BIG C CATHOLICS

The Divine Mercy Novena begins on Good Friday, April 14th, 2017, and continues until the second Sunday of Easter — the feast of Divine Mercy. The Divine Mercy novena prayers were given to Saint Faustina by Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Each day features a new petition seeking God’s abundant mercy for various individuals. The message of Divine Mercy is one of conversion and forgiveness. For a step by step guide showing how to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet go here . Novena Prayer for Sinners (Day 1)  Most Merciful Jesus, whose very nature it is to have compassion on us and to forgive us, do not look upon our sins but upon our trust which we place in Your infinite goodness. Receive us all into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart, and never let us escape from It. We beg this of You by Your love which unites You to the Father and the Holy Spirit. Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon all mankind and especially upon poor sinners, all enfolded in the Most Compassionat

October 5th, is the optional memorial of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, (1905-1938) the 20th century Polish nun who Jesus chose to deliver to the world His message of Divine Mercy. She was born, Helena Kowalska, in Głogówiec, Poland, the third of ten children to poor, Catholic peasants Stanisław and Marianna Kowalska. Her father was a carpenter and her mother an occasional housekeeper. At 15, Helena left school to help support her family. As a young child, she felt called by God to a religious vocation. In 1925, she entered the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Warsaw, taking the name Sister Maria Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament. This simple nun with only three years of formal education lived a short but very consequential life . Through her, God reveled His compassion, His desire to forgive sins and reconcile mankind to Himself. She endured great hardships in carrying out this divine mission, in which, she was disbelieved and her diary suppressed. Faustina receiv

July is dedicated to the Precious Blood of Christ. Devotion to the Precious Blood is as old as Christianity. The veneration of Our Lord's Precious Blood is a spiritual obligation for every follower of Christ, not just priests and religious. In 96 AD, Pope St. Clement I said: "Let us fix our gaze on the Blood of Christ and realize how truly precious it is, seeing that it was poured out for our salvation and brought the grace of conversion to the whole world." Devotion to the Precious Blood of Christ, the Lamb of God who was slain, is first of all to be veneration on our part — a combination of knowledge, love and adoration. Through study and reflection we can achieve a deeper understanding of what the words, Precious Blood, really mean. In so doing, we come to fully appreciate the depth of God's love and the indispensable nature of Christ's redeeming sacrifice. To that end, Father John Hardon's observation is profound: To understand the meaning of the

The Divine Mercy Image At three o'clock on Friday we solemnly remember Christ's death on the cross. In that moment, the redeeming ministry of our Savior culminated in the sacrificial offering of the Lamb of God for our sins. Three o'clock on Friday is, therefore, an hour of abundant grace and mercy, especially for sinners. Christ told Saint Faustina that: 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

The Divine Mercy Image At three o'clock on Fridays we solemnly remember Christ's death on the cross. In that moment, the redeeming ministry of our Savior culminated in the sacrificial offering of the Lamb of God for our sins. Three o'clock on Friday is, therefore, an hour of abundant grace and mercy, especially for sinners. Christ told Saint Faustina that: 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 o

The Divine Mercy Image At three o'clock on Fridays we solemnly remember Christ's death on the cross. In that moment, the redeeming ministry of our Savior culminated in the sacrificial offering of the Lamb of God for our sins. Three o'clock on Friday is, therefore, an hour of abundant grace and mercy, especially for sinners. Christ told Saint Faustina that: 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 o

The Divine Mercy Image At three o'clock on Fridays we solemnly remember Christ's death on the cross. In that moment, the redeeming ministry of our Savior culminated in the sacrificial offering of the Lamb of God for our sins. Three o'clock on Friday is, therefore, an hour of abundant grace and mercy, especially for sinners. Christ told Saint Faustina that: 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 o

The Sunday After Easter is Divine Mercy Sunday How should we prepare for this great Feast of Mercy? Jesus told St. Faustina that this Feast of Mercy would be a very special day when  “all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened.”  (Diary 699) Our Lord made a great promise to all those souls who would go to Confession and then receive Him in Holy Communion on the Feast of Mercy, on the Sunday after Easter, which is now called Divine Mercy Sunday throughout the Catholic Church. Jesus promised that  “The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain the complete forgiveness of sins and punishment.”  (Diary 699) He went on to say “ I want to grant a complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My Mercy.”  (Diary 1109) We want to encourage everyone to take advantage of this incredible promise and the additional Plenary Indulgence on this great Feast of Mercy “Divine Mercy Sund