The
Chaplet of The Divine Mercy
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. Suddenly she saw
the Holy Trinity and felt the power of Jesus' grace within
her. At the same time, she found herself pleading with God
for mercy with 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 (Diary, 476).
As
she continued saying this inspired prayer, the angel became
helpless and could not carry out the deserved punishment
(see Diary, 474, 475).
The next day, as she was entering the chapel, she again
heard this interior voice, instructing her how to recite
the prayer that our Lord later called "the Chaplet."
From then on, she recited this form of prayer almost constantly,
offering it especially for the dying.
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
(Diary, 1541). Whoever will recite it will receive great
mercy at the hour of death (Diary, 687). 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 (Diary, 1541). 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
(Diary, 687). I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those
souls who trust in My mercy (Diary, 687). Through the Chaplet
you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible
with My will (Diary, 1731).
Prayed on ordinary rosary beads, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy
is an intercessory prayer that extends the offering of the
Eucharist, so it is especially appropriate to use it after
having received Holy Communion at Holy Mass. It may be said
at any time, but our Lord specifically told Saint Faustina
to recite it during the nine days before the Feast of Mercy
(the first Sunday after Easter). He then added: By this
Novena, [of Chaplets] I will grant every possible grace
to souls (Diary, 796).
It is likewise 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). In
His revelations to Saint Faustina, Our Lord asked for a
special remembrance of His Passion at that hour.
The
Novena to The Divine Mercy
On Good Friday, 1937, Jesus requested that Saint Faustina
make a special novena before the Feast of Mercy, from Good
Friday through the following Saturday. He, Himself, dictated
the intentions for each day. By means of a specific prayer,
she was to bring to His Heart a different group of souls
each day and thus immerse them in the ocean of His mercy,
begging the Father -- on the strength of Jesus' Passion
-- for graces for them.
Unlike the novena of Chaplets, which Our Lord clearly wants
everyone to use, this second novena seems to have been intended
primarily for Saint Faustina's personal use. This can be
seen from Our Lord's instructions, which address her with
the word "you" in the singular.
But, since Saint Faustina was commanded to write it down,
Our Lord must have intended the novena to be used by others,
too. Once published, it immediately became very popular,
and people prayed the novena, not only in preparation for
the Feast of Mercy, but at other times as well.
The wide range of intentions, which do not include personal
needs, makes the great popularity of this novena all the
more astounding. In this novena we truly make the Lord's
intentions our own -- a beautiful expression of the Church's
privilege and duty, as the Bride of the Lord, to be the
intercessor at Christ's side on the throne of mercy.