, here is this wretched heart

Of mine, which through your

Goodness has conceived

Many good affections;

Alas, it is too weak and

Miserable to do the good

That it desires to do

Unless you impart your

Heavenly blessing.

For this reason

I humbly beg your blessing,

O Merciful Father,

Through the merits

Of the passion of your Son,

In whose honor I consecrate this day,

And all the remaining days of my life.

O Madonnina d’Amore, pray for me,

O Guardian Angel, pray for me,

All you saints and angels, pray for me,

That the windows of my soul

Will be opened

To the Sun of Justice.

Amen.

LONGER MEDITATION ON DIVINE MERCY IN THE DARK NIGHT OF UNKNOWING /  by Joe Castorino

Inspired by the Saints

St. Francis de Sales:

Dearest Jesus,

King of Divine Mercy,

I place myself in your holy presence,

And I beseech you to inspire me

By the power of the Holy Spirit

For the glory of God the Father.

Vive Jésus!

St. Paul the Apostle:

Be filled with the Spirit,

Singing to the Lord,

And giving thanks always.

San Padre Pio:

Prega e spera:

Non agitarti.

L’agitazione

Non giova a nulla.

Iddio è misericordioso,

E ascolterà

La tua preghiera.

San Giovanni Paolo II:

Non abbiate paura.

Non abbiate paura!

St. John Paul II:

I love you! I love you!

I love you! I love you!

La Madonnina d’Amore:

Fate quello que vi dirà.

Our Lord of Love:

Approach this Sea of Mercy

With great trust.

St. Augustine:

Patience is the companion of wisdom.

Venerable Fulton J. Sheen:

When Our Blessed Lord came to this earth,

He had the divine sense of humor.

St. Francis of Assisi:

True joy is divine mercy in the dark night.

St. Louis de Montfort:

Tuus totus ego sum,

Et omnia mea tua sunt.

I am all yours, O my Jesus,

And all that I have is yours,

Through Santa Maria,

Your most holy mother.

The Mystical Rose:

Be courageous.

Do not fear apparent obstacles,

But fix your gaze on the Passion of my Son,

And in this way you will be victorious.

Jesus, The Divine Mercy:

Come to me, all you who are weary

And find life burdensome,

And I will refresh you.

Take my yoke upon your shoulders

And learn from me,

For I am gentle and humble of heart.

Your souls shall find rest,

For my yoke is easy,

And my burden light.

Amen.

ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI'S SPIRITUAL COMMUNION PRAYER /  by Joe Castorino

I believe you are present

In the Blessed Sacrament,

O Jesus,

I love you and desire you.

O never leave me.

I beseech you, O Lord Jesus,

May the burning

And most sweet power

Of your love

Absorb my mind,

That I may die

Through love

Of your love,

Who was graciously pleased

To die

Through love

Of my love.

Amen.

O DIVINE ARTIST /  by Joe Castorino

Prayer in the Dark Night of Unknowing

O Divine Artist,

Paint the fruit of the Spirit

On the canvas of my life,

With brushstrokes of love,

With brushstrokes of joy,

With brushstrokes of peace,

With brushstrokes of patience,

With brushstrokes of kindness,

With brushstrokes of generosity,

With brushstrokes of faithfulness,

With brushstrokes of gentleness,

With brushstrokes of self-control,

With brushstrokes of divine wisdom,

With brushstrokes of divine mercy.

O Divine Artist, make my life

A masterpiece of your love!

Amen.

O MERCIFUL LADY OF LOVE /  by Joe Castorino

Prayer in the Dark Night of Unknowing

O merciful Lady of Love,

Teach me holy compassion;

O joyful Lady of Love,

Teach me to smile;

O peaceful Lady of Love,

Teach me to surrender;

O patient Lady of Love,

Teach me to slow down;

O kind Lady of Love,

Teach me to think of others;

O generous Lady of Love,

Teach me poverty in spirit;

O faithful Lady of Love,

Teach me trust in Divine Mercy;

O gentle Lady of Love,

Teach me holy humility;

O imperturbable Lady of Love,

Teach me to be calm in battle;

O wise Lady of Love,

Teach me to listen to the Word.

O Jesus, living in Santa Maria,

I wholeheartedly trust in you!

Amen.

O LIGHT OF THE SPIRIT /  by Joe Castorino

Family Prayer at the Hour of Mercy

O Light of the Spirit,

O Light of Love,

Burn brightly in my heart!

Burn brightly in my soul!

Come, Holy Spirit,

Fill the hearts

Of your faithful,

And enkindle in us,

The fire of your love.

O Jesus, living in Santa Maria,

I wholeheartedly trust in you!

Amen.