Tuesday, February 16, 2016

PRAY THE DIVINE MERCY CHAPLET TO HELP OUR COUNTRY


As the psalmist says in psalm 127, “Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” (Psalm 127: 1.  See full psalm here.)  As Catholics, we believe that no good thing can be achieved without the help of God.  The United States, (as it is succinctly put here by Benjamin Franklin here), is built on this principle.  Yet, in recent years, rather than thank God for His blessings, Americans have been increasingly hostile to His laws, legalizing abortion, trying to redefine marriage, and encroaching on religious liberty,  to name just a few examples.  As a country, we are badly in need of His mercy.  

The 2020 presidential election is rapidly approaching.  While, as good citizens, we will go out and vote, we know, as Catholics, that there is another very powerful weapon at our disposal.  As Saint James says in his epistle, “ The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects.” (James 5: 16.)  All Catholics should pray for their country; at this time especially, though, our prayers are indispensable.
Because of this, I ask that you fellow Catholics join me in praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet for the intention that God will have mercy on our country.  The Divine Mercy Chaplet, as is explained here, is a very powerful prayer which Jesus told Saint Faustina Kowalska to pray often.  The prayer is short, (it can be said in less than ten minutes,) and, for those of you who find it helpful, there is a very beautiful sung version by Trish Short that you can listen to here.  For those of you who may be unsure of how to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, this explanation is very helpful.
If you have the time, I ask that you sign up, pledging to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet for the express purpose of asking God to have mercy on our country.  You can sign up to pray daily or, if you don’t think that that will work for you, you can also pledge to say the Chaplet weekly.  You don’t have to give me your name, email address, or any personal information, and there is absolutely no charge for signing up! Please ask your family and friends to participate. God bless you for your help.