The French actress recently shared an image of a prayer card featuring Saint Charbel Makhlouf on her Instagram account. The post included no caption or explanation.

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The image quickly circulated online, prompting questions about the actress’ connection to the Lebanese Maronite saint, as well as expressions of enthusiasm from members of the Lebanese Christian community.

Saint Charbel Makhlouf (1828–1898) was a Maronite monk and hermit who lived a life of prayer and asceticism.

He is widely known for the many healings attributed to his intercession, drawing pilgrims from around the world to his tomb in Annaya, Lebanon. In Lebanon, he is often referred to as the “doctor of the sky.”

The post comes amid renewed international attention to Saint Charbel. During his trip to Lebanon in recent months, Pope Leo XIV visited the saint’s tomb, highlighting his significance within the universal Church.

No explanation has been provided for the post. However, France is home to a significant Lebanese Christian diaspora, including active Maronite parishes where devotion to Saint Charbel remains strong. Prayer cards depicting the saint are commonly shared among the faithful.

The actress’ post, though brief, has contributed to a wider visibility of the Lebanese saint among international audiences.

In Bamenda, a city in northwest Cameroon, the faithful bring all of that to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament — and one more urgent plea: that the shooting, kidnappings, and bloodshed around them might finally stop.

For years, Bamenda has stood at the center of Cameroon’s “Anglophone crisis,” a conflict between English‑speaking separatists and the French‑speaking central government. 

Soldiers patrol the streets, separatist fighters blend in with civilians, and “ghost town Mondays” shut down schools and businesses. Leaving your house on those days can mean harassment, abduction, or worse.

And yet, in the middle of all this, something beautiful and surprising is happening. Under Archbishop Andrew Nkea, the Archdiocese of Bamenda is working to give every parish its own perpetual adoration chapel.

A Year of the Eucharist in a War Zone

In November 2022, Archbishop Nkea launched a local “Year of the Eucharist” for the archdiocese and made a bold request: each parish was asked to provide a perpetual adoration chapel, a place where Jesus in the Eucharist would be exposed and loved day and night. 

His goal was simple and radical: that lay people could “refresh themselves in the presence of their Lord and Master at any time,” even during a war. Instead of forcing people to cross a dangerous city to reach a single chapel, the archbishop wanted Jesus to be close — in every neighborhood, in every parish.

He also wanted to confront a spiritual temptation that often appears in times of fear: turning to “other powers,” like witchcraft, fortune‑tellers, or occult practices. The answer, he insisted, is not to look for control in dark places, but to come back to Christ truly present in the Eucharist.

“You cannot stop them.”

The response from the parishes has been generous and heroic. Even though building a chapel is very expensive for local Catholics, communities have stepped forward in faith. Some parishes have built brand new chapels from the ground up; others have turned garages or old rooms into simple but beautiful spaces of adoration.

Priests say that once these chapels open, they don’t stay empty. People come early in the morning and late at night. Many arrive exhausted from constant tension, worried about their children, or grieving loved ones lost to the violence.

What’s even more striking: on “ghost town” Mondays — when separatists try to lock down the city — some chapels are actually fuller than usual. 

With work and normal activities stopped, more people head to Jesus. Even if separatist fighters harass or threaten them on the way, the faithful keep going. One pastor summed it up: “They bother people, but the people still come. You cannot stop them.”

Pope Leo Visits Perpetual Adoration Chapel of Bamenda Cathedral in Cameroon

During his visit to Africa, Pope Leo spent a powerful moment in silent adoration before the Blessed Sacrament in the perpetual adoration chapel at Bamenda’s cathedral. According to EWTN Vatican, this was one of the most moving parts of the Holy Father’s trip, as he joined the local Church in prayer amid the region’s suffering.

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Let us pray for Pope Leo and the people of Africa!

Produced in 1943 and starring Jennifer Jones, the film won many Academy Awards. Based on the novel of the same title by Franz Werfel, the film tells the story of Saint Bernadette, who, in 1858, received 18 apparitions of the Blessed Mother, who identified herself as the Immaculate Conception.

I’ve seen The Song of Bernadette so many times, I have parts memorized.

Here are five inspiring quotes from The Song of Bernadette:

1) “For those who believe in God, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not believe, no explanation is sufficient.”

This is one of the most memorable quotes from the film, and perhaps the most cited.

The movie begins with this quote, and near the end, Abbé Dominique Peyramale, the priest of Lourdes, says it to a few skeptics. The quote sets the scene for the story of Lourdes’ miraculous phenomena.

One cannot explain what happened or still happens in Lourdes. For over 150 years, it has drawn pilgrims from all over the world, who have bathed in the spring waters and experienced a variety of healings.

Those who have been to Lourdes cannot describe their experience because it is beyond words. Faith must be enough. No explanation is necessary, nor can an explanation be given as to what a person experiences at that Sanctuary of grace.

2) “What would a beautiful lady be doing in a filthy place like that?” / “Heavenly creatures would not come to a dump.”

Bernadette continually called her heavenly visitor a beautiful lady. This garnered quite the response since Massabielle was a dump for medical waste.

Would a heavenly creature come to such a despicable place? All we must do is remember that Jesus was born in a stable and placed in a feeding trough. Mary’s appearance at Massabielle shows the transforming power of God to turn something ugly into a beautiful place.

God wants to do that for each pilgrim, transforming their hearts of stone into natural, loving hearts.  The Grotto of Massabielle commemorates the apparitions of the all beautiful one, Mary, who beckons those who are sick to come and experience healing and receive many graces. Through the intercession of Mary, God wants to transform each person who comes to Lourdes into a better disciple and follower of Jesus.  

3) “I cannot promise you happiness in this world, only in the next.”

Saint Bernadette repeats these words of the Blessed Virgin several times throughout the film. At one time, she even declared she was happy and couldn’t understand it, considering what Mary had said.

Towards the end of the film, the suffering of Saint Bernadette becomes apparent, especially as she approaches death. (In addition to The Song of Bernadette, I recommend The Passion of Bernadette.) One of the sisters attending to Saint Bernadette reminds the viewer that suffering is the way to Heaven.

For Bernadette, the suffering of this present life would be relieved, and true happiness would come to her when she received her eternal reward, where she would be united with her Lord and reunited with Mary, who made herself known to her in 1858.

4) “We must have the humility to thank God for the grace he has accorded to us.”

The specific grace this quote refers to is the grace of Mary’s apparition in Lourdes. Abbé Dominique Peyramale makes this remark to the Bishop of Tarbes, and his reluctance to acknowledge the possibility of the supernatural.

This quote, even though referencing Lourdes, is a good reminder to us to be humble and thank God for what He has given us throughout life. It takes humility to acknowledge that it is not we who have accomplished so much in our lives, but rather us cooperating with God’s graces.

5) “Heaven chose you; there is nothing left but for you to choose Heaven.”

Abbé Dominique Peyramale tells Bernadette this when he proposes the idea of religious life. His point is that Bernadette was a chosen soul by Heaven to receive a visit from the Blessed Virgin, and so, in return, he invites her to choose the consecrated life.

Saint Bernadette entered the Sisters of Nevers, a congregation with which she was familiar because they had a convent in Lourdes. In our own lives, this quote reminds us of John’s gospel (15.16) where Jesus says,

“It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you.”

Because God has chosen us, we must choose to live our lives each day as worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Heaven must be the motivation of our every choice.  Before everything we do, we should ask,

“If I do this, will it lead me to Heaven, or have me walking away from the pearly gates?”

God chose us; there is nothing left but for us to choose Heaven.   

Watch The Song of Bernadette here.

This April 16 would have been the 99th birthday of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI — born Joseph Alois Ratzinger in 1927 in Marktl am Inn, Bavaria, on Holy Saturday, the first baby baptized in the Easter water blessed that night.

It’s the perfect moment to remember not just the man, but the almost unbelievable story of how he came to exist at all.

A Pope Born from a Classified Ad

Here’s a fact you probably never heard: Pope Benedict XVI’s parents met through a personal ad in a Catholic newspaper. And Benedict himself didn’t even find out about it until 2006.

A researcher digging through the Bavarian state archives discovered a tiny ad in a local Catholic weekly called Liebfraubote from July 1920. It was placed by Joseph Ratzinger Sr., a police officer and civil servant. Here’s what it said:

“Middle-ranking civil servant, single, Catholic, 43, immaculate past, from the country, is looking for a good Catholic, pure girl who can cook well, tackle all household chores, with a talent for sewing and homemaking with a view to marriage as soon as possible. Fortune desirable but not a precondition.”

A 36-year-old baker’s daughter and trained cook named Maria Peintner answered the ad. Just four months later, they were married.

It’s worth noticing where Joseph Sr. chose to look for a wife: in a Catholic newspaper. Not a secular bulletin. Not a random agency. He deliberately sought a Catholic woman through a Catholic publication, putting shared faith above everything else.

Maria Peintner responded. She was a baker’s daughter, a trained cook, and a devout Catholic. In just a few months, they were husband and wife.

They had three children. Benedict XVI was the youngest of three siblings, and all three lived lives marked by faith.

His older sister, Maria Ratzinger (1921–1991), was a Third Order Franciscan who never married and dedicated her life to caring for her brother and the cardinal’s household.

His brother, Georg (1924–2020), was a renowned priest and musician; he was ordained a priest on the same day as Joseph, June 29, 1951. Georg died on July 1, 2020, at the age of 96, leaving Benedict as the last surviving member of his family.

The youngest of the Ratzingers became one of the greatest theologians, guided the universal Church after the giant Saint John Paul II, and left a legacy that believers are still discovering and valuing today.

When this discovery was shared with Pope Benedict XVI and his brother, Monsignor Georg Ratzinger, both were reportedly shocked — they had never heard the story before.

The researcher had found the ad while working on a story for a German newspaper, and the whole thing went international in September 2006.

Pope Benedict XVI died on Dec. 31, 2022, at age 95, after a long life of service to the Church and almost 10 years after his resignation.

From a simple classified ad in a Bavarian Catholic weekly to the Chair of Peter, his story is a powerful reminder that God’s providence often moves through the most ordinary — and even amusing — details.

Rest in peace, Holy Father. And happy birthday! 🎉

Here are a few reasons why young Catholics are quietly (and sometimes loudly) falling in love with this “underrated” pope:

1) He Was Crazy Smart — But Extremely Clear

Benedict XVI was one of the greatest theologians of the last century, yet he could explain deep truths in simple, beautiful language.

His greatest contribution is probably his magisterium: his encyclicals (Deus Caritas Est, Spe Salvi, Caritas in Veritate), audiences, homilies, and his Jesus of Nazareth books, which many believe are strong enough to merit him being declared a future Doctor of the Church.

2) He Preached Relationship, Not Just Rules

A lot of people think Benedict = “rules and doctrine,” but his central message was that Christianity is first an encounter with a Person: Jesus Christ.

In Deus Caritas Est, he wrote one of his most famous lines: being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or an idea, but “the encounter with an event, a person.”

This Christ-centered focus runs through all his teaching. He insisted faith is not a moral checklist or a theory, but a living friendship with Christ that transforms everything.

 3) He Fought Relativism Head-On

We live in a world that constantly says, “Your truth, my truth, whatever.” Benedict named that problem directly.

He warned that the “dictatorship of relativism” — the idea that there is no real truth, only opinions — was one of the central problems of our time, and he called the Church back to confidence in objective truth and the Gospel.

4) He Was the First Pope in 600 Years to Resign

In 2013, he became the first pope since Gregory XII to step down, citing declining strength of mind and body, and inaugurating the unprecedented figure of the “Pope Emeritus,” which will shape how future popes think about office and old age.

He was shy, soft-spoken, and visibly uncomfortable with applause. Then he did something almost unthinkable: he resigned the papacy out of humility and realism.

5) He Was the Pope of Aesthetics

From reverent liturgy to sacred music and art, Benedict XVI believed beauty is a pathway to God. He promoted a “reform in continuity” with Vatican II, encouraged reverence and sacred music, widened access to the 1962 Missal with Summorum Pontificum, and highlighted the importance of beauty in worship, earning nicknames like “the pope of aesthetics.” Gen Z is visually saturated and deeply drawn to aesthetics. When they encounter beautiful Masses, chant, or Eucharistic adoration shaped by Benedict’s vision of worship centered on God, they realize: this is not about performance — it’s about adoration.

6) He Created a Historic Path for Anglicans to Come Home

With Anglicanorum coetibus, he established personal ordinariates so Anglicans could enter full communion with Rome while preserving much of their liturgical and spiritual heritage — a creative ecumenical move with long-term consequences.

7) His Writings Are Made for Deep-Dive Catholics

Gen Z loves to deep-dive when something grabs their interest — binge-watching, long-form podcasts, multi-part series. Benedict’s writings are like that for the soul. From Introduction to Christianity to his Jesus of Nazareth trilogy, his homilies, encyclicals, and addresses reward anyone willing to go beyond the surface. The more you read, the more you realize how rich he is.

8) He Took Real Steps Against Clerical Abuse

As pope, he pushed for the retirement of notorious abusers, streamlined procedures for dealing with abuse cases, and met with victims, helping launch a more serious response to the crisis at the Vatican level. 

9) He Lived a Hidden, Prayerful “Second Chapter” for the Church

Young people today are no strangers to anxiety, instability, and suffering. Seeing an elderly, frail pope who kept praying, kept loving, and remained faithful to the end is powerful. After his resignation, Benedict disappeared into a life of silence and intercession. The Church found in him not a celebrity, but a grandfather in the faith who offered his weakness and prayer for all.

If you’ve only ever met the media caricature of Benedict XVI, now is the time to meet the real man.

If his name sounds familiar, it may be because of a video that went viral on social media: standing in the rain, he eagerly awaited the arrival of Pope Leo XIV at the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa during the pope’s highly anticipated trip to Algeria.

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But this archbishop’s story holds another striking detail. In the world of athletics, he is known as the “marathon priest.”

From Lawyer to Priest and Cardinal

Born in Lyon on March 10, 1962, Vesco practiced law in Paris during the early part of his life. However, in 1996, he made a decisive change by joining the Dominican Order, and in 2001, he was ordained a priest.

“Before becoming a priest, I was a lawyer. I entered the Church when I was 33 years old,” he told Serena Curci of La Repubblica.

Since 2021, he has served as Metropolitan Archbishop of Algiers. He was created a cardinal in the consistory of Dec. 7, 2024, and since February 2025, he has served as vice president of the Regional Episcopal Conference of North Africa.

Furthermore, in May 2025, he participated as an elector in the conclave that elected Leo XIV.

A Cardinal with an Enduring Passion: Running

Far from abandoning his passion, Cardinal Vesco has never given up running. Even after embracing the priesthood, he never put aside his running shoes—going so far as to run the famous New York City Marathon.

“I’ve been running all my life—I’m 64 years old. I don’t know when or why I started running; for me, running is part of my life. (…) Thirty-seven years ago, I ran the New York Marathon and completed it in two hours and fifty-two minutes,” he told La Repubblica.

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Faith and Running: Closer Than It Seems

For Cardinal Vesco, athletic life and spiritual life are not separate realities.

“Running and the Church are not two separate worlds. I can pray while I run," he said. "I like running the marathon because we run together, not against someone."

Heaton expressed that she began her day “struggling with worldly dissatisfaction, discontent, a general spiritual frustration, and an unease” in her soul. She said her mood “was not of God: and spiritually unhealthy.

The wife, mother, and actress then went on to explain how she handled the issue: with prayer and gratitude.

She thanked God for the birds, the trees, and her day in general. She then prayed for her children, resolved a small dispute with her husband, and concluded a phone meeting “on a very positive note.” 

Heaton then said she felt “much better” and thanked Jesus.

“If your Monday started off badly, start with the birds and work your way back to Him,” the actress advised.

Here is Patricia Heaton’s full post below:

Patrica Heaton’s full post reads,

“Woke up this morning struggling with worldly dissatisfaction and discontent and a general spiritual frustration and unease in my soul. It was a mood that was not of God and was not healthy spiritually. So I battled it with gratitude - started thanking Him for the birds I could hear singing (I love birds so much!), then for the trees, then for the fact that I had been given another day of life. 

“Prayed for my boys, had a small spat with hubs (natch), resolved it (after 36 years you don’t give too much weight to these things), had a phone meeting that could have gone off the rails but ended up on a very positive note. Feeling much better. Thank you Jesus. If your Monday started off badly, start with the birds and work your way back to Him.”

Heaton’s post generated over 11,000 likes and several hundred comments.

Here’s how some users reacted:

David Limbaugh responded, “Love your honesty and your encouragement. It's a good reminder of how to remedy these blue spells. I started on the wrong side of the bed today myself. Thanks for sharing.

Another user commented, “This is straight from scripture! - ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.’ / Philippians 4:6 - 7 / “Thanksgiving changes everything. It’s the greatest weapon! ❤️thanks for the reminder!”

Someone else wrote, “I've been feeling uneasy as well. Wolves sneaking in, but look who's at the gate guarding the sheep. Gratitude for the keeper of Creation, that is where my heart shall reside.”

Another user added, “Good for you. I've struggled with this and started with the birds too...what matters is starting, drawing unto the presence of God with praise and He does the rest. Praise Jesus!”

What do you think of Patricia Heaton’s words of encouragement?

The parish priest of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Villa Berthet, Argentina, posted a video on his Facebook account on March 21 recounting how, earlier that same morning, he discovered a newborn boy at his front door.

The priest explained that he was carrying out one of his usual Saturday tasks—preparing his homilies for the week—when he heard a knock. That unexpected moment would change the course of his day.

“I heard a knock at the door. When I opened it, I found a baby there on my doorstep, wrapped in a towel—and my heart melted.”

He said he fell in love with the baby “at first sight” and, amid the shock, immediately called a trusted doctor. The doctor soon arrived with a nurse to provide the necessary care.

Before the ambulance took the child to the hospital, Father Pintos asked that the baby be called “Juan Francisco” until he received an official name.

“I can say that I have a son in my heart,” he said.

He also confirmed that the baby is healthy and receiving proper care.

An Urgent Call Not to Judge

Father Pintos said that, for him, the situation revealed a beautiful gesture: in the midst of anguish, fear, and pain, someone trusted him to care for their child.

“This person probably knew I would take good care of him or make sure he received the help he needed. And perhaps they also trusted that, if they returned, no one would point a finger at them.”

The priest emphasized that his home is a safe place—not because of security measures, but because of the presence of God.

“In this safe place, someone trusted that a priest could care for this baby, or at least connect him with the necessary public services to accompany him in these first moments of life.”

He also lamented that many people, especially on social media, were quick to harshly judge the baby’s mother.

“I don’t like that. I wouldn’t want a Catholic to say, ‘I’m just sharing my opinion,’ when in reality they are judging. I don’t even know if this baby was abandoned, because he wasn’t discarded. He was left in a safe place, likely by someone in deep distress.”

“This door of the priest’s residence was a safe place. And it fills me with pride that they chose the house of God.”

The priest also invited personal reflection, noting that people often judge from a distance without recognizing their own wounds.

Trust in God and Respond With Prayer

Finally, Father Pintos encouraged trust in God even amid difficult situations, reminding the faithful that the Lord “writes straight on crooked lines and every evil that occurs is for a greater good."

“I am not justifying this person, nor am I trying to. I simply do not want to stand with those who accuse without knowing the full story.”

He urged people to replace judgment with prayer: to pray for the baby, that he may grow up in a loving home; for his own healing after what he has experienced; and for the mother, that she may find peace and one day be reunited with her son.

What Do We Know About the Baby’s Mother?

According to local media, the baby’s 33-year-old mother later arrived at the hospital. Reports indicate that she gave birth alone in a nearby hotel, without her family knowing she was pregnant.

The child’s grandmother—who had previously reported her daughter missing—has taken temporary custody of the baby while the investigation continues.

Let us pray for little Juan Francisco and for all mothers facing difficult situations.

Divine Mercy images can be seen in churches around the world. The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is very popular, and Divine Mercy Sunday is an official feast day of the Church. The founder of the devotion, Saint Faustina Kowalska, is even honored as a saint.

But it wasn’t always this way. In fact, the whole devotion was suppressed for many years and almost lost for good. It only came back due to prayer, perseverance, and the hand of Divine Providence. This is the amazing story.

Worldwide Spread of the Divine Mercy Devotion

The Divine Mercy devotion as we practice it today came from Saint Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun who lived in the early 20th century. She claimed that she had regular visions of Jesus and saints and that Jesus himself gave her the details of the devotion.

She wrote descriptions of what she saw and heard in her diary, which is now published in her book, "The Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul."

Warning her fellow nuns that a great war was coming and that they should pray for Poland, she died at the age of 33 on Oct. 5, 1938.

A year later, Germany invaded Poland. Impressed by the accuracy of her prophecy, Archbishop Jałbrzykowski of Vilnius allowed for public use of the Divine Mercy devotion for the first time.

The devotion quickly spread throughout Poland and was a source of strength and inspiration during the terrible years of the war. By 1941, it had spread around the world and, despite the war, had made it to the United States.

Polish priest and Saint Faustina's spiritual director, Father Michał Sopoćko, was inspired to start a religious congregation related to the devotion.

With the end of the war, the devotion spread even faster. By 1951, just 13 years after Saint Faustina’s death, there were 150 religious centers in Poland dedicated to Divine Mercy.

In 1955, a Polish bishop, with the approval of Pope Pius XII, started a religious congregation dedicated to spreading the devotion. Pope Pius XII blessed a Divine Mercy image in 1956 and allowed many bishops throughout the world to give their blessing to writings about the devotion. Vatican Radio even started promoting the devotion in its programming.

Two Decades of Suppression

Not everyone in the hierarchy approved of the devotion, however. Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani, the head of the Holy Office (predecessor to the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith – the Vatican’s theological watchdog department), tried to persuade Pope Pius XII to sign a condemnation of Saint Faustina’s works but was rebuffed.

When Pope John XXIII was elected Pope in 1958, Cardinal Ottaviani had another chance. The Cardinal included her works on a list of books to consider banning soon after the new pope was elected.

On March 6, 1959, the Holy Office finally issued a document forbidding the use of “images and writings that promote devotion to Divine Mercy in the forms proposed by Sister Faustina.”

It seemed like Saint Faustina’s devotion to Divine Mercy might be over with.

A Second Look at the Divine Mercy Devotion

The Polish people were crushed, including many of the clergy. One such person was Karol Wojtyła (now Saint John Paul II), a “rising star” in the church’s hierarchy. He was influential in drafting several key documents of Vatican II and was appointed Archbishop of Kraków at the relatively young age of 43 in 1964.

Within a year of having his new position, and with approval from the Vatican, he started a fresh investigation into her works.

Wojtyła discovered that the previous condemnation of Saint Faustina’s works had been mostly a result of those at the Vatican reading her works not in their original Polish but via faulty French and Italian translations.

Then, in April of 1978, after decades of work and prayer by the supporters of the Divine Mercy devotion, the Vatican reversed its previous ban on her works! Catholics around the world rejoiced!

Just a few months later, the now-Cardinal Wojtyła, who had led the effort, was made Pope John Paul II.

Pope John Paul II personally beatified Faustina in 1993 and canonized her in 2000. He also designated the first Sunday after Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday. Saint Faustina and her devotions were completely vindicated and took the message of God’s infinite mercy to the whole world.

For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!

This applies especially to the dying.

Our Lord once told Saint Faustina these words:

“My daughter, encourage souls to say the Chaplet which I have given to you. It pleases Me to grant everything they ask of Me by saying the Chaplet…Write that when they say this Chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as the just Judge but as the merciful Savior.” (Diary of St. Faustina, 1541)

What an amazing promise made by Our Lord! He will stand between the dying person and His Father as the merciful Savior!

Let me share with you a conversation I once had and how it relates to the life of Saint Faustina regarding praying this Chaplet for the dying.

I spoke with a nurse who said she had prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet with one of her dying patients.

As she prayed, she felt something “swoosh” by her and exit the room. This account blew me away, partially because of the story itself, but also because of a similar account from Saint Faustina.

Faustina, the great saint of Divine Mercy, recounted a similar experience during her lifetime. What made Saint Faustina’s experience different is that she saw what happened behind the scenes, beyond the veil, in the realm of the supernatural.

Saint Faustina describes it in her writings. Our Lord said to her:

“My daughter, help Me to save a certain dying sinner. Say the Chaplet that I have taught you for him.”

Saint Faustina then stated:

“When I began to say the Chaplet, I saw the man dying in the midst of terrible torment and struggle. His Guardian Angel was defending him, but he was, as it were, powerless against the enormity of the soul's misery.

“A multitude of devils was waiting for the soul.

“But while I was saying the Chaplet, I saw Jesus just as He is depicted in the image. The rays which issued from Jesus’ Heart enveloped the sick man, and the powers of darkness fled in panic.

“The sick man peacefully breathed his last. When I came to myself, I understood how very important the Chaplet was for the dying. It appeases the anger of God.” (Diary of St. Faustina, 1565)

As if this episode was not enough to convince us to pray the Chaplet for the dying person, Our Lord attached this promise as well:

“At the hour of death, I defend as My own glory every soul that will say this chaplet; or when others say it for a dying person, the indulgence is the same.” (Diary of St. Faustina, 811)

These promises, simply put, are enormous and amazing.

Given that praying this Chaplet takes about 5-7 minutes, this is an awesome, life-giving work of mercy that is within everyone’s means.

Let us be convinced that through the testimony of Saint Faustina and the secretary of God’s mercy, one of the greatest things we can do for a dying person is to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet for them.

God’s mercy is amazing.

He wants all His children home with Him, no matter how dark their sins are or how many demons wait for them.

Jesus said to Saint Faustina,

“The greater the sinner, the greater the right they have to My mercy.”

With all the encouragement I can possibly muster, I exhort you: the next time you hear someone is dying, especially those close to you, take 5-7 minutes, and pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet for them. Help the Lord save them.

What an amazing thing it is to cooperate with the ushering of a soul to eternal life in the Father’s house–to make demons flee when the rays of Divine Mercy show forth.

Let’s end with this prayer right from the lips of Saint Faustina:

“O Jesus, inspire souls to pray often for the dying” (Diary of St. Faustina, 1015).