Review of Divine Mercy Video

Orthodoxy: Mostly adheres to Church teachings.



Reading Level: N/A


By Jennifer Gladen (PA) - See all my reviews




Synopsis


An engaging cartoon about the Divine Mercy and how to pray it.


Evaluator Comments


Saint Faustina, together with her friends, talk about what the Divine Mercy Devotion is. Saint Faustina tells the children the story of when Jesus appeared to her and asked her to spread the message of his divine mercy to all.


They then go to church and pray the chaplet together. For each decade they do, they focus on the mysteries of Jesus’ Passion. While Saint Faustina and the children are praying, an image of that mystery is displayed on the screen. The artwork is colorful and eye catching, but doesn't distract you from praying.

In decade one, they focused on the Agony in the Garden and they show Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. The second decade was the Scourging at the Pillar and briefly showed the scourging. I found children with a strong love of Jesus had a tough time with the second mystery. However, this can be a great conversation starter and teachable moment for children. In the third decade they meditated on the Crowing of Thorns, showing the image of soldiers placing the crown of thorns on Jesus' head. The fourth mystery showed the Carrying of the Cross. With this image we see the cruelty the soldiers show Jesus as He carries His cross. Finally, with the fifth decade the characters focus on the Crucifixion.


After the prayers, Saint Faustina explains the importance and necessity of the sacrament of Confession and how this is a wonderful way to receive God’s mercy.


For children who are sensitive to Jesus' sufferings, you may want to prepare them ahead of time. The depictions are not graphic, but His passion and why He suffered can be a hard concept for children to grasp.


I showed this to my children and immediately it grabbed their attention. Instinctually, they all joined in the prayers. This movie definitely engages the children, while teaching them about Jesus and how to pray.


I fully recommend this video.

You can purchase the Divine Mercy Chaplet for Kids here





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Our Lord So Near

Our Lord So Near


By: Jennifer Gladen






Can you hear Him among the noise?


Can His voice penetrate your life?


Can you hear the whisper in your ear?


That is the sound of our Lord so near.






Hear the sound, though so soft


Welcome His words, as they come


Breath of the Spirit touches your ear,


That is the Voice of our Lord so near.






Feel the calmness embrace your heart,


Feel the gentleness in His words,


Feel the warmth of the Spirit in your ear,


That is the Presence of our Lord so near.

A Prayer for Pope Benedict XVI by the Knights of Columbus

As Editor-in-Chief of a Catholic centered magazine, I find the following prayer necessary to pass on. Please keep our Pope in your prayers as he is suffering during this time of persecution. May the Holy Sprirt give you strength, Pope Benedict. May Mary, together with Pope John Paul the Great in Heaven intercede on your behalf to Jesus for the strength to endure this time.







God Bless our Pope!








PRAYER FOR POPE BENEDICT XVI




Lord, source of eternal life and truth, give to your shepherd, Benedict, a spirit of courage and right judgment, a spirit of knowledge and love. By governing with fidelity those entrusted to his care, may he, as successor to the Apostle Peter and Vicar of Christ, build your church into a sacrament of unity, love and peace for all the world. Amen.




V. Let us pray for Benedict, the pope.





R. May the Lord preserve him, give him a long life, make him blessed upon the earth, and not hand him over to the power of his enemies.




V. May your hand be upon your holy servant.






R. And upon your son, whom you have anointed.






Our Father ... Hail Mary ... Glory Be...






Knights of Columbus


In Solidarity with our Holy Father

Reflections of the Passion



                            By Jennifer Gladen




When I am Worried, I think of your Passion and am reminded it was out of worry for us that you endured the Cross.

When I am Sad, I think of your Passion and am reminded of the sadness which filled Mary’s heart at your suffering.

When I am Surprised, I think of your Passion and am reminded of your surprising courage and strength you showed.




When I am Excited, I think of your Passion and am reminded of the excitement yet to come when you return for us, O Lord.


When I am Happy, I think of your Passion and am reminded of the happiness you gained for us in Heaven.When I am Loving, I think of your Passion and am reminded of your words: "there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for a friend."




Now I am grateful when I think of your Passion because I'm reminded after the cross comes the crown.

Priests that Inspire Us

During one of our Lenten Talks in our parish this year and then again on Holy Thursday, our Pastor posed this question: Do you have a favorite priest and why is he your favorite? His point in posing the question was to get the faithful to reflect on ways their priests influenced them in their faith throughout their lives.

Many people mentioned priests who helped them in illness and times of death. Many had fond memories of CYO games. As I reflected on my life, there are two who have come to mind and they are both from my current parish. I don't know if that's because I didn't pay attention when I was younger or if it's because my biggest spiritual growth has occurred over the last 4 years. Regardless of the reason, the 2 who came to mind were Father Sullivan and Father Shenosky.  Why? Because I always learned a valuable spiritual lesson from most of their homilies. I grew in my spirit what seems like a hundredfold since I've heard these priests preach. I truly believe God graced me with their work at the perfect time - during the beginning and the height of my growth.

We need to remember - especially in these times of trial for our priests - that they are a wonderful gift to us from Jesus Himself. They are here to lead us to Him. Whenever I get a chance to, I thank our parish priests for their wonderful preaching at Mass. They boosted my soul. They're leading me to Jesus. Like the gift Jesus gave to us on Good Friday around 2000 years ago - this is a gift which is impossible to repay. Instead of ridicule, we should thank and pray for our priests.

St. John Vianney, present our priests and their vocations to Jesus so that they have the strength and fortitude of the Holy Spirit while carrying out Jesus' instructions of so long ago.

Media is Quick to Cast the First Stone

"Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone"
--John 8:7 NAB


This Bible verse has been swimming in my head lately. It seems that the media is ready to cast stones at the Catholic Church based on issues from the cleregy sex scandal to the Bishop's opposition to the Obama Health Care Bill. We need to remember the Church is the Bride of Christ. To attack the Church is to attack Jesus. Had he not suffered enough through his Passion and Crucifixion? Our duty as Christians is to spread the good news,  and take care of the Church.

The sex scandal is a horrible thing and no child should ever have to endure such evil. What is disturbing is this doesn't just happen with the Catholic Church. This happens in other groups, with other Christians, in our families, in other religous groups, etc. The group with the least occurance? Believe it or not - the Catholic Church. It is UNCOMMON in the church, but you would never believe it based on the news reports. 
To get a better perspective, check out these articles defending Mother Church:

Defense of Catholic Clergy 

and

Here Comes Everybody

These points reiterate the bible verse mentioned in the beginning of this post:  Let those who are without sin cast the first stone.  Instead of creating more problems, we should pray. Pray for the victims. Pray for the parish priests, pray for the clergy involved. God heals.  Yes - those involved in committing the crimes will be punished by the law - but even worse - they will have to face God with these sins. God is a loving God - and a just God. But what everyone involved needs is not MORE hurt - but more HEALING.  Rid yourselves of the stones and arm yourselves with prayer. It's much more effective.

God Bless.

Feast of Saint Joseph

On this feast of St. Joseph, the feast of the foster father of Jesus and a member of the Holy Family, America is battling laws on abortion. Is it fitting? Or is it a sign of hope from God? Only He knows this very minute.
Inspired by the world's events, I offer this prayer:

St. Joseph, pray for us.

St. Joseph, long ago you protected your son, Jesus, from the Slaughter of the Innocents. You risked your home and life in protection of your family and the Son whom God entrusted into your care.
Come to our aid now, where we are also facing the Slaughter of the Innocents. Protect our unborn children as you protected Jesus. Those who are lost in this battle, present them to our Lord to enjoy eternity forever. Guide decision makers and voters in choosing to respect life. I ask this through Christ our Lord, AMEN.

St. Joseph, pray for us.