God’s love is unlimited and available to every single person, even the biggest of sinners.
This is the essence and the heart of the Divine Mercy message delivered to St. Maria Faustina through a series of revelations from our Lord Jesus.
In the early 1930’s, St. Maria Faustina, a Polish nun, recorded over 600 pages in her diary of the visions Jesus had given to her about His Great Mercy. He wanted all to hear this message and for all to come to Him asking for mercy.
He told her that He would never reject a contrite heart, and the more that we trust in His mercy, the more we will receive.
St. Maria Faustina
We know that God is love. Mercy is His compassionate love poured out upon us.
“I am Love and Mercy itself (Diary, 1074). My Heart overflows with great mercy for souls, and especially for poor sinners… it is for them that the Blood and Water flowed from my Heart as from a fount overflowing with mercy (367). Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet (699). My mercy is greater than your sins, and those of the entire world. I let my Sacred Heart by pierced with a lance, thus opening wide the source of mercy for you. Come then with trust to draw graces from this fountain” (1485).
The mercy that Jesus offers us, as he told St. Faustina, is immeasurable and unfathomable. “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 (1520). On the cross, the fountain of My mercy was opened wide by the lance for all souls – no one have I excluded!” (1182).
Jesus desires each and every one of us.
He told St. Faustina, “Tell aching mankind to snuggle close to My merciful Heart, and I will fit it with peace” (1074).
How beautiful that is! Imagine yourself being wrapped in the arms of Jesus, being held close to His Sacred Heart and just basking in His love and tender mercy.
That is where we find peace.
The internal peace of forgiveness is found in Jesus. We just need to turn to Him. This is the message of Divine Mercy.
Not only did Jesus give St. Faustina a message of mercy, but also a devotion. If we are devoted, it becomes who we are and a part of our life.
This devotion consists of a sacred image, a chaplet, novena, and prayer at the great hour of mercy – 3 o’clock (when Jesus died for us on the cross), and a Feast of Mercy.
The sacred image of Divine Mercy had become popular over the years.
This image is what Jesus had asked St. Faustina to have painted. It shows Jesus with one hand raised in giving a blessing and with the other hand touching His heart. There are two rays coming forth from His heart – a red ray and a pale ray, symbolizing blood and water, which also poured out from His heart on the cross when it was pierced with the lance.
In her diary, St. Faustina records Jesus’ description of the rays: “The two rays denote Blood and Water. 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” (299).
Underneath the image is the phrase, “Jesus I trust in You”. It is in trusting in the mercy of Jesus that we receive it.
Like St. Faustina, we can gaze upon this image of our Lord and be filled with awe and joy.
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy, as it has become known as, is a prayer that was revealed to St. Faustina.
“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; for the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world” (476).
Jesus told her, “Encourage souls to say the chaplet which I have given you (1541). Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death” (687).
[Related Content: How to Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy]
The novena is reciting this chaplet during the nine days before the Feast of Mercy. Each day, Jesus asks us to bring to Him certain people and souls in prayer.
Jesus desired that we celebrate a Feast of Mercy the first Sunday after Easter. This Second Sunday of Easter is also known as Divine Mercy Sunday, which was helped to be put in place by St. John Paul II.
As we continue to celebrate the Easter season, it is fitting to include Divine Mercy, the Resurrected Christ bringing mercy to humanity, as He did to the Apostles in the upper room saying “Peace be with you”.
Jesus told St. Faustina, “My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and a shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that 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” (699).
The last part of the devotion is the prayer at the hour of great mercy.
Each day at 3:00 pm, Jesus asked us to pray and to recall His Passion and 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 mercy was opened wide for every soul” (1572).
Jesus wants us to focus on His Passion and mercy to the degree that we are able, given our duties.
There are several prayers we can pray. Even if we are only able for a brief moment, let us pause for a moment of prayer.
If we are devoted to Divine Mercy, our lives will reflect it in our actions.
In Luke 6:36, Jesus calls us to be merciful like God, our Father.
There are many scriptures telling us the need for us to be merciful.
For instance, in Matthew 25, we see that deeds of mercy are expected of us – “Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me’”.
Jesus told St. Faustina, “I demand from you deeds of mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse yourself from it” (742).
How do we show mercy always and everywhere? We show it by our “actions, words, and prayers” (742).
The Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy are good places to start. Showing mercy to others is a love that seeks to meet the needs of others and relieve them of their miseries.
Mercy heals. It heals through our words to others, our actions, and our prayers.
When we come to Jesus praying and immersing ourselves in His mercy, especially in the hour of great mercy – “In this hour, I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion” (1320).
We can especially show mercy to others by praying for them in light of what Jesus told us about coming to Him.
This message of divine Mercy is surely a great and powerful devotion to internalize.
We have peace when we trust in Jesus and His mercy. Let us truly immerse ourselves in God’s tender heart where mercy flows out into an ocean of love.
Let Jesus transform our heart!