Lent: Saints & Virtue: Week FOUR

March 15-21

Quick Bio: St. Faustina was born in 1905 in a small rural village in Poland. She first heard the voice of Jesus in her heart when she was only seven years old. She entered the convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy at the age of 20. She was known for her holiness and for performing the daily chores at the convent with cheerfulness. She received mystical revelations, visions, locutions and prophecies, all focused on the Mercy of Jesus. She recorded her spiritual experiences in her Diary and it has become a spiritual classic. She suffered from tuberculosis and offered all of her prayers, works and sufferings in union with the Suffering of Jesus, for the mercy of sinners. She died at the age of 33.

The image of the Divine Mercy was commissioned from a vision she received of Jesus. The Devotion of The Divine Mercy was compiled from the messages St. Faustina received from Jesus. Even the sisters of her own order (Our Lady of Mercy) did not know that the Devotion was compiled from the writings of St. Faustina until a few years after her death.

The Virtue of Prayerfulness is being still, listening, and being attentive and willing to talk to God as a friend. It involves praying thoughtfully, intentionally and from the heart, with courageous vulnerability.

Learning from St. Faustina:

St Faustina learned how to listen in prayer; she received messages from Jesus Himself!

We need to invite God into the Present Moment.

Prayer can be rote, memorized prayers, reading Scripture, meditating on Scripture, singing praise songs, prayer out loud or in our thoughts. We should strive to practice continuous conversation with God throughout the day. Everything we do can be offered to God for His Glory, if we seek to magnify Him.

Practicing virtue is a prayer and so are our weaknesses and struggles, when we recognize them and offer them back to God.

We must pray through the busyness; we must pray when we have nothing to say, and when we have sinned or doubted and when we are discouraged or ashamed.

We shouldn’t let distractions discourage us or deter us from praying. When we are distracted from prayer by thoughts of other people, circumstances or items on our to do list, we can choose to pray for those intentions, before we return to our conversation with God in prayers of adoration, contrition and thanksgiving.

“When you reflect upon what I tell you in the depths of your heart, you profit more than if you have read many books. Oh, if souls would only want to listen to My Voice when I am speaking in the depths of their hearts, they would reach the peak of holiness in a short time.” No. 584 Diary of St Faustina

Consider:

How can we build the habit of praying more often, or even continuously throughout the day?

Each night, talk to God of THREE things you are grateful for,
TWO things you are sorry for and ONE thing you resolve to do tomorrow.

Prayer Prompt:

What things do I do everyday, see everyday, struggle with everyday, that I can use as a prompt to pray?