Day 6: Meek and humble souls and little children

On the sixth day of the Divine Mercy Novena, the Lord narrows His circle to those who most resemble Him in interior disposition: the meek and humble souls, and the souls of little children. The Lord Jesus has said in the Gospel: "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:29). On Day 6 we pray for the souls who have learned that meekness and humility, and we pray to be made more like them.

The Lord's words to Saint Faustina

"Today bring to Me the meek and humble souls and the souls of little children, and immerse them in My mercy. These souls most closely resemble My Heart. They strengthened Me during My bitter agony. I saw them as earthly Angels, who will keep vigil at My altars. I pour out upon them whole torrents of grace. I favor humble souls with My confidence." (Diary 1220)

The Lord's vision of the earthly angels who keep vigil at His altars is one of the most beautiful in the Diary. The meek and the humble, the children, are the company most agreeable to His Heart. They are also the company on whom He pours grace in greatest abundance.

Today's prayer (from Diary 1221)

Most Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said, "Learn from Me for I am meek and humble of heart." Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart all meek and humble souls and the souls of little children. These souls send all heaven into ecstasy, and they are the heavenly Father's favorites. They are a sweet-smelling bouquet before the throne of God; God Himself takes delight in their fragrance. These souls have a permanent abode in Your Most Compassionate Heart, O Jesus, and they unceasingly sing out a hymn of love and mercy.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon meek and humble souls and the souls of little children, who are enfolded in the abode which is the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls bear the closest resemblance to Your Son. Their fragrance rises from the earth and reaches Your very throne. Father of mercy and of all goodness, I beg You by the love You bear these souls and by the delight You take in them: Bless the whole world, that all souls together may sing out the praises of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy

Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Offer it today for the meek and humble souls in your life: for the elderly grandmother who has prayed quietly for decades, for the contemplative religious in cloister, for the lay person of simple piety who is no spiritual celebrity, for the children in your family and parish, for the unborn child whose life is being decided, and for the children whose innocence is under attack in our cultural moment.

Reflection

The Catholic spiritual tradition has always recognized that the highest sanctity is often hidden under the lowliest exteriors. "You have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes" (Matthew 11:25). The greatest saints of the modern era include figures whose lives looked like nothing at all from outside: Saint Therese of Lisieux dying in obscurity at twenty-four, Saint Joseph Moscati treating the poor of Naples, Don Dolindo Ruotolo whose humility we have been praying with through the Surrender Novena tradition. The Lord delights in the small, the hidden, the meek, the humble.

The inclusion of the souls of little children in this sixth day of the novena is theologically significant. Children, particularly very young children, possess a kind of natural humility and openness that the Lord names as the necessary disposition for entering the Kingdom: "Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it" (Mark 10:15). To pray for the souls of children is also to pray that we ourselves recover the childlike disposition of trust.

If you are a parent, today's day is a particular grace. Bring your children to the Heart of Jesus by name. If you are not a parent, bring the children of your extended family, your parish, your neighborhood, the unborn whose lives are at risk, the children of war zones, the children growing up in homes without faith. Bring them, with all the meek and humble souls, into the Compassionate Heart of Christ.

Closing prayers

Conclude with the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Glory Be.

Jesus, I trust in You.