A Pocket Guide to Living the Divine Mercy
George W. Kosicki
ISBN 9781592762798eISBN 9781612781556
ASIN B0070Y4FSW
After reading Dr Hahn’s A Pocket Guide to St. Paul from OSV I have been able to track down all the series; though this one took some time to find at a price point within my budget. It appears there was an eBook edition but both the eBook and Prinnt edition appear to be out of print. I have been jumping around reading them. I have read books by Patrick before, and looked forward to working through this volume. Both the physical edition and eBook of this book appear to still be in print. This is a wonderful little read.
The description of this volume states:
“Find refuge from your anxieties and fears. Embrace God's infinite mercy as revealed to Saint Faustina and draw hope and inspiration from the actual words of Our Lord, faithfully recorded in her diary.
Saint Faustina and the Divine Mercy message were canonized by Pope John Paul II as "God's gift to our time." Make this gift your own through this short course on the merciful way.”
About the author we are informed:
“Coordinator of the Bethany House of Intercession for eight years, a noted retreat master, and disciple of the teachings of St. Faustina, Father George W. Kosicki is a popular writer on Divine Mercy.”
The chapters and sections in this booklet are:
Introduction
1. What Is Life All About?
2. Jesus Is the Way to the Father's House
3. Each Saint Followed Jesus as the Way to the Father's House
4. The Merciful Way of St. Faustina
5. How We, Too, Can Be Saints
6. Pope John Paul H's Ways of Living the Divine Mercy
7. Practical Ways to Live the Merciful Way
I highlighted a few passages while reading this volume, some of them are:
“Now that Sister Faustina Kowalska of the Most Blessed Sacrament has been canonized by Pope John Paul II, she is enrolled in the major leagues of saints. By her canonization, on the Second Sunday of Easter, April 30, 2000, John Paul II declared her a model for us to follow in our spiritual pilgrimage and a unique and special member of the Body of Christ, now interceding for the Church and the whole world for God's mercy.”
“In yet another declaration, the Holy Father declared that the message of Divine Mercy is the message for the third millennium, to all people, as "God's gift to our time." He repeated this strong affirmation of "a gift of God for our time" three times, assuring us that the light of mercy gives us hope and comfort, as we abandon ourselves in trust, in the midst of the suffering of our time.”
“In his homily al the Mass of Canonization, Pope John Paul II expressed the need to welcome mercy, to welcome Jesus, to receive Him, and to experience His mercy by trusting Him and so be enabled to be merciful, even as our heavenly father is merciful (sec Lk 6:36).”
“Thanks be to God, there is a way for the inadequate, the weak, and the miserable! It is the merciful way that St. Faustina proclaimed from the beginning to the very end of her Diary. It is, as John Paul II said, the message and the way for the third millennium.”
“Consider a few fascinating "statistics" about St. Faustina's Diary as a promise of hope for you and me:
• Some 120 times, she speaks of her own misery, and ours.
• Bur some 240 times - twice as many as "misery" - she speaks of her trust in the
Lord.
• But even more encouraging, she speaks of God's mercy some l,200 times - ten times more than about misery!”
“And there is the rub! Trusting in Him. Trusting in Jesus Christ is a free act of the will, a believing faith in Him. It "means 'to abandon oneself' to the truth of the word of the living God" (Pope John Paul II, Mother of the Redeemer [1987], n . L4).”
“But all of the saints expressed their pilgrimage with the Lord in unique and precious ways, as gems in the great mosaic of God's family. Each had to climb the mountain of the Lord along the path the Lord chose for them.”
“I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor: the first - by deed, the second - by word, the third - by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy.”
“Trust in God is one of the great ways to express our love for God. Distrust of God , on the other hand, is one of the great pains Jesus complains about to St. Faustina (see, for example, Diary, 50 and 300).”
I hope those quotes give you a feel for this volume. There are not as many quotes as other volumes; but still a good example. Much of this volume is quotes from Saint Faustina and Saint John Paul II’s talks and writings about Divine Mercy. This little volume is a great resource.
When I was in university, I was involved with Campus Crusade for Christ, there was a series of booklets by the founder Bill Bright, called Transferable Concepts, and by reading them many times you could almost memorize them and the message so that you could share it. This volume and series reminds me a lot of those books, but specifically geared for Catholics.
I was very thankful to have tracked this down and given it a read. I wish the eBook was still available, I would pick it up immediately. This is the one of eight volumes in the series but only 2 appear to still be in print. It is a pity because the whole series is excellent. I have been able to track down and read the complete series now, and see myself returning to them again in the future. This is a great book in an excellent series. I encourage you to give this volume a try if you can track it down.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2026 Catholic Reading Plan!
Books by George W. Kosicki:
Divine Mercy Minutes
Faustina, Saint for Our Times
I Demand Deeds Of Mercy
Intercession: Moving Mountains by Living Eucharistically
John Paul II: The Great Mercy Pope
Meet Saint Faustina: Herald of Divine Mercy
Mercy Minutes with Jesus
Mercy Minutes: Daily Gems from the Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalski
Now Is the Time for Mercy: The Story of God's Mercy
O Blessed Host, Have Mercy On Us
Reconciliation, Encountering The Mercy Of God
Rejoice In The Lord Always
Special Urgency of Mercy
Spiritual Warfare: Attack Against the Woman
Tell My Priests
The Good News of Suffering
Why Mercy Sunday?
…
Other books about Divine Mercy and Saint Faustina:
…
Books in the OSV Pocket Guide Series:
A Pocket Guide to the Meaning of Life - Peter J. Kreeft
A Pocket Guide to Living the Divine Mercy - George W. Kosicki
...
Books in the Handy Little Series from OSV:
The Handy Little Guide to Confession - Michelle Jones Schroeder
The Handy Little Guide to the Holy Spirit - Michelle Schroeder
The Handy Little Guide to the Lent - Michelle Schroeder
The Handy Little Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours - Barb Szyszkiewicz
…
Books in the OSV Companion in Faith Series:
For Those Who Grieve - Jeannie Ewing
Living in Peace - Father Jeffrey Kirby
The Beatitudes - Kathleen M Basi
The Power of Forgiveness - Patrice Fagnant-Macarthur
…
