I grew up Catholic, but I’ve only recently found out what graces have been made available to us through several devotions that have been handed down to us by the saints. O, what great consolations for us who strive throughout our lives to fight the good fight for heaven.

While it is true that salvation is free and has been fully paid for by the sacrifice of Jesus at the cross, He has extended His grace and His mercy through various means. This is not to devalue what He has already done but to make it all the more available for us.

He knows how weak we are and how we need help at almost every instance of our lives. He also knows how forgetful we are and how we badly need instruments to remind us of the path He desires for our salvation.

Below are some of the devotions I would also like to share with you. Let us avail of them while we can and thank God for His providence and generosity.

The Scapular

“Whosoever dies wearing this Scapular Shall not suffer eternal fire!”- Our Lady of Mount Carmel to Simon Stock (July 16, 1251)

According to the Sisters of Carmel, these conditions must be met to receive the promise of the brown scapular:

1.To observe exactly what has been prescribed regarding material, color, and shape of the Scapular, that is it must be 100% brown wool in a rectangular shape.

2.To be enrolled in the Scapular by a priest.

3.To wear it continually.

Any priest can help enroll you to the brown scapular by using a simple investiture formula:

Procedure for Blessing and Investiture

The Rosary

According to tradition, the Blessed Virgin Mary made the following promises to St. Dominic for those who will faithfully pray the rosary:

1. Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall receive signal graces.

2. I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary.

3. The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies.

4. The Rosary will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire for eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.

5. The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall not perish.

6. Whoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its sacred mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life.

7. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the sacraments of the Church.

8. Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plenititude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the saints in paradise.

9. I shall deliver from Purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary.

10. The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in Heaven.

11. You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary.

12. All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.

13. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of death.

14. All who recite the Rosary are my sons and daughters, and brothers and sisters of my only Son Jesus Christ.

15. Devotion of my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.

“The Rosary is the book of the blind, where souls see and there enact the greatest drama of love the world has ever known; it is the book of the simple, which initiates them into mysteries and knowledge more satisfying than the education of other men; it is the book of the aged, whose eyes close upon the shadow of this world, and open on the substance of the next. The power of the Rosary is beyond description.” — Fulton Sheen

The Joyful Mysteries

The Sorrowful Mysteries

The Glorious Mysteries

The Seven Sorrows of Mary

The Blessed Virgin Mary grants seven graces to the souls who honor her daily by saying seven Hail Mary’s and meditating on her tears and sorrows.

1. The prophecy of Simeon. (St. Luke 2:34, 35)

2. The flight into Egypt. (St. Matthew 2:13, 14)

3. The loss of the Child Jesus in the temple. (St. Luke 2: 43–45)

4. The meeting of Jesus and Mary on the Way of the Cross.

5. The Crucifixion.

6. The taking down of the Body of Jesus from the Cross.

7. The burial of Jesus.

The 7 Promises:

1.“I will grant peace to their families.”

2. “They will be enlightened about the Divine Mysteries.”

3. “I will console them in their pains and I will accompany them in their work.”

4. “I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my Divine Son or the sanctification of their souls.”

5. “I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives.”

6. “I will visibly help them at the moment of their death — they will see the face of their mother.”

7. “I have obtained this grace from my divine Son, that those who propagate this devotion to my tears and dolors will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness, since all their sins will be forgiven and my Son will be their eternal consolation and joy.”

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy

“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. When sinners say it, I will fill their souls with peace, and the hour of their death will be a happy one.” — Jesus to St. Faustina (Divine Mercy In My Soul, 1541 )

The Chaplet is prayed on ordinary rosary beads. Here are the prayers:

Our Father

Hail Mary

The Apostles’ Creed

Begin each of the five decades with:

“Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.”

On the 10 “Hail Mary” beads, pray:

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

Closing prayer (three times)

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

Jesus, King of Mercy, we trust in You.

How to Pray the Chaplet

The Five Saturdays Devotion

“See, my daughter, my Heart encircled by thorns with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. Do you, at least, strive to console me. Tell them that I promise to assist at the hour of death with the graces necessary for salvation all those who, in order to make reparation to me, on the First Saturday of five successive months, go to Confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the Rosary, and keep me company for a quarter of an hour, meditating on the … mysteries of the Rosary.” — Our Lady of Fatima to Sis. Lucia

The Nine Fridays Devotion

“On Friday during Holy Communion, He said these words to His unworthy slave, if I mistake not: ‘I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that Its all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on nine first Fridays of consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they will not die under My displeasure or without receiving their sacraments, My divine Heart making Itself their assured refuge at the last moment.’” — Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

12 Promise of the Sacred Heart

1. I will give them all of the graces necessary for their state of life.

2. I will establish peace in their homes.

3. I will comfort them in all their afflictions.

4. I will be their strength during life and above all during death.

5. I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings.

6. Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.

7. Tepid souls shall grow fervent.

8. Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.

9. I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be set up and honored.

10. I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.

11. Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.

12. I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant all to those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.

The Feast of Divine Mercy

Here is the promise of Jesus to St. Faustina for all of those who will go to Confession and receive Communion on Divine Mercy Sunday (the Sunday after Easter Sunday).

“My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment…The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the First Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy.” — Jesus to St. Faustina, (Divine Mercy In My Soul, 699)

The Image of Divine Mercy

“I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish. I also promise victory over [its] enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. I Myself will defend it as My own glory”- Jesus to St. Faustina, (Divine Mercy In My Soul, 48).

“In the evening, when I was in my cell, I saw the Lord Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand [was] raised in the gesture of blessing; the other was touching the garment at the breast. From beneath the garment, slightly drawn aside at the breast, there were emanating two large rays, one red, the other pale. In silence I kept my gaze fixed on the Lord; my soul was struck with awe, but also with great joy. After a while, Jesus said to me, “Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: Jesus, I trust in You. I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and [then] throughout the world.” — Jesus to St. Faustina, (Divine Mercy In My Soul, 47).

“There is much in Christianity which can be subjected to exact analysis. But the ultimate things are shrouded in the silent mysteries of God.” – Hans Urs von Balthasar

I can understand why people can be easily turned off by Catholicism. There are many facets of the faith that are not easy to understand. People question why we believe in purgatory when it is not clearly mentioned in the Bible. And it is never easy to explain how a simple piece of bread could very well be the true body of Jesus Christ.

But then again, Christianity itself is filled with difficult concepts. To a secular world, how do we even start to preach that one man has risen from the dead? There is also the concept of the Trinity, three persons in One God.

In a way, the Catholic faith is filled with mystery. And this mystery invites us to draw closer to God. It helps us to seek Him, to talk to Him, to ask Him the many questions we have at the back of our minds.

Even though God gave us the Sacred Scripture as a collection of books that contain the inspired word of God, the Catechism of the Church states:

“Still, the Christian faith is not a ‘religion of the book’. Christianity is the religion of the ‘Word’ of God, ‘not a written and mute word, but incarnate and living’. If the Scriptures are not to remain a dead letter, Christ, the eternal Word of the living God, must, through the Holy Spirit, ‘open (our) minds to understand the Scriptures.’” (CCC 108)

The living Word then could reveal Himself to us by means other than the Bible, for He is not limited by that which was written.

“This is the disciple who testifies about these things, and wrote these things. We know that his witness is true. There are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they would all be written, I suppose that even the world itself wouldn’t have room for the books that would be written.” – John 21:24-25, WEBBE

Think of nature for instance, as a point where we become in awe of the beauty and mystery of God. Think also of the lives of the saints and of all the holy people who have become living witnesses of God’s transforming and saving grace.

There are times when we cannot understand everything that the Scripture says, but that doesn’t mean we must lose faith. On the other hand, it is an opportunity for faith to grow deeper. It is also an opportunity to grow in humility as we become humble enough to admit that we cannot understand everything. Being humble, we admit that God has appointed people who could help us. For God has sent His Spirit to guide His Church through shepherds who can reveal to us those things we find hidden and beyond our grasp.

“We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” – 2 Peter 1:19-21, KJV

The mystery of God may sometimes lead us to uncomfortable places, but that doesn’t mean that He has left us alone. God is love, and love exists even in silence and in darkness. It is then when love proves itself in patience, hope and perseverance.

Love after all, is a mystery. A mystery that will not succumb to our limited perceptions and rigid interpretations. Love moves where it wills and we must follow. It invites us to be humble and calls us to wait. Let us allow the truth to unfold in God’s appointed way and time.

“It is easier to gaze into the sun, than into the face of the mystery of God. Such is its beauty and its radiance.” – Hildegard of Bingen

These are my own reflections as I pondered on the unfathomable mystery on why Jesus, the Son of God Himself, must die in order to save us:

• To show us God’s face, so we would know what true goodness, love, holiness, righteousness, gentleness, goodness, perseverance, patience, meekness and mercy is, even to the very point of selfless suffering and death.

• To bear upon Himself our iniquities, to pay for a debt we could never pay. To be the sacrificial Lamb that would once and for all be the Perfect Sacrifice for all our sins, paving way for forgiveness without measure and infinite mercy for all who would accept such sacrifice and humble oneself as one who deserves to be punished instead. To reconcile God and man once and for all by the cross such that when the Father looks down upon earth, He would see it through the cross of His Son.

• To reach us at our point of greatest pain and affliction, even to death, so we’d never feel alone even in such moments.

• To reach us at our point of greatest pain and affliction, because that is the point where He could really meet us, not at the point of greatest bliss, for we do not know that, that belongs to heaven after our life here. Here on earth, what we know is pain and darkness, and He has met us right there even if it would cost Him so much a price! For how else could you lead someone out of the dark other than by going into that darkness also and accompany those who were lost into the light?

• To show both His infinite justice (by showing death as the price for sin) and His infinite mercy (by showing how He bore that price for all sinful men).

• To be able to obtain for us, through that most unjust suffering of the most innocent and most holy, not only the model to follow to live a perfect life, but the GRACE to be able to live such a life.

• To give us hope and show us that though we may suffer so much here on earth, though we may die, there is a triumph and a new life that awaits us if we continue to trust in God and believe in His wisdom, love and mercy.

• To show us perfect humility and obedience to the Father’s will, which alone can save us and yield the most abundant fruits not only for our life but for the lives of many.

• To ‘redeem’ our suffering, that is, to not merely eradicate suffering as though it never existed or to wipe our memory as though we never knew pain, but to give value to our suffering, exceedingly more value than the damage that it caused, a value that lasts for all eternity for the momentary pain that we have gone through.

• To show us what GOD’S LOVE really is, that kind of love that is willing to suffer even death for one’s beloved, unworthy though she may be. This is that love that is being offered to us for all eternity, that pure love which alone can give us satisfaction and joy, fill our hearts, heal our wounds and save our dying souls!

Jesus not only died to give us ETERNAL life, but to give us a LIFE that is worthy of eternity.

“All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.” – Ernest Hemingway

Have you ever felt like you wanted to share so much with someone but there’s just so little time? Maybe all you’d ever have is a chat as you walk down the street. Or maybe all that’s given you is what little time there is to finish that cup of coffee.

As a writer, I’ve always felt there’s so much I’d like to share. But if I could only tell someone the most important things I think a person should know in life, I think it has to be about my faith in God. God is Love. That is perhaps the truest statement I know. That is also the most life-changing truth a person can ever believe in. And if there are only five things I could tell someone to elaborate on this, it would be as follows:

1. You can really love God like you love another person.

How I pray that everyone can know this! That God is real and that we can love Him like we love another person.

You can talk with God and receive His response. You can feel His presence. You can give Him tokens of your love and you can receive His gifts. You need not be alone because you know Someone walks through life with you. Someone who listens to you and understands you better than your dearest friends.

With God, life is a grand adventure. It is a journey where you’ll discover new things and see fresh horizons. If we can only believe this, it would change everything.

“It’s true that we can’t see God with our bodily eyes. But God becomes visible to us through faith… Believe me. I’m speaking to you sincerely: I used to believe it was impossible ever to fall in love with a God who is unseen; with someone who can’t be hugged and touched. But today, I can affirm with my hand over my heart, that God completely makes up for that sacrifice. You feel that love so much, and those caresses from Our Lord that it seems God is there by your side… I live with God; and despite being on walks, we converse with each other without anyone being able to surprise us or interrupt us. If you knew Him enough, you would love Him. If you were with Him for one hour, you’d know just what heaven on earth is.” – St. Teresa of Jesus of the Andes

2. No other person can make you as happy as God can.

Many times, when we fall in love with another person, we think it’s the happiest we can be. But the truth is that no other person can make us as happy as God can. Every other kind of love would pale in comparison with God’s love for us. In Him, we will never be betrayed. In Him, we can fully trust. It is a love that suffers for you and always thinks about your good.

How many times have we been disappointed by the very people who broke our hearts? How many times have we searched for someone who can always be there for us and who will never disappoint us?

If you knew how much God can make you happy, wouldn’t it radically change your life?

“You see God created you and I
to be happy in this life
and the next… He cares for you.
He watches your every move.
There’s no one that loves you
can do that.”
– Mother Angelica

3. Without God, you can never have peace.

We often try to make our way through life by our own efforts. We reach for things we think can satisfy us. But without God, all of the things we could get will never be enough. While we can be amused or mesmerized for a few moments, sooner or later, a certain emptiness will always be there. Without God, we can never have peace.

“I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.” – John 16:33, NABRE

4. No matter how badly you think you lived, there is hope for you in God’s mercy.

“O soul steeped in darkness, do not despair. All is not yet lost. Come and confide in your God, who is love and mercy.” – Divine Mercy In My Soul

No matter what kind of life you have lived so far, never think that God could never forgive you. Never ever think that you could no longer change your life for the better. God loves you and waits for you. He died on the cross out of His great love for you. In God’s infinite love and mercy, we find our future and our hope.

“If the greatest sinner on earth should repent at the moment of his death, and draw His last breath in an act of love, neither the many graces he had abused, nor the multiplied crimes he had committed , would stand in his way. Our Lord would see nothing, count nothing , but the sinner’s last prayer, and without delay He would receive him into the arms of His Mercy.” – St. Therese of Lisieux

5. Only by drawing closer to God can you find your true self.

“The closer you get to God, the more you become yourself.” – Jason Evert

The world has blinded us with the message that we can only be ourselves if we depart from God. It deceives us into thinking that by following our every pleasure and desire, we can find who we really are.

The truth, however, is that we can only find ourselves in God. We were not meant for sin but for holiness. We were not meant for fleeting happiness but for eternal joy.

God is the Light that can reveal who we truly are, human beings made in His image and dignity, capable of virtue and true love.

“We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father’s love for us and our real capacity to become the image of his Son.” (Pope St. John Paul II, World Youth Day 2002, Closing Homily)

Final Words

We may not have the chance to walk together or to chat over a cup of coffee. We may not even meet in person. But I hope that when this article reaches you, somehow, you’d discover the five most important things that can change your life completely. God is real. God loves you. And it is only in His Love where you can find yourself and your true happiness.

“Christ says: I know you through and through – I know everything about you. The very hairs of your head I have numbered. Nothing in your life is unimportant to me, I have followed you through the years, and I have always loved you – even in your wanderings.

I know every one of your problems. I know your need and your worries. And yes, I know all your sins. But I tell you again that I love you – not for what you have or haven’t done – I love you for you, for the beauty and dignity my Father gave you by creating you in his own image.”
– Mother Teresa, The Joy in Loving: A Guide to Daily Living

I have to admit it. Sometimes I want to believe in fate. There is something about fate that feels good, that feels right. To think that some wonderful events were meant to be. To believe that there are people that were meant to come into your life.

Believing in fate helps you go through difficult moments. It gives you faith that there is some unseen force working in your favor, that wants the best for you, and that will make a way somehow so that you could have your happy ending.

What a comfort to know that you are being taken care of and that things are under control even when they don’t seem to be. Ah, there is still hope even when you could no longer see how things could still be right. There could yet be a happy future despite the darkness that you see today.

Such is fate. Positive fate. Who wouldn’t want a happy ending? Who wouldn’t dream of a life filled with meaning, whose every crisis was woven to bring you greater joy?

But what if your fate is not something that leads you to a happily-ever-after? What if sorrow and tragedy await you in the end?

When I think about that, free will seems to be a more comforting thought. Being given the choice to do as I desire. To turn my life around and not wait for anyone else to take charge of things.

I will decide. I will pursue. I’d dream my dreams and work hard until they become a reality.

Why should I wait for someone else to make things happen for me?

Free will should have won it all. Free will should have ended my search for answers.

But free will is also tiring. Free will can be unforgiving. When you think that everything depends upon your powers and your hard work.

Because the truth is that I could never do everything. And as much as I’d like to, I can’t always make things happen the way I’d want them to.

There’d be times I’d fall. Times when I get so tired I’d wish there was someone who could tell me, “It’s okay. Things can still turn out better in the end. Not everything depends upon your efforts alone.”

But then again, if I start to believe in that, I’d merely go back to wanting to believe in fate.

Could it be that there is something beyond these choices I think I’m making? Is it possible that in some mysterious way, both fate and free will could accomplish what is best for us?

Somehow I think that it is. Just like joy can sometimes mingle secretly with sorrow. Just like the rain can sometimes greet the sun. In a hidden way, there is a force that reconciles the two, allowing us to live in freedom while giving us peace that all things can still be well. In a magnificent mingling of realities, there is a force that abides and sets us free. There is a power that holds this universe together and weaves both free will and fate into a tapestry of beauty, wisdom and of truth.