Good Friday tradition: The Divine Mercy Novena

Good Friday tradition: The Divine Mercy Novena

As Easter weekend draws near, so does the ancient tradition of those who declare religious faith – and today comes the Divine Mercy Novena of the Roman Catholic faith on Good Friday. In case you do not know the meaning of “novena,” WordNet defines it as “a Roman Catholic devotion comprising prayers on nine consecutive days.” Roman Catholics believe that the Divine Mercy Novena was mandated by Jesus, who told St. Faustina how the special nine days of prayer would begin on Good Friday. Prayers are to be devoted to a specific group of souls each day. According to CatholicFire, the last day is “the most difficult of all, and prayers are to be made for “the lukewarm and indifferent,” the ones who are said to have caused Jesus “more suffering than any others; it was from such souls that My soul felt the most revulsion in the Garden of Olives.” Certainly this would have been long before payday loans.

What are Catholics praying for during the Divine Mercy Novena?

Centering in on St. Faustina, Jesus is believed to have said, “On each day you’ll beg My Father, on the strength of My passion, for the graces for these souls.” The following is a list of the Divine Mercy Novena prayers for Roman Catholics:

1. Good Friday – With a particular focus on those who have sinned, pray for all humankind. Prayers should include the souls of the priest and ministers who contributed to the recent Catholic Church sex scandals, including the ones who stood on the sideline and did nothing to stop it.
2. Holy Saturday – To pray for “the souls of priests and religious,” is what the Roman Catholics have dedicated this day for. See number 1, above.
3. Easter Sunday – Prayer for “all devout and faithful souls,” writes CatholicFire. See No. 1; some of the Roman Catholic faith might argue that those involved in the scandal are no longer “faithful.”
4. Easter Monday – Pray for those who don’t know/don’t believe in Jesus.
5. Easter Tuesday – This is the day to pray for “the souls of separated brethren.”
6. Easter Wednesday – For “the meek and humble souls and the souls of children” prayer is made on this day. This can be a very area that certain Roman Catholics have to spend extra time on; see number 1
7. Easter Thursday – .
8. Easter Friday – Those souls in purgatory receive prayers on this day.
9. Easter Saturday – Prayer is dedicated to the souls who have “become lukewarm” on this final day of Divine Mercy Novena.

A nice Divine Mercy Novena is what Roman Catholics would want

The Vatican’s stance on the recent priest sex scandals might make that seem impossible, unfortunately. While it is definitely unfair to blame the many parishioners for the actions of a few, the actions of the Vatican have fairly drawn the ire of society. If the Vatican truly believes as Jesus does that children are the model of peaceful innocence, then they will take immediate action that is in the best interests of such kids. The Vatican’s reputation was protected by the likes of Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzenberger) and some cardinals, but there are still laws in destination on how to deal with those who would harm children. Following the law would be the first step toward aiding those Jesus favored so much, and it appears the Roman Catholic Church may be going in that direction, but more must be done. If it means a need for a money lender or two to help settle lawsuits, let it be said.