The message of the Divine Mercy in it's current form was given to St. Maria Faustina Kowalska in Poland at the begining of the 20th century. Our Lord appeared to St. Faustina many times during her short life to show her his mercy and compassion and ask her to spread devotion to his mercy at a time in the Church when God's wrath and justice was proclaimed from the pulpits. He asked her to spread this devotion in six distinct ways.
The first is the image of the Divine Mercy or the image of the Merciful savior that is posted above this blog post. Jesus appeared to St. Faustina and told her, "Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: Jesus, I trust in You. 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 Myself will defend it as My own glory." (Diary, 47, 48)
He also gave St. Faustina an explination of the image of the Merciful Saviour, "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. These two rays issued forth from the depths of My tender mercy when My agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross. Happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him (299). By means of this image I shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is of no avail without works." (742).
The next form of devotion is the Feast of the Divine Mercy, which we celebrate on this second Sunday of Easter. Jesus told St. Faustina to tell her confessors to establish a feast of His mercy in the Church. After many prayers and sacrifices, this was accomplished in the Jubliee year of 2000, when Pope John Paul II declared the second Sunday of Easter "Divine Mercy Sunday" at the cannonization mass of St. Faustina.
The next form of devotion is the Hour of Great Mercy. Our Lord revealed to St. Faustina, "At three 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. 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, and particularly for poor sinners; for at that moment mercy was opened wide for every soul. 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." (1572)
My daughter, 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 Most 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 instant." (1572)
Jesus also instructed St. Faustina how to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. You can find out how to pray the Chaplet here.
Lastly, Our Lord commanded St. Faustina to pray a novena of these Chaplets for various intentions starting on Good Friday and going until the Feast of Mercy. The Chaplet and the novena however may be said at any time during the year or day. It is encouraged however to pray the Chaplet at 3 o'clock as mentioned above.
To find out more about Devotion to the Divine Mercy, reading materials, and to find out how you can help spread the Devotion, please visit www.thedivinemercy.com
From A Teen Striving For Holiness Blog by Jude Graham
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