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The message and devotion to
Jesus as The Divine Mercy is based on the writings of Saint Faustina
Kowalska, an uneducated Polish nun who, in obedience to her spiritual
director, wrote a diary of about 600 pages recording the revelations she
received about God's mercy. Even before her death in 1938, the devotion to
The Divine Mercy had begun to spread.
The Chaplet of The Divine Mercy
In 1935, Saint Faustina received a vision of an angel sent by God to
chastise a certain city. She began to pray for mercy, but her prayers were
powerless. Suddenly she saw the Holy Trinity and felt the power of Jesus'
grace within her. At the same time, she found herself pleading with God
for mercy with words she heard interiorly:
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; for the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have
mercy on us and on the whole world (Diary, 476).
As she continued saying this inspired prayer, the angel became helpless
and could not carry out the deserved punishment (see Diary, 474, 475).
The next day, as she was entering the chapel, she again heard this
interior voice, instructing her how to recite the prayer that our Lord
later called "the Chaplet." From then on, she recited this form of prayer
almost constantly, offering it especially for the dying.
In subsequent revelations, the Lord made it clear that the Chaplet was not
just for her, but for the whole world. He also attached extraordinary
promises to its recitation.
Encourage souls to say the Chaplet which I have given you (Diary, 1541).
Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death
(Diary, 687). When they say this chaplet in the presence of the dying, I
will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as the just Judge
but as the Merciful Savior (Diary, 1541). Priests will recommend it to
sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most
hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive
grace from My infinite mercy (Diary, 687). I desire to grant unimaginable
graces to those souls who trust in My mercy (Diary, 687). Through the
Chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with
My will (Diary, 1731).
Prayed on ordinary rosary beads, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is an
intercessory prayer that extends the offering of the Eucharist, so it is
especially appropriate to use it after having received Holy Communion at
Holy Mass. It may be said at any time, but our Lord specifically told
Saint Faustina to recite it during the nine days before the Feast of Mercy
(the first Sunday after Easter). He then added: By this Novena, [of
Chaplets] I will grant every possible grace to souls (Diary, 796).
It is likewise appropriate to pray the Chaplet during the "Hour of Great
Mercy" three o'clock each afternoon (recalling the time of Christ's death
on the cross). In His revelations to Saint Faustina, Our Lord asked for a
special remembrance of His Passion at that hour.
The Novena to The Divine Mercy
On Good Friday, 1937, Jesus requested that Saint Faustina make a special
novena before the Feast of Mercy, from Good Friday through the following
Saturday. He, Himself, dictated the intentions for each day. By means of a
specific prayer, she was to bring to His Heart a different group of souls
each day and thus immerse them in the ocean of His mercy, begging the
Father -- on the strength of Jesus' Passion -- for graces for them.
Unlike the novena of Chaplets, which Our Lord clearly wants everyone to
use, this second novena seems to have been intended primarily for Saint
Faustina's personal use. This can be seen from Our Lord's instructions,
which address her with the word "you" in the singular.
But, since Saint Faustina was commanded to write it down, Our Lord must
have intended the novena to be used by others, too. Once published, it
immediately became very popular, and people prayed the novena, not only in
preparation for the Feast of Mercy, but at other times as well.
The wide range of intentions, which do not include personal needs, makes
the great popularity of this novena all the more astounding. In this
novena we truly make the Lord's intentions our own -- a beautiful
expression of the Church's privilege and duty, as the Bride of the Lord,
to be the intercessor at Christ's side on the throne of mercy.
How to Recite The Chaplet of Mercy
The Chaplet of Mercy is recited using ordinary rosary beads of five
decades. At the Shrine of Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts the
Chaplet is preceded by two opening prayers from the Diary of Sister
Faustina and followed by a closing prayer.
Opening Prayers (optional)
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. (1319)
O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount
of mercy for us, I trust in You! (84).
Begin the Chaplet with the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Apostles
Creed.
Then on the large bead before each decade:
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 ten small beads of each decade, say:
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole
world.
Conclude with: Holy God,
Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole
world. (475) (Three times).
Closing Prayer (optional)
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 (950).
Our Lord said to the servant of God, Sister Faustina:
Encourage souls to say the Chaplet which I have given you . . . Whoever
will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death . . . When
they say this chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between
My Father and the dying person, not as the just Judge but as the Merciful
Savior . . . Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of
salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite
this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite mercy . .
. I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My
mercy . . . Through the Chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you
ask for is compatible with My will (687, 1541, 1731) |
