Thursday, March 24, 2011

Meditation for Hour of Mercy



Oh Jesus, Your Pierced Heart is the Ocean of infinite Mercy from which Your Blood and Water so generously emanate over us – Your Blood that set us free from our sins and You Water that purifies and enlivens our hearts. You are the open fountain of Salvation in which we desire to submerge ourselves, so that we may be transformed by the redemptive power of Your Mercy.

Jesus, in this image of Your Merciful Heart revealed to Saint Faustina, You have offered us a vessel through which we can come to the fountain of Mercy to receive without limit your abundant graces of conversion, healing and redemption.

Oh Jesus, I trust in You! To You I entrust my entire life, my heart, my fears, my fragilities, my dreams, and all the sufferings of my body as well as the most intimate sufferings of my heart and soul.

I trust in You, oh Divine Mercy! You, Who see my weakness with compassionate eyes; You, Who lift up my misery with the power of Your Love; You, Who give life to my unfruitfulness and Who trust in me in spite of my failings.

In You, I trust! You Who calm the tempests of the soul and the great storms that violently assail the ship of our lives, families, communities, nations and the entire world. In You, Jesus, I entrust the past that in so many ways crushes us; the present that causes much anxiety; and the future that often times we face with anguish.

Oh, Merciful Heart! In your Sacred Wound we hide, finding our refuge and our rest… our everlasting peace. In the unfathomable Ocean of Your Heart, we sinners submerge ourselves today, awaiting with confidence the greatest gift of Your Love for humanity: Your Mercy.Amen

Pray Daily the Chaplet of Seven Sorrow



We start with an Act of contrition :

O my Lord, Thou who alone art most worthy of my love, behold me standing before Thy Divine Presence all in confusion at the thought of the many grievous injuries I have done Thee.
I ask Thy pardon for them with my whole heart, repenting of them purely for love of Thee, and hating and loathing them above every other evil of this life, when I think of Thy infinite goodness.
As I would rather have died a thousand times than have offended Thee, so now I am most firmly resolved to lose my life rather than offend Thee again.
My crucified Jesus, I firmly purpose to cleanse my soul as soon as possible by Thy most Precious Blood in the Sacrament of Penance.
And thou, most tender Virgin, Mother of Mercy and Refuge of sinners, do thou obtain for me the pardon of sin by virtue of thy bitter pains; whilst praying according to the mind of so many holy Pontiffs in order to obtain the indulgences granted to this thy holy Rosary, I hope thereby to obtain remission of all pains due to my sins. Amen

Make the sign of the cross. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

1. The first sword of sorrow to pierce Mary's heart was the Prophecy of Holy Simeon when Mary and Joseph presented Jesus in the temple.

I compassionate thee, sorrowing Mary, in the affliction of thy tender heart when the holy old man Simeon prophesied to thee. Dear Mother, by thy heart then so afflicted, obtain for me the virtue of humility and the gift of holy fear of God.

Pray the Our Father. Reflect on the first sorrow while saying seven Hail Marys.

2. The second sword of sorrow to pierce Mary's heart was the Flight into Egypt. An angel of the Lord told Joseph to take the Holy Family to Egypt to flee from Herod

I compassionate thee, sorrowing Mary, in the anxiety which thy sensitive heart underwent in the flight to and sojourn in Egypt. Dear Mother, by thy heart which was then made so anxious, obtain for me the virtue of liberality, specially towards the poor, and the gift of piety.

Pray the Our Father. Reflect on the second sorrow while saying seven Hail Marys.

3. The third sword of sorrow to pierce Mary's heart was Three-day Separation from Jesus in Jerusalem .

I compassionate thee, sorrowing Mary, in the trouble of thy careful heart when thou didst lose thy dear Son Jesus. Dear Mother, by thy heart then so troubled, obtain for me the virtue of holy chastity and the gift of knowledge

Pray the Our Father. Reflect on the third sorrow while saying seven Hail Marys.

4. The fourth sword of sorrow to pierce Mary's heart was Meeting Christ on the Road to Calvary .

I compassionate thee, sorrowing Mary, in the shock thy maternal heart underwent when Jesus met thee as He carried His cross. Dear Mother, by thy loving heart then so overwhelmed, obtain for me the virtue of patience and the gift of fortitude.

Pray the Our Father. Reflect on the fourth sorrow while saying seven Hail Marys.

5. The fifth sword of sorrow to pierce Mary's heart was the Crucifixion and Death of Jesus Christ .

I compassionate thee, sorrowing Mary, in the martyrdom thy generous heart bore so nobly whilst thou didst stand by Jesus in His agony. Dear Mother, by thy heart then so martyred, obtain for me the virtue of temperance and the gift of counsel.

Pray the Our Father. Reflect on the fifth sorrow while saying seven Hail Marys.

6. The sixth sword of sorrow to pierce Mary's heart was Our Lord is Taken Down from the Cross (Pieta) Mary could see all his wounds up close.

I Compassionate thee, sorrowing Mary, in the wound of thy tender heart when the sacred Side of Jesus was pierced with the lance. Dear Mother, by thy heart then so transfixed, obtain for me the virtue of fraternal charity and the gift of understanding

Pray the Our Father. Reflect on the sixth sorrow while saying seven Hail Marys.


7. The seventh sword of sorrow to pierce Mary's heart was Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is Buried in the Tomb contemplate her following His sacred body, as it was borne by Joseph of Arimathea, and Nicodemus, to the sepulcher, enclosed there, and hidden from her sight. .

I compassionate thee, sorrowing Mary, in the pang felt by thy loving heart when the Body of Jesus was buried in the grave. Dear Mother, by all the bitterness of desolation thou didst then experience, obtain for me the virtue of diligence and the gift of wisdom.

Pray the Our Father. Reflect on the seventh sorrow while saying seven Hail Marys.

In the end of the chaplet we pray three Hail Marys in honor the tears Mary shed, and ask her to help in achieving true contrition for your sins.

Pray one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be, for the intentions of the Pope.

"Pray for us, O most Sorrowful Virgin.- That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen."

The closing prayer, "Lord Jesus, we now implore, both for the present and for the hour of our death, the intercession of the most Blessed Virgin Mary, your Mother, whose holy soul was pierced at the time of your Passion by a sword of grief. Grant us this favor, O Savior of the world, Who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen."

We shall end the Chaplet with the sign of the cross. Amen

Eternal Father, I offer You the most precious blood of thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, for those in my own home and in my family. Amen