Catholic Fire

The Divine Mercy novena is prayed between Good Friday and the Sunday of Divine Mercy, which is the Sunday following Easter. Those praying the novena are to pray for the special intentions of each day followed by the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. St. Faustina wrote that Jesus told her, “On each day of the novena you will bring to My heart a different group of souls and you will immerse them in this ocean of My mercy … On each day you will beg My Father, on the strength of My passion, for the graces for these souls.” (Diary of Faustina, 1209) Special intentions for souls during the Divine Mercy Novena: Day 1 (Good Friday) — All mankind, especially sinners Day 2 (Holy Saturday) — The souls of priests and religious Day 3 (Easter Sunday) — All devout and faithful souls Day 4 (Easter Monday) — Those who do not believe in Jesus and those who do not yet know Him Day 5 (Easter Tuesday) — The souls of separated brethren Day 6 (Easter Wednesday) — The meek and humble souls and th...

The Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ have been reflected in artwork for centuries. In fact, Jesus Christ's ordeal is one of the most recurrent themes in art history. It has left humanity with some of its most beautiful and dramatic images. Van der Weyden, Giotto, Dalí, Velázquez, Goya, Murillo, Caravaggio, El Greco and Rembrandt are some of the masters who have translated the key moment of Christianity into tremendous art.

Today begins the holiest and most important time of the Church year -- the Easter Triduum . It commemorates the heart of our faith: the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Sacred Triduum begins with Holy Thursday, which marks the end of the forty days of Lent and the beginning of the three-day celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ - Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Vigil/Easter Sunday. The Triduum liturgies teach us the meaning of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. The richness of the rituals and symbols help us to experience the mysteries of Jesus’ final hours, His passion, suffering -- and His rising from the dead. In a special way, during these three days,we come together as God's people to remember the saving act of Jesus, the miracle of His resurrection – and to celebrate our faith and identity as Catholics. Because Christ was willing to die for our sins and was raised from the dead, death is no longer the end of life for us. It is t...

"It is accomplished; and bowing his head he gave up his spirit."

Jesus asked that the Feast of the Divine Mercy be preceded by a Novena to the Divine Mercy which would begin on Good Friday. He gave St. Faustina an intention to pray for on each day of the Novena, saving for the last day the most difficult intention of all, the lukewarm and indifferent of whom He said:"These souls cause Me more suffering than any others; it was from such souls that My soul felt the most revulsion in the Garden of Olives. It was on their account that I said: 'My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass Me by.' The last hope of salvation for them is to flee to My Mercy." In her diary, St. Faustina wrote that Jesus told her:"On each day of the novena you will bring to My heart a different group of souls and you will immerse them in this ocean of My mercy ... On each day you will beg My Father, on the strength of My passion, for the graces for these souls." The different souls prayed for on each day of the novena are: DAY 1 (Good Friday) -...

"It is accomplished; and bowing his head he gave up his spirit." Today the whole Church mourns the death of our Savior. This is traditionally a day of sadness, spent in fasting and prayer. The title for this day varies in different parts of the world: "Holy Friday" for Latin nations, Slavs and Hungarians call it "Great Friday," in Germany it is "Friday of Mourning," and in Norway, it is "Long Friday." Some view the term "Good Friday" (used in English and Dutch) as a corruption of the term "God's Friday." This is another obligatory day of fasting and abstinence. In Ireland, they practice the "black fast," which is to consume nothing but black tea and water. This is a day of mourning . We should try to take time off from work and school to participate in the devotions and liturgy of the day as much as possible. In addition, we should refrain from extraneous conversation. Some families leave the curtains d...