To Be Merciful

To Be Merciful

These two prayers were recently given to me by a priest. They have been my prayer, my meditation this week. (But I am sure they will remain my prayer for quite a bit longer than just this week.) They speak to me particularly in my prayer and reflection of what it means to be in my particular vocation, as a wife and mother. How am I called to act? How am I called to serve? How am I called to be within the life God has called me to live? Within my vocation? Within my pathway to Heaven?
Both prayers are taken from St. Faustina’s Diary.
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Prayer for the Grace to be Merciful Towards Others

(This prayer gives us a true measure of our mercy, a mirror in which we can observe ourselves as merciful Christs. We can well make it our morning invocation as well as our evening examination of conscience.)

O Most Holy Trinity! As many times as I breathe, as many times as my heart beats, as many times as my blood pulsates through my body, so many thousand times do I want to glorify Your mercy.

I want to be completely transformed into Your mercy and to be Your living reflection, O Lord. May the greatest of all your divine attributes—that of Your unfathomable mercy, pass through my heart and soul to my neighbor.

Help me, O Lord, that my eyes may be merciful, so that I may never suspect or judge from appearances, but look for what is beautiful in my neighbor’s souls and come to their rescue.

Help me, that my ears may be merciful, that our ears may be merciful, that I may give heed to my neighbors’ needs and not be indifferent to their pains and moanings.

Help me, O Lord, that my tongue may be merciful, so that I should never speak negatively of my neighbor, but have a word of comfort and forgiveness for all.

Help me, O Lord, that my hands may be merciful and filled with good deeds, so that I may do only good to my neighbors and take upon myself the more difficult and toilsome tasks.

Help me, that my feet may be merciful, so that I may hurry to assist my neighbor, overcoming my own fatigue and weariness. My true rest is in the service of my neighbor.

Help me, O Lord, that my heart may be merciful so that I myself may feel all the sufferings of my neighbor. I will refuse my heart to no one. I will be sincere even with those whom I know will abuse my kindness. And I will lock myself up in the most merciful Heart of Jesus. I will bear my own sufferings in silence. May Your mercy, O Lord, rest upon me.

You Yourself command me to exercise the three degrees of mercy. The first: the act of mercy of whatever kind. The second, the word of mercy—if I cannot carry out a work of mercy, I will assist by my words. The third: prayer—if I cannot show mercy by deeds or words, I can always do so by prayer. My prayer reaches out even there where I cannot reach out physically.

O my Jesus, transform me into Yourself, for You can do all things.

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For a Merciful Heart
O Jesus, I understand that Your mercy is byond all imagining, and therefore I ask You to make my heart so big that there will be room in it for the needs of all the souls living on the face of the earth … and the souls suffering in Purgatory … Make my heart sensitive to all the sufferings of my neighbor whether they be of body or soul. O my Jesus, I know that You act toward us as we act toward our neighbor … Make my heart like unto Your merciful Heart … Transform it into Your own Heart that I may sense the needs of other hearts, especially those who are sad and suffering. May the rays of mercy rest in my heart … Jesus, help me to go through life doing good to everyone.
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2 thoughts on “To Be Merciful”

  1. I KNOW I was not as merciful as I should have been today (my reaction to MUD and kids who bring it into the house … well, all the way up to the second floor didn't help matters). Great post, Sarah.

  2. Thank you for this post Sarah! I will be making a copy of these prayers. How difficult it is sometimes to be merciful.

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