20a. - 20k. Divine Mercy Section - Apostolate for Family Consecration

“Try your best to make the Stations of the Cross in this hour, provided that your duties
permit it; and if you are not able to make the Stations of the Cross, then at least step into
the chapel for a moment and adore, in the Most Blessed Sacrament, My Heart, which is
full of mercy; and should you be unable to step into chapel, immerse yourself in prayer
there where you happen to be, if only for a very brief instant” (Diary, 1572).
At 3:00 o’clock we can pray one of the following:
• “You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls and the ocean of mercy
opened up for the whole world. O Fountain of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop
the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us” (Diary, 1319).
• “O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of Mercy
for us, I trust in You” (Diary, 84).
• The Chaplet of The Divine Mercy (see 20f).
We may not all be able to make the Stations or adore Him in the Blessed Sacrament, but
we can all mentally pause for a “brief instant,” think of His total abandonment at the hour of
agony, and say a short prayer such as “Jesus, Mercy,” or “Jesus, for the sake of Your
Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.”
20h. Proclaiming Mercy Prepares _for His Coming Again
He will come again to judge the living and the dead (Apostles’ Creed).
Each year during the season of Advent, the Liturgy of the Eucharist and the Liturgy of
the Hours gradually increase the Church’s cry and yearning: “Come, Lord Jesus!” Over and
over again we are admonished to “be prepared; get ready; He is near!”
Some hard facts must be considered in this matter of the coming of The Lord. We have
too easily interpreted away the fact of His coming, and we live as though it had no reality.
We need to accept, in a real way, that Jesus Christ is coming again. This is a fact of our faith.
We profess it in the Creed at Mass (Nicene Creed), we proclaim it in every Eucharist, and we
pray for it in every Our Father — “Your kingdom come!”
We need to live as though He were coming immediately, and we need to prepare ourselves
by watching, waiting, and praying. This is the gospel teaching (cf Mt 24; Mk 13; Lk 21).
When He is coming we do not know — that knowledge is reserved for the Father — but
we do know that He will come in glory upon the clouds, and we must be ready to greet Him at
whatever hour He comes. We may wonder why The Lord is slow in coming, but there are
clear indications in the sacred scriptures (cf 2 Thes 2; 1 Cor 15:25; 2 Pet 3:8-13) that the
delay is due to us — not the Lord.
The Lord specifically told Sister Faustina that He is waiting for us:
“…I am prolonging the time of mercy for the sake of [sinners]. But woe to them if they do
not recognize this time of My visitation” (Diary, 1160).
We can hasten the day of the coming of the Lord by leading holy lives, by being merciful,
and by standing firm against Satan. The Lord is waiting for us to do just that. He wants to
show mercy on us all since He wants none to perish, but wants all to come to repentance. He
wants, generation after generation, to show His mercy (cf 1 Pet 5:6-11; 2 Pet 3:9, 11-13; Rom
11:32).
Through Sister Faustina, Our Lord promised a sign before His coming as the just Judge
— a sign that recalls the promise of scripture (cf Lk 21:25; Mt 24:29; Mk 13:24):
“Write this: Before I come as the just Judge, I am coming first as the King of Mercy. Before
the day of justice arrives, there will be given to people a sign in the heavens … All light in
the heavens will be extinguished, and there will be great darkness over the whole earth.
Then the sign of the cross will be seen in the sky, and from the openings where the hands
and the feet of the Savior were nailed will come forth great lights which will light up the
earth for a period of time. This will take place shortly before the last day” (Diary, 83).
But a more general sign of His coming is His mercy itself.