O God, be merciful to me a sinner. [1]

As we commence the Divine Mercy Novena on Good Friday we first of all pray for sinners, especially our own selves! Let us not forget that we are all sinners. Sin no more, lest some worse thing happen to thee. [2] Part of our Holy week is a thorough examination of conscience asking God to help us see our sins, and amend our lives.

Praise the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. [3]

For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, Who will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. [4] It is through a knowledge and acceptance of the truth that we save our souls. In His mercy, God has willed that this happen. If we will only conform our will to His most holy will, then we can save our souls. However, as long as we must have everything our own way, then we are far from salvation.

Say to them: As I live, saith the Lord God, I desire not the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way, and live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways: and why will you die, O house of Israel? [5]

Road To Heaven

We are all traveling on a road and it is time to turn around and head the other way. The road leads from the town of self-love to hell. Along the way the cities are covetousness, boastfulness, pride and blasphemy. Shortly before arriving at hell, we come to the twin cities of defiance and disobedience. We are all on this road, as this is the road the world tells us to travel.

Let us describe the various towns to see if we have passed them or not. The town of self-love is almost second nature to us. We want what we want, when we want it and how we want it. As we travel through self-love we pass the streets of gluttony, lust and sloth. Indeed we have all been through this town and lived a while on these streets.

Next we come to the town of covetousness. Not only do we want things, but we want what others have and soon are traveling down envy street. Soon we are on the super highway towards boastfulness. Not only do we want what others have, but we are certain we are better than they are! And from boastfulness to pride is a short trip. The highway goes through town and like most two lane highways has another name in town and that is anger avenue. Don’t let anyone cross us! It is my way or the highway!

As we are leaving pride we see in the distance the town of blasphemy. One asks, why is this town on this road? Why aren’t we heading straight for the twin cities? When we think of blasphemy we figure that the roads have names like G?? D???, etc. Some of us may detour to that side of town, but the highway goes straight through. And as we enter town we hear the song, I Did It My Way begin to plan on the radio. In fact, in this town it plays 24-7. According to the dictionary blasphemy also means to attribute the properties of God to our own selves. Indeed, isn’t this the New Age Movement. Doesn’t it tell us that we are god? In fact, The Satanic Bible tells us to celebrate our birthday as a feast, because on that day a god was born! In our pride we act as if we are god, requiring everyone to follow our will in everything or else we will hop back on Anger Avenue, which also runs through the town of blasphemy.

As we are leaving blasphemy we see two cities in the distance and these are the twin cities of defiance and disobedience. And just on the other side of them is the metropolis of hell. And if we ever enter it, we cannot leave. While we are alive the closest we can get to hell is defiance and disobedience, traveling the roads of vice in these two cities. The inhabitants of these two cities are utterly miserable.

All of us will find ourselves on this road, heading towards hell, rather than away from it. And so, how do we get to heaven? What we all want is a superhighway that will take us out around these towns and straight to heaven, without really giving up the things we have learned on the road to hell. This road we call devotions. However, devotions are not a road, but stops along the way at which we can consult the road map. At least devotions are stops along the way, for while we are performing them we are not traveling further along the road towards hell. However, once we consult the map, we have to get back out on the road and start traveling towards heaven.

And so we are most likely sitting on the hell side of the twin cities of defiance and disobedience. The road back is clearly marked. To get on this road, we have to give up our own will. Along the road the first sign we see is Never Do Your Own Will. This means exactly this. Never do something because it is my will, but because it is the will of God, whether directly like the Commandments or indirectly by command of a superior. Even in our choices, let us choose not our will, but the will of another, unless the will of God commands otherwise. If we will start practicing this we will find ourselves sailing right between these twin cities and on our way back towards heaven.

Now it is time to stop and get out the road map again. Negotiating back through blasphemy will not be easy. Now we will find that we will have to travel roads such as Holy Hour Avenue and fasting freeway. Often we will find ourselves having to get back on Penance Place!

After leaving blasphemy behind, we thank God for the great grace to stop blaspheming, but now we must negotiate our way through two very rough towns, pride and then boastfulness. We must admit who we really are, and this is not easy. As Saint John Vianney reminds us, pride is an untrue opinion of what we are not. We think we are God’s gift to mankind, when we are really a sinner! Let us turn onto examination expressway and read the signs that come up to remind us to examine our conscience. We breeze past many of them, until we see that sign, which hits us where we live. There in big bold letters is our pet sin CONDEMNED! And in order to continue we must humbly admit our weakness and ask God to show us how to get to the end of the expressway. If we are successful we will leave pride and boastfulness behind us.

And now we come to the city of covetousness. Why can’t we be happy when others get what we don’t have? Why do we want everything? As we enter the town we see a billboard: It is better to give than to receive. There is our key, let us be generous and giving of ourselves for the good of others. And soon we see a bunch of little signs all lined up in a row. Instruct the ignorant, bury the dead, etc. Oh yes, there are fourteen, the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. [6]

And what road have we traveled between towns? We have often been on it. It is the duty highway. Yes, the road to heaven consists in performing the duties of our state of life. Indeed, if we fail here, then we can’t get back through any of these towns to the heaven side of self-love. It is self-love which makes us ignore our duties to God and/or our fellow man. There are those who will not let their head hit the pillow without saying their daily Rosary, but never take care of their duty to their children and/or spouse. The Rosary may have to be set aside, but duty never can be!

Let there be an end of your own will, and there will be no such thing as hell. St. Bernard.

Indeed we have breezed through this return trip from hell towards heaven. Spiritual books are essential, as are even devotions to making this trip. However, devotions will not get us to heaven, but help earn us the graces to get on the road to heaven. Let us remember: Devotion consists in being ready to accomplish in ourselves whatever God demands of us. Saint Thomas Aquinas.

From self-love springs covetousness. For the wretched niggardly temper of self-love contracts that love which should be widely extended, and diffused on every side. "Covetous." From covetousness springs boastfulness, from boastfulness pride, from pride blasphemy, from blasphemy defiance and disobedience. For he who exalts himself against men, will easily do it against God. Saint John Chrysostom, Homily VII on II Timothy 3:1-7.

We have been brief. Some may ask why we are promoting a devotion, which is also promoted in the Pog Church, founded by Vatican II? One way to counter false devotion is with true devotion. Several years ago We picked up a book, Mercy Is Forever, by Fr. Theodore Zaremba, O.F.M., imprimatur 1957. Allow Us a few quotes in closing. This is where We got the Novena and chaplet, which will be sent out separately.

It (Divine Mercy) demands a life that cannot be religiously indifferent or contrary to God. [7]

Only a simpleton can think that there is nothing wrong with the twentieth-century world in which we live; only he could seriously think that the modern man can by his own power lift himself out o the mess in which he finds himself; and pitiful indeed is he who thinks that the entire situation is hopeless, that nothing can be done about it.

A closer look at the modern world will show some of its glaring ills and basic diseases.

One possible view a person can take of the world is to divide people into three groups: those who are on God’s side, those who are against Him, and those who don’t care. From the viewpoint of one who is on God’s side, the other two categories represent evils. [8] That of denying God is known as atheism; that of ignoring Him is secularism.

These evils have become so rampant today that the modern world can be compared to a victim of a malignant cancer. … This was written a half a century ago and the victim is now just about dead. We must ask ourselves, are we for God or are we secular? We cannot be both! The next section is entitled the Deification of man, which reminds us of blasphemy above.

For almost precisely the same reasons does the world at large need the devotion to the Mercy of God. Society is made up of individuals. While a good society can absorb some wicked individuals – weakening itself, of course, in the process – yet it cannot absorb them indefinitely. Once the balance has shifted so that the wicked ones tip the scales, no society can any longer be nor is a good one. It appears at present that atheism and secularism have tipped the scales of modern society in their favor. [9] What is needed is a reversal, a turning toward God not away from Him, a placing of trust in God and not in man. Amen.

There are many more things that can be said, but there is not space nor time.

We remind all of the Exorcism fast to commence with a Holy Hour at nine pm on Wednesday, continuing through the Sacred Triduum, ending Holy Saturday at three pm. It consists of Holy Hours on Holy Thursday and Holy Saturday. During the latter, We ask all to renew their Baptismal Promises and their Profession of Faith. On Good Friday all who are able should observe the Tre Ore from noon until three in memory of the ultimate sacrifice made by Jesus in His mercy for us.

Pope Michael

April 10, 2006, Monday in Holy Week

p.s. the launch of the website is on schedule for April 13.

Divine Mercy Novena will come in a day or two.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercy of God, that you present your bodies a, living sacrifice, holy, pleasing unto God your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be reformed in the newness of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and the acceptable and the perfect will of God. [10]

[3] Psalm 135:1, which is the Divine Mercy Psalm

[8] Pages 123-4. Actually there are only two sides, but the way this is laid out is quite interesting. We are either for God or against Him.

[9] Page 131. All We can say is AMEN. The world is secular and tending towards practical atheism.