On February 22, 1931, a young Polish nun,
Sr. Faustina Kowalska, saw a vision of
Jesus with rays of mercy streaming from the area of His Heart.
He told her to have an
image painted to represent this vision and to sign it,
"Jesus, I trust in You!"
Calling her the Apostle and Secretary of His mercy,
He ordered her to begin writing a diary
so others would learn to trust in Him.
In a series of revelations, He taught her that
His mercy is unlimited and available even to the greatest sinners,
and He revealed special ways for people to respond to His mercy.
By the time of Sr. Faustina's death in 1938,
devotion to The Divine Mercy had already
begun to spread throughout Eastern Europe.
In July of 1940, Fr. Joseph Jarzebowski,
a Polish Marian priest, fleeing from war-torn Poland,
prayed to the Merciful Savior to help him escape,
vowing to spend his life spreading the Divine Mercy message.
He arrived safely on American soil in May 1941;
and Marians in Detroit, MI, and Washington, D.C.,
were soon distributing Mercy of God leaflets,
prayer-cards, and other materials.
In 1944, a group of Marians opened a new house and apostolate
on Eden Hill in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
By 1953, the apostolate had become the international center
for the Divine Mercy devotion;
and in 1960 the Marians on Eden Hill completed construction
of a shrine to the Mercy of God.
The A B C's of Mercy
The message of mercy can be called to mind simply by remembering A-B-C.
Ask for His Mercy. God wants us to approach Him in prayer constantly.
Be Merciful. God wants us to receive His mercy and let it flow through us to others.
Completely trust in Jesus.
God wants us to know that the graces of His mercy are dependent upon our trust.
Many different versions of this image have been painted,
but Our Lord made it clear that the painting itself
is not what is important:
"Not in the beauty of the color, nor of the brush lies the greatness of this image, but in My grace" (Diary, 313).
So, no matter which version you prefer, you can be assured that
God's grace will flow through it.
To Pray
THE CHAPLET OF THE DIVINE MERCY
(May be recited on ordinary rosary beads)
Begin with:
Our Father ..., Hail Mary ..., The Apostles' Creed.
Then, on the OUR Father BEADS you will 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 HAIL MARY BEADS you will say the following words:
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion,
have mercy on us and on the whole world.
In conclusion, THREE TIMES you will recite these words:
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
(From the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina)
The words of Our Lord:
"Through the Chaplet you will obtain everything,
if what you ask for will
be compatible with My will"
"By this novena of chaplets, I will grant every possible grace to souls" (Diary, 796)
"Even if a sinner were most hardened, if only once he will recite this chaplet, he will obtain grace from My infinite Mercy
(Diary, 687)
God expects us to let His Mercy flow through us to others. His words to Saint Faustina are unmistakably clear:
"I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me.
You are to show mercy to your neighbors always
and everywhere."
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