Divine Mercy
Shortly before the outbreak of World War II, a simple, young, uneducated Polish nun received a special calling. On the night of Sunday, February 22, 1931, while she was in her cell, Jesus appeared to Sister Faustina as the "King of Divine Mercy." He was wearing a white garment with red and pale rays emanating from his Sacred Heart. He would continue to appear and speak to her, and for four years St. Faustina recorded Jesus' words, her visions, and her own thoughts and prayers in a personal diary.
Jesus gave St. Faustina a special mission, telling her, "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." He also said to her, "You are the secretary of My Mercy. I have chosen you for that office in this and the next life." In visions that followed, Jesus asked Saint Faustina to be His instrument for spreading the message of His Mercy to all the world. These words of Jesus are found in the widely read and loved Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, which chronicles Sister Faustina's great experience of the work of Divine Mercy in her own soul, and her mission to share that mercy with the world. Jesus chose St. Faustina as the Apostle and "Secretary" of His Mercy, so that she could tell the world about His great message, which she faithfully recorded in a diary. St. Faustina, who may one day be regarded as one of the Church's great mystics, exemplified a childlike trust, simplicity, and profound intimacy with Christ. Nearly a million copies of this diary have been sold worldwide, bringing consolation to many souls and leading them to greater trust in Jesus. The earliest element of the devotion to the Divine Mercy revealed to St. Faustina was the painted image. She writes, "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 signature: Jesus I trust in You. I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and throughout the world.'" (Diary 47)
She also records the following words of Jesus in relation to the image he commissioned her to have painted and venerated:
"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 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)
"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 very depths of My tender mercy when My agonized heart was opened by a lance on the Cross. These rays shield souls from the wrath of My Father. Happy is the one who dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him." (Diary 299)
"Not in the beauty of the color, nor of the brush, lies the greatness of this image, but in My grace." (Diary 313)
"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)
Jesus also taught St. Faustina prayers to implore his Divine Mercy.
Using regular rosary beads, you begin the chaplet with an 'Our Father', 'Hail Mary', and 'I believe' (the Apostle's Creed). Then on the large (Our Father) beads 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 smaller (Hail Mary) beads pray:
'For the sake of His sorrowful Passion have mercy on us and on the whole world.'
In conclusion pray these words three times:
'Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world'.
Jesus said later to Sister Faustina:
"Say unceasingly this chaplet that I have taught you. Anyone who says it will receive great Mercy at the hour of death. Priests will recommend it to sinners as the last hope. Even the most hardened sinner, if he recites this Chaplet even once, will receive grace from My Infinite Mercy. I want the whole world to know My Infinite Mercy. I want to give unimaginable graces to those who trust in My Mercy" and later, "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".
Jesus also told St. Faustina that the hour He expired on the cross is the hour in which to especially implore the attribute of his Divine Mercy, because at that moment his saving mission was accomplished and his blood and water was poured out on the cross for the sins of the whole world. Because Jesus made the 3 o'clock hour sacred, whenever the clock strikes this hour, his mercy can be efficaciously implored.
"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." (Diary 1320).
"As often as you hear the clock strike the third hour immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it, invoke it's 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."
"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 chapel. immerse yourself in prayer there where you happen to be, if only for a very brief instant." (Diary 1572)
