Many of you will have heard of the Image of the Divine Mercy. It has become one of the most famous devotions in the world, along with the Diary of St Faustina.
In 1931, Jesus appeared to an uneducated Polish nun named Sister Faustina, a nun of the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. In the vision, she saw him clothed in a white garment with his right hand raised in blessing. His left hand was over his heart and two rays of light shone out, one red, the other a pale colour. 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. 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. I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and [then] throughout the world.
He instructed her to have the words “Jesus, I trust in you,” or in the original Polish, “Jezu, ufam tobie,” added below the image.
St Faustina had the image painted by a skilled painter, who followed her detailed instructions as best he could, but upon seeing the finished work, she wept and said to Jesus, “Who will paint you as beautiful as you are?”
Jesus did not just appear to St Faustina on this one occasion; he appeared to her on numerous occasions through her life in the convent, giving her many revelations and graces, and leaving her some incredibly important instructions to pass on to the world.
The most important of these instructions is the devotion to the Divine Mercy of Jesus. He gave St Faustina very specific guidance on how he wants us to grow in this devotion:
- Veneration of the Image of Divine Mercy
- The Divine Mercy Chaplet, particularly to be recited as a novena (“By this Novena (of Chaplets), I will grant every possible grace to souls.”) Find out more here.
- Global celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday on the second Sunday of Easter
My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and a shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day are opened all the divine floodgates through which graces flow. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My mercy.
Diary entry 699
What is the Divine Mercy Chaplet?
The Divine Mercy Chaplet is prayed on normal Rosary beads; it is preceded by an opening prayer from the Diary of St Faustina, and finishes with a closing prayer. The prayers can be found in the Prayer Bank at the bottom of this article.
- Sign of the Cross
- Holding the Cross
Opening Prayer - First bead
Our Father - Group of 3 beads
Hail Mary (repeat on each bead) - Next single bead
Apostles’ Creed - Junction (before beginning the decade, or set of 10 beads)
The Eternal Father - 10 small beads of each decade
‘For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.’ - Repeat for each decade
- Arriving again at the junction (after praying all 5 decades)
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world. (x3) - Closing Prayer
PRAYER BANK
| Sign of the Cross | (Whilst tracing the symbol of the Cross over yourself) In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. |
| Chaplet Opening Prayer | St. Faustina’s Prayer for Sinners O Jesus, eternal Truth, our Life, I call upon You and I beg Your mercy for poor sinners. O sweetest Heart of my Lord, full of pity and unfathomable mercy, I plead with You for poor sinners. O Most Sacred Heart, Fount of Mercy from which gush forth rays of inconceivable graces upon the entire human race, I beg of You light for poor sinners. O Jesus, be mindful of Your own bitter Passion and do not permit the loss of souls redeemed at so dear a price of Your most precious Blood. O Jesus, when I consider the great price of Your Blood, I rejoice at its immensity, for one drop alone would have been enough for the salvation of all sinners. Although sin is an abyss of wickedness and ingratitude, the price paid for us can never be equalled. Therefore, let every soul trust in the Passion of the Lord, and place its hope in His mercy. God will not deny His mercy to anyone. Heaven and earth may change, but God’s mercy will never be exhausted. Oh, what immense joy burns in my heart when I contemplate Your incomprehensible goodness, O Jesus! I desire to bring all sinners to Your feet that they may glorify Your mercy throughout endless ages (Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 72). 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. (Repeat 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! |
| 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. |
| Hail Mary | Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst 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. |
| 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. |
| Eternal Father | 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. |
| Chaplet Closing Prayer | 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. O Greatly Merciful God, Infinite Goodness, today all mankind calls out from the abyss of its misery to Your mercy — to Your compassion, O God; and it is with its mighty voice of misery that it cries out. Gracious God, do not reject the prayer of this earth’s exiles! O Lord, Goodness beyond our understanding, Who are acquainted with our misery through and through, and know that by our own power we cannot ascend to You, we implore You: anticipate us with Your grace and keep on increasing Your mercy in us, that we may faithfully do Your holy will all through our life and at death’s hour. Let the omnipotence of Your mercy shield us from the darts of our salvation’s enemies, that we may with confidence, as Your children, await Your [Son’s] final coming — that day known to You alone. And we expect to obtain everything promised us by Jesus in spite of all our wretchedness. For Jesus is our Hope: through His merciful Heart, as through an open gate, we pass through to heaven (Diary, 1570). |