Divine Mercy Devotion
“Jesus said to Sister Faustina: “Souls who spread the honor of My mercy I shield through their entire lives as a tender mother her infant, and at the hour of death I will not be a Judge for them, but the Merciful Savior.”
Today, our hurting world needs to hear the Good News of God’s Merciful love as never before. Therefore, we need courageous apostles of His Mercy to proclaim this message to the world.
“Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My Mercy”
— Diary 300
These words were spoken by Jesus to Helena Kowalska born as Helena Kowalska, in Glogowiec, Leczyca County, north-west of Lódz in Poland on August 25, 1905. She was the third of 10 children to a poor and religious family. Her father was a carpenter and a farmer. Helena worked in the fields as a clod-buster breaking clumps of soil for planting.
Helena first felt a calling to the religious life when she was seven years old and attended the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. After finishing only three years of her schooling, she wanted to immediately join a convent. However, her parents refused to let her. Instead, at 16-years-old, Helena became a housekeeper to help her parents and support herself.
In 1924, Helena experienced her first vision of Jesus while at a dance with her sister, Natalia, Faustina saw a suffering Jesus and then went to a Cathedral where according to her, Jesus instructed her to leave immediately for Warsaw and join a convent.
Helena packed her bags the first church she came across and departed the following morning. When she arrived in Warsaw, she entered Saint James Church in Warsaw, and attended Mass.
While in Warsaw, Helena approached many different convents, but was turned away every time. She was judged on her appearances and sometimes rejected for poverty, lack of education and no dowry.
Finally, the mother superior for the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy decided to take her in on the condition she could pay for her own religious habit. Working as a housekeeper, Helena began to save her money and make deposits to the Convent. On April 30, 1926, at the age of 20, she was clothed in the habit and received her religious name: Maria Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament. " Faustina” means "favorable," "fortunate," "propitious," "helpful." The Lord's inspiration must have been at work in this, too, for early in the sister's life as a religious, the Lord appeared to her and indicated her future impact upon the world. He declared: "Do whatever you wish, distribute graces as you will, to whom you will and when you will." (Diary, 31).
Significant Events in St. Faustina's life
1. Her given name was Helena. St. Maria Faustina Kowalska of the Blessed Sacrament was born in Poland as Helena Kowalska on Aug. 25, 1905. Faustina's health was significantly deteriorated by tuberculosis by the end of 1937. Her visions intensified and she was said to be looking forward to the end of her life. On October 5, 1938, Faustina died, after being chosen by Jesus and Mary to become the unlikely apostle of the Divine Mercy. She was buried on October 7. She was canonized by Pope John Paul II on April 30, 2000, and currently rests at the Basilica of Divine Mercy in Krakow, Poland. Her feast day is October. 5.
2. She didn’t plan to become a nun. Young Helena had no intention of entering religious life, but at age 19, while attending a dance with her sister Natalia in Lodz, she had a vision of a suffering Jesus, who asked her, “How long shall I put up with you and how long will you keep putting Me off?” After praying at the Cathedral, she departed for Warsaw, where she joined the Congregation of the Sisters’ of Our Lady of Mercy.
3. Jesus described to her how his Divine Mercy image should look. Faustina wrote that on the night of Sunday, Feb. 22, 1931, while she was in her cell in Plock, Poland, after partially recovering from tuberculosis, Jesus appeared wearing a white garment with red and pale rays emanating from his heart. According to her diary, Jesus told her to: “Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: ‘Jesus, I trust in You’ [in Polish: “Jezu, ufam Tobie.] I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and then throughout the world. I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish.” (Fr. Michael Sopocko, her confessor (now Blessed Sopocko) encouraged her to start keeping a diary and to record all of her conversations with Jesus. Faustina told Fr. Sopocko about the Divine Mercy image and it was he who introduced her to Eugeniusz Kazimirowski, a Polish artist, Freemason, and member of the realism movement and maker of the first Divine Mercy painting. The painting was shown publicly at a Mass celebrated by Fr. Sopocko on the 2nd Sunday after Easter April 25, 1935, at the Gate of Dawn Church, Vilnius, Lithuania
4. She saw a vision of Hell. In October 1936, during an eight-day retreat, she was led by an angel to what she called the “chasms of hell,” which she described in her diary as a place of “great torture” and “fire that will penetrate the soul without destroying it — a terrible suffering.” This hell was filled with darkness, and, despite that darkness, “the devils and the souls of the damned see each other and all the evil, both of others and their own.”
5. She was shown different levels of Hell. According to Paul Kengor, a professor of political science at Grove City College and a National Catholic Register contributor, Faustina “observed Dante-like sections of hell reserved for specific agonies earned in this fallen world.” “There are caverns and pits of torture where one form of agony differs from another,” Faustina recorded in her diary. “There are special tortures destined for souls. These are the torments of the senses. Each soul undergoes terrible and indescribable sufferings related to the way it has sinned.”
6. Most of the damned had not believed in Hell. Faustina said what she was sharing was merely “a pale shadow of the things I saw. But I noticed one thing: most of the souls there are those who disbelieved there is a hell.” She testified in her diary: “I, Sister Faustina Kowalska, by the order of God, have visited the abysses of hell so I might tell souls about it and testify to its existence.”
7. Her vision was meant to save souls. Kengor says that “scary as they are, (these visions) also echo a positive urgency to mercy. Through these visions and their messengers, the divine is giving us yet another chance. We’re being warned to get ourselves in order, to stop sinning and to seek conversion and redemption before it’s too late.”
What is the Divine Mercy Devotion?
Devotion to the Divine Mercy involves a total commitment to God as Mercy. It is a decision to trust completely in him, to accept his mercy with thanksgiving, and to be merciful as he is merciful. The devotional practices proposed in the diary of Saint Faustina and set forth here are completely in accordance with the teachings of the Church and are firmly rooted in the Gospel message of our Merciful Savior. Properly understood and implemented, they will help us grow as genuine followers of Christ. This is a modern devotion, multifaceted with several different components: it involves a divinely inspired painting of Jesus with attached promises for its veneration, vocal prayers (the Divine Mercy chaplet and Divine Mercy Novena), a book (The Diary of St. Maria Faustina), a Holy Hour (3 o’clock) and a solemn feast day with attached indulgences. (Divine Mercy Sunday – 2nd Sunday after Easter).
The Message
The message of mercy is that God loves us “all of us” no matter how great our sins. 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. It is a message 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 the graces of his mercy are dependent upon our trust. The more we trust in Jesus, the more we will receive.
The Painting
In 1931, Our Lord appeared, in a vision. to Faustina Kowalska. She saw Jesus clothed in a white garment with His right hand raised in blessing. His left hand was touching His garment in the area of the heart, from which two large rays came forth, one red and the other pale. She gazed intently at the Lord in silence, her soul filled with awe, but also with 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 (Diary, 47, 48).” 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 (Diary, 327). “I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and [then] throughout the world” (Diary, 47).
At the request of her spiritual director, Fr. Michael Sopocko. Faustina asked the Lord about the meaning of the rays in the image. She heard these words in reply:
The two rays denote Blood and Water. 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 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 (Diary, 299) ” 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” (Diary, 742).
Many different versions of this image have been painted, but Our Lord made it clear that the painting itself is not what is important. When Saint Faustina first saw the original image that was being painted under her direction, she wept in disappointment and complained to Jesus: “Who will paint You as beautiful as You are?” (Diary, 313) In answer she heard these words:” Not in the beauty of the color, nor of the brush lies the greatness of this image, but in My grace” (Diary, 313). So, no matter which version of the image we prefer, we can be assured it is a vehicle of God’s grace if it is revered with trust in His mercy.
The Divine Mercy Chaplet
The Chaplet can be said anytime, but the Lord specifically asked it be recited as a novena, especially on the nine days before the Feast of Mercy. And He promised, “By this Novena (of Chaplets) I will grant every possible grace to souls” (Diary, 796).
We can pray this Novena of Chaplets for our own personal intentions, or we can offer it together with the Novena to The Divine Mercy for the daily intentions dictated by Our Lord to Saint Faustina.
Our Lord said to Saint 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 thy 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.” (Diary, 687, 1541, 1731).
How to Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet
The Chaplet of Mercy is recited using ordinary rosary beads of five decades and is preceded by two prayers from the Diary of Saint Faustina and followed by a closing prayer.
Begin:
1. The Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
2. Opening Prayers: 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 (Diary, 1319). Then THREE times: O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You! (Diary, 84).
3. The Our Father: Our Father, who art in heaven hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen
4. The Hail Mary: Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen
5. The Apostles’ Creed: I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen
6. On the “Our Father “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 (Diary, 476).
7. On the “Hail Mary “beads of each decade: For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
8. Repeat “Eternal Father” and “For the Sake of His sorrowful Passion”: (Number 6 & 7) Prayers for four more decades. ** See Note below
9. After 5 decades, the concluding doxology (three times): Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
10. Closing Prayers: 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. Amen (Diary, 950).
** Note: We are often asked - What is the meaning of: “For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion”?
Rev. Ignacy Rozycki, the Polish theologian who examined the writings of Sister Faustina as part of the Church's official investigation into her life and virtues, explained the meaning of this phrase of the Chaplet like this: "For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion" is not an appeal to the satisfaction which Jesus offered for our sins. Fidelity to the spirit and the letter of the devotion demands rather an appeal to the love and mercy of the Father and the Son for us, and to that love which is attested by the sufferings of the Son. In other words, we again emphasize the strongest motive upon which the efficacy of the Chaplet is based; we briefly call, "May so much hardship, so much suffering not be in vain." We are not praying here that the Son of God's sacrifice may cover our sins, compensating divine justice for them. Rather, the original Polish of this line of the Chaplet suggests that a new prayer-intention is being introduced.
The Chaplet enables us to do just this: by leading us to repeat five decades of the phrase "for the sake of His Sorrowful Passion," it centers our minds and hearts on the principal testimony of God's love for us: the sorrowful Passion of his Son.
" ... have mercy on us, and on the whole world."
The Chaplet is not a self-centered prayer. It does not say "have mercy on me," but "have mercy on us"— which includes "me"— and "on the whole world." Saying the Chaplet, therefore, is not just an exercise of personal piety: rightly understood, it is a work of mercy!
THE HOUR of GREAT MERCY
Jesus said to St 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 for the whole world. I will allow you to enter into My mortal sorrow. In this hour, I will refuse nothing to the soul that make a request or Me in the virtue of My Passion……”
“I remind you, My daughter, that as often as you hear the clock strike the third hour, immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring the glorifying it; invoke its omnipotence for the whole world, and particularly 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”
The Novena to The Divine Mercy
Jesus in addition to the Novena to The Divine Mercy, which Our Lord gave to Saint Maria Faustina for her own personal use, He revealed to her a powerful prayer that He wanted everyone to say – the Chaplet of Mercy. Saint Faustina prayed the Chaplet almost constantly, especially for the dying, and the Lord urged her to encourage others to say it, too, promising extraordinary graces to those who would recite this special prayer.
Jesus Himself disclosed the following intentions to pray for on each day of the Novena.
DAY 1 (Good Friday) All mankind, especially sinners
DAY 2 (Holy Saturday) The souls of priests and religious
DAY 3 (Easter Sunday) All devout and faithful souls
DAY 4 (Easter Monday) Those who do not believe in Jesus & those who do not know Him
DAY 5 (Easter Tuesday) The souls of separated brethren
DAY 6 (Easter Wednesday) The meek and humble souls and the souls of children
DAY 7 (Easter Thursday) The souls who especially venerate and glorify Jesus Mercy
DAY 8 (Easter Friday) The souls who are detained in purgatory;
DAY 9 (Easter Saturday) The souls who have become lukewarm.
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy should be offered each day for the day's intentions.
The Feast of Mercy
From St Faustina’s Diary:
One morning, when it was my duty to open the gate to let out our people who delivered baked goods, I entered the little chapel to visit Jesus for a minute and to renew the intentions of the day. Today, Jesus, I offer You all my sufferings, mortifications and prayers for the intentions of the Holy Father, so that he may approve the Feast of mercy. But, Jesus, I have one more word to say to You: I am surprised that You bid me to talk about this Feast of mercy, for they tell me that there is already such a feast and so why should I talk about it?
And Jesus said to me: “And who knows anything about this feast? No one! Even those who should be proclaiming My mercy and teaching people about is often do not know about it themselves. That is why I want the image to be solemnly blessed on the first Sunday of Easter, and I want it to be venerated publicly so that every soul may know about it.”
“I desire that the first Sunday after Easter be the Feast of Mercy” Today, we know the Feast as “Divine Mercy Sunday” named by St. Pope John Paul on April 30, 2000.
Deeds of Mercy
“My daughter, if I demand through you that people revere My mercy, you should be the first to distinguish yourself by this confidence in My mercy. I demand from you deeds of mercy, which 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.
I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy towards your neighbor: the first – by deed, the second – by word, the third – by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies ad pays reverence to My mercy. Yes, the first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be acts of mercy, and I demand the worship of My mercy through the solemn celebration of the Feast and through the veneration of the image which is painted. 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 event the strongest faith is of no avail without works.”
Later, on October 1 1937 – “Daughter, I need sacrifice lovingly accomplished, because that alone has meaning for Me. Enormous indeed are the debts of the world which are due to me; pure souls can pay them by their sacrifice, exercising mercy in spirit.”
St Faustina replies – I understand your words, Lord, and the magnitude of the mercy that ought to shine in my soul.
Jesus: “I know, My daughter, that you understand it and that you do everything within your power. But write this for the many souls who are often worried because they do not have the material means with which to carry out an act of mercy. Yet spiritual mercy, which requires neither permission nor storehouses, is much more meritorious and is within the grasp of every soul. If a soul does not exercise mercy somehow or other, it will no obtain My mercy on the day of judgement. Oh, if only souls knew how to gather eternal treasures for themselves, they would not be judged, for they would forestall My judgement with their mercy.”