MyCatholicSource.com - 'Quick Help' Page: Problems With Faustina's Divine Mercy Devotion/Reaching Those Unreachable

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Sadly, if people won't be persuaded by actual evidence there may be no way to reach them, at least humanly speaking (especially since the Church has allowed this previously condemned devotion to be propagated in the wake of the revolutionary Second Vatican Council). However, there are some things that one might consider, depending on the circumstances. For example...

* Persevering prayer (always good!)

* Putting them on the defensive concerning issues with the devotion (for example, try the publication here)

* Helping to transfer their dedication to worthy devotions (e.g. Rosary, Sacred Heart, Blessed Virgin Mary, Fatima, traditional saints, etc.)

As a last resort, perhaps one might try humor if it can be done appropriately & respectfully. In this spirit, for Catholics who won't be dissuaded from Faustina's problematic 'Divine Mercy' devotion, I propose below some patronages for Faustina. Maybe she could be 'patron saint' of...?

[Note: Excerpts below are from Faustina's diary. Also note that the following may presuppose some proper level of doctrinal formation (e.g. to recognize the impossibility / inappropriateness of certain items below)]

* People who own everything - "I felt that everything that existed was exclusively mine" (#1279)

* People with omnipotence - "You grant me the grace of Your omnipotence." (#2)

* Necklace crucifixes that come alive and speak - "I went for five-minute adoration, when suddenly I saw the crucifix I have on my breast come alive. Jesus said to me..." (#669)

* People who constantly smell their own corpse - "I feel the complete decay of my organism, Although I am still living and working. Death will be no tragedy for me, Because I have long felt it. Although it is very unpleasant for nature to constantly smell one's own corpse" (#1435, cf. #1430)

* Those who don't steal the Lord's gifts - "Tell your confessor that I commune with your soul in such an intimate manner because you do not steal My gifts" (#1069)

* People who suffer because of another's sanctity - "...on one occasion a certain person suffered because of my sanctity" (#1571)

* Those who think they have knowledge of God's interior life - "I often receive light and the knowledge of the interior life of God and of God's intimate disposition" (#1102)

* People who think they can thwart God's plans - "Action on my part could indeed thwart God's plans" (#1401)

* Heartless souls - "On my way back, as I was passing close to the little chapel, I saw Jesus standing in the doorway. He said to me, Go ahead, but I am taking your heart. Suddenly I felt that I had no heart in my chest." (#42)

* Those who want to live in another world - "Once, I suddenly saw Jesus in great majesty, and He spoke these words to me: My daughter, if you wish, I will this instant create a new world, more beautiful than this one, and you will live there for the rest of your life." (#587)

* Humans with love purer than the angels - "...I see your love so pure, purer than that of the angels" (#1061)

* People in danger of bursting asunder - "I cannot keep this happiness locked in my own heart alone, for His flames burn Me and cause my bosom and my entrails to burst asunder." (#491)

* People who think God can't be happy without them - "I do not know how to live without God, but I also feel that God, absolutely self-sufficient though He is, cannot be happy without me..." (#1120)

* People who think they know God's entire essence - "...in one moment, I come to know the entire essence [!] of God." (#770)

* People who command Jesus - "...Jesus, who said to me, I will stay here no longer! At this, a powerful love for Jesus rose up in my soul, I answered, 'And I, I will not let You leave this house, Jesus!'" (#44)

* People who reproach saints - "Feast of St. Ignatius. I prayed fervently to this Saint, reproaching him for looking on and not coming to my aid in such important matters as doing the will of God." (#448)

* Pushy people - "I got impatient and turned around and pushed the person away from me." (#329)

* Grapes, particularly sweet ones - "During one conference, Jesus said to me, You are a sweet grape in a chosen cluster; I want others to have a share in the juice that is flowing within you." (#393)

* Speaking birds (possibly parrots?) - "...the birds were singing and chirping their adoration of God and said to me, 'Rejoice and be happy, Sister Faustina'" (#1120)

* People with unsettling visions at Mass [WARNING: Disturbing image] - "After a while, I saw the Child Jesus on the altar, joyfully and playfully holding out His hands to him. But a moment later the priest took the beautiful Child into his hands, broke Him up and ate Him alive." (#312)

* Those whose souls have dissolved - "...my soul dissolved from the pain" (#1060)

* Those whose hearts have dissolved - "...my heart dissolved in love and bitterness." (#1054)

* People who have to consent in order to keep living - "Nevertheless, such an extraordinary disgust with life came over me that I had to make a great act of the will to consent to go on living..." (#1497)

* People who can still walk despite being crucified - "I have willingly allowed myself to be crucified, and I am indeed already crucified; although I can still walk a little" (#1580)

* People who think they suffer as much as the martyrs, even without their shedding blood - "No one can understand or comprehend, nor can I myself describe, my torments. But there can be no sufferings greater than this. The sufferings of the martyrs are not greater because, at such times, death would be a relief for me. There is nothing to which I can compare these sufferings, this endless agony of the soul." (#1116)

* High ranking virgins - "I see your love, so pure and true that I give you [Faustina] first place among the virgins." (#282)

* Those most intimately united with the Lord - "After Holy Communion, I suddenly saw the Lord Jesus, who spoke these words to me: Now I know that it is not for the graces or gifts that you love me, but because My will is dearer to you than life. That is why I am uniting Myself with you so intimately as with no other creature." (#707)

* Those with priority to the Lord's gaze - "This evening, the Lord asked me, Do you not have any desires in your heart? I answered, 'I have one great desire, and it is to be united with You forever.' And the Lord answered me, That will happen soon. My dearest child, your every stirring is reflected in My Heart. My gaze rests kindly upon you before any other creature." (#1700)

* Jesus' babysitters - "Just then, I saw Our Lady with the Infant Jesus, and the Holy Old Man [St. Joseph] standing behind them. The most holy Mother said to me, Take My Dearest Treasure, and She handed me the Infant Jesus. When I took the Infant Jesus in my arms, the Mother of God and Saint Joseph disappeared. I was left alone with the Infant Jesus." (#608) Also: "But after a while, I was left alone with the Infant Jesus who stretched out His little hands to me, and I understood that I was to take Him in my arms. Jesus pressed His head against my heart and gave me to know, by His profound gaze, how good He found it to be next to my heart." (#1442)

And of course...

* False visionaries (as some of Faustina's visions are demonstrably false)

* False prophets [as various of Faustina's prophecies (supposedly from the Lord!) clearly failed to come true]

* Those who contradict themselves (as Faustina contracted herself on a variety of occasions)

* Those who hear voices (as Faustina frequently claimed to hear voices 'in her soul')

* Those who speak of mercy but ironically (& impossibly!) attempt to add a new mortal sin to the deposit of faith [See #965: "If they will not adore My mercy, they will perish for all eternity."]

* Those who can't distinguish between their own imagination and reality (as Faustina's 'greatest supporter' noted in his memoirs) - "Especially as regards past memories, [Faustina] frequently could not distinguish what she imagined [!] from what was a supernatural action." (Fr. Sopocko's Memoirs Concerning Faustina, emphasis added) [Note: Fr. Sopocko was Faustina's 'greatest champion'. He was also the person who sat for her dark, heartless 'Divine Mercy' image (that was first painted by a Freemason - an individual who later painted himself as Judas Iscariot). Faustina had claimed the Lord told her that the priest, Fr. Sopocko, would suffer martyrdom, but her alleged 'Jesus' was mistaken, as the priest instead died a natural death. Fr. Sopocko was also the priest who tried, but failed, to make Faustina's vision come true regarding the location of a future religious community that the (erring) Faustina had "unshakable certitude" about based on supposed 'words in her soul'.]

Of course it's an unhappy time when (seriously sad) jokes such as these may be made, but the laity did not create these conditions. Perhaps an honest assessment of this situation in the future may provide welcome relief to faithful Catholics. In the meantime, we do always have prayer.

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