The Church, Coronavirus, and Confidence in Jesus

You've probably seen the inscription, "Jesus, I trust in You" at the bottom of the Divine Mercy Image. Jesus specifically asked for this to be placed on the image. He told St. Faustina that His image is:

"...a vessel with which they are to keep coming for graces to the fountain of mercy. That vessel is this image with the signature: 'Jesus, I trust in you.'" (Diary 327)

St. Faustina received the Image of Divine Mercy from Jesus in 1931. Her diaries containing her conversations with Our Lord and Our Lady have been in existence for about a century now. Yet, many faithful Catholics don't know much about Divine Mercy, much less the outpouring of graces that come with it. This is important, because, in our present time, we desperately need all the graces the Lord deigns to pour out on us.

A Time for Salvation--A Time for Mercy

St. Paul tells us, "Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation," (2 Cor 6:2). He's urging us to not neglect the graces God gives us. In a similar fashion, Our Lord told St. Faustina that now is the time of mercy, and when we appeal to Him in our misery, we give Him great delight. He is only too happy to open up the abyss of His mercy for us. Jesus makes it clear that this time of mercy precedes a coming time of justice. It's up to us to decide which we will receive from Him:

"...before I come as a just Judge, I first open wide the door of My mercy. He who refuses to pass through the door of My mercy must pass through the door of My justice." (Diary 1146)

This seems to be pretty clear--are we open to His mercy, that is, to His graces, or not? If so, how do we demonstrate our openness and our trust in Him?

Jesus, I Trust In You--Or Do I?

Jesus wants to provide us with a plan for peace--within our souls, within our families, countries and the world. But we have to be open to His mercy for this to happen. We need to come to Him in prayer and supplication, with trust in His mercy. As I write this piece, there's widespread concern over the coronavirus. Some believe it may be a pandemic. Others are not sure. Some cite statistics showing it's as deadly as the early 20th century Spanish Flu that took the lives of two young Fatima visionaries. Others don't believe it's a huge risk for anyone except the very young and/or the elderly, and those with compromised health to begin with.  Yet others believe that much is being made of it for political purposes in this, an election year.

In the U.S. more attention recently has been given in the Church to hygiene issues. For example, parishes have promoted using waterless hand sanitizer before distributing Communion, and distributing Communion only under the species of the Sacred Host, received in the hand. Meanwhile in Rome and throughout Italy, the Italian bishops apparently have discontinued public celebration of Mass for about a month. The Archdiocese of Seattle, and all Colorado dioceses recently suspended all public Mass celebrations as well. 

However, when we discontinue public Mass celebrations, is that a display of prudence, or is it a display of distrust? It seems that precisely at times like this, we should be encouraging one another to attend Mass, to receive Holy Communion, and to pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Now is the time to pray communally to God for atonement, and for the sick and the dying. This is not the time to send people away. That does not indicate a deeply held commitment to "Jesus, I trust in You." Nor does it help unite the faithful in prayer to God for his merciful love and help. The head of the Polish bishops' conference has suggested that more Masses be offered, not fewer--I believe he has the right idea. 

Divine Mercy - The Mission of Saint Faustina

During a recent retreat conducted by Mary Braun-Payne, my wife and I learned about Helena Kowalska. The future Saint Faustina felt a calling to the religious life at the tender age of seven. One of ten children in a poor Polish family, some years later, she told her parents about her desire to enter a convent. They did not approve. When she was 19 years of age, though, Jesus appeared to her in a vision. He asked her how much longer she would keep putting Him off. That sealed it. She began a search for an order to join. After being turned down seven times, the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy accepted her. She took the name Sister Maria Faustina and began a life of deep prayer and asceticism.

After only 13 years of contemplative prayer, visions, revelations and hidden stigmata, she succumbed to tuberculosis. She was only 33 years old at the time. In that short time, Jesus gave her an important mission--to make known His unfathomable Divine Mercy. This she accomplished through her diary wherein she recorded her conversations with Our Lord and Our Lady. The diary includes Jesus' explanation of His Divine Mercy, together with instructions for praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Jesus gave the Chaplet of Divine Mercy devotion to St. Faustina as a prayer of atonement (Diary 474-476). This brief devotional only takes about seven to ten minutes to pray it piously.

The Power of the Chaplet

The chaplet will change our lives and the lives of those for whom we pray. In her diary, St. Faustina speaks of the power of the Chaplet,

"And the Lord let me know that everything can be obtained by means of this prayer." (Diary 1128) [Emphasis added by author]

That being the case, what do we really mean when we say, "Jesus, I trust in You"? It seems that we have an arsenal of weapons at our disposal right here, right now. Whether we believe that we're in the throes of a serious pandemic or the recipients of hyperbolic reporting and reaction driven by politics, Mother Mary has given us the brown scapular, the Rosary and the Five First Saturdays. Jesus has given us this Chaplet.

Why is there not a global, or at least a coast-to-coast, movement to employ all these spiritual weapons, together with fasting and other acts of penance? Jesus said "everything" can be obtained by means of the Chaplet. That probably would include abatement and elimination of a virus and other serious problems. So, where is our Church leadership in all of this? We, as an institution, seemingly are focusing on some defensive measures, and perhaps with good reason. However, It is time to employ offensive tactics as well.

Offensive Tactic: Pray the Chaplet for the Sick and the Dying

Jesus told St. Faustina that, if we pray the Chaplet with trust, humility, perseverance and conformity to God's will, we can expect the grace of conversion and a peaceful death. Others who are dying and for whom we pray the Chaplet will have their souls enveloped in God's unfathomable mercy (Diary 811). During the retreat we attended, we heard testimonies of the peace that dying friends or family members had experienced in such cases. Due to the Divine Mercy Chaplet, their fear of dying gave way to a peace and readiness to meet God. Clearly, praying the Chaplet for any and all sick, whether afflicted with a particular virus or not, will yield spiritual fruits.

On top of all this, Saint Pope John Paul II granted two, special Apostolic Blessings related to the Divine Mercy Chaplet. In 2000, he announced an Apostolic Blessing for anyone praying the Chaplet for the sick and the dying in front of the Blessed Sacrament. (And he imparted another Apostolic Blessing in 2003 for anyone praying a Chaplet for pro-life intentions.)

Offensive Tactic: Praying During the Hour of Mercy

If we pray to Jesus, appealing to the value and merits of His passion at the "Hour of Mercy" beginning at 3:00 p.m., His mercy will pour out upon us. This is true even if we can only pray to Him for a brief period of time. He promises that we can obtain "...everything for yourself and for others for the asking." (Diary 1572) Here again, we can obtain "everything," including the elimination of pestilence such as viruses we face. What other issues do you carry in the depths of your being--concern about fallen away family members and friends, conversion of someone you know and love, reconciliation with someone...? Address Jesus directly, appealing to all that His passion has done for you; pray to Him fervently and trustingly at 3:00 p.m.

Speaking of Conversion--Yet Another Offensive Tactic

Speaking of conversion, we have another special Divine Mercy gift from Jesus. He told St. Faustina that, "When you say this prayer with a contrite heart and with faith on behalf of some sinner, I will give the grace of conversion. This is the prayer:

'O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You.'" (Diary 186-187)

This short prayer is one of the optional opening prayers of the Chaplet. Given Jesus' promise, I am not sure why we would ever not want to pray it, with the name or names of those we pray for in mind.

Divine Mercy Can and Will Change Us and the World

There is much more to Divine Mercy than this brief column covers. The Divine Mercy Novena, veneration of the Divine Mercy Image, and participating in Divine Mercy Sunday Mass and services all carry special blessings for those of us who participate in them. Divine Mercy will change us, and will change the world, if we open ourselves up to Christ, who is Love and Mercy, abandoning ourselves to Him, seeking His Greater Glory and our salvation. As He told St. Faustina, regarding the Chaplet,

"...by saying the chaplet you are bringing humankind closer to me." (Diary 929)

Now Is the Time for Mercy--And Time to Mount a Strong Offense

In these times of stress, fear and panic, we should mount a strong offense, using all the spiritual weapons available to us, including:

• The Chaplet of Divine Mercy, asking God for His mercy and an end to the virus and political drama.
• Our Lady's Rosary, asking for the intercession of Mary, Virgin Most Merciful.
• Special novena prayer  to St. Joseph traditionally believed to have been written about 50 A.D. asking for his intercession and protection.

Wherever two or more of us are gathered in His name, there is Jesus. (cf Mt 18:20). Engage others in praying these prayers, whether in person or virtually. When possible, attend Mass and receive Holy Communion. Pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament as often as possible, and pray the Chaplet while you're there. And as we pray, let's really mean it when we say, "Jesus, I trust in You!" 

"Divine Mercy, repose of hearts, peace amidst fear, I trust in You."  (Diary 949)