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.
Inspired by Our Lady
Be courageous! Fear not.
The Divine Mercy is your victory!
Amen.
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.
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.
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.
A Family Prayer
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.
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.
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.
Based on the guidelines 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 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)
A Prayer for Petitions & Intercessions A Meditation upon The Passion & The Divine Mercy Inspired by St. Faustina & St. Francis de Sales
For the sake of His sorrowful passion,
Have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Jesus, I trust in you!
Per la sua dolorosa passione,
Abbi misericordia di noi e del mondo intero.
Gesù, confido in te!
Amen.
To be prayed after meditating upon either the mysteries of the Holy Rosary or after meditating upon Sacred Scripture
Based on the guidelines of 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.
Amen.
Based on the guidelines 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:
Dearest Jesus, through
Gentle St. Francis de Sales,
You generously gave us this
Wonderful pearl of wisdom:
A spoonful of honey
Attracts more flies
Than a barrelful of vinegar.
And so, by the power
Of the Holy Spirit,
I resolve today
To live the fruit of the Spirit,
And to live in thanksgiving.
I resolve today
To take the hand of
La Madonnina d’Amore,
And let her lead me
To you, O Gesù,
La Divina Misericordia.
I resolve today,
As a knight of Christ,
To imitate San Giuseppe,
And the rest of the Holy Family,
In saintly silence,
In heroic patience,
In holy courage.
I resolve today,
In the Dark Night of Unknowing,
And the Dark Night of the Cross,
To meditate on the Nativity,
To meditate on the Passion,
To meditate on the Divine Mercy,
For the glory of God the Father.
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.
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.
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,
Paint the fruit of the Spirit,
On the canvas of my life,
With the brushstrokes
Of your mystical mercy,
And make my life
A masterpiece of your love!
Amen.
Inspired by the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5: 22-23)
Thank you, Jesus,
For your wondrous gift
Of the fruit of the Spirit!
Queen of All Hearts,
Teach us holy compassion!
Queen of All Hearts,
Teach us to smile!
Queen of All Hearts,
Teach us to surrender!
Queen of All Hearts,
Teach us to slow down!
Queen of All Hearts,
Teach us to think of others!
Queen of All Hearts,
Teach us poverty in spirit!
Queen of All Hearts,
Teach us trust in Divine Mercy!
Queen of All Hearts,
Teach us holy humility!
Queen of All Hearts,
Teach us to be calm in battle!
Queen of All Hearts,
Teach us holy courage!
Queen of All Hearts,
Teach us to listen to the Word!
Thank you, Jesus,
For your wondrous gift
Of divine mercy in the dark night!
Amen.
O Light of the Spirit,
O Light of Love,
Burn brightly in our hearts!
Burn brightly in our souls!
Come, Holy Spirit,
Fill the hearts
Of your faithful,
And enkindle in us,
The fire of your love.
Amen.
Dearest Jesus,
I trust in your wholehearted love for me,
I trust in your unfathomable divine mercy,
I humbly accept your special gift to me today:
The great grace of Divine Mercy Sunday,
Forgiveness of all sin and punishment!
Jesus, I love you!
Jesus, I adore you!
Jesus, I trust in you!
Amen.
O Victorious Virgin,
In the dawn of this
Glorious new year,
Take my hand, gently,
And sweetly lead me
On the path to Truth;
Then joyfully unlock
The Gate of Heaven
Which opens wide
To the Prince of Peace,
To the King of Kindness,
To the Lord of Love;
And as your Son rises
From the depths of my heart,
May Divine Mercy rays
Of red and white
Shine through me
And warm the world!
Amen.
Dearest Jesus,
King of Divine Mercy,
During this Hour of Mercy,
I humbly come and
Kneel in spirit before you.
Help me to slow down my life,
And calmly give all my worries
To La Madonnina d’Amore,
So that she may gently lay them
At the foot of your cross.
And so, in total surrender,
I approach this Sea of Mercy
With great trust —
Please, fill my heart,
To overflowing measure,
With your unfathomable mercy.
Merciful Mystical Rose,
Please pray for me,
Please pray for my family,
Please pray for the Church,
Please pray for the world,
Please pray for the poor souls in purgatory.
Amen.