THE MESSAGE OF DIVINE MERCY
The Lord Jesus gave Saint Faustina, a Polish nun from the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy having an immense trust in God, an enormous mission – the Message of Mercy addressed to the whole world. Her mission was to deliver new prayers and forms of devotions to the Divine Mercy, which are to remind us about the forgotten truth of faith: the merciful love of God for every person. In His message, the merciful God manifests Himself in Jesus Christ, the Savior, as a Father of love and mercy, especially for the unfortunate, the errant, and sinners.
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Saint Sister Maria Faustina Kowalska
(1905-1938) | |
"You are the secretary of My mercy. I have chosen you
for that office in this life and the next life" (Diary, 1605).
"Your task is to write down everything that I make known to you about My mercy, for the benefit of those who by reading these things will be comforted in their souls and will have the courage
to approach Me" (Diary, 1693). |
“Today I am sending you with My mercy to the people of the whole world. I do not want to punish aching mankind, but I desire to heal it, hugging it to My Merciful Heart (...) before the Day of Justice I am sending the Day of Mercy”
(Diary, 1588).
The Savior wishes for the whole world to learn about Divine Mercy, for each person to turn to it with trust, to discover the beauty and richness of Christian mercy. New forms of devotion to the Divine Mercy and the promises related to them are to achieve this purpose.
“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 strengthened in goodness” (Diary, 1520).“Conversion, as well as perseverance, is a grace of My mercy” (Diary, 1577).“The graces of My mercy are drawn by means of one vessel only, and that is - trust. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive” (Diary, 1578).
(see Trust - Fr. Sopocko)
NEW FORMS OF DEVOTION TO THE DIVINE MERCY
The essence of the devotion to the Divine Mercy is the attitude of trust toward God, a desire to fulfill his will, and practicing works of mercy toward our neighbours, untrusting them to God’s boundless love and mercy. This is also a condition for the fulfillment of the promises which the Lord Jesus associated with new forms of venerating the Divine Mercy.
On February 22, 1931, Jesus revealed himself to Sister Faustina in a cell in the convent in Plock (Poland) and ordered her to paint an image, showing her the pattern of the image in a vision.
“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 then throughout the world. 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 want this image, which you will paint with a brush, to be solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter; That Sunday is to be the Feast of Mercy. I desire that priests proclaim this great mercy of Mine towards souls of sinners” (Diary, 47-49)."I am offering people a vessel with which they are to keep on coming for graces to the fountain of mercy. That vessel is this image with the inscription: Jesus, I trust in You" (Diary, 327)."By means of this Image I shall be granting many graces, so let every soul have access to it" (Diary, 570).
The Lord Jesus dictated the Chaplet of Divine Mercy to Sister Faustina in Vilnius on September 13-14, 1935 as words of a prayer for God's grace of mercy toward sinners.
THE FEAST OF DIVINE MERCY"I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners (...). 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 all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet" (Diary, 699)."Even if a soul were like a decaying corpse so that from a human standpoint, there would be no hope of restoration and everything would already be lost - it is not so with God. The miracle of Divine Mercy restores that soul in full" (Diary, 1448).
"Through the chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with My will" (Diary, 1731)."Say unceasingly the chaplet that I have taught you. Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death. Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive the grace of My infinite mercy" (Diary, 687)."At the hour of their death, I defend as My own glory every soul that will say this chaplet; or when others say it for a dying person, the indulgence is the same. When this chaplet is said by the bedside of a dying person, God's anger is placated and his unfathomable mercy envelops the soul" (Diary, 811).“Write that 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” (Diary, 1541).The Chaplet is to be recited on Rosary beads. Begin with:
"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, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among 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.
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 arose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from thence He shall 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.On the large beads (once): 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 small beads (10 times): For the sake of His sorrowful Passion
have mercy on us and on the whole world.
In conclusion (3 times): Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One,
have mercy on us and on the whole world" (Diary, 476).
(see more – The Chaplet of Divine Mercy)
In October 1937, in Cracow (Poland), the Lord Jesus instructed Sister Faustina to venerate the hour of His death and to connect with Him in prayer referring to the value and merits of His Passion.
“At tree 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 for the whole world. I will allow you to enter into My mortal sorrow. 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 its omnipotence for the whole world (...). In this hour you can obtain everything for yourself and for others simply by 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 Blessed Sacrament, My Heart, which is full of mercy; and should you be unable to step in to the chapel, immerse yourself in prayer wherever you happen to be, if only for a very brief instant. I claim veneration for My mercy from every creature" (Diary, 1572)."On the cross, the fountain of My mercy was opened wide by the lance for all souls - no one have I excluded!" (Diary, 1182).
SPREADING THE DIVINE MERCY DEVOTION – WORKS OF MERCY
"...do whatever is within your power to spread devotion to My mercy. I will make up for what you lack. Tell aching mankind to embrace My merciful Heart, and I will fill it with peace (...) When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls. Souls who spread the honor of My mercy I shield throughout their entire lives as a tender mother shields her infant..." (Diary, 1074-75)."To priests who proclaim and extol My mercy, I will give wondrous power; I will anoint their words and touch the hearts of those to whom they speak" (Diary, 1521).
"You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve from it. I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor: the first - by deed, the second - by word, the third - by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy" (Diary, 742).
Sister Faustina tried to discern God's plan to originate a new religious Congregation. For this intention, she offered to God numerous prayers and sufferings. In June of 1935 in Vilnius, she wrote:
"God demands that there be a Congregation which will proclaim the mercy of God to the world and, by its prayers, obtain it for the world" (Diary, 436)."Unceasingly, they will intercede for Divine Mercy for themselves and for the whole world. And every act of mercy will flow from God’s love, that love with which they will be filled to overflowing. They will strive to make their own this great attribute of God, and to live by it and to bring others to know it and to trust in the goodness of the Lord" (Diary, 664).“I saw the convent of the new Congregation. It was a large and spacious building. I went from room to room, observing everything. I saw that God’s Providence had provided for all that was necessary (...). During Mass, I received a clear and profound understanding concerning this whole work, and not a shadow of a doubt remained in my soul. The Lord gave me knowledge of His will under three aspects, so to speak, but it all comes down to one.
The first is that souls separated from the world will burn as an offering before God’s throne and beg for mercy for the whole world... and through their efforts they will obtain blessings for priests, and through their prayers prepare the world for the final coming of Jesus.
The second is prayer together with the act of mercy. In particular, they will defend the souls of children against the spirit of evil. Prayer and merciful deeds are all that will be required of these souls (...). And in this egoistic world they will try to rouse up love - the mercy of Jesus.
The third is prayer and deeds of mercy, without any obligation of taking vows. By doing this, these people will have a share in all the merits and privileges of the whole [congregation]. Everyone in the world can belong to this group. A member of this group ought to perform at least one act of mercy a day; at least one, but there can be many more, for such deeds can easily be carried out by anyone, even the very poorest.
For there are three ways of performing an act of mercy:
first, the merciful word, by forgiving and by comforting; second, if you can offer no word, then pray - that too is mercy; and third, through deeds of mercy. And when the Last Day comes, we shall be judged from this, and on this basis we shall receive the eternal verdict” (Diary, 1154-1158).
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The texts may be copied only on the condition that the full name of the source is acknowledged
and an active link to www.faustina-message.com is provided.
