All the advice I’ve read in this thread is wonderful and good.
- MANDATORY Confession for serious sin .
- Go to communion as often as possible if not daily.NEVER RECEIVE IF YOU ARE NOT WORTHY. .This should be your goal of life as you have read many who have advise you here. They are building themselves treasure in Heaven…the treasure…the vision of the Infinitely beautiful God to the degree of their holiness…EVERYONE IN HEAVEN IS PERFECTLY HAPPY BUT NOT EQUALLY HAPPY!!!
- Use the Brown, Green scapular and the Miraculous medal. Faith and its fruits takes time and patience to grow.
- The Divine Office, Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet.
5)Offer Mass for Holy Souls and alms giving - acts of mercy.
The above are the foundation of a serious spiritual life…
also…
- Image of the Divine Mercy,
7)15 prayers of St Bridget.
8)AND THE FEAST OF THE DIVINE MERCY WHICH IS THIS 15th April 2012, this year. Let me explain…
a) Divine Mercy Sunday Promise- ANYONE RECEIVING HOLY COMMUNION AND CONFESSION ON THIS FEAST DAY WILL RECEIVE COMPLETE REMISSION OF SIN AND PUNISHMENT.
Confession as close as possible to the Feast, then you would have fulfilled this REQUIREMENT OF CONFESSION, according to the Booklet “The Divine Mercy_Message and Devotion- Marians of the Immaculate Conception “…we should make our Confession even before Holy Week… .”
Of course, if we need to go to confession because of serious sin even after then, let us do so to receive communion worthily on the Feast Day.
This promise is liken to the grace received atBaptism. What happens at the Baptism of an adult? All sin and punishment is remitted. They become a new creation with NO ATTACHMENT TO SIN. Therefore if they were to die the next day without committing another sin, they would go straight to Heaven. THAT IS THE GIFT OF BAPTISM…THERE IS TOTAL CLENSING AND FREEDOM!!!
This 15th April, we can receive THIS GRACE OF BAPTISM. He promises to pour out a whole ocean of graces on this Feast day. YOU WILL PROBABLY RECEIVE THIS GRACE. JUST HUMBLE YOURSELF AND TRUST MOST FULLY IN THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS. Retain the spirit of mercy”-Blessed are the merciful, they will be shown mercy".
On receiving the grace, you may or may not feel it…but you will become a new creation. All your habits of sin and other attachments to sin WILL BE BROKEN. WITH EACH YEAR PASSING YOU WILL NOTICE THE ROOTS F SIN BECOME MORE AND MORE SHALLOW AND THE ROOTS OF VIRTUE GROW DEEPER.
FOR example if one were a smoker, if he has received this grace, he is able to give up smoking altogether without going cold turkey. IT WOULD NOT MAKE SENSE, TO HAVE RECEIVE THIS GRACE AND YET BE A SLAVE TO SMOKING…IF WE ARE STILL A SLAVE TO SIN AND BAD HABITS WE WOULD NEED TO GO TO PURGATORY…AND THIS WOULD BE A CONTRADICTION OF WHAT IS GIVEN.
Then you may ask yourself…, If that is so, how come people still smoke and go back to bad habits etc. Shouldnt we be able to be able to resist sin and bad habits???
The crux is people are not aware of the gift given and so HAVE NOT REALLY MADE A FIRM PURPOSE OF AMENDMENT WITH GREAT FERVOUR AND LOVE OF GOD.
And so, a smoker even though he has received the gift MAY JUST START A LIGHT OUT OF HABIT even if he DOESNT FEEL THE URGE TO SMOKE.
Also, the devil WILL DO ALL HE CAN TO ENTRAP US AGAIN THROUGH TEMPTATION… BUT IF WE ARE AWARE OF THE GIFT AND RESIST REASONABLY WE WILL WIN THE VICTORY.
B) The Image of the Divine Mercy.THE PROMISE THAT JESUS MADE IS,
“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.(47)”
We will have a peaceful death, IF WE VENERATE THE IMAGE. We will overcome our enemies, the devil, the flesh and the world, in this life. We will see ourselves winning the victory.
"I am offering the 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”.
This promise of Our Lord is the remind us to keep coming to the Image for those special actual graces He desires to give to those who are humble. Recall Naaman the leper who Isaias told to bath in the Jordan 7 times to be cured of his leprosy. Naaman was indignant yet on the advise of those who came with him he dipped himself 7 times and was cured. Similiarly, To wear the image around our necks as an act of veneration is such a simple thing to do and yet I personally have received some extraodinary blessings from it. You may get it fm DM publications, Ireland., a non profit organisation which helps orphans in Europe.
c) the 15 prayers of St Bridget.
I was a bit disappointed on learning that the promise attached to the 15 prayers were not authenticated,as they were the reasons why i wanted to pray them… though the prayers themselves are authentic.Our Lord was kind enough to tell me,I felt (just a gentle voice) that the gifts are even greater than the promises. And he led me to uncover the following quotes,
"There is more merit to 1 hour of meditation on My Sorrowful Passion that there is a whole year of flagellation that draws blood; the contemplation of My painful wounds is of great profit to you, and it brings Me great joy.(Diary of St Faustina K. Pg 166 No.369)
Blessed Albert the Great…learned in a revelation that by simply thinking or meditating on the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, a christian gains more merit than if he has fasted on bread and water every Friday for a whole year or had beaten himself with the discipline once a week until the blood flowed, or had recited the whole book of Psalms everyday.
(The Secret of the Rosary by St Louis Marie de Montfort Pg68)
One other thot that I felt that Our Lord consoled me with ON ANOTHER DAY…AS THIS IS TOO LONG TO SUBMIT…
God bless.
Kentcara2003 (SSCC 3rd Order)