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Part I

The Essence of Divine Mercy

When I received Holy Communion, I said to Him, “Jesus, I thought about You so many times last night,” and Jesus answered me, And I thought of you before I called you into being. “Jesus, in what way were You thinking about me?” In terms of admitting you to My eternal happiness. After these words, my soul was flooded with the love of God. I could not stop marveling at how much God loves us. (1292)

If I call creatures into being — that is the abyss of My mercy. (85)

The Spirituality of St. Faustina Kowalska

Today St. Maria Faustina Kowalska is known for her childlike trust in God and as His “Apostle of Mercy” because in the 1930s Our Lord asked her to proclaim His message of mercy to the whole world. And while Sister Faustina never left a series of convents and health-care facilities in pre-World War II Poland — devoting her life to sacrifice, suffering, obedience, and good works for the needy — proclaim it she did.

Following her death of multiple tuberculosis in 1938 at the age of thirty-three, her mission continued through the personal diary she had maintained to record the words of her heavenly visitors — including Jesus and Mary — and, time and again, to return to their message that at the core of God’s love is His mercy.

Now Divine Mercy Sunday is celebrated worldwide on the Second Sunday of Easter. The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is prayed by countless people daily at three in the afternoon, and the Divine Mercy image of Jesus hangs in churches, chapels, and homes around the globe.

What is the message, this spirituality, that has swept through the Catholic Church and into millions of hearts over the last seven-plus decades? It’s this: The essence of Divine Mercy is twofold. First, to totally trust in Christ’s mercy. And second, to show mercy to others, acting as a vessel of God’s mercy.

St. Faustina wanted God’s greatest attribute, His unfathomable mercy, to pass through her heart and to her neighbor. She wrote, saying to God:

[E]ach of Your saints reflects one of Your virtues; I desire to reflect Your compassionate heart, full of mercy; I want to glorify it. Let Your mercy, O Jesus, be impressed upon my heart and soul like a seal, and this will be my badge in this and the future life. Glorifying Your mercy is the exclusive task of my life. (1242)

None of this is to say that the young nun was suddenly infused with a knowledge or understanding of God’s mercy. A more accurate analogy would be that God accepted her into the “School of Mercy” and there — by praying and meditating, studying Scripture and Church teaching, remaining obedient to her religious vows, suffering ever-increasing health challenges, and always being open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit — class by class, grade by grade, she grew in the wisdom and reality of God’s mercy.

St. Faustina also came to know God’s infinite mercy by her keen observation of Our Lady, the lives of the saints, biblical men and women, and of her daily life. In time, this included a living relationship with the angels and the souls in purgatory. In time, she came to feel and appreciate God’s mercy in everything: “[W]hatever there is of good in me is Yours, O Lord” (237).

During this period, her mercy toward others deepened as she immersed herself in the Eucharist and Sacrament of Reconciliation. Jesus said to her: “[T]he strength by which you bear sufferings comes from frequent Communions. So approach this fountain of mercy often, to draw with the vessel of trust whatever you need” (1487).

We can emulate St. Faustina’s tender devotion to the holy souls in our daily lives by frequenting the sacraments, developing a strong prayer life (especially the Rosary, the Way of the Cross, and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy), and visiting Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.

Needless to say, all this can seem daunting. Perhaps it helps to think that God has invited us to join His “School of Mercy.”

Then, too, we need to remember that, as St. Faustina teaches, mercy is not found in great deeds but great love. The more we trust in Jesus, the more we’ll be open to receive God’s love and mercy.

A Morning Offering

[D]o what You will with me, O Jesus; I will adore You in everything. May Your will be done in me, O my Lord and my God, and I will praise Your infinite mercy. (78)

Today, Dear Lord, help me see others through Your eyes, through the eyes of mercy. Help me do what You ask me to do. May my words and deeds bring them comfort and hope, and may what I do — in Your name — bring souls in purgatory closer to life eternal with You. Amen.

A Prayer of Surrender to God

O Jesus, I want to live in the present moment, to live as if this were the last day of my life. I want to use every moment scrupulously for the greater glory of God, to use every circumstance for the benefit of my soul. I want to look upon everything, from the point of view that nothing happens without the will of God. God of unfathomable mercy, embrace the whole world and pour Yourself out upon us through the merciful Heart of Jesus. (1183)

Heavenly Father, forgive me for getting lost in worrying about the future or trapped in stewing over the past. You offer me Your mercy here and now, to be received and shared here and now. Please, Lord, help me do that. Amen.

A Litany of Mercy for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Most merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said that You desire mercy; so I bring into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls in Purgatory, souls who are very dear to You, and yet, who must make retribution to Your justice. May the streams of Blood and Water which gushed forth from Your Heart put out the flames of the purifying fire, that in that place, too, the power of Your mercy may be praised. (1227)

Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for the sins of the souls in purgatory. Lord, have mercy.

For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on the souls in purgatory. Christ, have mercy.

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on the souls in purgatory. Lord, have mercy.

For those who have died, we pray:

For members of my family,

through the mercy of God may they rest in peace.

For my friends, neighbors, and fellow parishioners …

For the priests who administered the sacraments to me …

For the religious men and women who were a part of my life …

For my teachers, counselors, and mentors …

For my schoolmates and workmates …

through the mercy of God may they rest in peace.

For the doctors, nurses, and all health workers who gave me care …

For those who harmed me in any way …

For those I harmed …

For those who on earth prayed for me …

For those now in purgatory who are praying for me …

For every soul in purgatory, each one Your beloved son or daughter …

Welcome them into heaven, Dear Lord, where the perpetual light of Your mercy will shine upon them forever. Amen.

Purgatory in the Eyes of St. Faustina: Twelve Daily Meditations

Recall loved ones who have died and, in a spirit of true charity, keep in mind other departed souls who have no one on earth to pray for them. Reflect on the reality of purgatory and those who, though so close to heaven, must still prepare to enter it.

Pray for them!

Begin each day of the meditations with this prayer:

St. Faustina’s Prayer for a Merciful Heart

O Jesus, I understand that Your mercy is beyond all imagining, and therefore I ask You to make my heart so big that there will be room in it for the needs of all the souls living on the face of the earth. O Jesus, my love extends beyond the world, to the souls suffering in purgatory, and I want to exercise mercy toward them by means of indulgenced prayers. God’s mercy is unfathomable and inexhaustible, just as God Himself is unfathomable. Even if I were to use the strongest words there are to express this mercy of God, all this would be nothing in comparison with what it is in reality. O Jesus, make my heart sensitive to all the sufferings of my neighbor, whether of body or of soul. O my Jesus, I know that You act toward us as we act toward our neighbor.

My Jesus, make my heart like unto Your merciful Heart. Jesus, help me to go through life doing good to everyone. (692)

Day One

St. Faustina’s request on the day of her perpetual vows:

Jesus, I know that today You will refuse me nothing. … Jesus, I plead with You for the souls that are most in need of prayer. I plead for the dying; be merciful to them. I also beg You, Jesus, to free all souls from purgatory. (240)

Reflection: Our Lord wants us to pray with zeal and fervor, to ASK BIG, to BE BOLD. We, too, can ask Our Lord to empty purgatory every day. Let us ask more than we dare. Let us be BOLD in our asking. Let us give these suffering souls to Our Lord year-round. Whom do you miss the most? Have a Mass offered for them. The Mass is the most powerful means to help the holy souls.

O immense Passion, O profound Wounds, O most bitter Death, O Most Precious Blood, O Sweetness above all sweetness, give them eternal rest. Amen.

Day Two

Before All Souls’ Day, I went to the cemetery at dusk. Although it was locked, I managed to open the gate a bit and said, “If you need something, my dear little souls, I will be glad to help you to the extent that the rule permits me.” I then heard these words, “Do the will of God; we are happy in the measure that we have fulfilled God’s will.” (518) I became introspective and reflected for a long time on how I am fulfilling God’s will and how I am profiting from the time that God has given me. (515)

Reflection: There is no rebellion in purgatory. The souls there — having their wills perfectly conformed to the will of God and partaking of His goodness — remain satisfied with their condition. The holy souls live in perfect harmony with the will of God. What He wills for them is what gives them joy. At the same time, they “suffer” because they have seen God but, for a time, the Beatific Vision is taken from them. For this reason, the holy souls want us to go directly to heaven. How? Imitate St. Faustina: Do the will of God in the present moment.

O immense Passion, O profound Wounds, O most bitter Death, O Most Precious Blood, O Sweetness above all sweetness, give them eternal rest. Amen.

Day Three

It was at that time that I asked the Lord for whom else should I pray for. Jesus said that on the following night He would let me know for whom I should pray.

[The next night] I saw my Guardian Angel, who ordered me to follow him. In a moment I was in a misty place full of fire in which there was a great crowd of suffering souls. They were praying fervently, but to no avail, for themselves; only we can come to their aid. The flames which were burning them did not touch me at all. My Guardian Angel did not leave me for an instant. I asked these souls what their greatest suffering was. They answered me in one voice that their greatest torment was longing for God. I saw Our Lady visiting the souls in Purgatory. The souls call her “The Star of the Sea.” She brings them refreshment. I wanted to talk with them some more, but my Guardian Angel beckoned me to leave. We went out of that prison of suffering. [I heard an interior voice] which said, My mercy does not want this, but justice demands it. Since that time I am in closer communion with the suffering souls. (20)

Look to the Star

It isn’t just the souls in purgatory that turn to “The Star of the Sea” but those of us still on earth, too.” In the twelfth century, St. Bernard of Clairvaux wrote:

If the winds of temptation arise;

If you are driven upon the rocks of tribulation look to the star, call on Mary;

If you are tossed upon the waves of pride, of ambition, of envy, of rivalry, look to the star, call on Mary.

Should anger, or avarice, or fleshly desire violently assail the frail vessel of your soul, look at the star, call upon Mary.

Reflection: The angels are active in purgatory consoling the holy souls, and inspiring friends and relatives to offer a Mass and practice good deeds for their dearly departed. The angels tell those in purgatory who, on earth, is praying for them. Later, they escort the souls to heaven with the speed of lightning. Have a great devotion to your guardian angels. Ask their help to purify your soul here on earth. Their charge is to get you home to heaven. They are intent obtaining all the graces and favors from God for your eternal welfare.

The Blessed Virgin fulfills her role as Mediatrix of Mercy. God distributes His mercies through her. She exercises her maternal role to the holy souls in purgatory by bringing them refreshment and hastening their release. Entrust your life to Mary, the most holy Star of the Sea, so she may lead you to Jesus.

O immense Passion, O profound Wounds, O most bitter Death, O Most Precious Blood, O Sweetness above all sweetness, give them eternal rest. Amen.

Day Four

On April 29, 1926, the soul of Sister Henry, who had recently died, asked St. Faustina to have one Mass offered for her and say the Eternal Rest Prayer three times for her. After St. Faustina had done that, Sister Henry’s soul returned and said with gratitude, “May God repay you” (21).

Reflection: Devotion to the holy souls in purgatory isn’t some sort of “extra” Christian charity. (We certainly wouldn’t feel that way if we were in our neighbor’s place there!) Not just a responsibility, it’s a God-given honor and a privilege for all of us, young and old alike. And our Heavenly Father, who sees what we’re doing to help the souls, will reward us with more graces and blessings than we can even imagine. No one can outdo the generosity of God.

O immense Passion, O profound Wounds, O most bitter Death, O Most Precious Blood, O Sweetness above all sweetness, give them eternal rest. Amen.

Day Five

After Vespers today, there was a procession to the cemetery. I could not go, because I was on duty at the gate. But that did not stop me at all from praying for the souls. As the procession was returning from the cemetery to the chapel, my soul felt the presence of many souls. I understood the great justice of God, how each one had to pay off the debt to the last cent. (1375) Most Merciful Heart of Jesus, protect us from the just anger of God. (1526) O Jesus, shield me with Your mercy and also judge me leniently, or else Your justice may rightly damn me. (1093)

Reflection: It is God’s burning love, His longing for the holy souls, that creates their longing for Him. They burn for love of Him. Hearts flame for love of Him. They have an unquenchable thirst, an unspeakable yearning for Him, a “heartsickness” for Him. This is the essence of purgatory.

O immense Passion, O profound Wounds, O most bitter Death, O Most Precious Blood, O Sweetness above all sweetness, give them eternal rest. Amen.

Day Six

One evening, one of the deceased sisters, who had already visited me a few times, appeared to me. The first time I had seen her, she had been in great suffering, and then gradually these sufferings had diminished; this time she was radiant with happiness, and she told me she was already in heaven. … And further as a sign that she only now was in heaven, God would bless our house. Then she came closer to me, embraced me sincerely and said, “I must go now.” I understood how closely the three stages of a soul’s life are bound together; that is to say, life on earth, in purgatory and in heaven [the Communion of Saints]. (594)

[H]ow very easy it is to become holy; all that is needed is a bit of good will. If Jesus sees this little bit of good will in the soul, He hurries to give Himself to the soul, and nothing can stop Him, neither shortcomings nor falls — absolutely nothing. (291) May you be blessed, O God, for everything You send me. Nothing under the sun happens without Your will. (1208)

“… God loves in a special way those whom we love.” (1438)

Reflection: The holy souls in purgatory can no longer sin. They can no longer offend God. They want us to become saints. The saints experienced stress, temptations, and struggles. However, the saints became holy with these crosses. Choosing God is how we become holy. Prayer redirects our will. Aligning our life with the will of God will lead us directly to heaven.

O immense Passion, O profound Wounds, O most bitter Death, O Most Precious Blood, O Sweetness above all sweetness, give them eternal rest. Amen.

Day Seven

One night, a sister who had died two months previously came to me…. I saw her in a terrible condition. … A shudder went through my soul because I did not know whether she was suffering in purgatory or in hell. Nevertheless, I redoubled my prayers for her. The next night she came again, but I saw her in an even more horrible state … and despair was written all over her face. I was astonished to see her in a worse condition after the prayers I had offered for her, and I asked, “Haven’t my prayers helped you?” She answered that my prayers had not helped her and that nothing would help her. I said to her, “And the prayers which the whole community has offered for you, have they not been any help to you?” She said no, that these prayers had helped some other souls. I replied, “If my prayers are not helping you, Sister, please stop coming to me.” She disappeared at once. Despite this, I kept on praying.

After some time she came back again to me during the night, but already her appearance had changed … her face was radiant, her eyes beaming with joy. She told me I had a true love for my neighbor and that many other souls had profited from my prayers. She urged me not to cease praying for the souls in purgatory, and she added that she herself would not remain there much longer. How astounding are the decrees of God! (58)

Reflection: We need the urgings of the holy souls, and we need grace. When we show compassion to them, the holy souls with their powerful influence will never fail us. Above all, they come to your aid in the salvation of your soul and relief in the agonies of death before God’s judgment seat. Double up on your acts of charity for the suffering souls. What we give comes back beyond belief. Become their deliverers and they will become your powerful intercessors forever.

O immense Passion, O profound Wounds, O most bitter Death, O Most Precious Blood, O Sweetness above all sweetness, give them eternal rest. Amen.

Day Eight

The mercy of the Lord is praised by the holy souls in heaven who have themselves experienced that infinite mercy. What these souls do in heaven, I already will begin to do here on earth. I will praise God for His infinite goodness, and I will strive to bring other souls to know and glorify the inexpressible and incomprehensible mercy of God. (753)

Reflection: Purgatory is not just doctrinal, it’s also pastoral because it provides hope and healing. All that is part of the Gospel and that’s good news. Pass it on!

O immense Passion, O profound Wounds, O most bitter Death, O Most Precious Blood, O Sweetness above all sweetness, give them eternal rest. Amen.

Day Nine

July 9, 1937. This evening, one of the deceased sisters came and asked me for one day of fasting and to offer all my [spiritual] exercises on that day for her. I answered that I would. (1185) From early morning on the following day, I offered everything for her intention. During Holy Mass, I had a brief experience of her torment. I experienced such intense hunger for God that I seemed to be dying of the desire to become united with Him. This lasted only a short time, but I understood what the longing of the souls in purgatory was like. (1186) This day, my spirit was set aflame with special love for the Eucharist. It seemed to me that I was transformed into a blazing fire. (160)

Reflection: Even before St. Faustina entered the community, she acquired from her employers the right to attend Mass, go to confession, and visit the sick and dying. Her austere lifestyle included exhaustive fasting.

To appease God’s anger and obtain His mercy for the sins committed against the Lord, Moses observed a fast for forty days and nights. We’re invited to follow Moses and fast and pray for the relief of the suffering souls. Fasting shows solidarity with them. They’re not alone or forgotten. Fasting also persuades others to help them. Fasting creates a link between the living and the dead. To release the holy souls from the anguish of purgatory, fast for them. This is a perfect act of love to end their anguish. Fasting is a key to God’s heart and mercy!

O immense Passion, O profound Wounds, O most bitter Death, O Most Precious Blood, O Sweetness above all sweetness, give them eternal rest. Amen.

Catholic Teaching on Fasting

“The Gospels speak of a time of solitude for Jesus in the desert immediately after his baptism by John. Driven by the Spirit into the desert, Jesus remains there for forty days without eating” (Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC] 538).

“By the solemn forty days of Lent the Church unites herself each year to the mystery of Jesus in the desert” (CCC 540).

“The interior penance of the Christian can be expressed in many and various ways. Scripture and the Fathers insist above all on three forms, fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, which express conversion in relation to oneself, to God, and to others” (CCC 1434).

“The fourth precept [of the Church] (‘You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church’) ensures the times of ascesis [self-discipline] and penance which prepare us for the liturgical feasts and help us acquire mastery over our instincts and freedom of heart” (CCC 2043).

Day Ten

When I had gone to the chapel for a moment, the Lord gave me to know that, among His chosen ones, there are some who are especially chosen, and whom He calls to a higher form of holiness, to exceptional union with Him. These are seraphic souls, from whom God demands greater love than He does from others. … Such a soul understands this call because God makes this known to it interiorly, but the soul may either follow this call or not. … I have learned that there is a place in purgatory where souls will pay their debt to God for such transgressions; this kind of torment is the most difficult of all. The soul which is specially marked by God will be distinguished everywhere, whether in heaven or in purgatory or in hell. In heaven, it will be distinguished from other souls by greater glory and radiance and deeper knowledge of God. In purgatory, by greater pain, because it knows God more profoundly and desires Him more vehemently. In hell, it will suffer more profoundly than other souls, because it knows more fully whom it has lost. This indelible mark of God’s exclusive love, in the [soul], will not be obliterated. (1556)

Reflection: The religious and clergy have more means of meriting and expiating their daily faults during life. The most abandoned souls are clergy and consecrated religious. We tend to canonize our religious and leave off too soon our prayers for them. God bestowed special graces to these souls. A more faithful cooperation was demanded. Our prayers are critical for these chosen souls.

O immense Passion, O profound Wounds, O most bitter Death, O Most Precious Blood, O Sweetness above all sweetness, give them eternal rest. Amen.

Day Eleven

I sometimes talk too much. A thing could be settled in one or two words, and as for me, I take too much time about it. But Jesus wants me to use that time to say some short indulgenced prayers for the souls in purgatory. And the Lord says that every word will be weighed on the day of judgment. (274)

Oh, how good it is to call on Jesus for help during a conversation. Oh, how good it is, during a moment of peace, to beg for actual graces. … [T]here is need of much divine light at times like this, in order to speak with profit, both for the other person’s soul, and for one’s own as well. God, however, comes to our aid; but we have to ask Him for it. Let no one trust too much in his own self. (1495)

There is life, but there is also death in the tongue. Sometimes we kill with the tongue: we commit real murders. And we are still to regard that as a small thing?… O my silent Jesus, have mercy on us! (119)

Reflection: Jesus said this to St. Faustina about a talkative soul: “I find no rest in such a soul. The constant din tires Me, and in the midst of it the soul cannot discern My voice” (1008). Take time to keep silent throughout the day.

O immense Passion, O profound Wounds, O most bitter Death, O Most Precious Blood, O Sweetness above all sweetness, give them eternal rest. Amen.

Day Twelve

Once I was summoned to the judgment [seat] of God. I stood alone before the Lord. Jesus appeared such as we know Him during His Passion. After a moment, His wounds disappeared except for five, those in His hands, His feet and His side. Suddenly I saw the complete condition of my soul as God sees it. I could clearly see all that is displeasing to God. I did not know that even the smallest transgressions will have to be accounted for. What a moment! Who can describe it? To stand before the Thrice-Holy God! (36)

Reflection: Blessed Michael Sopocko, spiritual director of St. Faustina, echoes:

The souls in purgatory are certain of their salvation, know the state of their soul, are confirmed in good, and love the merciful God. All this affords them great relief in their suffering. Their knowledge of the infinite holiness of God and of their own unworthiness to behold God is great, and prompts them to bear their sufferings willingly and with utter abandonment to the will of God, since these sufferings are the means of their purification and satisfaction for their sins. Moved by contrition the souls in purgatory would rather not go to heaven than stand before God without their wedding garments. They cannot help themselves, and their only relief is God’s mercy which awakens the Christians on earth to make sacrifices for them. (God Is Mercy, pp. 90-91)

O immense Passion, O profound Wounds, O most bitter Death, O Most Precious Blood, O Sweetness above all sweetness, give them eternal rest. Amen.

An Examination of Conscience Based on the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy

Jesus told St. Faustina:

[W]rite this for the many souls who are often worried because they do not have the material means with which to carry out an act of mercy. Yet spiritual mercy, which requires neither permissions nor storehouses, is much more meritorious and is within the grasp of every soul. If a soul does not exercise mercy somehow or other, it will not obtain My mercy on the day of judgment. Oh, if only souls knew how to gather eternal treasure for themselves, they would not be judged, for they would forestall My judgment with their mercy. (1317)

The spirituality of St. Faustina’s order, the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, included the apostolate of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Each of those works can be a way for us to assist the suffering souls.