Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:01 Name the file and the son, the Holy spirit. Amen. Kalmar, April grace, Lord, let's start blessed. <inaudible>
Speaker 1 00:00:44 Today on the face of divine mercy, let's start with a little review. Why does the church erect new fees over the course of time? In 1925, on the occasion of erecting, a new feast, the feast of Christ, the King Paul Pius, the 11th explained just that past 11th. These festivals have been instituted one after another, according as the needs or advantage of the people of Christ seemed to demand as when they needed strength to face a common danger when they were attacked when serious heresies and they needed to be urged the PI's consideration of some mystery of faith or of some divine blessing. For example, when reverence and devotion, the bus had Saquon had grown cold. The face of Corpus Christi was instituted said by means of som procession and prayers of eight days. Duration meant might be brought once more to render public Amish to Christ.
Speaker 1 00:01:40 So to the face to the sacred heart of Jesus was instituted at a time when men were oppressed by a sad and gloomy severity of Jansenism, which made their hearts grow cold and shut them out from love of God in the hope of salvation close quote, the vicar of Christ. Okay. So over time face had been instituted according to needs of the faithful today's feast is no exception to that. In fact, in the course of his appearances to Saint Faustina, our Lord made it very clear why wished this face to be established. And it was the case with the feast of the sacred heart. He also specified the precise day on which he wished his feast to be celebrated. Let's take a brief look at the history behind today's feast. Before we consider the messages of our Lord, Saint Faustina was born to a poor family in Poland in 1905.
Speaker 1 00:02:30 She had three years of formal schooling and the summer of 1924 Saint Faustina, her sister went to a dance at the dance. She suddenly had a vision of our Lord suffering. Obviously she didn't feel like dancing after that anymore. So she left the dance, went into the church where she was told by our Lord to leave for Warsaw immediately and join a convent that night. She packed a small blag and in the morning, without the permission of her parents, she took a for Warsaw 130 miles away, even though she knew absolutely no one there. When she arrived in Warsaw, she entered the first church he saw and asked the priest what she ought to do. He recommended that she stayed with a lady that was known to him until she could find a convent. She was refused entry by a number of convents until finally the sisters of our lady of mercy, decided to give her a chance after entering.
Speaker 1 00:03:26 She was given the humblest task in the convent, usually cooking, cleaning, or gardening. Then on February 22nd, 1931, our Lord and savior Jesus Christ appeared to Saint Faustina. She describes a scene quote in the evening when I was in my cell, I became aware of the Lord. Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand was raised in blessing. The other was touching the garment at the breast, from the opening of the garment at the breast that came forth. Two large res one red and the other pale and Sansa gazed intently at the Lord. My soul was overwhelmed with fear, but also with great joy. After awhile, Jesus said to me, paint an image. According to the pattern you see with inscription Jesus, I trust in you. Sometime later, our Lord, again, spoke to her. The pale Ray stands for the water, which makes souls righteous. The red Ray stands for the blood, which is the life of souls.
Speaker 1 00:04:26 These two rays issued force from the depths of my most tender mercy. At that time, when my agonizing heart was opened by a Lance on the cross Saint Faustina recorded the message from our Lord in notebooks, which are now known as the diary of Saint Maria Faustina Cusco in her diary, Saint Faustina predicted her work would be suppressed for some time and then accepted again. She died in 1938, two decades later, the divine mercy devotion was indeed banned by the Vatican. Okay, father, why was the divine mercy devotion band? And why did the band get lifted in April, 1978? The prefect of the sacred congregation of the doctrine of faith explained the band was a result of misunderstandings there based on a faulty Italian translation of her diary, not they had the accurate translation. They lift the ban. What is the significance of having a feast on the first Sunday after Easter?
Speaker 1 00:05:23 But you can see the significance relating to the pistol if you read it. But anyway, if you look in your missiles, you can see the Sundays traditionally called Dominican Albus, which means is the Sunday and white, because in the times of the fathers, there were massive numbers of converts that big baptized at the Easter vigil. And then for the first week, up until this day for the first week, they wore these white baptismal gowns. And then this Sunday was the first time they'd be with the rest of the faithful and indistinguishable and his sermon for this very Sunday on a liturgical calendar. The great father and doctor of the church st. Augustan called the whole octave from Eastern tilted, a quote, the days of mercy and pardon closed quote. And all I have to do is just think of our ancestors, except for the Hebrew.
Speaker 1 00:06:05 Catholic is here. All our ancestors had been freed on the Easter vigil from their paganism, and then they'd been washed clean from all their sins and Santa Gustin called today. This very Sunday quote, the compendium of the days of mercy closed quotes in Augustan. Okay. So why in this day and age with Christ, the Lord emphasized the doctrine of divine mercy. Our Lord spoke to Saint Faustina about this precise question. I'll quote from her diary before the day of justice. I'm sending the day of mercy, tell souls about this great mercy of mine, because the awful day, the day of my justice is near. You will prepare the world for my final Covey, speak to the world about my mercy. It is assigned for the end times. Actual will come the day of justice. Well, there's still time. Let them have recourse to the fountain of my mercy. I'm prolonging the time of mercy for the sake of sinners, but woe to them. If they do not recognize this time of my visitation, he refuses to pass the door of my mercy, must pass the door of my justice, close quotes. Our Lord.
Speaker 1 00:07:28 Our lady also spoke to Saint Faustina about this and I quote, Oh, how pleasing to God is the soul that falls 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 a second coming of him who will come not as a merciful savior, but as a just judge, 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. Well, it is still the time for granting mercy. If you keep silent, now you'll be answering for a great number of souls on that terrible day.
Speaker 1 00:08:20 Okay? So as we've seen the church institutes, new fees, according to needs of the faithful, we've been considering the question why in this day and age would Christ our Lord emphasize the doctrine of divine mercy. And the answer is to remind us of, and prepare us for that terrible day. Dave, anger and wrath. When he's going to come in the clouds of your glory with his angels to judge living the dead, the world is grinding to an end and we don't want to be caught out it out. Run rotted up with the goats. This is the time for mercy.
Speaker 0 00:08:55 Now
Speaker 1 00:08:56 Let's take a few minutes to review them. The grace is attached to the feast itself. Our Lord told Saint Faustina quote, my daughter tell the whole world about my inconceivable mercy. I desire that the feast of mercy be a refuge and a shelter for all souls and especially for poor sinners. On that day, the very depths of my tenor mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of grace is upon those souls who approach the font of my mercy. The soul that will go to confession receive Holy communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment on that day, all the divine flood Gates to which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to me, even though it sins be as Scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind be it of man Raveen angel will be able to fathom it through all eternity.
Speaker 1 00:09:49 The face of mercy has emerged from my married depths of tenderness. It is my desire. That'd be Salmi celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter mankind will not have peace until it turns to the font of my mercy, a 500 page analysis. The most in depth analysis written to date of the graces of the face of divine mercy was done by father Gacy, Rosie STD, a Polish to mystic theologian. He did it as part of the official investigation to Saint Faustina, his life and virtues by the congregation for the clause of saints, federal Ziki quote. In this matter, four points are beyond all. Hey, the specialist grace was promised in the context of the feast of mercy B. It was directly fantastic receiving Holy communion day. See it consists in a taller remission of sins and punishment D it is theologically possible close quote in a 1981 symposium father Ziki commented quote.
Speaker 1 00:10:56 The most exceptional grace promised by Jesus for the face of the divine. Mercy is something considerably greater than a plenary indulgence. The latter consists only the remission of temporal punishments for committed sins, but has never the remission of sins itself. The exceptional grace, the community on divine mercy Sunday is also greater than the graces of the other sacraments with the exception of the sacrament of baptism for the recip mission of all sins and punishment is filed only in the sacramental grace of baptism in the promises, cited Christ, Ty, the remission of all sins and punishment to the reception of Holy communion on the face to divine mercy. In other words, in this regard, he raised it to the rank of a second baptism. It is obvious that in order to effect a complete forgiveness of sins and punishment, the Holy communion received on the feast of divine mercy must not only be partaken of Wordly, but it must also fulfill the basic requirements of the divine mercy devotion received unworthily without trust and divine mercy and devoid of some date of mercy toward neighbor.
Speaker 1 00:11:59 It would be a contradiction of devotion to divine mercy. Instead of exceptional, grace would bring down upon the recipient, the divine wrath close quote. Okay. So the special grace granted on the face to divine mercy is directly attached to receiving Holy communion. On this day, it consists in the total remission of sins and punishment. It's considerably greater than plenary indulgence. It's a lot easier to gain father. He makes another important point, quote, our Lord assists that one receive Holy communion worldly on the day of the feast itself by this requirement incorporates the devotion to the sacramental life of the church, because the end of the ordinary per period for making Easter communion falls on that Sunday close quote. Now in America, the bishops have extended the time for making your Easter duty to Trinity Sunday. Cause remember we all have to go to communion once a year during the Easter season, and it's extended to Trinity Sunday, but you can see why the Lord would have divine mercy on this.
Speaker 1 00:12:53 Cause this would be the end of the ordinary time right today. Okay. So what about confession does that after you made on the feast of divine mercy, certainly before one goes to communion, if he has moral sin on his soul, but that'd be the only case as one commentator notes, quote Christ never specifically asked for the faithful to go to confession on the day of the feast itself, which practically speaking would be impossible burden on most pastors. In fact, st. Sestina herself made her confession on the Saturday before mercy Sunday, whenever times a confession may be offered. The important thing is for the faithful to be encouraged to come to mercy, sending a state of grace, having confessed, at least all mortal sins and trusting in the mercy God close quote, is there anything else we ought to do? Yes. Our Lord said to Saint Faustina quote, the first Sunday after Easter is the feast of mercy, but there were also must also be acts of mercy.
Speaker 1 00:13:47 I demand from you deeds of mercy, which had arise out of love for me. Your show to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it. I'm giving you three ways of exercising mercy towards your neighbor. The first by deed, the second by word, the third by prayer in these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy and is an unquestionable of love for me by this means it's soul glorifies and praise reverence to my mercy 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 Vail without works. Okay. What about the plenary indulgence in a decree dated August 3rd, 2002, the app has taller penitentiary announce that quote, the plenary indulgence is granted under usual conditions that sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion prayers for intention of the Supreme Potter to the faithful on divine mercy, stunty in any church or chapel in a spirit that is completely detached from any affection for his sin. Even a venial sin take play part in the prayers and devotions held in honor, divine mercy, or who in the presence of the blessed sacrament, exposer reserved the tabernacle, recite the, our father in the creed, adding DevOp prayer to the merciful Lord Jesus, for example, merciful Jesus. I trust in you.
Speaker 2 00:15:15 Okay.
Speaker 1 00:15:16 Now we've heard all that before, but it's good to be reminded of the significance of this great feast. Now, as everyone knows today in Rome, Pope Francis canonized, Pope Saint John, the 23rd and Pope Saint John Paul too, on this occasion, we'll take a few minutes to hear an absolutely amazing story, which I lifted from the website of the sons, the most Holy Redeemer there, the trans Alpine Redemptoris with my usual editing, cutting and pasting. If you have the time, it's really worth looking at the website because they have a video of this associated with this story. It's one of the few websites I can recommend with a good conscience. Okay. 1962 sister Catarina, capita Tanny. She's an 18 year old novice from a nursing order called the congregation of the daughters of charity in Naples. She started to feel a constant pain between her stomach and heart, which she ignored.
Speaker 1 00:16:11 Then one night she felt like vomiting. She ran to the sink and found her mouth full of very red blood. Since they taught her nursing school, that that very red blood came from the chest area. She thought she'd contracted tuberculosis with a sickness like that. Her life from the convent was finished. Sister Catarina explains quote. The rule of our congregation is for all aspiring religious to be healthy in order to face the sacrifices and work that a hospital requires. If a nun is ill, she is sent home before pronouncing her vows. I had not yet pronounced my vows. So if my superiors had discovered, I was able to TB, they would have been Blige to send me home close quote. She decided not to say anything to anyone. Nothing happened for seven months. Then suddenly with no warning symptoms, there was another terrible hemorrhage. This time, the situation couldn't be hidden.
Speaker 1 00:17:02 Her superiors did not send her away. They tried to help her. There were doctor's visits, clinical examinations checkups. The most celebrated specialists in Naples were consulted on the case, but no one succeeded in find the reasons for the hemorrhages. For the next few years, she was passed from hospital to hospital from specialist to specialist till she finally saw professor Giuseppe is in any of the university of Naples who at that time was an important international personality in the field of medicine. The professor decided to operate the operation lasted for five hours. The inside of her stomach was completely covered with a strange and rare form of orchestras tumor to professor removed her stomach except for a small piece. The size of a prune, the soft vagus was connected directly then testing. You also removed her pancreas and her spleen was a delicate operation. And the probabilities for the patient to come out of the operating room alive were quite slim.
Speaker 1 00:17:59 Before the operation sister Catarina tells us quote, I'd prayed to the Holy version of pump, pay to whom I am very devoted. The day after the operation was thanking the Virgin for having coming to the operation safely, a sister from our congregation told me it was Pope John, the 2030 saved you. I played as an image on the bed of the operating room. I continued to pray throughout the operation. She gave me the Pope's image and told me to place myself under his protection. I admired John the 23rd very much, but had never thought of praying to him. I answered thank you for what you've done for me, but I'm convinced it was a Holy version of Pompei protected me and I will continue to pray to her. I placed the image of Pope John on the nightstand as if it served no purpose for me, close quote, and the days following the surgery, sister cat Trina's health continued to worsen.
Speaker 1 00:18:47 The sisters continue to pray to Pope John and sister Catarina continue to pray. The Holy version of Palm pay 12 days after the operation, she went into another crisis. Sister Catarina quote, my sisters repeated to me. You have to pray to Pope John. I was convinced and began to pray to the good pole. 10 days later, I was able to leave the clinic close. Cool. The improvement was once again, short-lived sister Catarina began to vomit great quantities of gastric fluids, which were so acidic that they burned her skin. The lower part of her face was a complete sore. She had to be fed intravenously since she couldn't hold anything down in your stomach. Visitors Zanini was still very worried, decided to send her home hoping that perhaps a change in atmosphere going to her hometown would help her. Two months later, sister Catarina returned to Naples in worse condition than when she had left.
Speaker 1 00:19:40 She looked as if she were already dead sister Katrina quilt on May 14th, 1966 falling a serious crisis of vomiting. I felt my abdomen it, and it was completely wet. I called the sister to have a look at it. Gastric fluids, blood in that little amount of orange juice that I had just drunk. We're flowing out of a hole that had opened on my abdomen. The doctor was called. He said there was a perforation which has caused this external hold. It's called an external fistula. I had peritonitis and a very high fever. The situation was desperate. Surgical intervention. Under those conditions was unthinkable. We daughters of charity pronouncer survives five years after having dawned the habit. The rule provides for exceptions. However, when a young sister is about to die, this is my case. So on 19th of May, 1966, I pronounced my vows was immediately men registered extreme function on the 22nd of May.
Speaker 1 00:20:35 A sister brought me a rail could Pope John's from Rome, a piece of the sheet upon which the pulpit died. I placed on the perforation, which should open on my stomach. And since I was suffering quite a bit, I prayed to the pulp to take to heaven. I was slowly dying. I felt that my strength was leaving me. My temperature was very high. A sister guard of the room day and night, the 25th, around two 30 in the afternoon. I asked a sister who is guarding the room to close the window a little because the light bothered me. She did so, and then left the room for a few minutes. I drifted off to sleep at a certain point and I felt the hand pressed the one on my stomach in the voice of man, Saint sister, Catarina, sister Catarina. I thought it was professors in any who come to check on me.
Speaker 1 00:21:17 Occasionally I turned it the voice and saw Pope John. He was standing beside my bed. He had the same smile as the image that had been given me. He was holding his hand on my wound. You pray to me very much. He said with a calm voice, many people have prayed to me, but especially one, you have really taken this miracle from my heart, but don't be afraid. You're healed ring the bell, the sisters who are in chapel, have them take your temperature and you'll see that you will not have even the slightest temperature, eat, whatever you want as you did before the sickness, I will hold my hand on your wound and you'll be healed. Professor have them examine. You have some x-rays done and have it all written down because these things will be needed someday. The vision disappeared. And only then did I begin to realize what had happened?
Speaker 1 00:22:06 I wondered whether it had been a dream. I was trembling from the emotion and fear. I felt, well, I felt no pain, but didn't dare call it sister. They would have thought I was crazy. After several minutes ahead of his side, I did what the pulpit told me. I rang the bell, the sisters hurry to my bedside and family sitting up on the bed. They looked at me as if they were dreaming. I could no longer stay for my joy and I almost shut it. I've been healed. It was Pope John measure. My fever. You'll see that I have mother superior thought I was delirious is sometimes happens before death. My temperature, 98.2. Do you see? I said challenging them. Now give me something to eat because I'm hungry. I hadn't been able to hold anything down in my stomach for many months, mother superior, who was almost hypnotized by my state of excite or the sisters to do is I asked a sister, brought me some cream of wheat, which ate voraciously to the Stonith mint of my sisters.
Speaker 1 00:23:02 Then they brought me an ice cream and I hate that too. I'm still hungry. I said, the sister brought me some meatballs tonight. Those fall by some soup. And I devoured that as well. At this point, the mother there's a period who is still not convinced of what was happening said. Now we have to change you thinking that everything I had eaten had gone out to opening on my, which is what has always happened. They laid me down on the bed. A nurse brought gauze and a clean, not gone. Dan covered me, the nurse, shut it. But there's nothing here. The sisters fell on their knees, crying from emotion until a few minutes. It's really the skin on my stomach had been one big wound. The gastric fluids that had constantly flowed out of the opening had corroded. The skin, the wound had completely disappeared.
Speaker 1 00:23:45 There was no sign of the opening, not a trace. The skin was smooth, clean and white. So I told them what had happened from that day on. I haven't been ill at all. The doctors examined me, did scores of x-rays. There wasn't a trace of my illness. The day after the miracle, I went back to a normal life. My first lunch was French fries, roast kit, tomatoes, and ice cream. I went back to eating anything I wanted. That was decades ago. I'm well have no promise of digestion and work with enthusiasm, close quotes, sister Catarina. Now she was cured on May 25th, 1966, when she's 22, more than 30 years later, sister flashed a smile and said, quote, I always feel like I'm in perfect health except for a cold now. And then I have no other problems with my health. The doctors in the various hospitals where I've worked over the years after the miracle being aware of my physical condition have always been prepared for the final collapse.
Speaker 1 00:24:39 But until now it hasn't come. I must say that I hold back. Nothing. We sisters, the congregation of the daughters of charity always had to be available to help the sick at any time. And I believe very much in my vocation close quote. Okay. Now this was, although it was an instantaneous miracle. It wasn't just an instantaneous miracle. In the sense it was over within the blink of time until her death and the night of March 31st, 2010, her condition was an ongoing continuous miracle. Sister had a stomach, the size of a prune, no spleen, no pancreas. According to doctors, it's emergency situation could not last. And she should have lived an extremely prudent life, stay rested and been on a rigorous diet. But for nearly 44 years after this miraculous healing sister was a human cyclone. She worked as a nursing sister in a hospital of over 300 beds with a working day that usually went from five 30 in the morning till midnight or sometimes 1:00 AM at a pace that was absolutely unexplainable. Given her physical condition.
Speaker 1 00:25:43 We'll close with some reflections by father Michael Mary. The fact that Pope Saint John, the 23rd has worked this miracle proves that he's in heaven and that he was a true Pope. In the matter of the papacy, the mission, God provided a living affirmation that the true church continues through the pulps that followed Pope Pius, the 12th, the church may not be the way we think it should be, but it is the church. The Pope's may not be the way that we think they should be either, but they are the Pope's after Pope Pius, the 12th there came Pope Saint John, the 23rd. If we doubt this, we should meditate on the miracle of sister Catarina, CAPA, Tawny. But if we deny the miracle, we would be like, those of all of whom are Lord said, I speak to you and you believe not the works that I do in the name of my father.
Speaker 1 00:26:39 They give testimony of me, but you do not believe because you are not of my sheep persevere along the narrow, often painful road of life in the church under Peter in 2014, the truth is often difficult to accept. There are many times when we'd like to say, stop the world. I want to get off, but that is not an option. However bad it is. We must accept it. The spiritual world is as real as the material world escaping a church is not a real option. It would be leaving the spiritual invisible reality upon which our eternity depends for a temporal deadly game of playing house. The flat, the fact that Pope Saint John, the 23rd has worked this miracle proves that he's in heaven. And he was a true Pope. The church may not be the way we think it should be, but it is the church. The Pope's may not be the way we think they should be either, but they are the pulps
Speaker 0 00:27:43 <inaudible>.
