Introduction. The Resurrected Jesus appeared to the Apostles in the Upper Room and bestowed upon them the power to forgive sins, which was the forerunner to Divine Mercy. Jesus appeared to a Polish nun, Sr. Maria Faustina Kowalska [who is now St. Faustina Kowalska], beginning in 1931, and asked her to teach the world about His Divine Mercy. Specifically, He wanted her to remind sinners, and that’s all of us, that He died on the Cross to forgive all mankind’s sins if they would keep His Commandments, and He would never give up on them.
In John 10:16, Jesus tells us that He wants His Divine Mercy to include every individual on earth, “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd.” You see that Jesus, in His divine nature as the second person of the Blessed Trinity, created all humanity, and wants all of us to be in the Kingdom with Him, which is why He desires to shepherd ALL people so that one day they can share His joy.
Divine Mercy is an entire way of life based upon love, mercy and forgiveness. God loves us – all of humanity, His creation. And He wants us to know that His mercy is greater than any sin we have ever committed or ever will. He wants us to completely trust Him, ask for and receive His mercy, and be an instrument to share His mercy and the message of Divine Mercy with others. He doesn’t want anyone to be lost because He lovingly and wonderfully created each of us, and He wants all to share His Kingdom.
The Diary. Almost 10 years after Sr. Faustina had entered a religious order, she began writing the diary that Jesus commanded her to write about His Divine Mercy. It is titled, “Divine Mercy In My Soul – The Diary of Sister M. Faustina Kowalska.” The contents of the Diary highlight praying for His mercy for ourselves and others, and repenting of our sins. Also, He wants us to extend His love and forgiveness for us to others. Lastly, He wants us to know that the more we trust Him, the more graces of mercy we will receive.
Words of Jesus to St. Faustina on mercy are listed with their corresponding Diary numbers:
· From all My wounds, like from streams, mercy flows for souls, but the wound in My Heart is the fountain of unfathomable mercy. From this fountain spring all graces for souls. The flames of compassion burn Me. I desire greatly to pour them out upon souls. Speak to the whole world about My mercy. [1190]
· Encourage souls to place great trust in My fathomless mercy. Let the weak, sinful soul have no fear to approach Me, for even if it had more sins than there are grains of sand in the world, all will be drowned in the unmeasurable depths of My mercy. [1059]
· If a soul does not exercise mercy somehow or other, it will not obtain My mercy on the day of judgment. Oh, if only souls knew how to gather eternal treasure for themselves, they would not be judged, for they would forestall My judgment with their mercy. [1317]
· The flames of mercy are burning Me. I desire to pour them out upon human souls. Oh, what pain they cause Me when they do not want to accept them! [1074]
· … My Heart is mercy itself. From this sea of mercy, graces flow out upon the whole world. No soul that has approached Me has ever gone away unconsoled. All misery gets buried in the depths of My mercy, and every saving and sanctifying grace flows from this fountain. [1777]
· I unite Myself with you, take away your misery and give you My mercy. I perform works of mercy in every soul. The greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to My mercy. My mercy is confirmed in every work of My hands. He who trusts in My mercy will not perish, for all his affairs are Mine, and his enemies will be shattered at the base of My footstool. [723]
The Diary tells us to pray The Chaplet of Divine Mercy for the dying, which is so powerful because Jesus said that He would stand between the wrath of His Father and the person dying to save their soul. A Dominican priest once told me that since God is timeless, He knew that we would pray this Chaplet for a family member or friend at some point in our life, long after they died; he said that we can go back generations to save souls. So we should all start praying the Chaplet for family and friends who are dying or have died. It takes less than ten minutes. How to pray the Chaplet is shown in the Prayers Section on this website.
Encouraging words from Jesus for people to pray the Chaplet:
· Oh, what great graces I will grant to souls who say this chaplet; the very depths of My tender mercy are stirred for the sake of those who say the chaplet. [848]
· Say unceasingly the chaplet that I have taught you. Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death. Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite the chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite mercy. I desire that the whole world know My infinite mercy. I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy. [687]
What is the lesson for us to learn here? Jesus’ incredible promise of His graces and mercy, if we pursue them, would trigger a strong desire in each of us to run after Him yelling “Yes, yes Lord, I want what You are offering, and I promise to share it with everyone I meet. Help me begin any changes You desire for me today!