Emergency Prayers for the Sick and Dying Jesus, I trust in You! O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You. (187) The Divine Mercy Chaplet Pray: Our Father, Hail Mary and The Apostles’ Creed. On the Our Father beads: 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. On the Hail Mary beads: “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.” At the end pray three times: “Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us, and on the whole world.”
Nursing with the Hands of Jesus: A G uDi di vei nt oe MN uerrsceys f o r Edition IV 2019 Marie F. Romagnano,RN,BSN,CRC,CCM,CLCP
Library of Congress Control Number: 2004090389 ISBN#: 978-0-9749370-0-7 Printed in the United States of America. Front Cover: The Divine Mercy image painted by E. Kazimirowski ©2011 Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception; Composite hospital scene with Mara Carofaniello, RN, Gabriela and Michaela Carofaniello, Marie Romagnano, RN and Jesus, The Divine Mercy ©Marie Romagnano. Back Cover Composite: The Immaculate Conception, St. Vitus Church, Rome, Italy ©Marians of the Immaculate Conception; The Immaculate Conception with Marie Romagnano, R.N. and Mark Tuttle ©Marie Romagnano. Nihil Obstat: Joseph Roesch, MIC Imprimi Potest: Kazimierz Chwalek, MIC Superior of Mary, Mother of Mercy Province February 11, 2019 Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes World Day of the Sick † For texts from the English Edition of Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul Nihil Obstat: George H. Pearce, SM Former Archbishop of Suva, Fiji Imprimatur: Joseph F. Maguire Bishop of Springfield, MA April 9, 1984 Rev. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC, STL, SEOL, Theological Advisor Rev. Kazimierz Chwalek, MIC, BA, STB, STL(Cand.), Editor Joseph Romagnano, PhD, Copy Editor Nurses for Divine Mercy, a part of Healthcare Professionals for Divine Mercy is an official Apostolate of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception. It offers nurses, physicians, and other allied health professionals a unique program of professional formation that integrates the spirituality and devotional elements of The Divine Mercy message in patient care. The program of spiritual and professional formation includes: • The Annual Medicine, Bioethics, and Spirituality Conference for Medical Professionals that offers academic credit and available on DVD. • A concise handbook: Nursing with the Hands of Jesus: A Guide to Nurses for Divine Mercy. It offers 8 CEUs for nurses and includes the Nursing Spiritual Assessment and Care Plan, following Joint Commission guidelines. • Annual Healthcare Professionals Retreat. Download CEU test: www.thedivinemercy.org/healthcare/ceutest Join Healthcare Professionals for Divine Mercy, order this book, Divine Mercy Image holy cards, and for other Divine Mercy materials call: 413-298-3691; email [email protected] or visit TheDivineMercy.org/healthcare ©2010 Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception. All rights reserved.
Our Lady of the Miracles May the Virgin Mary’s Immaculate Conception be our health and our protection. Proclaim that mercy is the greatest attribute of God. All of the works of My Hands are crowned with mercy (301). Our Lady of the Miracles, San Andrea delle Fratte, Rome, Italy
D“eTdhi ceaHt i oe an vteon lOy uNruLr saed”y , Mary, the Immaculate Mother of God, is my guide on how to know, love, and serve Jesus, Our Lord. She has directed me since my youth to understand the importance of my vocation as a nurse. Deeply grateful, I thank her as the mother of my heart. Blesseds Anthony and George Marian Martyrs & Special Patrons Blesseds Anthony Leszczewicz and George Kaszyra were Marian priests living and working in Belarus during World War II. When the Nazis took action against the people for partisan activity, and herded 1,500 of them into their parish church, Fathers Anthony and George, not only ministered to them day and night by offering Sacraments of Penance, Baptism, and the Eucharist in order to prepare them for death, but also chose, out of love for them and for Christ to voluntarily remain with them to the end. They were willing to be burned alive with them to save them from despair and to give them courage and strength to bear suffering and death with a firm hope in the life to come. This occurred on February 17/18, 1943, in a town named Rosica. We invoke them to pray especially for our burn and trauma victims. © 2004 Marie Romagnano Bl. Anthony Bl. George “The Heavenly Nurse” with author in Balsamao, Portugal ~
T hMHaeynakSl tsohgnci vaJi nroegs Pef opr orh fS, ePt s. asJti ooi enhnant l ssP aa nu dl I I , Mark & Gloria Tuttle Nurses for Divine Mercy, USA I offer a special thanks to St. John Paul II for his witness to faith, sanctity of human life and dignity. I thank Jesus and Mary for my son Joseph, who is the joy of my life. May the Lord bless him, his marriage and work and give them eternal happiness. For my patients who taught me how trials and suffering draw them closer to the Lord and to each other, may the Lord show them His tender love and healing mercy. My thank you goes to all the Healthcare Professionals for their dedication, faith, Christian witness and tender care of their patients. EWTN Broadcast with Fr. Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R. Joseph Romagnano
Table of Contents Chapter 1 Nurses for Divine Mercy ........................ 8 Founding and Mission ..................................................... 8 Becoming the Merciful Presence of Jesus ..................... 10 Spiritual Nursing: Inspiration and Invitation ................. 11 Chapter 2 Nurses for Divine Mercy Ministry Kit for Spirituality in Patient Care ...................................... 13 Trust & Works of Mercy: Essence of Divine Mercy Message 14 Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy ...................... 17 The Image of Jesus, The Divine Mercy .......................... 18 The Feast of Mercy: Divine Mercy Sunday Special Graces 22 Indulgences Attached to Divine Mercy Sunday ...............24 The Divine Mercy Chaplet ............................................. 25 Praying The Divine Mercy Chaplet in Tragedy ................ 28 God’s Powerful Final Grace of Mercy ............................ 29 Novena of Chaplets: Preparation for Divine Mercy Feast 30 The Hour of Great Mercy - 3:00 p.m. ............................... 31 Living and Proclaiming the Mystery of The Divine Mercy ... 33 Priests and The Divine Mercy ........................................ 35 Preparing for Christ’s Return ........................................ 36 Chapter 3 Spirituality in the Life of the Nurse .... 38 The Eucharist & Eucharistic Spirituality ........................ 39 Remaining in the Presence of Jesus .................................. 43 Reconciliation: The Sacrament of Mercy .............................. 46 Ten Commandments & Seven Deadly Sins ................. 46 Abandoning Self to God’s Saving Will ................................... 47 Meditating on Christ’s Passion ..................................... 48 Holy Spirit: Inspiration, Power & Joy ............................... 48 Mary, Mother of Mercy & Our Guide ................................ 50 The Rosary of Our Lady ................................................ 51 The Immaculate Conception ......................................... 53 Patience, Meekness, Humility and Smile....................... 54 Growing Deeper in Your Faith and Forgiveness............. 55 Prayer to Be Able to Forgive......................................... 56 Vocation of Nursing...................................................... 56
Chapter 4 Caring for the Whole Person: Body and Soul 57 Understanding the Human Person and Suffering .......... 57 Caring for a Patient in Spiritual Distress/Signs of Distress 59 Nursing Care Plan .............................................................. 61 Nursing Spiritual Assessment & Care Plan .................. 62 The Joint Commission Spiritual Assessment ............... 63 Case Management & End of Life Issues; Memorare .......... 64 Chapter 5 Spiritual Care in Emergency Situations and Death’s Imminence .......................................... 65 Sacramental Anointing of the Sick and Dying ............... 65 The Unconscious Patient ............................................... 68 Sacrament of Penance in Serious Illness ...................... 68 The Sacrament of Baptism in an Emergency ................. 69 Nurses as Eucharistic Ministers .................................... 69 Speak about God’s Mercy With Patients ....................... 69 Sharing the Divine Mercy Image ................................... 70 Spiritual Care in Rehabilitation Facilities ..................... 71 Caring to the End: Food and Hydration ................................ 72 Conversing with Dying Patients and Family ........................ 72 Preparing Patients for Death ............................................. 75 Plenary Indulgence for the Dying ................................77 Consoling Words of Jesus to a Special Soul.....................77 Chapter 6 Prayers for the Sick, Dying & the Dead With Scripture and Diary Readings ....................... 79 • Act of Contrition and Spiritual Communion ............... 79 • The Divine Mercy Chaplet .......................................... 80 • Prayers for the Sick, Dying and the Dead.....................81 • Consoling Readings from Sacred Scripture .............. 83 • The Divine Mercy Praises........................................... 86 • Rosary ....................................................................... 88 • Evangelical Virtues of Our Lady...................................92 • Hail Holy Queen..........................................................92 • Prayers and Readings from the Diary..........................92 • Nurse’s Examination of Conscience by Bl. Hanna..102 Endnotes, Abbreviations and Annotations............110 Spiritual Resources for Healthcare.......................111
Chapter 1 NFMF ooue rrur sncDeydsi vi ni ng e a n d Mission It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you ( Jn15:16). Nursing with the Hands of Jesus: A Guide to Nurses for Divine Mercy is a manual prepared primarily for nurses who desire to serve their patients with the tenderness and love of Jesus. It is written from the perspective of a nurse who cares for the catastrophically injured, sick, and the dying. The Bible, the teachings of the Catholic Church and the Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul are the primary sources for this guide.1 Nurses for Divine Mercy was organized as a direct result of the tragic events of September 11, 2001. Nurses, who wanted to help so much, could not reach the thousands of victims of the terrorists’ acts. Unable to help them medically, the nurses realized that they could assist them spiritually, especially by praying The Divine Mercy Chaplet for them. In this way, they offered spiritual care and consolation to those who were dying in the airplane crashes, on the ground, and under the collapsing World Trade Center towers. Imbued with this awareness and convinced of its importance, Nurses for Divine Mercy grew and within several years of its existence, developed into Healthcare 8 Our Lady of Perpetual Help • Redemptorists
Professionals for Divine Mercy when doctors and other medical professionals desired to join its ranks. Its mission became twofold––not only to gather various healthcare professionals into its organization, but also to offer quality educational programs that combine medicine, bioethics, and spirituality. Its goal was to bring into patient care a unique professional formation that integrates the best of medical science with bio-medical ethics, Pastoral Care, Judeo-Christian Revelation and Divine Mercy spirituality. In 2006, Healthcare Professionals for Divine Mercy became an official apostolate of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, a religious community that has promoted the authentic Divine Mercy message since 1941. They work closely with Bryan Thatcher, MD and the Eucharistic Apostles of The Divine Mercy. Healthcare Professionals for Divine Mercy provide, not only quality medical, but also spiritual care to the sick and the dying. By prayer and medical expertise, they strive to bring physical and spiritual healing to their patients. They serve and care for their patients with an extraordinary love, empowered by God. Their hearts united with Christ take on the love, the tenderness, and compassion of Jesus. In caring for their patients, their loving and merciful hands administer God’s healing grace. They desire to fulfill Jesus’ command: “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of Mine, you did to Me” (Mt 25:40).2 Transformed by a deep personal communion with the Lord, the nurses are empowered by His grace to be more loving, tender, and compassionate. Sacramental Communion and a regular life of prayer give them inner strength to care in a Christ-like manner, despite 9
human weakness and limitations. Inspired by the Lord they long for and strive to “be merciful, as the Heavenly Father is merciful”(Lk 6:36). Jesus, Our Merciful Lord is the source, motive, and model for exercising mercy. Just as a nurse brings the lifeline of medication and care to a patient, Jesus brings healing grace from His Merciful Heart and heals the wounds and sufferings of heart, mind, and body. This divine operation is not often visible to the human eye, for it is an operation of God within the soul. The Divine Mercy message, spirituality and forms of devotion guide the Healthcare Professionals to live daily in the spirit of filial trust and fraternal love. Through self-sacrificing service, prayer, sacramental life, frequent reading of Scripture and St. Faustina’s Diary, they will grow spiritually and radiate divine love and mercy to their patients and family members. They will also obtain the Lord’s blessing: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy” (Mt 5:7). They are to remain faithful to Jesus’ command: You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. ... I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward 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 it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy (742). Becoming the Merciful Presence of Jesus The essence of spiritual nursing is union with Christ. Imbued with His spirit of love and mercy we become His loving presence3, His merciful hands and His 10
compassionate and tender heart. Nurses and all Healthcare Professionals are entrusted with delivering the Lord’s healing grace from His heavenly hospital. Through them Our Divine Physician visits His sick children, offering them His most efficacious aid: merciful love, forgiveness, healing and hope. Our faith, our confidence in Jesus and His healing power and mercy, and our deeply caring and merciful disposition towards our patients makes God’s spiritual and physical healing possible. God’s grace, except in certain instances, does not replace medical care, but very often enhances speedier recovery to health, restores peace of heart and instills hope. Be always merciful as I am merciful. Love everyone out of love for Me, even your greatest enemies, so that My mercy may be fully reflected in your heart(1695). Most dear to Me is the soul that strongly believes in My goodness and has complete trust in Me. I heap My confidence upon it and give it all it asks (453). Spiritual Nursing: Inspiration & Invitation Through St. Faustina, the Lord reminds us of the spiritual value of caring for patients. While in the hospital for treatment of tuberculosis, she heard the bell in the next room. Though extremely ill, she rendered a service to a seriously sick person. Returning to her room, she suddenly saw the Lord Jesus, who said: My daughter, you gave Me greater pleasure by rendering Me that service than if you had prayed for a long time. I answered, “But it was not to You, Jesus, but to that patient that I rendered this service.” And the 11
Lord answered me, Yes, My daughter, but whatever you do to your neighbor, you do to Me (1029). Nurses can learn from St. Faustina’s example. Though not a nurse by profession, she lived the ideals of Nurses for Divine Mercy. Formed by Sacramental life and prayer, tender love of God and neighbor, profound trust in Jesus and Our Lady, and by spiritual and physical suffering, she showed us how to assist the sick and the dying. Key to that powerful assistance was praying The Divine Mercy Chaplet for her spiritual patients. By this prayer she obtained for them special graces in their final moments of life. She lived her life and served others in the spirit of mercy. I encourage every nurse to take up the challenge of spiritual nursing and to put into practice The Divine Mercy spirituality. It is a great resource for personal spiritual development and comprehensive patient care. St. Faustina © Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy © Marie Romagnano Procession of the Sick Lourdes Sanctuary, France 12
Chapter 2 NDMf oui i rvnr i sSi nseept sri Myr fi toKeurri atc l yi t y in Patient Care BFMryI.CSeraphim Michalenko, Basic Components • Trust and Works of Mercy – The Essence of The Divine Mercy Message and Devotion • The Image of Jesus, The Divine Mercy • Feast of The Divine Mercy – Divine Mercy Sunday* • The Divine Mercy Chaplet: “The last hope of salvation” • The Divine Mercy Novena – Especially of Chaplets, in Preparation for the Feast of The Divine Mercy • The Hour of Great Mercy: Three O’Clock P.M. Daily Remembrance of Christ’s Passion • Embracing, Living & Proclaiming the Mystery of The Divine Mercy Supremely Revealed in Jesus Christ • Preparing the World for Christ’s Final Coming * Liturgically named: The Second Sunday of Easter or of Divine Mercy (In St. Faustina’s Diary, it is also called the First Sunday after Easter) 13 ©Marie Romagnano • Our Lady Gate of the Dawn
T r uosft Ta nhde DW oi vri nkes Mo feMr ceyr cMye: sEssasgeen c e Jesus, I Trust in You The graces of My mercy are drawn by means of one vessel only, and that is: trust. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive. Souls that trust boundlessly are a great comfort to Me because I pour all the treasures of my graces into them. I rejoice that they ask for much, because it is my desire to give much, very much. On the other hand, I am sad when souls ask for little, when they constrict their hearts (1578). Without the critical element of trust, The Divine Mercy devotion cannot exist. The Healthcare Professionals’ prime response to Jesus — The Divine Mercy, needs to be an attitude of deep trust in Him. Without this attitude, it is impossible to sincerely and convincingly convey trust to the patient. Deep trust must be the way of life of a nurse or doctor who chooses to be in the service of Jesus — The Divine Mercy, to be able to radiate it and inspire others with it. Encourage souls to place great trust in My fathomless mercy. Let the weak, sinful soul have no fear to approach Me, for even if it had more sins than there are grains of sand in the world, all would be drowned in the immeasurable depths of My mercy (1059). 14 Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC Marie Romagnano, RN © Marie Romagnano
The frequent use of the declaration: “Jesus, I trust in You” will embed in the nurse’s heart and express in action the confidence in God’s mercy that is the essence of The Divine Mercy message. Confidence in God’s mercy is an “accorded right,” obtained by Jesus for those who believe in His Passion, death, burial, and resurrection. By this “accorded right” one is entitled to approach “the throne of grace and mercy” at any moment, in any place, to “obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:16). Trust, then, is not a feeling, but the exercise of the certainty that God is ever faithful to His revealed promises, because, through the sacrifice of Jesus and our union with Him, we have found acceptance with the Father. Trust, then, is our acceptance of that acceptance. It is the total, loving surrender to God’s Providence — His benevolent guidance for our life, because there can be no better provision for us. It is our response in humble faith to that Providence, as was Mary of Nazareth’s at the Annunciation of the coming of the Word of God in human flesh: Tell souls that from this fount of mercy souls draw graces solely with the vessel of trust. If their trust is great, there is no limit to My generosity. The torrents of grace inundate humble souls. The proud remain always in poverty and misery, because My grace turns away from them to humble souls (1602). Such trust, even in sickness or in the face of death, is able to bring about more happiness than even health could bring. The nurse or doctor assists in the healing of patients, but, at the same time, has the opportunity to offer them a spiritual perspective of life that is able to diminish or end one’s fear of death. 15
I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy (687). I have opened My Heart as a living fountain of mercy. Let all souls draw life from it. Let them approach this sea of mercy with great trust. Whoever places his trust in My mercy will be filled with My divine peace at the hour of death (1520). From all my wounds, like from streams, mercy flows for souls, but the wound in My Heart is the fountain of unfathomable mercy. From this fountain spring all graces for souls. The flames of compassion are burning Me. I desire greatly to pour them out upon souls (1190). As healthcare professionals, our lives are dedicated to caring for the sick and the dying. We have many opportunities for being the instruments of God’s mercy toward them. But we must ever be aware of and count on the indispensable source of the help we need in fulfilling our ministry to them. Through St. Faustina, Jesus reminds us: It is in My Passion that you must seek light and strength (654). My child, life on earth is a struggle indeed; a great struggle for My kingdom. But fear not, because you are not alone. I am always supporting you, so lean on Me as you struggle, fearing nothing. Take the vessel of trust and draw from the fountain of life for yourself, but also for other souls, especially such as are distrustful of My goodness (1488). “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom do I fear? The Lord is my life’s refuge; of whom am I afraid? Hear my voice, Lord, when I call; have mercy on me and answer me. Hope in Him, hold firm and 16
take heart. Hope in the Lord!” (Ps 27:1, 7,14). The Lord calls out to us to hope, to hold firm and trust in His compassionate love without wavering for He is faithful. At the same time, He commands us “to love one another as [He] has loved us. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:12-13). We are to love one another through works of love and mercy. The Gospel parables of the Good Samaritan, the Rich Man and Lazarus, and the Unforgiving Servant all demonstrate this essential truth that only if we give mercy can we hope to receive it; for we will be judged on the basis of our merciful actions toward others: “I was hungry and you gave me food …”(Mt 25:35-46). I demand from you deeds of mercy which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse yourself from it. … Even the strongest faith is of no avail without works (742). If a soul does not exercise mercy in some way, it will not obtain My mercy on the day of judgment (1317). The Lord instructs us to exercise mercy through our words, prayers, the spiritual and corporal works of 17 Corporal & Spiritual Works of Mercy Corporal 1. Feed the hungry. 2. Give drink to the thirsty. 3. Clothe the naked. 4. Shelter the homeless. 5. Visit the imprisoned. 6. Visit the sick. 7. Bury the dead. 1. Admonish sinners. 2. Instruct the ignorant. 3. Counsel the doubtful. 4. Comfort the afflicted. 5. Bear wrongs patiently. 6. Forgive offenses. 7. Pray for the living & dead. Spiritual
mercy, and by developing an attitude of mercy towards others. Mercy is that love that seeks to relieve the misery of others. It is an active love, poured out upon others to heal, to comfort, to console, to forgive, to remove pain. The Image of Jesus –The Divine Mercy St. Faustina recorded in her Diary what occurred on February 22, 1931: “In the evening, when I was in my cell, I saw the Lord Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand [was] raised in the gesture of blessing, the other was touching the garment at the breast. From beneath the garment, slightly drawn aside at the breast, there were emanating two large rays, one red, the other pale. In silence I kept my gaze fixed on the Lord; my soul was struck with awe, but also with great joy. After a while, Jesus said to me”: 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 (47). I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish (48). 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. … 18 E. Kazimirowski © 2011 Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception Jesus, I Trust in You
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 will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him (299). We have to remember that the “just hand of God” or His “wrath/anger” are ever directed to the removal of evil and its agent — sin, wherever He encounters them. The rays — instruments of divine life by means of the Sacraments — represent safe refuge for the one who takes shelter under them, when God goes out against what is completely contrary to His holy nature. God hates the sin, but not the sinner, for whom He has only tender compassion. Just as the “lightning rod” attracts lightning to itself, while safe-guarding the object against loss or destruction, sin can be seen as such a lightning rod attracting the cleansing wrath of God. If we cling to sin, when the lightning of God’s anger strikes it, we burn. But the lightning rod metaphor can also be an image of our Savior whom “For our sake [God]made Him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor 5:21). By his Passion and death for us Jesus absorbed all the wrath of God against all sin in His own person. When we cling to our Risen Lord who conquered sin (His life through the Sacraments – the rays – being our truest lightning rod) not only shall the just hand of God not lay hold of us, but we shall 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 (48). 19
The Image of Jesus, The Divine Mercy, becomes a very special transmitter of divine blessings because of the great promises made by our Lord: 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” (327). By means of this image I shall be granting many graces to souls; so let every soul have access to it (570). Not in the beauty of the color, nor of the brush lies the greatness of this image, but in My grace (313). 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. [This refers to the devil and evil spirits that do their damnedest at that critical moment to discourage souls about their salvation and to drive them to despair by bringing up before them the remembrance of their sins.] I myself will defend it as My own glory (48). When nurses or doctors give their patients a blessed Divine Mercy Image, because of the promises attached to it by the Lord, they are exposing the patient to the action of the “rays of mercy” upon them. The Image of The Divine Mercy, with the streams of Blood and Water gushing forth from the pierced side of Jesus, points to the central event of Christ’s Passion reported by St. John the apostle in his account of the Gospel: “One of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water gushed out.” As for the reason this action took place St. John states: “For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled. … They shall look on the one whom they pierced” (Jn 19: 34, 36, 37). 20
We are meant to ever have before our eyes this expression of God’s unending love for us. For Jesus also said to St. Faustina: My gaze from this image is the same, as [My] gaze from the cross (326), that is, full of goodness, compassion, forgiveness and assurance for those “looking on” [contemplating] the One they brought to death by their sins. Believers are thus directed to the beautiful words of Psalm 17:15: “As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake.” This wondrous expectation extends beyond the end of time and out into eternity. We shall fall asleep in death, but one day we shall awake and when we awake, we will be satisfied. “On that day we shall see you, our God, as you are. We shall become like you ... through Christ Our Lord” (Eucharistic Prayer III). As we behold Him, we become what we were created to be. God is infinite; therefore, growing in His image and glory has no limits “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Cor 3:18). The one who trusts in the Lord without reserve, knows His genuine love for us. For He has laid down His life for us, and through His rising again from the dead, assures us of our own resurrection, and fills us with joy knowing that “we will be satisfied.” For there’s nothing else that can fully satisfy the human heart but God Himself. At this time in this life, we have contact with God. We know Him, we serve Him, we do His will. But there are gaps in our knowledge, there’s a veil in between, we are still creatures of flesh. Our ideas and concepts are so limited and inadequate to apprehend 21
22 God, but there’s going to be a day when we awake in His righteousness, not in our own, clothed with His righteousness, faultless to stand before His throne, to see Him face to face. And then we will be “satisfied.” Nothing else can take the place of that. That’s the purpose of all living. It all ends in God Himself. DTi vhi nee FMe ae sr ct yo Sf Tu nhde aDy i Sv i np ee cMi ael rGc rya: c e s St. Faustina quotes Jesus saying: I desire that there be a Feast of Mercy. I want this image, which you will paint with a brush, to be solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after The Great Night [literally the Polish name for Easter]; that Sunday is to be the Feast of Mercy (49). This Feast emerged from the very depths of My mercy, and it is confirmed in the vast depths of My tender mercies. Every soul believing and trusting in My mercy will obtain it (420). 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 (1109). On this day, speak to the whole world of My great mercy; that whoever approaches the Fount of Life [Holy Communion] on this day will be granted complete remission of sins and punishment (300). My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to confession and receive Holy
Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity” (699). The Lord’s words regarding confession are understood in the context of the “Easter duty” — a confession made during Lent as commanded by the Church. However, one must be in the state of grace to receive Holy Communion worthily on this Sunday. In accordance with our Lord’s desire, every Catholic nurse or doctor should endeavor to participate in the celebration of the Holy Mass on Divine Mercy Sunday and to receive Holy Communion in order to receive the promised very special grace attached to it. Wherever possible, healthcare professionals should arrange to have Priests, Deacons or Eucharistic Ministers bring Holy Communion on this day or its vigil to Catholic patients in hospital or at home. Those patients, who are not able to have access to Holy Communion on that Sunday, should be instructed to Mother of Mercy Shrine Stockbridge, MA USA Divine Mercy Sunday at the National Shrine of Divine Mercy © Marie Romagnano 23
make an earnest Act of Spiritual Communion. According to the Catholic teaching expressed by St. Thomas Aquinas, an act of Spiritual Communion consists of an ardent desire to receive Jesus in Holy Communion. Through this ardent longing, “spiritual reception” takes place “in which is received the sacramental effect, whereby a person is spiritually joined to Christ in faith and charity, the inward reality of the sacrament” (Summa Theol., 3a.80, I. Reply). Decree on Indulgences Attached to Devotions in Honour of Divine Mercy adds the following provision: “The sick and those who nurse them and all who for just cause cannot leave their homes on Divine Mercy Sunday or its Vigil, can, however, gain a Plenary Indulgence connected with an act of devotion towards The Divine Mercy by reciting the Our Father and the Creed devoutly before an image of Our Merciful Lord Jesus and, in addition, pray devoutly the invocation “Merciful Jesus, I trust in You.”4 From the wealth of graces available on Divine Mercy Sunday and other graces flowing from the forms of devotion listed in the Nurses for Divine Mercy Ministry Kit our Lord’s intention is clearly visible: “In order that the Feast of Mercy be truly a refuge for all souls, on this day are totally open the depths of Jesus’ generosity, in order to pour out on souls — with no holding back — graces of every sort, of every degree, even most unheard-of ones. The promise of this most extraordinary, unheard-of grace [attached to Holy Communion on Divine Mercy Sunday] is for all souls the proof that the generosity of Jesus on this day is really without limits. This generosity is at the same time for all souls the motive to beg, with great and 24
boundless trust, for mercy on this day — for all the gifts of grace which the Lord desires to distribute on this Sunday”(2nd Theologian Censor of St. Faustina’s writings). Everything that exists has come forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness(139). It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust (300) to the Fount of My Mercy (699). The Divine Mercy Chaplet The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is an intercessory prayer prayed on ordinary Rosary beads. Jesus taught St. Faustina one such prayer whose purpose is to apply the merciful effects of His bitter Passion, Death, Resurrection and of His Real Presence in the Most Holy Eucharist to the personal and worldwide needs of spirit, soul, and body. From the many references to this prayer dealing with the moment of people’s death, we can conclude that it is an important instrument for spiritual care of patients that nurses and doctors should be particularly familiar with and ready to implement. Here are some Diary excerpts of Jesus’ promises which should convince us of the importance of the Chaplet: The souls that say this chaplet will be embraced by My mercy during their lifetime and especially at the hour of their death (754). At the hour of their death, I defend as My own glory every soul that will say this chaplet; or, when others say it for a dying person; the pardon 25
is the same. When this chaplet is said by the bedside of a dying person, divine anger is placated, an unfathomable mercy envelops the soul, and the very depths of My tender mercy are moved for the sake of the sorrowful Passion of My Son (811). Write that when they say this chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as the just Judge but as the merciful Savior. My daughter, encourage souls to say the chaplet which I have given to you. It pleases Me to grant everything they ask of Me by saying the chaplet. When hardened sinners say it, I will fill their souls with peace, and the hour of their death will be a happy one (1541). We may be surprised by the statement “divine anger is placated.” We must keep in mind that God does not hate us, His beloved children. But whatever cuts us off from Him, namely sin, causes a blindness and fear in us and makes us see God as being angry at us. Through the prayer of this chaplet “an unfathomable mercy envelops the soul” and changes its false perception about God’s attitude towards us. Saint Faustina wrote: “I realize more and more how much every soul needs God’s mercy throughout life and particularly at the hour of death. This chaplet mitigates God’s anger, as He Himself told me” (1036). The Chaplet was given by Jesus to be prayed for any and every intention, but he specifically emphasized its use on behalf of the dying. When a patient is dying, the nurse or doctor should entrust him/her to Jesus — The Divine Mercy, and begin praying The Divine Mercy Chaplet at the bedside, or wherever the nurse or doctor may be. The Chaplet can be prayed 26
using Rosary beads or simply counting the prayers on your fingers or in your mind. It is good to pray the Chaplet daily, before or after work, as a spiritual gift of mercy for your patients, whatever their condition. Say unceasingly the chaplet that I have taught you. Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death (687). Oh, what great graces I will grant to souls who say this chaplet; the very depths of My tender mercy are stirred for the sake of those who say the chaplet (848). About St. Faustina’s spiritual work with the dying, she noted: “Especially now, while I am in this hospital, I experience an inner communion with the dying who ask me for prayer when their agony begins. God has given me a wondrous contact with the dying! (835). “There is great help for the dying in this chaplet. I often pray for an intention that I have learned of interiorly. I always pray until I experience in my soul that the prayer has had its effect. ... [One] evening, a certain young man was dying; he was suffering terribly. For his intention, I began to say the chaplet which the Lord had taught me. I said it all, but the agony continued. I wanted to start the Litany of the Saints, but suddenly I heard the words, “Say the chaplet.” I understood that the soul needed the special help of prayers and great mercy. His sufferings then ceased, and he died peacefully. Oh, how much we should pray for the dying! Let us take advantage of mercy while there is still time for mercy! ... It sometimes happens that the dying person is in the second or third building away, yet for the spirit space does not exist. ... it sometime happens I know about a death occurring several hundred kilometers away” (1035). 27
Whenever possible we should seek others to join us in praying the Chaplet before work or on a break, since it may be difficult to pray in the middle of a code, or in the Emergency Room with a major trauma. If you know of anyone praying The Divine Mercy Chaplet for the dying at an adoration chapel or a Catholic Church, ask them to pray for your patients. Responding to St. Faustina’s pain for the ailing humanity Jesus said: My daughter, those words of your heart are pleasing to Me, and by saying the chaplet you are bringing humankind closer to Me (929). When we pray The Divine Mercy Chaplet for our patients, be they near or far away, we are performing a spiritual act of mercy. We are allowing the grace of Divine Mercy to radiate to their souls. We apply the power of Our Savior’s Precious Blood and Water at the moment when it is most needed. For, as St. Peter reminds us, “It is by His wounds we are healed” (1 Pet 2:24), either physically here, if that is for the patient’s spiritual benefit, or with full restoration in eternity. But our care for the sick is as for Jesus Himself: “Amen I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of Mine, you did for Me” (Mt 25:40). Just as our patients have the challenge to accept their sufferings with trust, we embrace the commitment to help them by easing their pain and being there for them not only as nurses or doctors, but as true spiritual advocates. Our vocation is God’s gift for our sanctification. The Divine Mercy Chaplet in Tragedy Catastrophic events present nurses and doctors with occasions to exercise efficacious spiritual works of mercy at the most critical moments of patients’ lives. The Divine Mercy Chaplet is the most appropriate 28
prayer that can be offered for victims who may not otherwise be rescued or able to be assisted. It truly becomes their “last hope of salvation,” as declared by Our Lord, and a means of hope and consolation for those related to them. Praying the Chaplet for those seriously injured and dying in tragedies makes them become powerful instruments of God’s saving grace. God’s Powerful Final Grace of Mercy We look to what St. Faustina tells us about caring spiritually for the dying and this gives us great hope. “I often attend upon the dying, and through entreaties obtain for them trust in God’s mercy, and I implore God for an abundance of divine grace, which is always victorious. God’s mercy sometimes touches the sinner at the last moment in a wondrous and mysterious way. Outwardly, it seems as if everything were lost, but it is not so. The soul, illumined by a ray of God’s powerful final grace, turns to God in the last moment with such a power of love that, in an instant, it receives from God forgiveness of sin and punishment, while outwardly it shows no sign either of repentance or of contrition, because souls [at that stage] no longer react to external things. Oh, how beyond comprehension is God’s mercy! Although a person is at the point of death, the merciful God gives the soul that interior vivid moment, so that if the soul is willing, it has the possibility of returning to God”(1698). Realizing that God’s mercy is infinite and incomprehensible, what St. Faustina is telling us is that God directly intervenes with the soul, giving the soul the last chance for true contrition and salvation, despite the fact that no sacramental Confession or the Anointing of the Sick was possible. 29
Tf hoer TN ho ev eFneaaosft Co hf aTphl ee t Ds : i Pv irneep Ma reart ci oyn Novenas — nine consecutive days of prayer — are inspired by Jesus’ instruction to His disciples as He was about to ascend into heaven. Jesus ascended into heaven on the 40th day after He rose from the dead. Ten days later, on the Feast of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit — the Promise of the Father — came down upon the disciples, who had immediately gone to the upper room, where the Last Supper took place. There “all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers” for the intervening nine days (Acts 1:14). There are many entries in St. Faustina’s Diary about novenas. Jesus requested and even commanded St. Faustina to make novenas for various intentions. The foremost of these novenas was the one He gave instruction to St. Faustina on December 9, 1936, that she was to pray a novena of Divine Mercy Chaplets. He directed her to start it on Good Friday [March 26,1937]. St. Faustina noted: “The Lord told me to say this chaplet for nine days before the Feast of Mercy; it is to begin on Good Friday.” Jesus promised: By this novena, I will grant every possible grace to souls (796). On Good Friday of 1937, St. Faustina wrote: “Jesus is commanding me to make a novena before the Feast of Mercy, and today I am to begin it for the conversion of the whole world and for the recognition of The Divine Mercy ... so that every soul will praise My goodness. I desire trust from My creatures. Encourage souls to place great trust in My fathomless mercy. Let the weak, sinful soul have no fear to approach Me, for even if 30
it had more sins than there are grains of sand in the world, all would be drowned in the immeasurable depths of My Mercy (1059). Regarding the great promise that Jesus attached to the Novena of The Divine Mercy Chaplets in preparation for the Feast of Mercy, the theologian entrusted with the official analysis of St. Faustina’s writings explained: “The extent of this promise is universal; … it applies to all souls who, before the Feast of Mercy, will make this novena of chaplets to The Divine Mercy. Jesus promised to grant these souls every possible grace ... regardless whether they will be requesting graces for themselves or for others.” The effectiveness of the chaplet extends itself not only to every grace but to every earthly and temporal good. It is impossible to imagine a more encouraging and powerful promise. The universal extent of this promise proves that Jesus truly desires that the whole world would be praying such a novena of chaplets. DTahi l ey HR eomu re mo fb Gr arnecaet Mo feCr chyr i -s t3’ :s0P0a ps s. mi o. n Three o’clock is the hour of Jesus’ death, He said: 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. ... In this hour I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion (1320). I remind you, My daughter, that as often as you hear the clock strike the third hour, immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it; invoke 31
its omnipotence for the whole world, and particularly for poor sinners, for at that moment mercy was opened wide for every soul (1572). This moment at 3:00 p.m. (15:00) is an opportunity for nurses to be spiritual advocates for their patients, praying for their every need as well as their own, for Jesus made this promise in connection with it. Desiring to induce us to exercise mercy towards sinful souls, and to trustfully ask for whatever our needs may be, Jesus makes such a simple request for the observance of this Hour. He asks us to pray the Stations of the Cross, if duties permit it, or to adore His Merciful Heart in the Most Blessed Eucharist, or, when not being able to do that, to immerse [ourselves] in prayer there where [we] happen to be, if only for a very brief instant (1572). Brief remembrance of His Passion borne on our behalf and imploring His mercy for sinners is such a small request. But the promise for the observance of this Hour is extraordinary. In this hour you can obtain everything for yourself and for others for the asking; it was the hour of grace for the whole world — mercy triumphed over justice (1572). 32 Nurses & Doctors for Divine Mercy Nigeria, Africa Fr. Antonio Maria Akaatenger
The spiritual fruitfulness of remembering the Hour of Great Mercy, praying The Divine Mercy Chaplet and venerating His Image — experienced by those who with simple faith and trust took Christ’s word seriously and acted upon it — is the reason why The Divine Mercy message and devotion spread so rapidly and widely throughout the world. It is as though God the Father cannot resist answering requests that call upon the precious merits of His Beloved Son’s loving sacrifice for us –– His Passion full of pain and sorrow –– as the compelling motive. Jesus asks: Call upon my mercy on behalf of sinners; I desire their salvation. When you say this prayer, with a contrite heart and with faith on behalf of some sinner, I will give him 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! (186-7). By praying for sinners and the needs of others with confidence, we also fulfill the conditions that constitute the heart of this devotion: trust and deeds of mercy. Living and Proclaiming the Mystery of The Divine Mercy Proclaim that mercy is the greatest attribute of God. All the works of My hands are crowned with mercy (301). Speak to the whole world about My mercy (1190). My daughter, write that the greater the misery of a soul, the greater its right to My mercy; [urge] all souls to trust in the unfathomable abyss of My mercy, because I want to save them all. On the cross, the fountain of My mercy was opened wide by the lance for all souls — no one have I excluded! (1182). 33
Nurses and doctors have exceptional opportunities, like few others, to treat others with mercy and to radiate mercy to the innumerable individuals with whom they come in contact in the course of our ministry. By treating everyone with conscious loving-care, they not only perform works of mercy, but it is as though infect their patients and those close to them with the divine virtue that will enable them to fulfill the divine injunction: “Become merciful, just as your Father is merciful, for in this way do we become perfect and holy as is the heavenly Father” (Lk 6:36; Mt 5:48; Lev 11:44). I am Love and Mercy itself. When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls (1074). Do not tire of proclaiming My mercy. In this way you will refresh this Heart of Mine, which burns with a flame of pity for sinners (1521). Tell the world about My mercy and My love. The flames of mercy are burning Me. I desire to pour them out upon human souls. Oh, what pain they cause Me when they do not want to accept them! (1074) Jesus’ message of merciful love proclaimed by nurses can inspire other healthcare professionals to face the crises of contemporary life, the challenges of the medical field, including the need to recognize and uphold that food and hydration are not extraordinary means of life support, despite some current interpretations. The duty to defend the dignity of every person from conception to natural death is obligatory. No one, least of all a healthcare professional committed to healing, should be forced to violate his or her conscience by participating in procedures that s/he deems to be harmful or morally wrong. (see p.72) 34
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