Divine Mercy

St. Faustina Kowalska

Maria Faustina Kowalska (1905–1938) was a Polish religious sister of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy who reported a series of private revelations of Jesus Christ, recorded in her spiritual diary simply titled Divine Mercy in My Soul. She was canonized by Pope St. John Paul II — himself Polish, and deeply devoted to this message — in the year 2000. The Church's approval of a private revelation like Faustina's means the faithful may reasonably believe it and find it spiritually fruitful; it is never binding as an article of the faith the way a dogma is.

The Image of Divine Mercy

At Christ's request, Faustina had a painting made depicting Him with one hand raised in blessing and the other touching His garment near His heart, from which two rays stream out — pale for the water that flowed from His side at the Crucifixion (symbolizing Baptism), and red for the Blood (symbolizing the Eucharist). Beneath the image are the words Christ asked to be inscribed: "Jesus, I trust in You."

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy

Prayed on ordinary rosary beads, the Chaplet is a short, powerful prayer offering "the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Thy dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world," repeated in a simple rhythm, and concluding three times with "Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world." Many Catholics pray it daily, especially for the conversion of sinners and for the dying.

Divine Mercy Sunday

In 2000, Pope St. John Paul II established the Second Sunday of Easter (the Octave day of Easter) as Divine Mercy Sunday for the universal Church. Its Gospel — Christ appearing to the apostles, breathing the Holy Spirit on them, and instituting the Sacrament of Reconciliation, "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven" (John 20:19–23) — fits the theme naturally: mercy poured out through the sacraments, especially Confession and the Eucharist.

The Hour of Great Mercy

Faustina's diary records Christ asking that 3:00 p.m. — traditionally the hour of His death on the Cross — be observed as the "Hour of Great Mercy," a fitting time to pray the Chaplet or simply pause in remembrance of the price of that mercy.

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