While I wasn’t particularly devoted to St. Faustina’s Chaplet of Divine Mercy, I had a sudden inspiration to pray it for my husband while I waited in the car as he shopped for tools. My devotion was very ardent that day, and I poured my soul into it. This was one of several wonderful signs concerning his unexpected tragic death within a few hours of my reciting the Chaplet.
Since I knew he had not been to the sacraments prior to his death for many years, my greatest concern was for his salvation. I had prayed for his conversion at daily Mass for nearly 40 years. One night I had problems sleeping, and I spent a few moments in prayer, asking God to help me understand whether or not he was spared eternal punishment. I turned on the TV in my bedroom a few minutes after praying, around 2 A.M., and heard these words from Father Corapi’s Saturday night EWTN broadcast. “God will often apply the many years of our prayers for a person at the final moment of their death and it will save them.” Now if I had turned on the TV one minute later, I would have missed the answer, or if I had been watching for the entire broadcast, I might have thought it was a coincidence. However, I had just voiced this petition in prayer, and here was the answer in a form I could hear.
On another rather sleepless night, I was praying to Our Blessed Mother and questioned whether his death on October 13th, the last appearance of Fatima, had any particular relevance. At that moment of voicing my petition, the words came into my mind, “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.” My understanding was flooded with new insight into the role of Our Lady, praying on behalf of “sinners” at the moment of their death, as the entire Body of Christ continually petitions her. My consolation was very great.
A final sign was granted one day at the start of Mass, October 19, 2008, a little over a year since he died. I had prayed the chaplet for him, lest he was in purgatory, almost constantly during that year. Suddenly I felt my husband’s presence, and I asked God if he was now in heaven. The consolation I received at that moment was so overwhelming that I cried tears of joy all through the Mass. When I prayed evening prayer after Mass from the Liturgy of the Hours for Sunday, Week 1, these words in the reading confirmed that the joy I experienced was indeed from God: “Praise be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all consolation!” (Just in case my mind wanted to doubt this consolation - God is so good)
