February 9, 2025 Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time National Shrine of The Divine Mercy A Ministry of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary National Shrine of The Divine Mercy PO Box 951 2 Prospect Hill Road Stockbridge, MA 01262 (GPS: 11 Pine Street, Stockbridge, MA) Fr. Matthew Tomeny, MIC: Rector Fr. Robert Vennetti, MIC: Vice Rector Fr. Anthony Gramlich, MIC: Vice Rector Shrine Reception: 413-298-3931 Bus Pilgrimages: 413-298-1119 Gift Shop: 888-484-1112 National Shrine: www.shrineofdivinemercy.org Divine Mercy: www.thedivinemercy.org Marians: www.marian.org Livestream from the National Shrine Daily Devotions Daily Mass 9:00am Chaplet of Divine Mercy 3:00pm Rosary for Life 5:00pm Divine Mercy (Official) Divine Mercy Videos posted on our website daily: shrineofdivinemercy.org Dear Pilgrims, We welcome you to the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy. Please join us for any upcoming events at the Shrine along with doing a personal pilgrimage during this year. Feel free to visit our Gift Shop and stroll our beautiful grounds during your visit here. May God bless you. Sincerely in Jesus and Mary Immaculate, Fr. Matthew Tomeny, MIC Shrine Rector Monday- Saturday 8:00am, 9:00am & 2:00pm Sunday 9:00am, 10:30am & 2:00pm Please note: 2pm Mass on Saturday does NOT fulfill Sunday obligation Confessions Available Monday thru Friday 1:00pm - 2:00pm Saturdays and Sundays 1:00pm – 2:00pm 3:30pm – 4:15pm Daily Schedule
Upcoming Events For more information please visit the Shrine Calendar found on our website: https: www.shrineofdivinemercy.org February 2/11 Commemoration of Our Lady of Lourdes • Anointing of the Sick only at the 2pm Mass • see flyer on page 12 for more information 2/15 Explaining the Faith Talk at 11am 2/22 Explaining the Faith Talk at 11am 2/27 Healing Mass at 7pm March 3/1 First Saturday Talk and Devotion at 11am 3/5 Ash Wednesday—Lent Begins • see flyer on page 13 for more information 3/7 First Friday Devotions at 8pm 3/15 Relics of the Passion • see flyer on page 14 for more information 3/19 Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Pope Francis Angelus Address February 7, 2016 Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! This Sunday’s Gospel tells us — in St Luke’s narrative — of the call of Jesus’ first disciples (5:1-11). The event takes place in the context of everyday life: there are several fishermen on the shore of the lake of Galilee, who, after working all night and catching nothing, are washing and arranging their nets. Jesus gets into one of the boats, that of Simon, called Peter, whom he asks to put out a little from the shore, and he starts to preach the Word of God to the crowd of people who had gathered. When he is finished speaking, he tells them to put out into the deep and cast the nets. Simon had previously met Jesus and felt the prodigious power of his word. Therefore, he responds: “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets” (v. 5). And this faith of his did not disappoint: indeed, the nets filled with so many fish that they nearly broke (cf. v. 6). Facing this extraordinary event, the fishermen are greatly astonished. Simon Peter throws himself at Jesus’ feet, saying: “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (v. 8). That prodigious sign convinces him that Jesus is not only a formidable master whose word is true and powerful, but he is the Lord, he is the manifestation of God. For Peter this close presence brings about a strong sense of his own pettiness and unworthiness. From a human point of view, he thinks that there should be distance between the sinner and the Holy One. In truth, his very condition as a sinner requires that the Lord not distance Himself from him, in the same way that a doctor cannot distance himself from those who are sick.
Jesus’ response to Simon Peter is reassuring and decisive: “Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men” (v. 10). Once again the fisherman of Galilee, placing his trust in this word, leaves everything and follows the one who has become his Lord and Master. Simon’s workmates, James and John, do the same. This is the logic that guides Jesus’ mission and the mission of the Church: go in search, “fish” for men and women, not to proselytize, but to restore full dignity and freedom to all, through the forgiveness of sins. This is the essential point of Christianity: to spread the free and regenerative love of God, with a welcoming and merciful attitude toward everyone, so that each person can encounter God’s tenderness and have the fullness of life. Here, in a particular way, I think of confessors: they are the first who must give the Father’s mercy, following Jesus’ example, as did the two holy Brothers, Fr Leopold and Padre Pio. Today’s Gospel challenges us: do we know how to truly trust in the Word of the Lord? Or do we let ourselves become discouraged by our failures? In this Holy Year of Mercy we are called to comfort those who feel they are sinners, unworthy before the Lord, defeated by their mistakes, by speaking to them the very words of Jesus: “Do not be afraid. The Father’s mercy is greater than your sins! It is greater, do not be afraid!”. May the Virgin Mary help us to ever better understand that being disciples means placing our feet in the footsteps left by the Master: they are the footprints of divine G A Excerpt from the Angelus Address given by His Holiness Pope Francis on February 7, 2016 www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2016/documents/papa-francesco_angelus_20160207.html Picture: https://www.thedivinemercy.org/articles/pope-francis-unique Coat of Arms: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en.html Picture: www.thedivinemercy.org/articles/let-god-push-your-boat-out-deep-waters Today, in the course of a long conversation, the Lord said to me, How very much I desire the salvation of souls! My dearest secretary, write that I want to pour out My divine life into human souls and sanctify them, if only they were willing to accept My grace. The greatest sinners would achieve great sanctity, if only they would trust in My mercy. The very inner depths of My being are filled to overflowing with mercy, and it is being poured out upon all I have created. Excerpt from Saint Faustina’s Diary; 1784
We must fan the flame of hope that has been given us, and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart and far-sighted vision. The forthcoming Jubilee can contribute greatly to restoring a climate of hope and trust as a prelude to the renewal and rebirth that we so urgently desire; that is why I have chosen as the motto of the Jubilee, Pilgrims of Hope. This will indeed be the case if we are capable of recovering a sense of universal fraternity and refuse to turn a blind eye to the tragedy of rampant poverty that prevents millions of men, women, young people and children from living in a manner worthy of our human dignity. Here I think in particular of the many refugees forced to abandon their native lands. May the voices of the poor be heard throughout this time of preparation for the Jubilee, which is meant to restore access to the fruits of the earth to everyone. As the Bible teaches, “The sabbath of the land shall provide food for you, for yourself and for your male and female slaves and for your hired servant and the sojourner who lives with you; for your cattle also, and for the beasts that are in your land, all its yield shall be for food” (Lev 25:6-7). The spiritual dimension of the Jubilee, which calls for conversion, should also embrace these fundamental aspects of our life in society as part of a coherent whole. In the realization that all of us are pilgrims on this earth, which the Lord has charged us to till and keep (cf. Gen 2:15), may we never fail, in the course of our sojourn, to contemplate the beauty of creation and care for our common home. It is my hope that the coming Jubilee Year will be celebrated and experienced with this intention too. Growing numbers of men and women, including many young people and children, have come to realize that care for creation is an essential expression of our faith in God and our obedience to his will. From the Letter of THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS TO MSGR. RINO FISICHELLA, PRESIDENT OF THE PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR THE PROMOTION OF THE NEW EVANGELIZATION, FOR THE JUBILEE 2025 To learn more about the Jubilee Year of Hope, Please visit: WWW.IUBILAEUM2025.VA/EN.HTML Excerpt from His Holiness, Pope Francis Letter to the President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, for the Jubilee 2025. To read in full please visit link below
Proper Attire Inside the Church “Certain fashions will be introduced that will offend Our Lord very much. Woe to women lacking in modesty.” Our Lady of Fatima to Sr. Lucia Out of respect for Our Lord and to preserve others from any near occasions of sin, we ask that you dress in a spirit of modesty when entering the Church. Dress Code Guideline: For Women: No shorts, spandex, or skirts above the knees. No leggings or athletic wear. No low cut, backless or spaghetti strap dresses. All dresses should fall to knee length or below. No tank tops, bared midriffs or halter tops; no tight fitting, low cut or backless tops. For Men: No shorts No tank tops No baseball caps No flip flops If you should choose to wear a shoulder baring dress or top, please bring a covering for when you enter the Church. "Christian girls, think also of this: the more elegant you will be, and the more pleasing, if you dress with simplicity and discreet modesty." – The Forgotten Virtue: Modesty in Dress A good resource to learn more: The Forgotten Virtue: Modesty in Dress by Mgsr. Charles M. Mangan at https://www.catholic.org/featured/headline.php?ID=647
Get to know the Diary of… I am striving for sanctity, because in this way I shall be useful to the Church. I make constant efforts in practicing virtue. I try faithfully to follow Jesus. And I deposit this whole series of daily virtues-silent, hidden, almost imperceptible, but made with great love-in the treasury of God’s Church for the common benefit of souls. I feel interiorly as if I were responsible for all souls. I know very well that I do not live for myself alone, but for the entire Church… Today, in the course of a long conversation, the Lord said to me, How very much I desire the salvation of souls! My dearest secretary, write that I want to pour out My divine life into human souls and sanctify them, if only they were willing to accept My grace. The greatest sinners would achieve great sanctity, if only they would trust in My mercy. The very inner depths of My being are filled to overflowing with mercy, and it is being poured out upon all I have created. My delight is to act in a human soul and to fill it with My mercy and to justify it. My kingdom on earth is My life in the human soul. Write, My secretary, that I Myself am the spiritual guide of souls — and I guide them indirectly through the priest, and lead each one to sanctity by a road known to Me alone. Conversation of the Merciful God with a Despairing Soul. Jesus: O soul steeped in darkness, do not despair. All is not yet lost. Come and confide in your God, who is love and mercy. — But the soul, deaf even to this appeal, wraps itself in darkness. Jesus calls out again: My child, listen to the voice of your merciful Father. — In the soul arises this reply: “For me there is no mercy,” and it falls into greater darkness, a despair which is a foretaste of hell and makes it unable to draw near to God. Jesus calls to the soul a third time, but the soul remains deaf and blind, hardened and despairing. Then the mercy of God begins to exert itself, and, without any co-operation from the soul, God grants it final grace. If this too is spurned, God will leave the soul in this self-chosen disposition for Saint Faustina “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!”
eternity. This grace emerges from the merciful Heart of Jesus and gives the soul a special light by means of which the soul begins to understand God’s effort; but conversion depends on its own will. The soul knows that this, for her, is final grace and, should it show even a flicker of good will, the mercy of God will accomplish the rest. My omnipotent mercy is active here. Happy the soul that takes advantage of this grace. Jesus: What joy fills My Heart when you return to me. Because you are weak, I take you in My arms and carry you to the home of My Father. Soul (as if awaking, asks fearfully): Is it possible that there yet is mercy for me? Jesus: There is, My child. You have a special claim on My mercy. Let it act in your poor soul; let the rays of grace enter your soul; they bring with them light, warmth, and life. Soul: But fear fills me at the thought of my sins, and this terrible fear moves me to doubt Your goodness. Jesus: My child, all your sins have not wounded My Heart as painfully as your present lack of trust does — that after so many efforts of My (84) love and mercy, you should still doubt My goodness. Soul: O Lord, save me yourself, for I perish. Be my Savior. O Lord, I am unable to say anything more; my pitiful heart is torn asunder; but You, O Lord... Jesus does not let the soul finish but, raising it from the ground, from the depths of its misery, he leads it into the recesses of His Heart where all its sins disappear instantly, consumed by the flames of love. Jesus: Here, soul, are all the treasures of My Heart. Take everything you need from it. Soul: O Lord, I am inundated with Your grace. I sense that a new life has entered into me and, above all, I feel Your love in my heart. That is enough for me. O Lord, I will glorify the omnipotence of Your mercy for all eternity. Encouraged by Your goodness, I will confide to You all the sorrows of my heart. Jesus: Tell me all, My child, hide nothing from Me, because My loving Heart, the Heart of your Best Friend, is listening to you. During Holy Hour in the evening, I heard the words, You see My mercy for sinners, which at this moment is revealing itself in all its power. See how little you have written about it; it is only a single drop. Do what is in your power, so that sinners may come to know My goodness. 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. The mercy of God, hidden in the Blessed Sacrament, the voice of the Lord who speaks to us from the throne of mercy: Come to Me, all of you. Diary 1505, 1784, excerpt 1486; 1665, 635, excerpt 1485
INSPECTIO CORDIS Examining the depth of one’s heart with St. Stanislaus Papczyński “Our weekly goal is to allow Jesus to gaze into your heart and teach you self-examination, leading you to a more fruitful reception of Holy Communion at Sunday Mass, where there is a true encounter of our hearts with His Sacred Heart.” Prepare for Sunday Mass with our Founder Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time—C February 9, 2025 Before Holy Communion 1. “For I am a man of unclean lips.” While in the Temple, Isaiah glimpses the majestic glory of the thrice-holy God, surrounded by the seraphim. They chant the hymn we sing before each Eucharistic prayer: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts!” Their name indicates they are the “burning ones,” aflame with love for God. This vision in turn enables Isaiah to see his own unworthiness more clearly. In the presence of divine light, he cannot help but be made aware of sin – both his own and that of the people of Judah among whom he lives. While we may not see the heavenly court with our own eyes like Isaiah, the sacred art in our churches is to help remind us that, by entering the church, we are entering the presence of God who is hidden in the tabernacle. In addition, the Mass begins with the penitential rite, because an authentic awareness of God’s presence begins with an awareness of our sins. In turn, the seraphim take the ember to touch Isaiah’s lips to remove his wickedness and purge his sin. Similarly, Jesus sends the burning fire of His Spirit into our hearts to cleanse us of iniquity and prepare us to hear His Word. How do you enter the presence of God at Mass? How do you experience the penitential rite at Mass? How does the Holy Spirit “burn” your sin away? 2. “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” The forgiveness of Isaiah’s sin opens him to hear the questions that God poses. Similarly, the penitential rite washes our hearts from the stain of sin that we might better hear what God speaks to us in the readings. A sign that we are truly free from our transgression is that we are ready to respond like Isaiah, “Here I am, send me!” Sin causes us both to not hear His Word or to delay in responding to that Word. Moreover, freedom from sin entails freedom to respond to God without condition. Isaiah responds without any limitation to God; he responds with a firm ‘yes.’ The word Mass
comes from the Latin missa est, which is what the priest says at the end of the liturgy: “Go forth.” Receiving Holy Communion at Mass, by its nature, leads us to be sent forth like Isaiah to proclaim His Word and become fishers of men and women who need salvation. How ready do you feel to respond wholeheartedly to the Word of God? On what “mission” does the Lord send you today at the end of Mass? 3. “When I called, you answered me; you built up strength within me.” We are called to respond to God immediately because He first has answered us when we call out to Him in our distress. We may feel incapable of responding fully to His Word or fulfilling His mission in our lives. But He builds up strength within us by offering His presence to us in Holy Communion. We have confidence not in our talents or strength, but in His “kindness” and “truth” that endure forever. Indeed, the Psalmist is confident because the Lord “will complete what he has done for me.” Similarly, we remain assured of His continued help with us throughout the week, so that we respond to the Father’s will as did Jesus in prompt, trusting obedience. A way to bolster this confident assurance is through praise, which reminds us that His name is greater than every difficulty and trial that we may encounter. How do you praise God in daily life? How do you experience His strength in Holy Communion? How has God answered you in time of trial? After Holy Communion 1. “Put out into deep water…” Jesus’ instruction to St. Peter is both practical and spiritual. To catch fish, he must depart from the shallow waters near the shore to lower his nets. To this, St. Peter responds with the facts: he has done that already all night but without success. Yet, he is willing to put faith in His word and obey, despite his recent failure. He exhibits a spiritual capacity to put out into the deep waters of the spiritual life: he chooses to live not according to his human successes or failures but according to Jesus’ command. The result is immediate: he catches so many fish that the “nets were tearing.” Rather than avoiding areas of failure, St. Peter is willing to try again, rather than to stay in the “safe” areas of shallow water. Similarly, Jesus may not ask something new of us at Mass. He may ask us to persevere in our basic duties of life, trusting that we will eventually witness His miracles that come about through our humble obedience. Where do you tend to stay in “shallow water” to avoid failure? What does Jesus ask of you to do this week to “put out into deep water”? 2. “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” Our sinfulness can become an excuse that enables us to avoid the tasks the Lord entrusts to us. Yet, in Holy Communion, the Lord enters our mouths to remain with us in our
hearts. Rather than being repelled by our brokenness, He presses forward, calling us to be with Him and work with Him to catch men and women in the nets of His love. Our task is not to depart from Him, for we easily forget His presence and His mission that He entrusts to us. We become occupied with our own tasks, hopes, and desires. We are called, like the Apostles, to leave “everything” and follow Him. While we may not leave house and family to follow Him, we are called to leave behind all that would distract us from His will and would lead us to depart from Him in affection or deed. What distractions cause you to depart from Jesus in daily life? How can you leave behind those distractions this week and focus on the mission He gives you? 3. “But by the grace of God I am what I am.” St. Paul recognizes – like Isaiah and St. Peter – that he is unworthy to be called by the Lord. Yet he also admits that His “grace to me has not been ineffective.” The Lord delights in calling those who would seem to be unfit, to prove the power of His love. In this, the Resurrection becomes manifest in our lives. For one way that we know that Jesus is risen is that He is alive in each of us, who are members of His mystical Body. Apart from Him, we can accomplish nothing, like St. Peter with no fish after a night of labor. But with Him and in Him, we can toil “harder than” others by the “grace of God that is with” us through Holy Communion. True humility does not end in the recognition of our poverty but in the confession of His resurrecting power at work in us. The reality of the Resurrection lifts us from our sinful life to eternal life, even now, as we share in the risen life of Jesus through Holy Communion. How do you experience the grace of God at work within you? How do you toil to cooperate with this grace? By Fr. Thaddaeus Lancton, MIC Author Stepping on the Serpent: A Journey of Trust with Mary Shining in Spotless Splendor: Consecration to the Immaculate Conception Available on Google Play and IOS App Store
Embrace Life! Be A Hospice Volunteer. Do you have a talent to share? A contagious passion for just about anything? Would you like a appreciative audience? Want an easy way to make a big impact in someone’s life? Do you want to spend your precious free time making a difference in someone’s life? This is an opportunity for you. We are currently looking for HOPSICE VOLUNTEERS on a regular, periodic or as needed basis. You can play cards, read papers, or have a nice conversation with patients. We provide training. You must be at least 18 years old to apply. Please contact Lori Johnson, Volunteer Coordinator, at 413-443-2994 Or email: [email protected] Visit their website for more information: https://hcib.org/ Jesus said to St. Faustina: "... 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 or absolve yourself from it" Diary of St. Faustina, 742 Excerpt from Comfort the Sick-Park of a Series on Corporal Deeds of Mercy. To read in full go to: https://www.thedivinemercy.org/articles/comfort-sick
The Gift Shop is open daily 9:30am – 4:30pm Find us at: divinemercy giftshop.org e Shrine Bulletin Board Oil blessed in honor of St. Faustina is available at the Shrine Reception desk. A suggested donation of $5.00 which would go to help support Shrine Ministries.
Faces of Hope MARIANS OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Yes,I want to Help! How to help Please visit www.marian.org/ukraine/ to make a donation for Ukraine relief. One-hundred percent of funds received are sent directly to Ukraine and used to purchase humanitarian aid and medical supplies. Please do not mail medical supplies to Ukraine! Instead, please contact the Eucharistic Apostles of The Divine Mercy: 1-877-380-0727 or e-mail [email protected] to answer any of your questions. Because shipping via container is more cost effective, we prefer whatever monetary donations you can give rather than you sending medical supplies. Please know that boxes previously sent to the Marians or the EADM office were sent to Project C.U.R.E. and will be on future containers. https://marian.org/articles/shining-merciful-light-ukraine
The Image of Divine Mercy 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) In 1931, our Lord appeared to St. Faustina in a vision. She saw Jesus clothed in a white garment with His right hand raised in blessing. His left hand was touching His garment in the area of the Heart, from where two large rays came forth, one red and the other pale. She gazed intently at the Lord in silence, her soul filled with awe, but also with great joy. Jesus said to her: Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: Jesus, I trust in You. 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, 47, 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 (327). I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and [then] throughout the world (47). At the request of her spiritual director, St. Faustina asked the Lord about the meaning of the rays in the image. She heard these words in reply: 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 depths of My tender mercy when My agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross. Happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him (299). 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 (742). These words indicate that the Image represents the graces of Divine Mercy poured out upon the world, especially through Baptism and the Eucharist. Many different versions of this image have been painted, but our Lord made it clear that the painting itself is not what is important. When St. Faustina first saw the original image that was being painted under her direction, she wept in disappointment and complained to Jesus: "Who will paint You as beautiful as You are?" (313). From The Image of The Divine Mercy www.thedivinemercy.org/message/devotions/image
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