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“Today,” He told her, “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, pressing it to My merciful Heart”
(Diary, 1588)"
The Divine Mercy Devotion was revealed by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska through a series of visions during the 1930s. At that time she was a young nun in a convent of the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Poland. Our Lord Jesus assigned her the great mission to proclaim the message of mercy directed to the whole world. Jesus asked her to record these extraordinary revelations which she did during the last four years of her life. These notes are now published as 'The Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska' and is a journal of her soul’s encounters with God. The Diary brought about a strong focus on the mercy of God and she is today known as the 'Apostle of The Divine Mercy'. The Diary has become the principal source of her mission to remind us of God’s infinite mercy and love for men and in conveying to us new forms of devotion to The Divine Mercy. Saint Faustina was beatified on 18 April 1993 and canonized on 30 April 2000. Her feast day is 5 October.
The Divine Mercy devotion:
There are five elements to the devotion of The Divine Mercy, namely 'The Feast of The Divine Mercy', the 'Image of the Merciful Jesus', 'The Chaplet of The Divine Mercy', 'The Hour of Mercy' and 'Spreading the honor of The Divine Mercy'.
The Feast of The Divine Mercy:
The Feast of The Divine Mercy was requested by Jesus in Plock in 1931 when he was communicating His will regarding the painting of the Image of Divine Mercy. Jesus said to Saint Faustina “I desire that there be a Feast of Mercy. 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” (Diary, 49). The choice of the first Sunday after Easter for the Feast of Mercy points out the close relationship between the Paschal Mystery of the Redemption and the mystery of the Divine Mercy. This relationship is also emphasized by the Novena of Chaplets to the Divine Mercy which begins on Good Friday as a preparation for the Feast. Lord Jesus said “I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners” (Diary, 699). “Souls perish in spite of My bitter Passion. I am giving them the last hope of salvation, that is, recourse to My Mercy. If they will not adore My mercy, they will perish for all eternity.” (Diary, 965,998).
The greatness of this Feast is measured by the measures of extraordinary promises that the Lord attached to this Feast. Jesus said “whoever approaches the Fount of Life on this day will be granted complete remission of sins and punishment.” (Diary, 300) and also, “On this day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet.” (Diary, 699). To benefit from these promises we must be in a state of sanctifying grace by having gone to Confession, and worthily receive the Holy Communion. Jesus explained, “No soul will be justified until it turns with confidence to My mercy; and this is why the first Sunday after Easter is to be the Feast of Mercy, and on that day, priests are to tell everyone about My great and unfathomable mercy” (Diary, 570)
The Image of the Merciful Jesus:
The image was revealed to Saint Fautina through a vision on February 22, 1931. In her notes she writes “In the evening, when I was in my cell, I saw the Lord Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand was raised in the gesture of blessing, the other was touching the garment at the breast. From beneath the garment, slightly drawn aside from at the breast, there were emanating two large rays, one red, the other pale. After a while, Jesus said to me, “Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: ‘Jesus, I Trust in You’ (Diary,47). I want this image to be solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter; that Sunday is to be the Feast of Mercy.” (Diary, 49). The two rays are a distinctive feature of this image of Christ. The Lord Jesus, when asked about their meaning, explained; “The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous. The red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls. Happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter.” (Diary, 299). The Sacraments of Baptism and Penance purify the soul, and the Eucharist constantly nourishes it. Thus the two rays signify the Holy Sacraments and all the graces of the Holy Spirit, whose biblical symbol is water, as well as the New Covenant of God with men in the Blood of Christ. The image of the Merciful Jesus is often called the ‘Image of The Divine Mercy’. As Jesus said, “This image is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is of no avail without works.” (Diary, 742). This is a call for us to turn to God's love and mercy so that we may inherit out eternal salvation.
The Chaplet of The Divine Mercy:
This Chaplet was given to Saint Faustina by Lord Jesus on September 13-14, 1935, as a prayer of atonement and for the appeasement of God’s wrath. Those who recite this Chaplet offer to God the Father, “the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity,” of Jesus Christ in atonement for their sins, the sins of their loved ones, and those of the entire world. By uniting themselves with the sacrifice of Jesus, they appeal to the great love that our Heavenly Father has for His Son and in Him for all humanity. The Lord said, “When this chaplet is said by the bedside of a dying person, God’s anger is placated, unfathomable mercy envelops the soul.” (Diary, 811). The general promise that Jesus gave is “It pleases Me to grant everything they ask of Me by saying the chaplet” (Diary, 1731). On a different occasion Jesus said, “by saying the Chaplet you are bringing humankind closer to Me” (Diary, 929) and “The souls that say this chaplet will be embraced by My mercy during their lifetime and especially at the hour of their death.” (Diary, 754)
The Hour of Mercy:
In October 1937, Lord Jesus revealed that the hour of His death should be honoured by saying, “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 mercy was opened wide for every soul.” (Diary, 1572). He also gave the form of devotion for this Hour by saying “try your best to make the Stations of the Cross in his 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 into the Chapel, immerse yourself in prayer there where you happen to be, if only for a very brief moment.” (Diary, 1572). The Lord Jesus promised that “In this hour you can obtain everything for yourself and for others for the asking; it was the hour of grace for the whole world-mercy triumphed over justice.” (Diary,1572)
Spreading the honor of The Divine Mercy:
Jesus wants those who worship Him to perform at least one act of love of neighbour in the course of the day. He said “You are to show mercy to your neighbours always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it” (Diary, 742). The Christian attitude of faith and trust in God and showing mercy and kindness is a way of reflecting God’s mercy to others. Jesus also promised that “Souls who spread the honor of My mercy I shield through their entire life as a tender mother her infant, and at the hour of death I will not be a Judge for them, but the Merciful Savior” (Diary, 1075)
Devotions:
After the death of Saint Faustina, Archbishop Jałbrzykowski allowed public access to the Divine Mercy image. Soon the devotion spread throughout Poland and by 1941 it reached United States and millions of copies of Divine Mercy prayer cards were printed and distributed worldwide. On 24 June 1956, Pope Pius XII blessed an Image of the Divine Mercy in Rome, the only one blessed by a Pope before the Second Vatican Council. Under both Pope Pius XI and Pope Pius XII, writings on devotion to the Divine Mercy were given imprimaturs by many bishops, making it an approved devotion. During the papacy of Pope Pius XII, Vatican Radio broadcast several times about the Divine Mercy. However, on 6 March 1959, the Holy Office issued a notification, signed by Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty as notary, that forbade circulation of "images and writings that promote devotion to Divine Mercy in the forms proposed by Sister Faustina". The ban remained in place for almost two decades. On 15 April 1978, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a new notification, signed by the Prefect and the Secretary of the Congregation, that rescinded the previous one, reversing the ban on circulation of Faustina's work. The devotion was actively promoted by Pope John Paul II. On April 30, 2000, the Canonization of Faustina Kowalska took place and the Sunday after Easter was officially designated as the Sunday of the Divine Mercy (Dominica II Paschae seu de divina misericordia) in the General Roman Calendar.