# The chaplet of divine tenderness
*2016-08-08*

> Bill Young commemorates the feast of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross and leads a guided prayer through the Chaplet of Divine Tenderness.

## The Witness of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

Today is the feast day of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, born Edith Stein in Germany. At age 14, she converted to Catholicism after reading the autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila. Ten years later, she took her vows as a Carmelite sister. After being transferred to the Netherlands, she was taken by the Nazis in 1940 during their persecution of Jews and converts to Catholicism. She died on August 9, 1942, in the gas chambers of Auschwitz, Poland, alongside her sister Rosa, who had also converted. We honor her as a saint and pray for the conversion of all Jewish people, that they may believe in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, as their true Savior.

## Introduction to the Chaplet of Divine Tenderness

Since August is dedicated to God the Father, I will be praying the Chaplet of Divine Tenderness of God the Father. To pray this, you can use your rosary beads. There are five mysteries. For each mystery, begin with the Our Father, followed by ten repetitions of the phrase, "The tenderness of the Father, comfort us," and conclude with the Glory Be.

## The Five Mysteries

In the first mystery, we contemplate the tenderness of the Father in the mystery of predestination, reflecting on those He decided beforehand should be molded to the pattern of His Son.

In the second mystery, we contemplate the tenderness of Jesus in the mystery of salvation, through which He offered Himself for us.

In the third mystery, we contemplate the tenderness of the Holy Spirit in the mystery of Pentecost, recalling the Spirit of Truth who proceeds from the Father to make us witnesses.

In the fourth mystery, we contemplate the tenderness of Our Lady, the Mother of the Church and the Mediatrix of all graces, who is the mother of Jesus and our mother.

In the fifth mystery, we contemplate the tenderness of all the saints, the witness for which they gave their lives, and their intercessions before the Father on our behalf.

## Closing Invocation

We conclude the prayer with this invocation: May God's tenderness towards us be acknowledged, praised, loved, and received.

*By meditating on the tenderness of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, Our Lady, and the Saints, we can find comfort and spiritual strength.*