# Good Friday Reflections and the First Day of the Divine Mercy Novena
*2019-04-18*

> Bill Young guides listeners through Holy Thursday and Good Friday reflections, shares excerpts from St. Faustina’s diary, and begins the first day of the Divine Mercy Novena.

## Remembering Holy Thursday

We begin by recalling the Mass of the Last Supper. The foot‑washing, a sign of hospitality, reminds us that Jesus chose to serve us, even though it meant humiliation. Pope Benedict XVI writes that God makes Himself visible in Jesus, inviting us to recognize His love in the liturgy, the sacraments—especially the Eucharist—and the community of believers.

## St. Faustina’s Diary: Holy Thursday, 1938

In her 1938 diary (April 14), St. Faustina, then very ill, records that during Holy Thursday she felt strong enough to join the Mass. She writes that Jesus stood before her, inviting her to look into His heart and experience His mercy. She says she lived the whole Passion in her own heart, feeling the torches of Christ’s suffering without losing life. She also notes that Jesus told her, “My daughter, your love and compassion are a consolation for Me.”

## Good Friday Reflections – “A Life of Sacrifice”

The Good Friday reading, titled “A Life of Sacrifice,” connects Christ’s death with our own call to self‑offering. From the humble manger to the crucifixion, Christ gathered our sins on the cross. The text asks how we can draw others to Christ through our words and actions, and it reminds us of the unimaginable pain of the crucifixion as described in the Gospel of John.

## St. Faustina’s Diary: Good Friday, 1938

On Good Friday (April 15, 1938) Faustina writes that she saw the Lord “tortured, but not yet nailed.” Jesus told her, “You are My heart; speak to sinners about My mercy.” She received a deep interior knowledge of the abyss of His mercy, a “drop” that she could share with the world.

## Beginning the Divine Mercy Novena

We start Day 1 of the Divine Mercy Novena, as recommended for the Holy Week. The opening prayer invokes Jesus as the source of life, the “ocean of mercy” that flows from His heart. The chaplet is prayed, followed by the Our Father, Hail Mary, and the Apostles’ Creed. The novena petitions ask the merciful Jesus to pour out His compassion on all sinners, especially those who have fallen away.

## Invitation to Local Devotions

Listeners are invited to the Stations of the Cross at St. David’s Catholic Church in Davie, Florida, at 3 p.m., followed by a chaplet in the gazebo. A Good Friday service will be held at 7 p.m., and tomorrow’s episode will cover Holy Saturday.

*In the darkness of Good Friday, we are called to enter into Christ’s mercy and begin a novena that draws the whole world toward His infinite compassion.*