Know My Merciful Heart
At Conyers, the Divine Mercy Chaplet Devotion was just about the second most prayer that was prayed after the Rosary. Many, many Graces were given to Pilgrims through this prayer, especially the sick and the dying. A brief history of the Chaplet follows including how to pray it on your Rosary beads and the intentions for the Nine Day Novena. The Divine Mercy Image and the Special Promise of Mercy is at the end of this Devotion.
The Divine Mercy Devotions
In the 1930's, Jesus gave a beautiful devotion to a humble Polish nun, Sister Faustina. This devotion was the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy.
In His revelations to Sister Faustina, from “The Divine Mercy Message and Devotion” book, Our Lord asked for special prayer and meditation on His Passion each afternoon at the three o'clock hour, the hour that recalls His death on the cross.
Jesus said to Sister Faustina, “At three o'clock, implore My mercy, especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony. 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.
“As often as you hear the clock strike the third hour, immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it; invoke its omnipotence for poor sinners; for at that moment mercy was opened wide for every soul. In this hour you can obtain everything for yourself and for others for the asking; it was the hour of grace for the whole world - mercy triumphed over justice ...”
From these detailed instructions, it's clear that Our Lord wants us to turn our attention to His Passion at the three o'clock hour to whatever degree our duties allow, and He wants us to ask for His mercy.
Chaplet of the Divine Mercy
Jesus gave Sister Faustina extraordinary promises of graces for those who would recite the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy. This devotion uses ordinary rosary beads and begins with an Our Father, Hail Mary and The Apostles Creed. On the large bead before each decade of the Rosary say:
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.
After praying for five decades, conclude by saying three times:
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Novena to The Divine Mercy
Jesus also requested that Sister Faustina compose and pray a special novena before the Feast of Mercy. The Feast of Mercy is celebrated each year on the Sunday after Easter. The nine day novena starts on Good Friday and ends on the Saturday before the Feast of Mercy. Jesus asked Sister Faustina to bring to His Heart a different group of souls each day. She was to immerse them in the ocean of His mercy and beg the Father, on the strength of Jesus' Passion, for graces for them. The specific intentions that Jesus gave Sister Faustina each day, together with the prayers and poems she composed, have become known as the Novena to The Divine Mercy. For each day of the nine day novena, Jesus asks:
First Day: Today bring to Me all Mankind, especially all sinners.
Second Day: Today bring to Me the souls of priests and religious.
Third Day: Today bring to Me all devout and faithful souls.
Fourth Day: Today bring to Me the pagans and those who do not yet know Me.
Fifth Day: Today bring to Me the souls of heretics and schismatics.
Sixth Day: Today bring to Me the meek and humble souls and the souls of little children.
Seventh Day: Today bring to Me the souls who especially venerate and glorify My mercy.
Eight Day: Today bring to Me the souls who are in the prison of Purgatory.
Ninth Day: Today bring to Me the souls who have become lukewarm.
Veneration of the Image
The image of Jesus, The Divine Mercy, is to have a special place of honor on the Feast of Mercy, a visual reminder of all that Jesus did for us through His Passion, Death, and Resurrection ... and a reminder, too, of what He asks of us in return - to trust Him and be merciful to others. Jesus said, “I want the image to be solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter, and I want it to be venerated publicly so that every soul may know about it.”
A Special Promise of Mercy
Our Lord's promise to grant complete forgiveness of sins and punishment on the Feast of Mercy is recorded three times in the Diary of Blessed Faustina, each time in a slightly different way:
“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.
“Whoever approaches the Fountain of Life on this day will be granted complete forgiveness of sins and punishment.
“The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion will obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment.”
The proceeding information was extracted from a booklet on The Divine Mercy Message and Devotion and is distributed by the Marian Helpers. This booklet bears the Imprimatur of:
† Imprimatur
Joseph F. Maguire
Bishop of Springfield, Massachusetts.
April 9, 1984
The Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, “Divine Mercy in My Soul” is available from Love and Mercy Publications. Jesus tells Saint Faustina that “I am sending you with My mercy to the people of the whole world. I do not want to punish mankind, but I desire to heal it, pressing it to My merciful Heart.” Jesus also tells her to record His message of mercy in a diary.
If you would like more information on The Divine Mercy Message and Devotions, their Web Site is www.marian.org or write to: Marian Helpers, Stockbridge, MA 01263