How Can I Participate in Divine Mercy?

There are many ways to participate in Divine Mercy Sunday, both here at Saint John of Little Canada, in the area, and in your own prayer life and home. The easiest way is to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and if you choose, pray it for nine consecutive days beginning on Good Friday, following these intentions and devotions. Other options include reading the diary of Saint Faustina, displaying the image she had commissioned based on her conversations with Christ in prayer, and devoting your household to the Divine Mercy.

Participate with us at 3 p.m., the Hour of Mercy, the Second Sunday of Easter, in the church. More details can be found here.
 

The Prayers

Many people use the Rosary beads as a guide while praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Here are the simple instructions:

Sign of the Cross.
1 Our Father.
1 Hail Mary.
The Apostles Creed.

On the Our Father beads, pray: Eternal Father, I offer you the body and the 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 each of the 10 Hail Mary beads, pray: For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world. Repeat these last two steps 5x (i.e. follow the decades of the Rosary)

Conclude with: Holy God. Holy Mighty One. Holy Immortal One. Have mercy on us, and on the whole world. Repeat this Conclusion Prayer 3x.
 

The History

From the diary of a young Polish nun, a special devotion began spreading throughout the world in the 1930s. The message is nothing new, but is a reminder of what the Church has always taught: that God is merciful and forgiving, and that we, too, must show mercy and forgiveness. But in the Divine Mercy devotion, the message calls people to a deeper understanding that God’s love is unlimited and available to everyone — especially the greatest sinners.

The message and devotion to Jesus as The Divine Mercy is based on the writings of St. Faustina Kowalska, an uneducated Polish nun who, in  obedience to her spiritual director, wrote a diary of about 600 pages recording the revelations she received about God’s mercy.
 

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 are completely in accordance with the teachings of the Church and are firmly rooted in the Gospel message of our Merciful Savior.
 

Divine Mercy Sunday

During the course of Jesus's revelations to Saint Faustina on the Divine Mercy, He asked that a feast day be dedicated to the Divine Mercy and that this feast be celebrated on the Sunday after Easter. This Feast, which had already been granted to the nation of Poland and been celebrated within Vatican City, was granted to the Universal Church by Pope John Paul II on the occasion of the canonization of Sister Faustina on April 30, 2000.
 

Sister Faustina's Story

On October 5, 1938, a young religious by the name Sister Faustina (Helen Kowalska) died in a convent, the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Cracow, Poland. She came from a very poor family that had struggled hard on their little farm during the terrible years of World War I. Sister Faustina had only three years of simple education. Hers were the humblest of tasks in the convent, usually in the kitchen or the vegetable garden, or as a porter.

On February 22, 1931, Jesus Christ appeared to this Faustina, bringing with Him a message of Mercy for all mankind. Saint Faustina tells us in her diary under this date:

"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 inscription: Jesus, I trust in You.'"

Some time later, Our Lord again spoke to her:

"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 most tender Mercy at 
that time when My agonizing Heart was opened by a lance on the 
Cross."

Diary, Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, Divine Mercy in My Soul (c) 1987 Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate Conception, Stockbridge, MA 01263. All rights reserved. Used with permission.