At the canonization of St. Faustina in 2000, Pope John Paul II reflected that the message of mercy Sister Faustina imparted stood like a “bridge” between the 20th century (one of the most violent in human history) and the third millennium (Pope John Paul II, Mass for the Canonization of Sister Mary Faustina Kowalska). St. Faustina, a polish nun, was gifted with mystical visions of our Lord Jesus. Her diary records her dialogue with Jesus as He proclaimed His message of mercy.

1. “'Proclaim that mercy is the greatest attribute of God. All the works of My hands are crowned with mercy.'” (No. 301)*

This quote sums up the entirety of St. Faustina’s message. How often do we ponder God’s greatest attribute? In our lives we always hope that people see us at our best. We pose for pictures by turning our good side to the camera. Do we try to hide our unsightly sins from God? He is an all-powerful God, Who is Truth, Beauty, and Justice; yet His greatest attribute is mercy. Mercy is the side He most wants all of us to see! Go to Him in your trials as well as your failures—His mercy heals and saves. It is our only path.

2. “'My daughter, have fear of nothing; I am always with you.  All your adversaries will harm you only to the degree that I permit them to do so.  You are my dwelling place and my constant repose.  For your sake I will withhold the hand which punishes; for your sake I bless the earth.'”  (No. 431)

It is so easy to be frustrated with our circumstances.  Our enemies hate us, and it seems religious liberty is continually losing ground in our country.  However, we must remember that God has already been the victor over death, and he still is in control.

3. “The Lord said to me, ‘The loss of each soul plunges Me into mortal sadness.  You always console Me when you pray for sinners.  The prayer most pleasing to Me is prayer for the conversion of sinners.  Know, My daughter, that this prayer is always heard and answered.’” (No. 1397)

Praying for the conversion of sinners is one of the greatest things we can do.  Each night, our family prays the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and we pray petitions beforehand for friends and family members that need our prayers.  I encourage you to find a time in your day to pray for the conversion of sinners as well.

4. “Jesus: ‘My child, life on earth is a struggle indeed; a great struggle for my kingdom.  But fear not, because you are not alone.  I am always supporting you, so lean on Me as you struggle, fearing nothing.  Take the vessel of trust and draw from the fountain of life – for yourself, but also for other souls, especially such as are distrustful of My goodness.’” (No. 1488)

Life on this earth is about learning to know and love God so we can be with Him in heaven.  This is not an easy task.  However, Jesus is here to support us.  We need to trust in him each and every day, no matter how difficult the circumstances.  Personally, I find it easier to trust God in the big things—like a serious illness, versus my small everyday problems.  However, God is with us always, in the small struggles just as much as the big struggles.

5. “All grace flows from mercy, and the last hour abounds with mercy for us.  Let no one doubt concerning the goodness of God; even if a person’s sins were as dark as night, God’s mercy is stronger than our misery.  One thing alone is necessary; that the sinner set ajar the door of his heart, be it ever so little, to let in a ray of God’s merciful grace, and then God will do the rest.” (No. 1507)

Every time we participate in the sacraments, God pours forth “a ray” of His “merciful grace”.  This summer, I encourage you to seek more opportunities to “set ajar the door” to your heart by participating more frequently in the sacraments. Consider attending daily Mass or receiving the sacrament of Confession more often.  Through God’s mercy, the sacraments give us grace to become better people.

 6. “Today the Lord said to me, ‘Daughter, when you go to confession, to this fountain of My mercy, the Blood and Water which came forth from My Heart always flows down upon your soul and ennobles it.  Every time you go to confession, immerse yourself entirely in My mercy, with great trust, so that I may pour the bounty of My grace upon your soul.  When you approach the confessional, know this, that I Myself am waiting there for you.  I am only hidden by the priest, but I Myself act in your soul.  Here the misery of the soul meets the God of mercy.  Tell souls that from this fount of mercy souls draw graces solely with the vessel of trust.  If their trust is great, there is no limit to My generosity.  The torrents of grace inundate humble souls.  The proud remain always in poverty and misery, because My grace turns away from them to humble souls.’” (No. 1602)

The sacrament of Confession is such a great gift!  So many ask why we must confess our sins to a priest, but in Confession we truly come face to face with Jesus incarnate, “hidden in the priest.” Jesus enfleshed meets us in a truly human moment. He once more enters the physical world. We hear the sound of His voice in the words of absolution. “I absolve you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” In a single moment our relationship to God is restored, and we are welcomed by our community of His children here on earth.

Moreover, through God’s mercy, if we humbly confess our sins and desire to change, we are fully forgiven of all of our sins!  Not only do we leave the confessional forgiven, but God’s grace received from the sacrament helps us to become better people and can give us the courage and ability to turn away from our sins.

7. “'Oh how much I am hurt by a soul’s distrust! Such a soul professes that I am Holy and Just, but does not believe that I am Mercy and does not trust in My Goodness. Even the devils believe in My Justice, but do not glorify My Goodness. My Heart rejoices in this title of Mercy.'” (No. 300)

A major step forward in the Christian life is a true belief that we have been forgiven. It takes very little faith to believe in a God of justice only, mercy requires much more power. To doubt God’s power to forgive is to believe in only a very small God. Even the devil can accept God’s justice; it is God’s mercy which the devil cannot fathom. How often do we carry the burden of our sins even after receiving the Sacrament of Confession. We must always remember that our God is powerful enough to forgive sins! Even my sins!

8. “I realize more and more how much every soul needs God’s mercy throughout life and particularly at the hour of death.  This chaplet (of Divine Mercy) mitigates God’s anger, as He Himself told me.”  (No. 1036)

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is a very simple but powerful prayer.  All of us need God’s mercy, without His mercy we are nothing and would sin even more than we do right now. Consider saying the Divine Mercy Chaplet more often, with your family if possible—it's not a long prayer!

9. “Then I heard the words, ‘I am glad you behaved like My true daughter.  Be always merciful as I am merciful.  Love everyone out of love for Me, even your greatest enemies, so that My mercy may be fully reflected in your heart.’” (No. 1695)

Recently, I found out someone had gravely wronged me financially in a situation that could cost hundreds of dollars to rectify.  I became very angry and frustrated.  As I worked to resolve the situation, I realized I needed to pray for this person, and forgive them.  Thankfully, a reasonable outcome was able to be reached.  How do we show mercy to our enemies?

10. “When once I asked the Lord Jesus how He could tolerate so many sins and crimes and not punish them, the Lord answered me, ‘I have an eternity for punishing [these], and so I am prolonging the time of mercy for the sake of [sinners]. But woe to them if they do not recognize the time of My visitation.’” (No. 1160)

Jesus is constantly extending the opportunity for mercy. Going so far as to actually extend time to give us additional opportunities to repent; still our actions here on earth have eternal consequence. Whether by natural death or other causes, our opportunity to turn to Jesus is limited. “I call heaven and earth today to witness against you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life…” (Deuteronomy 30:19) It is essential that we seize the day and recognize the opportunity in front of us.

*All quotes taken from The Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska

Do you trust in God's mercy?