Divine Mercy
God has chosen our times for the proclamation of Divine Mercy, a pledge of hope and source of salvation. The message of merciful love needs to resound forcefully again. The hour has come when the message of Divine Mercy is able to fill hearts with hope and to become the spark of a new civilisation: the civilisation
of love. (Pope John Paul ll)
St Faustina’s life as a religious was marked by the stigma of suffering, but also with extraordinary mystical graces, that of conversing with the Lord. ‘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 in the garment 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. Jesus said to me:
'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 desire that the first Sunday after Easter be the Feast of Mercy. I want the image to be solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of my tender mercy are open... The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. My Heart rejoices in this feast. '
of love. (Pope John Paul ll)
St Faustina’s life as a religious was marked by the stigma of suffering, but also with extraordinary mystical graces, that of conversing with the Lord. ‘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 in the garment 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. Jesus said to me:
'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 desire that the first Sunday after Easter be the Feast of Mercy. I want the image to be solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of my tender mercy are open... The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. My Heart rejoices in this feast. '
The Feast of Divine Mercy
On this great Feast we may obtain the complete forgiveness of sins and punishment, an extraordinary grace promised by Jesus.
‘I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls and especially for poor sinners. On this day the very depths of My tender mercy are open… The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. My Heart rejoices in this feast.’
‘My mercy is greater than your sins and those of the entire world. Who can measure the extent of my goodness? For you I allowed myself to be nailed to the cross; for you I let my Sacred Heart be pierced with a lance, thus opening wide the source of mercy for you.’
To obtain such grace we must go to Confession within several days before or after this Sunday, (Easter confession suffices), receive Holy Communion on the day, venerate the image of the Divine Mercy and be merciful to others, through our actions, words and prayers on their behalf.
'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 and pays reverence to my Mercy. Be merciful even as your Father is merciful.'
The Hour of Great Mercy
A devotion most dear to Our Lord is the veneration of his passion at the very hour that recalls his death on the Cross. ‘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… In this hour I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion.
I remind you that 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 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 - the hour that mercy triumphed over justice.
‘[My daughter], try your best to make the Stations of the Cross in this hour, provided that your duties permit it; and if you are not able to make the Stations of the Cross, then at least step into the chapel for a moment and adore, in the Most Blessed Sacrament, My Heart which is full of mercy; and should you be unable to step into the chapel, immerse yourself in prayer there, where you happen to be, if only for a very brief instant.
‘Say unceasingly the Chaplet of Mercy 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 if there were a sinner most hardened, if they were to recite this Chaplet only once, they would receive grace from my infinite Mercy.
‘I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls and especially for poor sinners. On this day the very depths of My tender mercy
are open… The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. My Heart rejoices in
this feast.’
Excerpts from the Diary of St Faustina
The Conversion Prayer & Prayer for the Dying
‘I desire that you know more profoundly the love that burns in My Heart for souls.
‘… you will understand this when you meditate upon My Passion. Call upon My Mercy on behalf of sinners; I desire their salvation. When you say
this prayer, with a contrite heart and with faith on behalf of some sinner, I will give that soul the grace of conversion.’
This is the prayer:
O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You.
To bring Jesus into the life of another person (name the person) and recite this in front of a picture of the Divine Image.
St Faustina said: ‘I often attend upon the dying and through entreaties obtain for them trust in God’s mercy… God’s mercy sometimes touches the sinner at the last moment in a wondrous and mysterious way. Outwardly, it seems as if everything were lost, but it is not so. The soul, illumined by a ray of God’s powerful grace, turns to God in the last moment with such a power of love that, in an instant, it receives from God forgiveness of sin and punishment, while outwardly it shows no sign either of repentance or of contrition, because souls [at that stage] no longer react to external things.’
Our Lord said: ‘Encourage souls to say the Chaplet of Mercy 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 Saviour… 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.’
His mercy is always available to us, no matter what we have done or what state we are in, even if our sins are as scarlet, and we are filled with fears and anxieties: ‘The greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to my mercy.’
Chaplet of Mercy instructions are available free from the Gift Centre.
Deeds of Mercy
Be merciful even as your Father is merciful.
‘I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbour: 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 and pays reverence to My Mercy.’
Excerpts from the Diary of St Faustina
On this great Feast we may obtain the complete forgiveness of sins and punishment, an extraordinary grace promised by Jesus.
‘I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls and especially for poor sinners. On this day the very depths of My tender mercy are open… The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. My Heart rejoices in this feast.’
‘My mercy is greater than your sins and those of the entire world. Who can measure the extent of my goodness? For you I allowed myself to be nailed to the cross; for you I let my Sacred Heart be pierced with a lance, thus opening wide the source of mercy for you.’
To obtain such grace we must go to Confession within several days before or after this Sunday, (Easter confession suffices), receive Holy Communion on the day, venerate the image of the Divine Mercy and be merciful to others, through our actions, words and prayers on their behalf.
'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 and pays reverence to my Mercy. Be merciful even as your Father is merciful.'
The Hour of Great Mercy
A devotion most dear to Our Lord is the veneration of his passion at the very hour that recalls his death on the Cross. ‘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… In this hour I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion.
I remind you that 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 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 - the hour that mercy triumphed over justice.
‘[My daughter], try your best to make the Stations of the Cross in this hour, provided that your duties permit it; and if you are not able to make the Stations of the Cross, then at least step into the chapel for a moment and adore, in the Most Blessed Sacrament, My Heart which is full of mercy; and should you be unable to step into the chapel, immerse yourself in prayer there, where you happen to be, if only for a very brief instant.
‘Say unceasingly the Chaplet of Mercy 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 if there were a sinner most hardened, if they were to recite this Chaplet only once, they would receive grace from my infinite Mercy.
‘I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls and especially for poor sinners. On this day the very depths of My tender mercy
are open… The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. My Heart rejoices in
this feast.’
Excerpts from the Diary of St Faustina
The Conversion Prayer & Prayer for the Dying
‘I desire that you know more profoundly the love that burns in My Heart for souls.
‘… you will understand this when you meditate upon My Passion. Call upon My Mercy on behalf of sinners; I desire their salvation. When you say
this prayer, with a contrite heart and with faith on behalf of some sinner, I will give that soul the grace of conversion.’
This is the prayer:
O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You.
To bring Jesus into the life of another person (name the person) and recite this in front of a picture of the Divine Image.
St Faustina said: ‘I often attend upon the dying and through entreaties obtain for them trust in God’s mercy… God’s mercy sometimes touches the sinner at the last moment in a wondrous and mysterious way. Outwardly, it seems as if everything were lost, but it is not so. The soul, illumined by a ray of God’s powerful grace, turns to God in the last moment with such a power of love that, in an instant, it receives from God forgiveness of sin and punishment, while outwardly it shows no sign either of repentance or of contrition, because souls [at that stage] no longer react to external things.’
Our Lord said: ‘Encourage souls to say the Chaplet of Mercy 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 Saviour… 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.’
His mercy is always available to us, no matter what we have done or what state we are in, even if our sins are as scarlet, and we are filled with fears and anxieties: ‘The greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to my mercy.’
Chaplet of Mercy instructions are available free from the Gift Centre.
Deeds of Mercy
Be merciful even as your Father is merciful.
‘I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbour: 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 and pays reverence to My Mercy.’
Excerpts from the Diary of St Faustina
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The Spiritual Works of Mercy are:
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The Corporal Works of Mercy are:
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Divine Mercy Novena and Stations of the Cross
In preparation for the Feast of the Divine Mercy, the Lord asked St Faustina to make known a novena of prayer from Good Friday to the following Saturday. These nine days of prayer before the Feast of Mercy are akin to the nine days of prayer in the upper room before the day of Pentecost. For each of the nine days, Our Lord gave St Faustina an intention to pray for. These prayers are in the following brochures. More
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