# Novena to merciful love: day two
*2020-04-22*

> Bill Young continues the Novena to Merciful Love by the Venerable Mother Speranza and reflects on the power of prayer and hope during the COVID-19 pandemic.

## Finding hope in the midst of crisis

In these challenging times, it is essential that we look for the positive. I recently came across a reading for the Legion of Mary titled "There Need Never Be Discouragement." It reminds us that any positive action—even a small prayer or a Chaplet of Divine Mercy—can eliminate a sin from someone's life. Just as a pyramid grows, the elimination of one sin can have a ripple effect that benefits the whole world.

Many of us are looking for the light at the end of the tunnel regarding this pandemic. While we are not scientists, we can trust that God is in our corner. I have seen the power of prayer in my own life; I remember a Category 5 storm that seemed destined to wipe out my county in Florida, but after we prayed the Rosary, the storm took a sudden turn and missed us entirely. Prayers do work.

## Signs and the promise of peace

Sometimes God gives us signs to keep our eyes on the prize. A year ago, I noticed a strange coincidence where the cross fell off my rosary beads, and shortly after, the same thing happened to a friend and coworker. This led me to a reflection on the title "One day, we will end our crosses," referring to the promised thousand-year reign where there will be no more sickness, death, or sin. 

Whether we are seeing signs of the end times or simply enduring a worldly trial, we must take solace in hope. We pray for the souls of the thousands who have died from this disease and for the healthcare workers and law enforcement officers who risk their lives on the front lines.

## Remembering a hero

I want to offer special prayers for my friend, John Palencia, who passed away on April 20th after a long battle with cancer. I had the privilege of bringing him Holy Communion for over twelve years. John was a true hero; he served as a policeman in New York City and later as a special agent for the DEA here in South Florida. I offer the prayers of this episode for his soul and for all the souls in Purgatory.

## Novena to Merciful Love: Day Two

We now enter the second day of the novena written by the Venerable Mother Speranza. 

My Jesus, my sorrow is great considering the disgrace I have had of offending you many times. Yet you, with the heart of a father, have not only asked to forgive me, but have invited me to ask for what I need. With confidence, I turn to your merciful love so that it may grant me what I implore in this novena, especially the grace to transform my behavior and from now on to bear witness to my faith with my words and works, living according to your precepts and burning in the fire of your love.

Regarding the words of the Our Father, we say that God is in heaven. Even though God is everywhere as the Lord of Heaven and Earth, the contemplation of heaven moves us to love Him with more adoration, living this life as pilgrims while keeping our thoughts beyond the things of this world.

## Prayers for mercy and healing

To conclude our time together, we pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, the Litany of Divine Mercy given to St. Faustina, the Act of Contrition, and a Spiritual Communion. We offer these specifically for those who have lost their lives in the pandemic and for the soul of John Palencia. Through these prayers, we ask for the conversion of sinners and the relief of anguished hearts, trusting entirely in the Divine Mercy that descends to earth in the person of the Incarnate Word.

*No matter how dire the crisis, we must maintain hope and trust in Divine Mercy, knowing that our prayers have the power to impact the world.*