Catholic Fire

1. My favorite book for this Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy thus far is 7 Secrets of Divine Mercy by Vinny Flynn. Flynn is the author of other 7 Secrets books, (7 Secrets of the Eucharist and 7 Secrets of Confession), but I agree with him when he admits that this is the book he should have written first. It is a remarkable book that will open up your heart and your mind to the mysteries of Divine Mercy.  If you think you know just about all there is about Divine Mercy, you will be astounded to learn that there is so much more to know. Vinny Flynn is the perfect person to tell you about it. He has contemplated the mystery of Divine Mercy for thirty-five years and has worked with Divine Mercy experts Fr. Seraphim Michalenko and Fr. George Kosciki, to train many of the current speakers on this timely topic. He edited the official English version of the Diary of St. Faustina, and for twenty years has been singing the Chaplet of Divine Mercy with his family on EWTN. Flynn...

By Jean M. Heimann On December 8, we celebrate two significant events in the Catholic Church on the same day – the beginning of the Jubilee Year of Mercy and the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. Earlier this year, during Lent, Pope Francis announced that the Church would celebrate an extraordinary jubilee year devoted to God’s mercy. On April 11, 2015, he published a letter entitled Misericordiae Vultus (The Face of Mercy), stating that the Extraordinary  Jubilee Year of Mercy would take place from December 8, 2015 – the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception – through November 20, 2016 – the Solemnity of Christ the King. We begin the Jubilee Year focusing on Mary, the Mother of God, who is also the Mother of Mercy.  We look at the face of our Lord Jesus Christ to see God’s mercy for us. He is the one who opens up the gates of salvation for us.  However, mercy begins with Mary, who is the Immaculate Conception. What is the dogma of the Immaculate Concep...