“I have opened my Heart as a living fountain of mercy. Let all souls draw life from it. Let them approach this sea of mercy with great trust. Sinners will attain justification, and the just will be confirmed in good. Whoever places his trust in My mercy will be filled with My divine peace at the hour of death.” [1520]
Divine Mercy and its devotion originated from the writings of a young Polish nun, St. Faustina Kowalska, during the early 20th Century. Faustina wrote over 600 pages documenting the revelations and messages she received on God’s mercy from Our Lord. This devotion began to spread around the world just before she died and continues to this day. The core message of this devotion is that God’s mercy is bigger than any sin we commit, that God still loves us and that we would call upon his mercy and receive it, trusting in Him and allowing that mercy to flow through us onto others.
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There are two variations of prayer associated with the Divine Mercy devotion:
Divine Mercy Chaplet (prayed with Rosary beads)
1. Begin with the Sign of the Cross,
Opening Prayer:
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.
O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us,
I trust in You. (x3)
Jesus, I trust in You (x3)
Our Father (x1), Hail Mary (x1) and The Apostles Creed (x1).
2. Then on the Our Father Beads say the following:
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.
3. On the 10 Hail Mary Beads say the following:
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
(Repeat steps 2 and 3 for all five decades)
4. Conclude with:
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world. (x3)
Optional 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.
Amen.
[Video Credit: Fr. Rob Galea]3 ‘O Clock Prayer
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.
O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us,
I trust in You. (x3)
Jesus, I trust in You (x3)
Amen.
To read more on the writings of St. Faustina from her diary, click here.