Sacred Image – Chaplet – Divine Mercy Sunday – Prayers – Promises
The Divine Mercy Message and Devotion were given to Saint Faustina, a Polish nun, in a series of visions by Jesus himself. This devotion is very important to all Catholics because it emphasizes God’s loving mercy. Along with the Rosary, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy offers great graces. This devotion was greatly promoted by Saint John Paul II. He felt it was very important for our times and even Canonized Saint Faustina. Through this devotion, Our Lord Jesus Christ wants to give us the chance to help all sinners including ourselves. His great mercy and a means to obtain it are offered through the veneration of his image and the praying of the Chaplet.
The Sacred Image
One day, our Lord appeared to Saint Faustina (Maria Faustyna Kowalska) in a vision. In this vision, she saw Jesus clothed in a white garment with His right hand raised in a blessing. His left hand was touching His garment in the area of the heart, where two large rays came forth, one red and the other pale blue. Saint Faustina gazed a the Lord in silence. Her soul was filled with awe and great joy. Jesus said to her:
Paint an image according to the pattern you see with the signature: Jesus, I trust in You…
I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish. I also promise victory over its enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. I Myself will defend it as My own glory … I am offering people a vessel with which they are to keep coming for graces to the fountain of mercy. That vessel is this image with the signature: “Jesus, I trust in You”… I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and then throughout the world.
The two rays denote Blood and Water. The water makes souls righteous, the blood is the life of souls. These two rays issued forth from the depth of My tender mercy when My agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross … Happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him … By means of this image I shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is of no avail without works.
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy
“By this Novena, I will grant every possible grace to souls.” – Our Lord to Saint Faustina
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. Then, suddenly, she saw the Holy Trinity and felt the power of Jesus’ grace within her. At that same time, she found herself pleading with God for mercy with the following 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.
As she continued saying this inspired prayer, the angel became helpless and could not carry out the deserved punishment. In other words, because Jesus atoned for our sins, mercy was given through the prayer.
The next day, she again heard this interior voice, instructing her how to recite the prayer that our Lord later called “The Chaplet”. 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 … 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…
How to Recite the Chaplet
(On ordinary rosary beads)
The Divine Mercy Chaplet is to be prayed at any time, however, Our Lord specifically told Saint Faustina to recite it during the nine days before the Feast of Mercy (the first Sunday after Easter).
It is also 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).
“This is the hour of great mercy … In this hour I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion.”
Learn How to Recite!
(Click Here)
Feast of Mercy
“Yes, the first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be acts of mercy … I demand from you deeds of mercy, are to arise out of love for me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it.”
The Church teaches us through the Divine Mercy Message and Devotion to be merciful in these ways:
Corporal Works of Mercy
- Feed the hungry.
- Give drink to the thirsty.
- Clothe the naked.
- Comfort the imprisoned.
- Visit the sick.
- Bury the dead.
Spiritual Works of Mercy
- Admonish sinners.
- Instruct the uninformed.
- Counsel the doubtful.
- Comfort the sorrowful.
- Be patient with those in error.
- Forgive offenses.
- Pray for the living and the dead.
To Observe the Feast of Mercy, we should:
1. Celebrate the Feast on the Sunday after Easter; 
2. Sincerely repent of all our sins;
3. Place our complete trust in Jesus;
4. Go to Confession, preferably before that Sunday;
5. Receive Holy Communion on the day of the Feast;
6. Venerate the Image of the Divine Mercy; (Venerate means to perform some act or make some gesture of deep religious respect toward it .. statue or picture.. because of the person whom it represents).
7. Be merciful to others, through our actions, words, and prayers on their behalf.
Special Promise of Mercy
The Divine Mercy Message and Devotion includes a special promise form Our Lord. He promises to grant complete forgiveness of sins and punishment on the Feast of Mercy! This is recorded three times in the Diary of Saint Faustina:
“Feast of Mercy, I want to grant a complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy communion on the Feast of My mercy (1109).”
“Whoever approaches the Fountain of Life on this day will be granted complete forgiveness of sins and punishment (300).”
“The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion will obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment (699).”
Our Lord is emphasizing, through this promise, the infinite value of Confession and Communion as miracles of mercy. He wants us to realize that since the Eucharist is His own Body, Blood, and Soul, and Divinity, it is the fountain of Life (300).
| A Little Note: How long has it been since you took your children to confession? They need this precious sacrament as much as you do. Teach them to love Jesus… Teach them about Jesus’ Mercy! |
- FREE Divine Mercy Wall Paper for Your Computer: A super way to get the image and show it in your home is to go to the DivineMercy.org web site and download the wallpaper to use as a screen saver on your computer. They have three different images of Jesus in the Divine Mercy. This site is brought to you by Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M.
- FREE Daily Reflections from Saint Faustina’s Diary – Sent to you each morning. Sign up for Divine Mercy Daily at the DivineMercy.org web site.