were answered. And what a conversion that was! Because of her trust in God’s mercy and her incredible dedication to praying for her son, St. Monica became an example of trust and hope for those who pray for the conversion of loved ones. Thank God, there are many “modern Monicas” in our Church today!
Yes, St. Monica’s example can be intimidating but it’s important to keep in mind that praying for conversions in general — for a most-needy sinner, for a sinner who will die today, for someone who has drifted, or stormed, away from the Church — requires simply that we pray. We can have confidence that Jesus in His Divine Mercy will hear our prayers and apply them to whom He wishes. Only in heaven will we know the effectiveness of our prayers for sinners when we share the Lord’s joy, when we rejoice, with those whom our prayers have helped.
Thank you, Susan Tassone, for writing this book. Thank you for a guide that will inspire many to pray and sacrifice for the “one sheep” who is lost.
— Father Andrew Apostoli, CFR
Introduction
Calling You Home
Dear Friends,
You might be surprised at how often St. Faustina, the Patroness of Divine Mercy, wrote about conversion. I was.
In page after page and chapter after chapter, her Diary speaks of Jesus’ call for the conversion of sinners.
But what did “conversion” mean to St. Faustina? And to Our Lord? And how do we each take that message, that meaning, and apply it — no, more than that — how do we come to live it, page after page and chapter after chapter, in the book of our own life? How do we become more faithful in praying for the conversions of our relatives, friends, and others?
That’s what St. Faustina Prayer Book for the Conversion of Sinners is all about. That’s what life on earth, and time in purgatory, are all about.
Time and again, you sin. Time and again, I sin. Time and again, Jesus calls each of us to turn, to return, to our Heavenly Father and do His will.
Today Jesus is calling you to conversion. Calling you to sainthood. Calling you home.
You, and the souls of your dearly departed, are in my prayers.
— Susan
Part One
Conversion
I. What Is Conversion?
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel.”
— Mark 1:15
In one of his first interviews after being elected pontiff, Pope Francis was asked to describe himself. “I am a sinner,” he said.
Four words that shocked the world but shouldn’t have.
Every pope has been a sinner.
Every human being — except Jesus and His mother, Mary — has been a sinner.
So a prayer book focusing on “the conversion of sinners” isn’t just about “them”: the big-time, notorious sinners. It’s about us: the little-time, often slow-to-correct-our-faults, sinners.
Members of both categories need our prayers. And we need the prayers of others.
It wouldn’t be hard to come up with a list of the horrible and harmful activities of the big-time sinners. Abortionists, pornographers, sex traffickers, child abusers, dictators, and on and on. But what about the little-time sinners? Really now. Aren’t they, aren’t we, doing pretty much okay?
Not according to St. Bernard of Clairvaux, who told his community: “There are more people converted from mortal sin to grace than there are religious converted from good to better.”
Yes, he was speaking about members of religious communities, but certainly the same could be said of those who consider themselves religious: those who take their Catholicism seriously and live good and holy lives.
Lives that, St. Bernard was saying, could be better … and holier.
That’s what conversion is. For some, it’s getting out of the pornography business. For others, it’s moving away from those favorite little vices that, over the years, have held us back from the person God is calling us to be.
As you may know, the word “convert” comes from the Latin meaning to turn (vertere) together with (con or cum). We’re facing one way, we’re heading down a path in this direction, but — with someone else — we turn in a new, and better, direction. We head down a new, and better, path. Or, more accurately, we do that with Someone else. We turn with the One who continually calls us to conversion because we continually need it.
Here’s another way to look at it. You’ve probably heard the expression “a heart of stone.” Mortal sin piled on mortal sin over years and years has turned the big-time sinner’s heart to stone.
But what’s the small-time sinner’s heart like? Perhaps like a lump of modeling clay that’s been left out and untouched for too long. It’s hard and brittle. It crumbles easily and can’t be formed, or transformed, into anything.
What is conversion? A modern dictionary says it’s this: “to change (something) into a different form or so that it can be used in a different way.”
To change a heart. To change a mind. To change a soul. A heart that loves more. A mind that longs for greater knowledge of, and intimacy, with its Creator. A soul that seeks holiness by, day after day, seeking God’s will and striving to live it.
What Does Conversion Require?
Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts.… Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.
— James 4:8, 10
What does conversion require? The short answer is: God and you.
You can’t do it without Him. And He won’t do it without you. (You always have free will.)
But that short answer doesn’t mean it’s a simple answer.
Conversion requires prayer … and prayer requires conversion. It isn’t a “one-and-done” proposition. It’s a daily process. More than that, it can be multiple decisions and actions within one day. Day after day till death. Why? Because it’s answering God’s constant call for us to change our mind and our heart: a lifetime of His inviting you and me to become a saint.
How do we do that? First, to use a common and contemporary expression, “Ya gotta want it!” There are no “accidental saints.”
