# Fifth Day of the Divine Mercy Novena
*2019-04-22*

> Bill Young reflects on the fifth day of the Divine Mercy novena, shares a story that illustrates God’s mercy, and leads the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, praying for those who have left the Church.

## Welcome and Novena Update

Good afternoon, I’m Bill Young. Today is Easter Tuesday, the fifth day of our Divine Mercy novena. This day is dedicated to the souls who have separated themselves from the Church. Our group at St. David’s Catholic Church continues to prepare for the consecration this coming Sunday, and we invite anyone to join us for the remaining meetings.

## A Story of Mercy

Father Chris L. recently shared a parable about a man standing before the pearly gates. When the archangel Michael asked what the man had done in life, the man listed a long marriage, a career as a lecturer, and raising five children in the faith. Michael added up the points and gave him only one. The man then cried, “Jesus’ mercy!” and received the remaining 99 points, entering heaven. The point of the story is clear: without God’s mercy none of us can attain heaven, not even the great saints. We all need Divine Mercy.

## Chaplet of Divine Mercy

We now pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, beginning with the opening prayer:

"Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we may not despair but submit ourselves to your holy will, which is love and mercy itself."

We then recite the Our Father, Hail Mary, and the Apostles’ Creed, followed by the repeated invocation:

"For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world."

We conclude with the threefold prayer:

"Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world."

Finally, we offer the closing prayer asking the Father to draw back to the Church those who have strayed, that they may experience the depth of Christ’s love and mercy.

## Closing Thoughts

Today’s novena prayer asks the Lord to turn His merciful gaze toward those who have left the Church, that they might be drawn back into the communion of saints. I will also be recording a special rosary prayer soon, inspired by the book *Ten Wonders of the Rosary*.

*Every soul needs Divine Mercy; may we all trust in Jesus’ boundless compassion.*