It is with these words Our Blessed Lord instructed Saint Faustina that she was to act as a warrior during her time on this Earth, fighting for the kingdom of God and the salvation of souls.
Dear friends, we are warriors fighting on the battlefield of faith while the angels and saints cheer us on. Those blessed brothers and sisters who have engaged the ancient serpent and his minions and claimed the crown of victory, not just for themselves, but for countless human souls, so precious to God!
We do well to study these victors in the same way football players study films of the greats that have gone before them. So let us study Saint Faustina, one of the greatest warriors to ever fight for the kingdom of God on Earth.
Our Lord Jesus Christ gave Saint Faustina many weapons to fight with--weapons to call down the mercy of God and bring blinding light into the enemy camp.
One of the greatest He ever gave her is most definitely the mighty prayer known as the Divine Mercy Chaplet.
(I can’t stress this enough–this power-packed prayer can be devoutly prayed in about five minutes.)
Fr. Ken Geraci of the Fathers of Mercysays this in his book, Spiritual Warfare and Divine Mercy:
“Of all the devotional weapons in our arsenal, I would like to suggest that the Divine Mercy Chaplet is the greatest of them, even more powerful than the Rosary.”
He goes on to say he is not pitting these two prayers against each other but simply encourages souls to add the daily Divine Mercy Chaplet to their spiritual arsenal. I heartily do the same with all of my being.
At this point, it is highly incumbent upon us to revisit how Saint Faustina was given the Chaplet:
“In the evening, when I was in my cell, I saw an Angel, the executor of divine wrath. He was clothed in a dazzling white robe, his face gloriously bright, a cloud beneath his feet. From the cloud, bolts of thunder and flashes of lightning were springing into his hands; and from his hand they were going forth, and only then were they striking the earth…I began to implore the Angel to hold off for a few moments, and the world would do penance. But my plea was a mere nothing in the face of the divine anger. Just then I saw the Most Holy Trinity. The greatness of its majesty pierced me deeply, and I did not dare repeat my entreaties. At that very moment, I felt in my soul the power of Jesus’ grace, which dwells in my soul. When I became conscious of this grace, I was instantly snatched up before the Throne of God. Oh, how great is Our Lord and God and how incomprehensible His holiness! I will make no attempt to describe this greatness, because before long we shall all see Him as He is. I found myself pleading with God for the world with words heard interiorly. The words with which I entreated God are these: Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved son, Our Lord Jesus Christ for our sins and those of the whole world, for the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us. As I was praying in this manner, I saw the Angel’s helplessness: he could not carry out the just punishment which was rightly due for sins. Never before had I prayed with such inner power as I did then.”
This is the most important thing to remember. Father Geraci states:
“When you pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, you pray with the exact same power that Saint Faustina did.”
Time is short. Evil is more prevalent than ever and it can seem that we are surrounded on all sides. I implore you though, don’t lose heart, don’t lose hope.
Instead, take up the sword filled with the power of God known as the Divine Mercy Chaplet and tear through the enemy lines. Tear through the snares, sins, and illusions that keep you and your family from embracing the Gospel.
Take up the sword of the Divine Mercy Chaplet and call down the healing rays of Jesus Christ– the Light so bright the darkness will never overcome it!
“If we think of ourselves as soldiers for Christ and our days are spent patrolling in enemy territory, you would keep your weapon in your hand and be ready to fight at the first sign of danger. We should have our rosary beads in our hands at all times, ready for battle.”
For more information on how to wield the Mercy of God in battle, I highly recommend Father Geraci’s book, “Spiritual Warfare and Divine Mercy.”