DIVINE MERCY AT MORAINE LAKE

It is a bright beautiful morning in the

  crisp clean air of the Canadian Rockies,

We ascend as I drive up a wonderfully

  windy road past babbling brooks,

The two of us are together, in the car that

we affectionately refer to as the “Tin Can”;

After reaching the sunny summit,

  we gently roll into the Valley of the Ten Peaks;

We finally arrive at the large lake and 

  look up at the regal ring of mountains,

Yet I feel slightly saddened because

  somehow it’s less than I expected;

A lodge that looks like a big log cabin

  stands silently like a sentinel near the water,

We decide to dine there and enjoy a 

  delightful bit of roast beef for lunch;

The savory flavor of my sandwich lingers

  in my mouth, as I think about my morning,

I try to cunningly convince myself that 

  I’m not disappointed, but I know that I am. 

Departing for our next destination,

  I wistfully walk towards our little car,

But as I look to the right, I see a

  tar-black hill with a winding trail upon it;

The people look like pilgrims as they

  make their way up the mysterious mound,

Curiosity gradually grows within me as I 

  ponder, puzzled, where the path leads;

So I investigate and struggle up the steep

  trail, tripping occasionally on rock and rubble,

But when I get to the top, I am frozen

  with fascination as I behold the view;

Above me is a diadem of snow-tipped peaks,

  gleaming with the glory of God,

Below me is the pristine lake, and it is

  shimmering and sparkling like a gemstone;

It appears as if millions of sapphires

  and emeralds have melted into liquid,

And the blue-green color of the 

  lovely lake is luminous in the sunshine.

My senses are suddenly soaked in Your

  Holy Spirit’s lasting love, and I feel Your beauty,

At this moment, nothing else matters,

  and I only long to be close to You;

At this moment, I am oblivious to my past,

  and I am oblivious to my future,

I am living in the eternal and

  mystical present of the great I AM;

You are Holy Humility, You are

  Magnificent Mercy, You are Limitless Love,

And with Your divine sense of humor,

  You really are the God of surprises.

THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

Our fruit is very sweet,

And He is very happy,

When we remain attached

To the one true Vine.

Joy warms us with light,

Peace conquers fear,

Patience stops time,

Kindness multiplies smiles.

Generosity feeds the world,

Faithfulness makes us a Church,

Gentleness purifies the heart,

Self-control shuts out darkness.

But Love, yes Love, wondrously

Binds them all together into

Majestic harmony as our souls

Drink of the Lord’s Divine Mercy.

THE DOVE OF DIVINE MERCY

The Holy Spirit,

The Light of the Universe,

Travels at the speed of eternity,

And when He passes through

The Sacred Heart of Jesus,

The Dove of Divine Mercy is

Transfigured into dazzling rays

Of red and white that pierce

My soul and energize it with

The Holy Lightning of Love.

THE CHALICE OF DIVINE MERCY

When I scourge you with my sins

But then ask you for forgiveness,

Your most treasured blood

Trickles like tears into my heart;

When my thorny sins crown you,

But then I tell you that I’m sorry,

Drops of your royal red blood

Sink soothingly into my spirit;

I fail you again and again and again,

Yet when I sincerely surrender

My whole heart and soul to you,

Your beautiful blood and water

Spill from your open wound

Into the Chalice of Divine Mercy,

And my thirsty soul drinks in

The sweet new wine of the Spirit.

A MISSION OF DIVINE MERCY

As I gradually look up,

  I see luminous rose petals

Fall gently and delicately

  From the sky like snow,

Eucharistic-white

  In the deep dark night.

My mission is prayer

  In the dark night of the unseen,

My mission is surrender

  In the dark night of unknowing,

My mission is love

  In the dark night of the cross.

The path before me is

  Strewn with radiant roses that

Glow like glorious lamps,

  So I faithfully travel it and find

The Eucharistic Light

  That transfigures the dark night.

THE OCEAN OF DIVINE MERCY

I hesitantly open the door

of the confessional

and to my utter surprise

I see a sandy beach:

as I approach the waters

of gentle aquamarine,

I see Jesus before me;

He looks at my feet,

crusty and blackened

with all my sins,

so He washes them

with His holy hands;

then He leads me into the ocean,

whose welcoming waves

of delightful divine mercy

kiss and caress my soul,

cooling and refreshing me;

peace and joy

rush through me,

and as love ripples and rhymes,

sweetening my soul,

I am born again.

DIVINE MERCY: ENLIGHTENED BY THE HOLY EUCHARIST

I stagger and stumble        

and struggle through life,    

my brain twisted into knots    

by perplexing problems,         

by a delirium of doubts,    

by a flurry of fickle fears;    

so Our Lady of Love            

takes me by the hand        

and gently leads me to        

The Divine Mercy,        

where He is enthroned in His        

regal monstrance of gold,    

and I pour out my heart    

before His Holy Majesty;    

from His Most Precious Body    

two beams of bright light,    

both red and white,        

burn through the darkness,    

illuminating my mind,        

and the Truth has set me free.

SURRENDERING TO DIVINE MERCY

When I wave the white flag

in the serene surrender of prayer,

I allow the water of my soul

to be poured freely into

His chalice of gold;

there I am baptized by Love

and born again,

transformed by the Transfigured,

changed forever by the sweet

new wine of the Spirit.

THE SACRED HEART

As the Sacred Heart

Beats with thrills of joy,

The new wine of Divine Love

Sweetly surges through the

Thirsty Body of Christ,

Bringing the refreshment

Of the Holy Spirit,

And the gentle mercy

Of our Heavenly Father;

With compassion, Jesus says,

“Let every beat of my heart today

Be an act of love for you.”

OUR FATHER OF DIVINE MERCY

Our Father’s eyes are upon us,

And we are gently caressed

By His compassionate gaze;

He speaks with a voice sublime,

Words of hope and encouragement,

Urging us to remain in Divine Mercy;

He knows everything about us,

The good, the bad, the unknown,

And yet, remarkably, He still loves us;

Then, we humbly approach Him,

Like the repentant prodigal son,

Wearing the tattered rags of sin:

He joyfully embraces and kisses us,

And, to our amazement, we are

Forgiven, and we are born again.

THE SPIRIT OF DIVINE MERCY

You, the holy fire

That purifies my soul,

The Holy Dove of

Divine Mercy,

Spiral downwards

And inflame my

Innermost being,

Burning away 

All affection for sin,

Freeing the wings

Of my heart so that

I can spiral upwards

With you to Heaven,

And find union with

Divine Love.

JESUS, THE KING OF DIVINE MERCY

I turn around and before me you stand,

  one whose robe is dazzlingly white,

On your head is a glistening gold crown,

  set with gemstones radiant and bright;

With great love, you bestow your peace upon me,

  through your wonderfully warm brown eyes,

Your merciful smile cheers my heart,

  so that my soul can most sweetly arise;

In the joyful breeze of the Holy Spirit,

  your flowing hair so very gently swirls,

In my heart I totally surrender to you,

  and for you this is a treasure of pearls.

JESUS, THE KING OF DIVINE MERCY

I turn around and before me you stand,

  one whose robe is dazzlingly white,

On your head is a glistening gold crown,

  set with gemstones radiant and bright;

With great love, you bestow your peace upon me,

  through your wonderfully warm brown eyes,

Your merciful smile cheers my heart,

  so that my soul can most sweetly arise;

In the joyful breeze of the Holy Spirit,

  your flowing hair so very gently swirls,

In my heart I totally surrender to you,

  and for you this is a treasure of pearls.

HAPPY DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY!

Hi, everyone!

Gloria in excelsis Deo! It's time to celebrate the magnificent Feast of Mercy!

Again, just to refresh our memories, here are the three things we need to do in order to receive "The Extraordinary Promise":

1. Go to Confession (before Divine Mercy Sunday, preferably as close to that day as possible)

2. Receive Holy Communion (on Divine Mercy Sunday or on the vigil)

3. Do our best to live and remain in a state of grace

St. Faustina records in her diary these magnificently beautiful words of Jesus: "On that great day [Divine Mercy Sunday]... the soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment" (section 699). 

Indeed, what a wonderful blessing!

In addition, Fr. Chris Alar also recommends that today we sincerely recite this simple yet powerful prayer:

http://www.josephpeteranthony.com/poem-of-the-day/2024/4/2/prayer-for-divine-mercy-sunday

Now, in a worst-case scenario, if something prevented you from accomplishing the items listed above, don't worry! (The evil one loves when we worry.) Remember, Our Lord Jesus is not just the King of Kings and the King of the Universe. He is also the King of Divine Mercy -- and he is never, ever, outdone in generosity. Truly, His goodness and mercy toward us are unfathomable! What an immense gift from God, to be able to celebrate this beautiful feast day every year on the Sunday after Easter.

If you would like to honor this special day by praying the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy (which is especially appropriate at the three o'clock hour, the "Hour of Mercy"), you can also find it on my website. It's a splendid way to celebrate the Hour of Mercy on Divine Mercy Sunday. Just click on the following link and scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page: 

http://www.josephpeteranthony.com/divine-mercy-novena

Lastly, if you would like to learn more details about the amazing history of Divine Mercy, please click on the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpwxWIPt__g

God bless you all, and may the magnificent and dazzling light of Divine Mercy always shine brightly in your hearts!

Joe

DIVINE MERCY NOVENA: DAY 9 OF 9

Hi, everyone!

Our "Mission of Divine Mercy" is almost complete! For the last nine days -- including today -- we have been praying the magnificent Divine Mercy Novena, which will culminate tomorrow on Divine Mercy Sunday, the great Feast of Mercy. 

By the way, I hope the sacred art has been as inspiring for you as it has been for me. For those of you who have been viewing the paintings on your smartphone, I would encourage you to treat yourself by viewing the sacred art on your computer. The paintings can come much more alive this way, and you may find that your meditation is even more profound.

So, as we approach the finish line, let's picture a splendid heavenly stadium where we see Our Lord and Our Lady, smiling because they see how much we want to do God's will. The stadium is filled with all the saints and angels, who are happily cheering us on. Tomorrow we will experience Jesus' indescribable love for us on Divine Mercy Sunday! Yes, we're almost there -- I can almost taste it!

So in order to find the prayers, as well as the links to magnificent sacred art, please do the following items: 

1. Click the following link:

http://www.josephpeteranthony.com/divine-mercy-novena

2. Scroll down a little further and click the link entitled "Divine Mercy Novena: Day 9" (this will take you to the prayers and the sacred art)

If you have any questions, then please let me know. I'm always happy to help if I can.

God bless you, and may the magnificent and dazzling light of Divine Mercy always shine brightly in your hearts!

Joe

DIVINE MERCY NOVENA: DAY 8 OF 9

Hi, everyone!

We're almost there! Two more days until we experience Jesus' indescribable compassion on Divine Mercy Sunday!

Hopefully, you have already gone to confession this week, or have it marked on your calendar for either today or tomorrow. I just don't want anyone to miss out on magnificently beautiful blessings on Divine Mercy Sunday. They are simply too wonderful. 

So in order to find the prayers, as well as the links to magnificent sacred art, please do the following items: 

1. Click the following link:

http://www.josephpeteranthony.com/divine-mercy-novena

2. Scroll down a little further and click the link entitled "Divine Mercy Novena: Day 8" (this will take you to the prayers and the sacred art)

If you have any questions, then please let me know. I'm always happy to help if I can.

God bless you, and may the magnificent and dazzling light of Divine Mercy always shine brightly in your hearts!

Joe

DIVINE MERCY NOVENA: DAY 7 OF 9

Hi, everyone!

For the many of you who are caught up with the prayers for this week's novena, all I can say is this: Well done! Well done indeed!

For any of you who are not quite caught up with your novena prayers, hang in there! I know that after I celebrate a special occasion like Easter, sometimes it can feel like there are just so many things that need to get done. So I completely understand if any of are you experiencing that, too. 

But there is still time for us to catch up with the Divine Mercy Novena! You can do it! I know you can! Our Lord and Our Lady are cheering us on! The finish line is now in our view, so it's time for us to finish strong and be those gold-medal spiritual athletes that St. Paul talked about when he said, "Run so as to win" (1 Corinthians 9:24). 

Today the sacred art will transition from the carrying of the cross to a few different perspectives of the crucifixion, and then it will close with the joy of the resurrection.

So in order to find the prayers, as well as the links to magnificent sacred art, please do the following items: 

1. Click the following link:

http://www.josephpeteranthony.com/divine-mercy-novena

2. Scroll down a little further and click the link entitled "Divine Mercy Novena: Day 7" (this will take you to the prayers and the sacred art)

If you have any questions, then please let me know. I'm always happy to help if I can.

God bless you, and may the magnificent and dazzling light of Divine Mercy always shine brightly in your hearts!

Joe

DIVINE MERCY NOVENA: DAY 6 OF 9

Hi, everyone!

How time flies with a good novena -- we're already over halfway to our goal!

So in case you haven't already done so, I just want to give you another friendly reminder that if you have not yet gone to confession, now is a good time to plan it, and the same is true for planning your mass on Divine Mercy Sunday.

Tomorrow the sacred art will change one more time and we will see art that reflects the conclusion of the Passion -- the crucifixion -- but then looks forward to the Resurrection! 

So in order to find the prayers, as well as the links to magnificent sacred art, please do the following items: 

1. Click the following link:

http://www.josephpeteranthony.com/divine-mercy-novena

2. Scroll down a little further and click the link entitled "Divine Mercy Novena: Day 6" (this will take you to the prayers and the sacred art)

If you have any questions, then please let me know. I'm always happy to help if I can.

God bless you, and may the magnificent and dazzling light of Divine Mercy always shine brightly in your hearts!

Joe

DIVINE MERCY NOVENA: DAY 5 OF 9

Hi, everyone!

Just in case you have been too busy to watch the video by Fr. Chris Alar, let me give you an ultra-quick synopsis. This coming Sunday, you will have the opportunity to obtain a special and wonderful gift from Our Lord. It is called "The Extraordinary Promise." 

In her spiritual classic entitled Divine Mercy in my Soul, St. Faustina stated the following: "On that great day [Divine Mercy Sunday]... the soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment" (section 699). This is a gift so indescribably beautiful that words simply cannot express the immense magnitude of Jesus' love for each and every one of us. He wants all of us to remain in His love forever! 

So we need to do three things in order to receive this great grace:

1. Go to Confession (before Divine Mercy Sunday, preferably as close to that day as possible)

2. Receive Holy Communion (on Divine Mercy Sunday or on the vigil)

3. Do our best to live and remain in a state of grace

Okay, then. 

So in order to find the prayers, as well as the links to magnificent sacred art, please do the following items: 

1. Click the following link:

http://www.josephpeteranthony.com/divine-mercy-novena

2. Scroll down a little further and click the link entitled "Divine Mercy Novena: Day 5" (this will take you to the prayers and the sacred art)

If you have any questions, then please let me know. I'm always happy to help if I can.

God bless you, and may the magnificent and dazzling light of Divine Mercy always shine brightly in your hearts!

Joe

PRAYER FOR DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY

To be prayed immediately after receiving Holy Communion on Divine Mercy Sunday

Lord Jesus Christ,

Son of the living God,

Have mercy on me,

A poor sinner.

Jesus, you promised St. Faustina

That the soul that has been to confession (I have),

And the soul that receives Holy Communion (I just did),

Will receive complete forgiveness

Of all sin and punishment.

Please give me this grace.

Amen.