MISSION OF MERCY
By: George W. Kosicki, C.S.B.
THREE O'CLOCK PRAYER FOR MERCY
"<At three o'clock implore My mercy, especially for sinners>; and,
if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion,
particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony. <This is
the hour of great mercy for the whole world>. I will allow you to
enter into My mortal sorrow. In this hour, I will refuse nothing
to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion...
(Diary 1320)."
The Lord asked Sister Faustina to pray especially for sinners at
three o'clock in the afternoon, the moment of His death on the
cross. This is the hour of great mercy for the world, and can be a
moment of reflection on His Passion and Death for us. If possible,
It is a good time to make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament and an
excellent time for making the Stations of the Cross.
"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. In this hour, you can obtain
everything for yourself and for others for the asking; <it was the
hour of grace for the whole world - mercy triumphed over justice>.
My daughter, 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 Blessed Sacrament, My
Heart, which is full of mercy; and should you be unable to step
into the chapel, immerse yourself in prayer there where you happen
to be, if only for a very brief instant. I claim veneration of My
mercy from every creature... (Diary 1572)."
Each day at the Shrine of The Divine Mercy on Eden Hill, in
Stockbridge, Massachusetts, you can hear the bells at three
o'clock, calling people to prayer - a brief moment of prayer while
working or, for those who can, a pause from work to participate in
the special three o'clock prayers at the Shrine.
As the sound of the bells fades away, the leader begins with the
sign of the cross, and together we pray:
You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls,
and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of
Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelope the whole world and
empty Yourself out upon us (Diary 1319).
And then, three times,
"O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus, as
a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You (Diary 84)."
Then follows the recitation of the chaplet with the leader praying
the first half of the Our Father and Hail Mary and all responding
with the second half; then all together reciting the Creed. In
turn, five from those present will each lead a decade:
Leader:
"Eternal Father, I offer you the Body ad Blood,' Soul and Divinity
of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ,
All:
in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world."
<Then we pray ten times>:
Leader:
"For the sake of His sorrowful Passion
All:
have mercy on us and on the whole world."
<At the conclusion of five such decades, we pray together>:
All:
"Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us
and on the whole world." (3 times)
<After the chaplet, two concluding prayers, drawn from Sister
Faustina's Diary are recited>:
LET US PRAY
All:
"Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of
compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your
mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor
become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to
Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself. Amen (Diary 950)."
A PRAYER FOR DIVINE MERCY
All:
"O Greatly Merciful God, Infinite Goodness, today all mankind
calls out from the abyss of its misery to Your mercy - to Your
compassion, O God; and it is with its mighty voice of misery that
it cries out.
Gracious God, do not reject the prayer of this earth's exiles! O
Lord, Goodness beyond our understanding,
Who are acquainted with our misery through and through, and know
that by our own power we cannot ascend to You, we implore You:
anticipate us with Your grace and keep on increasing Your mercy in
us, that we may faithfully do Your holy will all through our life
and at death's hour.
Let the omnipotence of Your mercy shield us from the darts of our
salvation's enemies, that we may with confidence, as Your
children, await Your final coming - that day known to You alone.
And we expect to obtain everything promised us by Jesus in spite
of all our wretchedness. For Jesus is our Hope:
Through His merciful Heart, as through an open gate, we pass
through to heaven (Diary 1570)."
<All of us can take advantage of the tremendous promises of grace
at the three o'clock hour, crying out for mercy on the whole
world>.
Taken from "Thy Kingdom Come", August 1995, Volume 95 No. 5.
(Miracle of the Rosary Mission, Inc. 1444C Highway 1, Thibodaux,
LA 70301-5748) Mission of Mercy is a serialized column excerpted
from the book, Now is the Time for Mercy: Copyright 1993, by
Marian Helpers, Stockbridge, Massachusetts 01263. All rights
reserved. Reprinted with permission. The book Now is the Time for
Mercy, may be ordered from: Marian Helpers, Eden Hill,
Stockbridge, MA 01263, Tel: (1-800-462-7426)
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