The message of The Divine Mercy is simple. It is that God loves us — all of us. And, he wants us to recognize that His mercy is greater than our sins, so that we will call upon Him with trust, receive His mercy, and let it flow through us to others. Thus, all will come to share His joy.
The Divine Mercy message is one we can call to mind simply by remembering ABC:
A - Ask for His Mercy. God wants us to approach Him in prayer constantly, repenting of our sins and asking Him to pour His mercy out upon us and upon the whole world.
B - Be merciful. God wants us to receive His mercy and let it flow through us to others. He wants us to extend love and forgiveness to others just as He does to us.
C - Completely trust in Jesus. God wants us to know that the graces of His mercy are dependent upon our trust. The more we trust in Jesus, the more we will receive.
This 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 message and devotional practices proposed in the Diary of Saint Faustina and set forth in this web site and other publications of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception are completely in accordance with the teachings of Church and are firmly rooted in the Gospel message of our Merciful Saviour. Properly understood and implemented, they will help us grow as genuine followers of Christ.
Spend time to learn more about the mercy of God, learn to trust in Jesus, and live your life as merciful to others, as Christ is merciful to you.
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy
The Lord said to
Blessed Faustina:
"You will recite this chaplet on the beads of the Rosary in the following
manner:"
First of all, you will say one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and the I Believe In God.
Then: On the Our Father Beads you will say the following words:
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 Hail Mary Beads you will say the following words:
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
In conclusion Three Times you will recite these words:
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world. (Diary, 476)
Our Lord said to Blessed Faustine:
Unceasingly recite this chaplet that I have taught you. Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death ... Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even the most hardened sinner, if he recites this chaplet even once, will receive grace from My infinite mercy (687) ... Oh, what great graces I will grant to souls who will recite this chaplet (848) ... Through the chaplet you will obtain anything, if what you ask for is compatible with My will (1731) ... I want the whole world to know My infinite mercy. I want to give unimaginable graces to those who trust in My mercy (687).
Speak, Lord . . . Your Servant Listens +++
Prayer is, in the strictest sense, a humble religious petition of man to God to seek divine benevolence and benefits he needs for life, both temporal and eternal. It is a conversation with God, either by accepted prayer forms, or from the heart. Here, then, in conversational verse, is a hypothetical talk the Lord might have with us, His children..........
It is not necessary my child, to know much in order to please me much; it is enough that you love me fervently. Speak here to me then, as you would speak to your most intimate friend, to your mother, to your brother.
So, you want to ask me to do something for someone? Tell me his name. Is it your parents, your brothers, your friends? Tell me what you want me to do for them now. Ask much, very much: do not hesitate to ask. I love generous hearts who somehow can come to forget themselves to look after the needs of others. Speak sincerely to me then, of the poor you would console, of the sick you see suffering, of the strayed you yearn to see return to the right path, of those absent friends you want at your side again. Say at least one word for each, the ardent word of a friend. Remind me that I have promised to listen to every petition that arises from the heart, and is not a prayer for those whom your heart especially loves such a pray?
And for you: do you need a particular favour? Make a list, as it were, of your needs, and come and read it in my presence.
Tell me frankly that you are prone to anger, that you love sensuality and pleasure, that you are perhaps proud, variable, negligent . . . Ask me to come to the help of those efforts, many or few, which you undertake to free yourself from these faults.
Do not be ashamed, poor soul; there are in Heaven so many saints who had these same defects; but they prayed humbly, and little by little they saw themselves freed from them.
Do not hesitate to ask Me for spiritual and material goods; for health, memory, success in your work, enterprises and studies; all these I can give and I do give -- as long as they do not hinder, but rather assist your sanctification. Precisely today, what do you need? What can I do for you? If only you knew how much I would like to help you!
Do you have, right now, some project in mind? Tell me everything in detail. What preoccupies you? What are you thinking? What do you want? What do you want me to do for your parents, your brothers, your children, your superiors? What would you want to do for them?
And for me, do you feel an attraction for my glory? Do you not want to do something for those friends whom you love much but who perhaps live separated from me?
Tell me what in particular attracts your attention today, what you desire most ardently and what means you have of obtaining it? Tell me if your plans are not working and I will tell you the causes of your difficulties. Do you not want to interest me in your quest? My dear one, I am the Lord of hearts and I move them, without violating their freedom, to wherever I please.
Are you perhaps sad, or in bad humour? Tell me, tell me, you inconsolable soul, tell me your sorrows in all their details. Who wounded you? come close to my Heart, and find in it a refreshing balsam for the wounds in yours. Then, you will confess that, like me, you forgive everything, you forget everything. In appreciation, you will receive my consoling benediction.
Are you perhaps afraid? Do you feel in your soul those vague stirrings of sadness which, however unjustified, can be so tearing? Throw yourself in the arms of my Providence. I am with you. I am at your side. I see everything. I hear everything. I shall not abandon you for one moment.
Do you feel ignored by persons who loved you once but who now have forgotten you without cause? Pray from them and I will bring them back to you if they are not obstacles to your salvation.
And don't you have, perhaps, some joy to communicate to me? Why don't you let me share it with you, like a friend?
Tell me what has consoled and gladdened your heart since yesterday, since you last visited me. Perhaps you have had an agreeable surprise; perhaps you have seen grave doubts dissipated, or you have received good news -- a letter, or perhaps a gesture of love. Maybe you have overcome some difficulty, or come out of a trying situation. All of this is my work. I have obtained this for you. Why not show me your gratitude and say, like a child to its father, "Thank you, my Father, thank you." Gratitude brings forth new gifts since benefactors, as you know, like to see themselves appreciated.
Do you not have a promise to make to me? I read, you know, the bottom of hearts. Men are easily deceived, but not God. Speak to me, then honestly; do you have firm intentions of avoiding the occasion of sin? Of denying yourself that object that harmed your soul? Of not reading again that book which excited your imagination? Of avoiding that person who disturbed the peace of your soul?
Will you be kind to that person who, because he offended you, you have regarded as an enemy?
And now, my child return to your work, to your office, to your family, to your studies -- but do not forget these fifteen minutes of intimate conversation we have had in the privacy of the sanctuary. Keep as much as possible, silence, resignation, modesty, charity towards your neighbours. Love and honour my Mother, who is also your Mother. And please come again tomorrow with an even more fervent heart, to unite it to mine. In it you will find every day new love, new gifts, new consolation. Here I await you.
Saint M. Faustina Kowalska
On
October 5, 1938, a young religious by the name Sister Faustina (Helen Kowalska)
died in a convent of the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Cracow,
Poland. She came from a very poor family that had struggled hard on their little
farm during the terrible years of WWI. Sister had had only three years of very
simple education. Hers were the humblest of tasks in the convent, usually in the
kitchen or the vegetable garden, or as a porter.
On February 22, 1931, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ appeared to this simple
nun, bringing with Him a wonderful message of Mercy for all mankind. Saint
Faustina tells us in her diary under this date:
"In the evening, when I was in my cell, I became aware of the Lord Jesus
clothed in a white garment. One hand was raised in blessing, the other was
touching the garment at the breast. From the opening of the garment at the
breast there came forth two large rays, one red and the other pale. In silence I
gazed intently at the Lord; my soul was overwhelmed with fear, but also with
great joy. After a while Jesus said to me, 'paint an image according to the
pattern you see, with the inscription: Jesus, I trust in You.'"
Some time later, Our Lord again spoke to her:
"The pale ray stands for the Water which makes
souls righteous; the red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls.
These two rays issued forth from the depths of My most tender Mercy at that time
when My agonizing Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross....Fortunate is the
one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold
of him."
To read the diaries of Saint Faustina - follow the link: The Diary of Sister Faustina Kowalska