Mission of Mercy, Three O'Clock Prayer for Mercy

MISSION OF MERCY

By: George W. Kosicki, C.S.B.

THREE O'CLOCK PRAYER FOR MERCY

"; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony. . I will allow you to enter into My mortal sorrow. In this hour, I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion... (Diary 1320)."

The Lord asked Sister Faustina to pray especially for sinners at three o'clock in the afternoon, the moment of His death on the cross. This is the hour of great mercy for the world, and can be a moment of reflection on His Passion and Death for us. If possible, It is a good time to make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament and an excellent time for making the Stations of the Cross.

"I remind you, My daughter, that ,; invoke its omnipotence for the whole world, and particularly for poor sinners; for at that moment mercy was opened wide for every soul. In this hour, you can obtain everything for yourself and for others for the asking; . My daughter, try your best to make the Stations of the Cross in this hour, provided that your duties permit it; and if you are not able to make the Stations of the Cross, then at least step into the chapel for a moment and adore, in the Blessed Sacrament, My Heart, which is full of mercy; and should you be unable to step into the chapel, immerse yourself in prayer there where you happen to be, if only for a very brief instant. I claim veneration of My mercy from every creature... (Diary 1572)."

Each day at the Shrine of The Divine Mercy on Eden Hill, in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, you can hear the bells at three o'clock, calling people to prayer - a brief moment of prayer while working or, for those who can, a pause from work to participate in the special three o'clock prayers at the Shrine.

As the sound of the bells fades away, the leader begins with the sign of the cross, and together we pray:

You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelope the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us (Diary 1319).

And then, three times,

"O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus, as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You (Diary 84)."

Then follows the recitation of the chaplet with the leader praying the first half of the Our Father and Hail Mary and all responding with the second half; then all together reciting the Creed. In turn, five from those present will each lead a decade:

Leader:

"Eternal Father, I offer you the Body ad Blood,' Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ,

All:

in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world."

:

Leader:

"For the sake of His sorrowful Passion

All:

have mercy on us and on the whole world."

:

All:

"Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world." (3 times)

:

LET US PRAY

All:

"Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself. Amen (Diary 950)."

A PRAYER FOR DIVINE MERCY

All:

"O Greatly Merciful God, Infinite Goodness, today all mankind calls out from the abyss of its misery to Your mercy - to Your compassion, O God; and it is with its mighty voice of misery that it cries out.

Gracious God, do not reject the prayer of this earth's exiles! O Lord, Goodness beyond our understanding,

Who are acquainted with our misery through and through, and know that by our own power we cannot ascend to You, we implore You: anticipate us with Your grace and keep on increasing Your mercy in us, that we may faithfully do Your holy will all through our life and at death's hour.

Let the omnipotence of Your mercy shield us from the darts of our salvation's enemies, that we may with confidence, as Your children, await Your final coming - that day known to You alone.

And we expect to obtain everything promised us by Jesus in spite of all our wretchedness. For Jesus is our Hope:

Through His merciful Heart, as through an open gate, we pass through to heaven (Diary 1570)."

.

Taken from "Thy Kingdom Come", August 1995, Volume 95 No. 5. (Miracle of the Rosary Mission, Inc. 1444C Highway 1, Thibodaux, LA 70301-5748) Mission of Mercy is a serialized column excerpted from the book, Now is the Time for Mercy: Copyright 1993, by Marian Helpers, Stockbridge, Massachusetts 01263. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission. The book Now is the Time for Mercy, may be ordered from: Marian Helpers, Eden Hill, Stockbridge, MA 01263, Tel: (1-800-462-7426)

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