Handmaids of Mercy

Teach Me, Lord Jesus

Teach me, my Lord, to be sweet
and gentle
in all the events of life -
in disappointments,
in the thoughtlessness of others,
in the insincerity of those I trusted,
in the unfaithfulness of those on whom
I relied.

Let me put myself aside,
to think of the happiness of others
to hide my little pains and heartaches,
so that I may be the only one to suffer
from them.

Teach me to profit by the suffering that
comes across my path.
Let me so use it that it may mellow me,
not harden nor embitter me;
that it may make me more patient, not
irritable.

That it may make me broad in my
forgiveness, not narrow, haughty and
overbearing.
May no one be less good for having come
within my influence.  No one less pure, less
true, less kind, less noble for having been
a fellow-traveler in our journey toward
ETERNAL LIFE.

As I go my rounds from one distraction
to another, let me whisper from time to
time, a word of love to Thee.  May my life
be lived in the supernatural, full of power
for good, and strong in its purpose of
sanctity.

(From the back of a holy card, thanks to Aline (from Thomas Aquinas and More's blog) for sharing this)

The Handmaids of Mercy

The Mission of The Handmaids of Mercy

This blog is devoted to spreading the much needed message of the Divine Mercy of Jesus Christ to the world. The Handmaids of Mercy Blog hopes to explain the origin of the Divine Mercy Message, the life of St. Maria Faustina of the Most Blessed Sacrament (to whom Jesus gave this beautiful image), and the involvement of Pope John Paul II THE GREAT MERCY POPE in spreading devotion to the Divine Mercy through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother, The Virgin Mary.

494 At the announcement that she would give birth to "the Son of the Most High" without knowing man, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Mary responded with the obedience of faith, certain that "with God nothing will be impossible": "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be [done] to me according to your word." Thus, giving her consent to God's word, Mary becomes the mother of Jesus. Espousing the divine will for salvation wholeheartedly, without a single sin to restrain her, she gave herself entirely to the person and to the work of her Son; she did so in order to serve the mystery of redemption with him and dependent on him, by God's grace:

^{(From 494 Catechism of the Catholic Church, quotes from the bible: Luke 1:28-38;cf.Rom 1:5)}

The Blessed Virgin Mary always leads us to her Divine Son, Jesus. Her example is the most perfect example of obedience and love for God the Father. No woman, or in fact person that has ever walked this earth, loved Jesus or had a more "personal relationship" with Him than his own mother, Mary. This is why I have chosen the title of The Handmaids of Mercy for this blog. The women of the world have a very important mission. As women, we have a unique disposition towards mercy evidenced daily in the day to day tasks of a mother for her children, husband and friends. This is also evidenced by single women who have great mercy in their hearts for their family members and friends. Together, with the direction of Jesus, we can spread this mercy to the entire world through in the smallest of tasks and gestures. St. Therese, the Little Flower had a great appreciation and devotion to the Divine Mercy as evidenced in her biography, The Story of a Soul. She encourages us all to follow the "little way" of showing love to others, even those that least deserve it (also know as mercy).

Pope John Paul II, the Great MERCY Pope wrote eloquently about what he called the "feminine genius" in his encyclical entitled On the Dignity of Women. He calls on women in all walks of life to share this genius with the world and comments that St. Teresa Bendedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) felt that all women, mothers and those that are childless have a "spiritual motherhood" to share with the world. He also had a great devotion to the Divine Mercy message and chose St. Faustina as the first Saint of the new millennium.

The Divine Mercy Message is intended as one for the whole world, men, women and children. The primary mission of this blog is:

1. to share the Divine Mercy as revealed to St. Faustina
2. to serve all woman that would like to become a Handmaid of Mercy in thought, action and deed, by allowing God to show us how to live by his will..... and by sharing this message with the world: Jesus I TRUST in you!
3. to educate concerning Divine Mercy through our salvation history, from creation to this point and for all eternity as evidenced in the bible, tradition, and the lives of the saints.

Today, is only my first blog entry, but I hope you all will join me in prayer that this humble little blog will grow and become a source of information and devotion to the Divine Mercy Message. Thanks for stopping by, hope you will come back again.

In His Service,

Mary

The 3:00 Hour of Mercy

The 3:00 Hour

Jesus told Saint Faustina, “I remind you, My daughter, that as often as you hear the clock strike the third hour, immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it; invoke its omnipotence for the whole world, and particularly for poor sinners; for at that moment mercy was opened wide for every soul. . . . try your best to make the Stations of the Cross in this hour” (Diary, 1572).

Why three o’clock?

Well, remember that Scripture tells us that at three o’clock in the afternoon, on the Friday he was crucified, Jesus “gave up his spirit” (Matthew 27:50; see Mark 15:37, Luke 23:46), the “veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:51; see Mark 15:38, Luke 23:45), and that shortly thereafter a soldier thrust his lance into Jesus’ side  and “immediately blood and water flowed out” (John 19:34).

Theologically, this tells us that access to the “Holy of Holies” of the Temple, once limited only to the High Priest behind the veil, was given to every soul when Jesus’ heart was torn at the three o’clock hour. With his Sacred Heart opened wide, Blood and Water—love and purification, the red and white rays of The Divine Mercy—poured forth into a world darkened by sin.

What an awesome gift!

And so, because Christ died for us on a Friday, we should make every Friday into a day of penance and thanksgiving. Spiritual exercises (such as the Stations of the Cross), fasting (this is the origin of the tradition of meatless Fridays), and other practices (see the Catechism of the Catholic Church § 1438, ) join us spiritually with Christ in his unfathomable love for us.

And we should take the time out of our work, every day at three o’clock, to join with that infinite love and mercy without which we would have no work—and no life.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church: 1438 The seasons and days of penance in the course of the liturgical year (Lent, and each Friday in memory of the death of the Lord) are intense moments of the Church’s penitential practice. These times are particularly appropriate for spiritual exercises, penitential liturgies, pilgrimages as signs of penance, voluntary self-denial such as fasting and almsgiving, and fraternal sharing (charitable and missionary works).

Please visit: http://www.chastitysf.com/stations.htm  the source of this wonderful information

Read About Divine Mercy Image

The History of the Divine Mercy Image

In  February 1931. a Polish Nun, Sister Maria Faustina had a revelation in her convent cell. She wrote:

In the evening, when I was in my cell, I saw the Lord Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand (was) raised in the gesture of blessing, the other was touching the garment at the breast. From beneath the garment, slightly drawn aside at the breast, there were emanating two large rays, one red, the other pale. In silence I kept my gaze fixed on the Lord; my soul was struck with awe, but also with great joy. After a while, Jesus said to me, Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature, Jesus I Trust in You. I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and (then) throughout the world. (Diary, 47)

I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish. I also promise victory over (its) enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. I Myself will defend it as My own glory. (Diary, 48)

Faustina was asked by her spiritual director and confessor to ask Jesus what the blue and red rays meant.

During prayer I heard these words within me: The two rays denote Blood and Water. The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous. The red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls...These two rays issued forth from the very depths of My tender mercy when My agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross. These rays shield souls from the wrath of My Father. Happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him. (Diary, 299)