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HISTORY of Divine Mercy Lay
Order
Loly Dobener and Ingrid
Jackson met soon after both their husbands passed away.
Both of their husbands were born in the same month, one week
apart. Both husbands died in the same month and year, two
weeks apart. During this time, the Lord kept telling Ingrid,
"Go to my Father's House." This confused
Ingrid, since she felt, "All churches are your Father's
House. Where are you sending us?" During
deep prayer, the Lord replied, "Rome is my Father's
House, all others are branches of it's teachings."
Loly wanted to visit Spain, but she did not want to travel
alone. Loly asked Ingrid to accompany her to Spain.
Ingrid was wavering whether to accompany Loly or not.
One night, after returning from detention ministry, around
11pm, the Lord told Ingrid: "I, Jesus, planned this trip
for you and Loly. If you allow me, I'll take you to
places you've never dreamed of going. Do not concern
yourself about what to take or wear. Am I not your
caregiver? Offer one Mass solely for me. A great
gift is waiting for you in Europe. Receive it in my name."
Soon after, it was evident that our Lord wanted them to go
for one month. They had only wanted to go for two weeks, but
pricing was more reasonable for one month. It was Jubilee
Year and pricing favored a one month stay.
They arrived in Spain with no reservations and no
destination. They decided to go to Zaragoza, Spain to visit
the Basilica honoring Our Lady of Zaragoza. While at
the Basilica, Ingrid received a message from Our Blessed
Mother. The message was, "The world is being washed
with the blood of my Son. Many nations will be annihilated."
So devastating was the message, they went before the Sacred
Heart of Jesus to pray. While in front of the Sacred Heart,
the image of Divine Mercy was revealed!!
While proceeding with their trip in Europe, Loly and Ingrid
received many tests. They were robbed, starved in 115
degree heat with no food or water, except for a tiny bun
offered to them by a lady on a train. While in Germany, they
were told they did not need a VISA for travel inside
Yugoslavia. That was not correct. They were held
captive by the Serbs at gunpoint in Yugoslavia for not
having that VISA. Loly and Ingrid agreed not to travel
in Yugoslavia, so the Serbs released them at the border.
This was a very difficult experience.
From there, Loly and Ingrid traveled to Tel Aviv so they
could visit Jerusalem. While in Tel Aviv, they
ministered to the Jewish and Arab residents. People
were in despair. Ingrid and Loly reinforced the need
to have hope. People felt good after listening to
their ministry.
Upon returning home, they had to strip themselves and their
homes of everything that was not of God. Prayer and fasting
started.. They only drank
water and had a small breakfast. A full meal
was eaten each day in the late afternoon. Jesus asked
them to fast and pray. No dinner, no dancing or frolicking.
In 2001, our Lord told them to start the Divine Mercy Lay
Order. They really felt it wasn't a suitable task.
They asked God to ask someone more capable to handle the
request. Jesus said he would teach them inch by inch,
step by step. So it was agreed upon that they would do the
Lord's bidding. After that, they did nothing but pray
and fast for a year. Finally, on Maundy Thursday in
2002, the Lord said "Start it now." With the help of
our good Lord, Divine Mercy Lay Order was formed and
is flourishing. The Divine Mercy Lay Order was placed
under the guardianship of Saint Michael the Arch Angel as
"Defender of the Lay Order." Arch Angel Gabriel was
established as the messenger of the Lay Order. Today, there are 157 members throughout the
world.
During prayer, Saint Gabriel instructed that the Bylaws of
the Lay Order should be composed of five parts:
1. Acceleration: Complete the task of forming
the Lay Order in a timely manner.
2. Adaptation: Adapt our Lord's Divine Mercy
Apostolate into your daily life.
3. Circulation: Spread Divine Mercy by word of
mouth, written information and other means.
4. Formulation: Be open to new ideas and new
thoughts concerning Divine Mercy. Divine Mercy is an
evolution. We have to be willing to adapt our lives to the
evolving will of our Lord.
5. Performance: Don't just preach. Act
upon the will of our Lord to carry the message of Divine
Mercy to everyone. Speak out and act upon our Lord's will.
Don't remain stationary.
While in Lompoc at the
La Purisima Mission, the Blessed Mother instructed them
to go to all Southern California Churches to place the
pictures of Divine Mercy on the alter or side alters of each
church. The visitation to each church was preceded by
lengthy prayer. Not all churches agreed to place the
image of Divine Mercy on the alter, but they visited 203
churches in compliance to the message.
HISTORY of Divine Mercy
The message and devotion to Jesus as The Divine Mercy is
based on the writings of Saint Faustina Kowalska, an
uneducated Polish nun who, in obedience to her spiritual
director, wrote a diary of about 600 pages recording the
revelations she received about God's mercy.
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Sister Fuastina saw a vision of Jesus with rays of mercy
streaming from his heart. Jesus told her to have an
image painted of this vision and and sign it "Jesus, I trust
in you." He called her an Apostle and Secretariat of his
mercy. Sr.
Faustina's spiritual advisor suggested that she keep a
diary.
During 1931 to 1938, she kept a diary, of about
600 pages. She recorded the revelations she received
about God's Mercy.
(see passages below) Jesus taught her that his
mercy is unlimited.
The message is nothing new, but is a reminder of what the
Church has always taught through scripture and tradition.
God is merciful and forgiving and that we too, must show
mercy and forgiveness. But in the Divine Mercy
devotion, the message takes on a powerful new focus, calling
people to a deeper understanding. God's love is
unlimited and available to everyone, especially the greatest
of sinners.
Even before her death in 1938, at the age of 33, the
devotion to The Divine Mercy had begun to spread throughout
Eastern Europe. |
Jesus said, "He who trust in my mercy will not perish."
To receive special graces, go to confession, Mass and
Communion on the Feast of Divine Mercy. This is a
second baptism. All sins and punishments are forgiven,
even if your sins are scarlet. "No soul need to fear
to come near me." The Feast of Divine Mercy is a
refuge for souls, especially sinners. Whomever recites
the Chaplet of Divine Mercy will receive great mercy at the
hour of their death.
The Divine Mercy
Jesus
wants us to recognize that his mercy is greater than our
sins, so that we will call upon him with trust, receive his
mercy, and let it flow through us to others. Thus, all
will come to share his joy. It is a message we can
call to mind simply by remembering ABC.
A
- Ask for his Mercy. God wants
us to approach him in prayer constantly, repenting of our
sins and asking him to pour his Mercy out upon us and upon
the whole world.
B
- Be merciful. God wants us to
receive his mercy and let it flow through us to others. He
wants us to extend love and forgiveness to others just as he
does to us.
C
- Completely trust in Jesus.
God wants us to know that the graces of his mercy are
dependent upon our trust. The more we trust in Jesus, the
more we will receive.
The Divine Mercy
Devotion
Devotion to The Divine Mercy involves a total commitment to
God as Mercy. It is a decision to trust completely in
him,
to accept his mercy with thanksgiving, and to be merciful as
he is merciful.
The devotional
practices proposed in the diary of Sr. Faustina are completely in
accordance with the teachings of the Church and are firmly
rooted in the Gospel message of our merciful Savior.
Properly understood and implemented, they will help us grow
as genuine followers of Christ.
The
Image of the Divine Mercy
The earliest
element of the Devotion to the Divine Mercy revealed to Sr.
Faustina was the Divine Mercy Image. On February 22, 1931, Jesus
appeared to her with rays radiating from his heart and said,
Paint an
image according to the pattern you see, with the
signature: Jesus I trust in You. I desire that this image
be venerated, first in your chapel, and throughout the
world. (Diary 47)
I promise
that the soul that will venerate this image will not
perish. I also promise victory over its enemies already
here on earth, especially at the hour of death. I myself
will defend it as My own glory. (Diary 48)
I am
offering people 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)
The two
rays denote Blood and Water. the pale ray stands for the
Water which makes souls righteous. The red ray stands for
the Blood which is the life of souls. These two rays
issued forth from the very depths of My tender mercy when
My agonized heart was opened by a lance on the Cross.
These rays shield souls from the wrath of My Father. Happy
is the one who dwell in their shelter, for the just hand
of god shall not lay hold of him. (Diary 299)
Not in the
beauty of the color, nor of the brush, lies the greatness
of this image, but in My grace. (Diary 313)
By means of
this image I shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be
a reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the
strongest faith is of no avail without works. (Diary 742)
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The Chaplet
of Divine Mercy
1. Using
ordinary rosary beads, begin with the Sign of the Cross,
pray one Our Father, pray one Hail Mary, and recite one
prayer of The Apostle's Creed.
2. Then, on
the Our Father Beads, say the following:
"Eternal
Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and
Divinity of Your dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus
Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole
world."
3. On the
10 Hail Mary Beads, say the following:
"For the
sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on
the whole world."
(Repeat
step 2 and 3 for all five decades).
Conclude
with (repeat 3 times):
"Holy God,
Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and
on the whole world."
(repeat 3 times):
"O Blood and Water which gushed forth from the heart of
Jesus as a fountain of mercy for us, I trust in you."
(say 1 time)
"I manifest myself in the blood of Jesus"
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Excerpts
from the Diary of St. Faustina
The Secretary of God's Mercy |
367. On one occasion, Jesus gave me to know that when
I pray for intentions which people are wont to entrust
to me, He is always ready to grant His graces, but
souls do not always want to accept them: My Heart
overflows with great mercy for souls, and especially
for poor sinners. If only they could understand that I
am the best of Fathers to them and that it is for them
that the Blood and Water flowed from My Heart as from
a fount overflowing with mercy. For them I dwell in
the tabernacle as King of Mercy. I desire to bestow My
graces upon souls, but they do not want to accept
them. You, at least, come to Me as often as possible
and take these graces they do not want to accept. In
this way you will console My Heart. Oh, how
indifferent are souls to so much goodness, to so many
proofs of love! My Heart drinks only of the
ingratitude and forgetfulness of souls living in the
world. They have time for everything, but they have no
time to come to Me for graces.
So I turn to you, you--chosen souls, will you
also fail to understand the love of My Heart? Here,
too, My Heart finds disappointment; I do not find
complete surrender to My love. So many reservations,
so much distrust, so much caution. To comfort you, let
Me tell you that there are souls living in the world
who love Me dearly. I dwell in their hearts with
delight. But they are few. In convents too, there are
souls that fill My Heart with joy. They bear My
features; therefore the Heavenly Father looks upon
them with special pleasure. They will be a marvel to
Angels and men. Their number is very small. They are a
defense for the world before the justice of the
Heavenly Father and a means for obtaining mercy for
the world. The love and sacrifice of these souls
sustain the world in existence. The infidelity of a
soul specially chosen by Me wounds My Heart most
painfully. Such infidelities are swords which pierce
My Heart.
635. March 25. In the morning, during meditation,
God's presence enveloped me in a special way, as I saw
the immeasurable greatness of God and, at the same
time, His condescension to His creatures. Then I saw
the Mother of God, who said to me, Oh, how pleasing
to God is the soul that follows faithfully the
inspirations of His grace! I gave the Savior to the
world; as for you, you have to speak to the world
about His great mercy and prepare the world for the
Second Coming of him who will come, not as a merciful
Savior, but as a just Judge. Oh, how terrible is that
day! Determined is the day of justice, the day of
divine wrath. The angels tremble before it. Speak to
souls about this great mercy while it is still the
time for [granting] mercy. If you keep silent now, you
will be answering for a great number of souls on that
terrible day. Fear nothing. Be faithful to the end. I
sympathize with you.
St. Faustina Kowalska, Diary: Divine Mercy in My
Soul (Stockbridge, MA: Marians of the Immaculate
Conception, 1999)
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