Friday, March 29, 2002 11:21 AM
Divine Mercy Novena
A group of TLIG supporters is proposing that the whole TLIG family might join in the Novena to the Divine Mercy which begins today, Good Friday, March 29, for a specific intention .
The prayers of the novena and full information about the Divine Mercy and St. Faustina can be found at: /divinemercy.html
Dear Friends of True Life in God.
As you all know, true prophetic charisms have proved to bear rich fruit in the life of the church for the benefit of the community.
However, the true gifts of God never passed without the testing of which already Saint Paul wrote to the Thessalonians: “Do not stifle the Spirit or despise the gift of prophecy with contempt; test everything and hold on to what is good” (1. Thess. 5.19-21). This work of discernment has always been the task of the Church that in this way is called not only to protect the faithful from false prophetic manifestations but equally to safeguard and thus render fruitful the true prophetic gifts of the Spirit. In the messages of True Life in God, Jesus repeatedly calls to beware of false prophecy. As gold is purified by fire, the messages of many later canonized saints underwent periods of critical evaluation by the church, but with time the divine origin of these gifts of the Spirit were brought to honour. We as readers of True Life in God are aware of this vital yet difficult work of discernment that the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith is carrying out.
As all are equally aware, the same Congregation with the Notification of 1995, reiterated in 1996, pointed out certain reservations towards Vassula and the writings of TLIG, and to many this criticism has made out a most heavy, sometimes unbearably heavy cross to carry, although it has been pointed out many times that the Notification was no condemnation.
In this knowledge of the CDF’s vital responsibility, working in union with the Holy Father, John Paul II, the Successor of Peter, to whom Jesus over and over again calls to extreme faithfulness, we are called to pray for the work of the CDF, especially its prefect, Cardinal Ratzinger, and its secretary, Mons. Bertone, so that the Lord may always bless them and pour his graces over them. This year it will be seven years ago that the Notification was published. This makes for all of us who have been touched by the Lord’s address to his church an opportune occasion furthermore to pray for an open and just re-evaluation of this Holy Congregation’s position towards Vassula’s writings and activity in order that the Lord’s gifts through this message may reap that rich harvest of Unity and reconciliation that it contains.
Concretely, we ask all readers of True Life in God to join in a novena for this intention. We propose to pray the novena of Divine Mercy, starting from Friday 29th March, ending on Sunday 7th April, the Sunday of Divine Mercy, inspired through the writings of Saint Faustina. There is a specific novena you can pray in preparation for the Divine Mercy Sunday. The novena begins Good Friday. Obviously, you are free to choose prayers of your own and please keep praying for this intention. You could also say the prayer of the Divine Mercy Rosary at three o’clock. As you know, Jesus has said to Sr. Faustina that he will never refuse the intentions of those who pray the Divine Mercy Rosary at three o’clock in remembrance of his passion. All are obviously invited to continue their prayers for this intention afterwards.