Dummies' Guide to The DIVINE MERCY Devotion

By Joy See

In a world ravaged by war, sin and disasters, the call for mercy remains even more urgent today and the message of the Divine Mercy devotion has given comfort and hope to many. The origin of this devotion started in Poland, where the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to St Faustina Kowalska saying, “Do whatever is within your power to spread the devotion to My Mercy…Tell aching mankind to snuggle close to My Merciful Heart, and I will fill it with peace. Souls that make an appeal to my Mercy delight Me… (1146) 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.” (Diary, 1047). Our Lord then taught her how to recite the chaplet on rosary beads in the following manner.

First of all, start with the one OUR FATHER, one HAIL MARY, and the I BELIEVE IN GOD.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the large Bead before each decade, say:

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 10 small beads of each decade:
For the sake of His sorrowful passion,
have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Concluding Doxology (after 5 decades):

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world. (3 times)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

St. Faustina also received a revelation from the Lord, asking for special prayers and meditations on His Passion each afternoon at the three o’clock hour, the hour that recalls His death on the cross.
“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, and particularly for poor sinners; for at that moment My Mercy was opened wide for every soul. In this hour you can obtain everything for yourself and for others; it was the hour of grace for the whole world—mercy triumphed over justice…”
However it is not enough to simply pray for mercy, Our Lord also demands that deeds of mercy abound in us for we will be judged according to the our merciful actions. In our daily lives, we can choose how to respond to the people or events around us.
Instead of despairing over the conditions of the world or criticising others, we can immerse them in the ocean of God’s mercy and completely trust God to provide the graces they need. The more we trust in Him, the more we will receive based on His promise: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” (Mt 25:35-46)

Source: The Divine Mercy Message and Devotion (Revised Edition 2005) by Fr. Seraphim Michalenko and Vinny Flynn.