NOW IS THE TIME OF MERCY
(summary of a retreat talk by Willy Effinger)
My dear friends, over the past fifteen years, I have given many talks and workshops on different aspects of God's Divine Mercy, but none is more unsettling than the topic of the last days! Even though each of us will have to face the Day of Justice, we must focus on the present; we must realize that we are living in the Time of Mercy.
There are many entries in St. Faustina's Diary dealing with this subject, so I have picked 15 of them to demonstrate the urgency of preparing ourselves for what many refer to as the "end times". As Christians, it is not good for us to live in fear; rather, we should place hope in what is revealed in the Word of God. So, let us dive into the warnings; let us read some of the entries from "Divine Mercy in My Soul".
In 1934, at the outset of St. Faustina's writings, the Lord said to her:
"Write this: before I come as a Just Judge, I am coming first as the King of Mercy. Before the day of justice arrives, there will be given to people a sign in the heavens of this sort: All light in the heavens will be extinguished, and there will be great darkness over the whole earth. Then the sign of the cross will be seen in the sky and from the openings where the Hands and the Feet of the Saviour were nailed will come forth great lights which will light up the earth for a period of time. This will take place shortly before the last day." (entry #83)
In entry #570, St. Faustina recorded an encounter with the Lord in the greenhouse where He spoke these words to her: "... Your assignment and duty here on earth is to beg for mercy for the whole world. No soul will be justified until it turns with confidence to My mercy and this is why the First Sunday after Easter is to be the Feast of Mercy.
On that day, priests are to tell everyone about My great and unfathomable mercy. I am making you the administrator of My mercy. Tell the confessor that the Image is to be on view in the Church and not within the enclosure of the convent. By means of this Image, I shall be granting many graces to souls; so let every soul have access to it."
Although the Lord spoke these words to a Polish nun behind convent walls, He is also speaking today to all those who sincerely have taken up the call to Divine Mercy, all the souls who promote His message of Divine Mercy, all those who try to be "as merciful as the Heavenly Father is merciful". It is our acts of mercy that will bless our neighbourhoods; living mercy is what will change the world! Keep in your heart the words that Jesus spoke: "no soul will be justified until it turns with confidence to My mercy."
On March 25th in 1936, the Mother of God weighed in on this topic as well. While St. Faustina was in deep meditation about the immeasurable greatness of God and on His condescension to His creatures, Mary appeared to her and said: "O how pleasing to me is the soul that follows faithfully the inspirations of His grace! I gave the Saviour 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 Saviour but as a Just Judge! ... Speak to souls about this great mercy while it is still the time for mercy. If you keep silent now, you will be answering for a great number of souls on that terrible day. " I want you to pay close attention to that last sentence. They are very similar words to those I heard during my out-of-body experience: "You who have received My mercy must also give it; otherwise, I will hold you responsible on Judgment Day for the souls lost."
In entry #848, the Lord placed great emphasis on the Chaplet. This is what He said: "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. Speak to the world about My unfathomable mercy. It is a sign for the end times; after it will come the day of justice. While there is still time, let them have recourse to the fount of My mercy; let them profit from the Blood and Water which gushed forth for them."
In 1937, St. Faustina wrote about the great love that God has for suffering souls and that the Passion of Jesus had been imprinted on her body in an invisible manner. (This, of course, refers to the painful invisible stigmata which she silently endured). Then Jesus said to her: "Souls perish in spite of My bitter Passion. I am giving them the last hope of salvation; that is, the Feast of My Mercy. If they will not adore My mercy, they will perish for all eternity. Secretary of My mercy, write, tell souls about this great mercy of Mine, because the awful day, the day of My justice, is near." (entry #965)
Nine days later, she had a vision which she recorded in entry #991: "Today I saw how the Holy Mysteries were being celebrated without liturgical vestments and in private homes, because of a passing storm; and I saw the sun come out from the Blessed Sacrament and all other lights went out, or rather, they were dimmed; and all the people were looking toward this light. But at the present time I do not understand the meaning of this vision." This could very well be a scene in the Days of Darkness – when our only hope is the True Light coming forth from the Most Blessed Sacrament. This might also be true in our daily lives, when the storms of the world are hammering against our souls, then we
must remind ourselves that we are a royal priesthood who have been given, through St. Faustina, a great prayer of sacrifice and offering, the prayer that is like a mini-Mass: "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."
In all of these warnings, we should remember that the words are spoken because we are loved, because God wants all of His children to be saved. They are not meant to scare us but rather to remind us to return to the true sheepfold. Saint Faustina understood this perfectly well and wrote with total conviction about the Lord being her daily nourishment and that she longed to be united with Him for all eternity. As a proof of His deep love, the Lord asked her to record these words, found in entry #1146: "Let the greatest sinners place their trust in My mercy. They have the right before others to trust in the abyss of My mercy. My daughter, write about My mercy towards tormented souls. Souls that make an appeal to My mercy delight Me. To such souls I grant even more graces than they ask. I cannot punish even the greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to My compassion but on the contrary, I justify him in My unfathomable and inscrutable mercy. Write: before I come as a Just Judge, I first open wide the door of My mercy. He who refuses to pass through the door of My mercy must pass through the door of My justice."
(watch for part 2 next month)