Fred Berretta, with his wife, Liz, and their children, Jonathan, 14, Evan, 13, Lauren, 9, and Benjamin, 7. After Fred was pulled to safety aboard a ferry boat, he called his wife back home in Charlotte and said, "I'm doing OK." She responded, "That's great. I'm doing OK, too." She didn't yet know about Flight 1549. "I had to explain how the plane just crashed into the Hudson River," Fred recalls with a laugh.
Terrific post! Thanks...
Beautiful, hopeful and sobering story. We should all faithfully pray the DIVINE MERCIES everyday.
God bless this family, what an epiphany...
How to Recite the Chaplet of Divine Mercy
The Chaplet of Mercy is recited using ordinary rosary beads of five decades. The Chaplet is preceded by two opening prayers from the Diary of Saint Faustina and followed by a closing prayer.
1. Make the Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
2. Optional Opening Prayers
You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us.
O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of Mercy for us, I trust in You!
3. Our Father
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, Amen.
4. Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.
5. The Apostle’s Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified; died, and was buried. He descended into Hell; the third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
6. The Eternal Father
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.
7. On the Ten Small Beads of Each Decade
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
8. Repeat for the remaining decades
Saying the “Eternal Father” (6) on the “Our Father” bead and then 10 “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion” (7) on the following “Hail Mary” beads.
9. Conclude with Holy God (Repeat three times)
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
10. Optional Closing Prayer
Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion — inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.
Lovely post...thank you.
What a beautiful story.
A message to all of us to pray.
Are the 15 promises the same as the 15 graces listed on my Rosary pamphlet? If not, is there a list of them?
Could just as well have been a Baptist or Methodist in the seat behind this fella that went directly to the Throne of Grace and talked directly to God for help in time of need...
But anyway, thank God...
On Mercy
Thursday, February 5
The Abyss of Your Mercy
I live in the deepest peace, because the Lord Himself is carrying me in the hollow of His hand. He, Lord of unfathomable mercy, knows that I desire Him alone in all things, always and everywhere (Diary, 1264).
At that moment, a ray of light illumined my soul, and I saw the whole abyss of my misery. In that same moment I nestled close to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus with so much trust that even if I had the sins of all the damned weighing on my conscience, I would not have doubted God’s mercy but, with a heart crushed to dust, I would have thrown myself into the abyss of Your mercy (Diary, 1318).
Self ping to read again and to remind me to look for The Chaplet of Divine Mercy on streaming EWTN.
**The time happened to be 3 o’clock, known as the Hour of Great Mercy, when Jesus died on the cross. Fred would consider that detail the following day as he was preparing to die.**
This sent shivers through my entire body!
WOW!!!
Great story for a man who had to trust God and asked God for mercy! I love the divine mercy prayer. The basics is meditating on the passion and asking for mercy not only for ourselves but on the whole world. Considering the world’s economy and having the dems in charge with Obama,we have a great need for this pray for mercy for all of us. There are also other Christians who pray this prayer,divine mercy chaplet,and other Catholic prayers. I would say that anyone on that plane who prayed was blessed with good fruit,mercful God. Miracle even the secularists are saying it!!!
God’s last act of mercy before the inauguration. We’re now officially on our own.
I am a religious Christian but I have a hard time believing god had anything to do with the plane landing. It’s just the human propensity to try to impute meaning on meaningless events.
wow.
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Obama Says A Baby Is A Punishment
Obama: “If they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby.”
What does it cost us to say: "My God help me! Have mercy on me!" Is there anything easier than this? And this little will suffice to save us if we be diligent in doing it.
-- St. Alphonsus Liguori