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

Inspired by the Saints

Following the guidance of

St. Francis de Sales, I pray:

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!

Our Lady of Love

then comes to me,

encouragingly,

and quoting the words

of St. Paul the Apostle,

she begins to prepare me

for the spiritual battle

and says to me,

Be filled with the Spirit,

singing to the Lord,

and giving thanks always.

Then, Our Lady,

smiling peacefully,

reminds me of the words

of San Padre Pio,

and says to me,

Prega e spera:

non agitarti.

L’agitazione

non giova a nulla.

Iddio è misericordioso,

e ascolterà

la tua preghiera.

(Pray and hope:

don’t be agitated.

Agitation doesn’t help at all.

God is merciful,

and He will hear

your prayer.)

Our Lady then quotes

the words of St. John Paul II,

and joyfully says to me:

Non abbiate paura.

(Don’t be afraid.)

Then, Our Lady gives me

the kiss of peace

on each cheek

and continues,

with greater emphasis:

Non abbiate paura!

(Don’t be afraid!)

Our Lady then embraces me

with tender motherly love

and, echoing the words

of St. John Paul the Great,

she says to me:

I love you! I love you!

I love you! I love you!

Then, Our Lady does

what she does best:

she leads me to Jesus

and humbly says,

Fate quello que vi dirà.

(Do whatever He tells you.)

Our Lord of Love

then stands before me,

in gentleness,

and says to me,

Approach this Sea of Mercy

with great trust.

Then, Our Lady,

now at Jesus’ side,

speaks again,

and quoting St. Augustine,

she continues preparing me

for the spiritual battle

and kindly says to me,

Patience

is the companion

of wisdom.

Our Lady then reminds me

of the words of

Venerable Fulton J. Sheen,

and calmly says to me,

When Our Blessed Lord

came to this earth,

He had the divine

sense of humor.

Then, Our Lady speaks

in the spirit of

St. Francis of Assisi,

and wisely says to me,

True joy is divine mercy

in the dark night.

After doing all these things,

Our Lady kneels before Jesus,

and speaks the words of

St. Louis de Montfort’s consecration,

faithfully saying to Him:

Tuus totus ego sum,

et omnia mea tua sunt.

Then, sweetly kneeling

side-by-side with Our Lady,

I continue St. Louis’ prayer,

and I wholeheartedly say,

I am all yours, O my Jesus,

and all that I have is yours,

through Santa Maria,

your most holy mother.

Our Lady then turns

and speaks to me

the same words

that she spoke

to St. Faustina,

and, inspiring me,

she says,

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.

At last, I find myself

transported in spirit to

The Sermon on the Mount,

and I hear Jesus,

The Divine Mercy,

speak sincerely

and lovingly to me,

and He says,

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.

THE SPIRITUAL BATTLE /  by Joe Castorino

Guardian Angel, please pray for me,

Because the devil tempts us to obsess,

We must evade the evil of worldly idols,

And not dream of what to possess;

Thirsting for things can thicken anxiety,

Which can seem to never cease,

We struggle and tuggle with all our might,

And banished is all our peace.

The diabolical dragon swoops down,

Determined all good to destroy,

With the flaming fire of enslaving greed,

He seeks to kill all devotion and joy;

But as our trustworthy guide from Heaven,

With love you sing a sweet prayer,

And your petitions rise like a happy dove

Higher and higher up into the air.

When the evil one tries to pour words of

Corrosive poison into our innocent ears,

Teach us to think of the Lord Jesus crucified,

So that banished are all our fears;

When we dance with delight with temptation,

Help us the crucifix recall,

For the cross crushes the devil’s teeth,

And into hellish Styx he will fall.

Meditating on the gore of Golgotha,

Our hearts like tearful candles melt,

Knife-like nails puncture his palms,

And blood trickles to where Our Lady knelt;

Then our foolish obsessions are obliterated,

By the power of His holy love,

And we are magnificently made new,

By His grace flowing from above.

Trying to lure us into obsession,

The devil deceptively dangles his bait,

But seeing you push us out of harm’s way

Only fuels his mad fury and hate;

We escape the avalanche of avarice,

That can smash the soul like snow,

You lead us on a path filled with Light,

So that our life in the Spirit will grow.

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

Inspired by the Saints

Following the guidance of

St. Francis de Sales, I pray:

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!

Our Lady of Love

then comes to me,

encouragingly,

and quoting the words

of St. Paul the Apostle,

she says to me,

Be filled with the Spirit,

singing to the Lord,

and giving thanks always.

Then, Our Lady reminds me,

peacefully, of the words

of San Padre Pio,

and says to me,

Prega e spera:

non agitarti.

l’agitazione

non giova a nulla.

Iddio è misericordioso,

e ascolterà

la tua preghiera.

(Pray and hope:

don’t be agitated.

agitation doesn’t help at all.

God is merciful,

and He will hear

your prayer.)

Our Lady then quotes

the words of St. John Paul II,

and joyfully says to me:

Non abbiate paura.

(Don’t be afraid.)

Then, Our Lady gives me

the kiss of peace

on both cheeks

and continues,

with greater emphasis:

Non abbiate paura!

(Don’t be afraid!)

Our Lady then embraces me

with tender motherly love

and, echoing the words

of St. John Paul the Great,

she says to me:

I love you! I love you!

I love you! I love you!

Then, Our Lady does

what she does best:

she leads me to Jesus

and humbly says,

Fate quello que vi dirà.

(Do whatever He tells you.)

Our Lord of Love

then appears to me,

in gentleness,

and says to me,

Approach this Sea of Mercy

with great trust.

Then, Our Lady,

standing at Jesus’ side,

speaks again,

and quoting St. Augustine,

she kindly says to me,

Patience

is the companion

of wisdom.

Our Lady then reminds me

of the words of

Venerable Fulton J. Sheen,

and, patiently,

she says to me,

When Our Blessed Lord

came to this earth,

He had the divine

sense of humor.

Next, Our Lady speaks

in the spirit of

St. Francis of Assisi,

and wisely says to me,

True joy is divine mercy

in the dark night.

After doing all these things,

Our Lady kneels before Jesus,

and speaking the words of

St. Louis de Montfort’s consecration,

she faithfully says to Him:

Tuus totus ego sum,

et omnia mea tua sunt.

Then, sweetly kneeling

side-by-side with Our Lady,

I continue St. Louis’ prayer,

and I wholeheartedly say,

I am all yours, O my Jesus,

and all that I have is yours,

through Santa Maria,

your most holy mother.

Our Lady then turns

and speaks to me

for one last time, and,

inspiring me, she says,

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.

Finally, I find myself

transported in spirit to

The Sermon on the Mount,

and I hear Jesus,

The Divine Mercy,

speak sincerely

and lovingly to me,

and He says,

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.

THE BUTTERFLY /  by Joe Castorino

The Holy Spirit

Is very much like

A sweet beautiful 

Monarch butterfly

That is full of Love:

It glides in peace

Upon the swirling breeze 

Of heavenly happiness,

And delightfully dances

With indescribable joy,

Bobbing up and down,

And to and fro,

Often unpredictably,

For the wind blows

Where it wills.

THE JOURNEY FROM PATIENCE TO DIVINE MERCY /  by Joe Castorino

I have a tendency to

overreact to things,

to immediately assume

the worst, out of fear;

but Our Lady is teaching me

that I need to be patient --

since patience, as St. Augustine said,

is the companion of wisdom,

and so, when an accident happens,

I take fear, and I promptly surrender it

to Our Lady, so that she can place

it at the foot of the cross,

until with a calmer mind

I can bring it before the King

in my private audience with Him,

and allow Him to guide me;

in the meantime,

I am resolved to

have the divine sense of humor,

knowing in my heart

that the Divine Mercy

will never let me down:

patience leads to good humor,

and good humor leads to

divine mercy in the dark night.

THE BUTTERFLY /  by Joe Castorino

The Holy Spirit

Is very much like

A sweet beautiful 

Monarch butterfly

That is full of Love:

It glides in peace

Upon the swirling breeze 

Of heavenly happiness,

And delightfully dances

With indescribable joy,

Bobbing up and down,

And to and fro,

Often unpredictably,

For the wind blows

Where it wills.

THE BUTTERFLY /  by Joe Castorino

The Holy Spirit

Is very much like

A sweet beautiful 

Monarch butterfly

That is full of Love:

It glides calmly upon the

Swirling breeze of 

Heavenly happiness,

And delightfully dances

With indescribable joy,

Bobbing up and down,

And to and fro,

Often unpredictably,

For the wind blows

Where it wills.

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD /  by Joe Castorino

In silence,

I long to hear

God’s Word,

And feel

God’s presence;

So when worry wails,

When anxiety assails,

I remember that God

Smiles upon us,

Compassionately,

And holds the world

Like a precious pearl

In His holy hands.

ST. BONAVENTURE'S PRAYER AFTER MASS /  by Joe Castorino

Most sweet Lord Jesus,

pierce my inmost heart

with the most dear

and most bracing

wound of your love.

Pierce it with true, sincere,

apostolic, and most holy charity,

that my soul may ever yearn

and melt with love for you

and the desire to possess you.

May my soul be drawn toward you,

and overwhelmed with the hope

of entering your courts.

May it long to be dissolved

and to be with you.

Grant that my soul

may hunger for you,

the Bread of Angels

and the food of holy souls,

our supersubstantial Bread,

having in itself every sweetness

and good taste,

having the delightfulness

of all that charms my heart.

May my heart always long for you,

and find its nourishment in you,

on whom the angels long to gaze,

and may my inmost heart be filled

with the sweetness of your savor.

May my heart thirst for you,

the fountain of life, and of wisdom

and of knowledge, and of eternal life,

the torrent of pleasure, and the richness

of the house of God.

May my heart always draw near to you,

seek you, catch sight of you,

be drawn to you, and arrive at your presence.

May my heart think of you, speak of you,

and do all that it does for the glory of your name,

with humility and care and affection and delight,

with eagerness and with deep feeling,

and with perseverance to the end.

Thus may you alone always be my hope,

all my confidence, my joy, my rest

and my tranquility, my peace,

all that charms me; my fragrance,

my sweetness, my food, my nourishment,

my refuge, my help, my wisdom,

my portion, my possession, my treasure.

In you may my mind and my heart

be fixed and secure and rooted

forever without any change.

Amen.

TIME /  by Joe Castorino

When there is a crash on the

Superhighway of sensations,

Time painfully slows down,

And we live in boredom,

Crawling lethargically along,

Bumper to bumper,

In the dreadful dullness

Of the traffic jam of life.

When we are behind schedule

In the crowded city of Chaos,

Time urgently speeds up,

And we live in anxiety,

Racing with our hair on fire,

Chasing and being chased,

In the nail-biting frenzy

Of the rat race of life.

But when there’s surrender,

And we give our lives to Him,

Time dissolves into eternity,

Love smiles upon us —

Then, nothing else matters,

We are attached to the Vine,

And our little branches are full

Of the sweet fruit of the Spirit!

THE MULTIPLICATION OF THE FRUIT /  by Joe Castorino

As Jesus sits at table,

He lovingly shares with us

Clusters of nine grapes,

One for each fruit of the Spirit;

We eat them and they are

Sweeter than moscato,

And they lovingly burst forth in

Wonderful fireworks of flavor;

But then we see others in need

At the far end of the table,

And so, in Love, we share

Our delightful fruit with them too,

So that Love is all in all,

And the more we share this

Most excellent fruit with others,

The more Jesus shares it with us.

CARRYING MY CROSS /  by Joe Castorino

Carrying my cross,

I take lumbering steps

up the steep mountain;

I grumble with every step,

like Job, wondering why

the Lord is asking me

to shuffle along, dragging

this heavy wood with me

wherever I go.

But then I come to

a dangerously deep

crevasse that threatens

to end my journey,

and even with a

giant Herculean leap,

I know that I would fall

down, down, down,

into the black throat

of the abyss below.

Suddenly, a white Dove

darts right past me,

causing me to jump back

from the edge of the cliff;

as I do so, the cross falls

forward so that its top

now rests on the other side,

forming a wooden bridge.

After I carefully crawl

to the other side,

I look back at the cross,

wondering if I should

kick it down over

the edge of the cliff,

but, instead, I choose

to slowly pick it up,

embrace it, and

faithfully follow

in the footsteps of Jesus.

TO ST. HILDEGARD OF BINGEN /  by Joe Castorino

Your beautiful

Mystical poetry

Warms my heart,

And your lovely

Musical compositions

Delight my spirit;

Your wonderful

Artistic creations

Are far sweeter than

The most delicious

Moscato wine,

And when I drink in

The glory of God,

My contemplative soul

Peacefully rejoices.

PRAYER OF ST. BONAVENTURE /  by Joe Castorino

Prayer After Mass

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 VINE /  by Joe Castorino

You are The Vine,

and I am a little branch.

When I am proud,

I stubbornly cut myself

off from you, Lord,

and I remain in self-love,

without your grace

my branch dries up

and my fruit shrivels,

as my soul slowly dies.

But when I am humble,

I remain in your love,

and your delicious grace

surges through me and

thus my fruit sweetens,

as I am born again.

I am just a little branch,

but you are The Vine.

THE MYSTERY OF HOLY MASS /  by Joe Castorino

Inspired by St. Francis de Sales

A Joyful Mystery

As I arrive at the church,

angels with beautiful

trumpet-like voices

announce to us

the coming of the Lord --

here, now, today;

He and Our Lady

will come to visit us,

and our sleepy souls

will be wonderfully reborn;

Joseph and Mary

will present us to Him,

and we will find Him

in the deepest depths

of our hearts.

A Luminous Mystery

Afterwards, the holy Word

is lovingly proclaimed,

and our spirits are sweetly

baptized by Divine Mercy;

we drink deeply of the

new wine of the Spirit,

and our lives are

forever transfigured

by the Light of the Word

and, in a very short time,

by the most Holy Eucharist.

A Sorrowful Mystery

But then, we experience

the beauty of the Last Supper,

but also Jesus’ sorrowful Passion,

and we recognize that it is we,

and not Our Blessed Lord,

who deserves to be executed and exiled;

as the priest slowly raises the Host,

we see Him, hanging cruelly on the cross,

crowned with crooked thorns,

and crushed under the weight

of our sins, and the multitudinous sins

of everyone, everywhere,

in all of human history.

A Glorious Mystery

However, we ultimately experience

Divine Mercy in the dark night:

as we very humbly kneel

and wait at the communion rail,

the good God comes to us! --

we taste the glory of Heaven

on earth, and our spirit

resurrects from the grave

of our pride and selfishness,

as we experience divine union

with the Divine Mercy;

after returning to our places,

we offer sincere prayers that

ascend to the highest Heaven

on the wings of happy angels,

and then the Holy Spirit descends

silently into our souls,

freely and generously giving us

His delicious and delightful fruit:

love and joy and peace;

and so, as we are assumed into

the compassionate calm

of God’s holy presence,

we feel the Queen of Love

sweetly smiling upon us all.