a. Mercy is a virtue influencing one’s will to have compassion for and if possible, to alleviate another’s misfortune (Catholic Encyclopedia).
b. Kind or forgiving treatment of someone who could be treated harshly; Kindness or help given to people who are in need (Merriam-webster.com).
c. Charity is the “Act of Love”.
d. “Mercy” is the spirit of empathy to share in the circumstances of people, irrespective of the stereotype.
e. Mercy discerns the need to act, motivated by love and forgiveness; charity performs the action.
f. Scripture describes God as all ‘bowels of Mercy’ (Luke 1:78kk).
g. Mercy is the modus operandi of God the father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost. Since humanity was created in the image and likeness of God, pope Francis has called Christians, in Fact, the entire humanity, to “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36)

Mercy is GENEROUSITY with divine disposition. Generosity is an Act of Thanksgiving to God. Every thought, every word including prayers and every deed inspired by goodwill shares in the merciful benevolence of God and radiates God’s mercy to others. Every encounter is an opportunity to see and serve God in everyone, in every created environment, everywhere, every time, with love and forgiveness. Works of Mercy can be categorized as follows;

DESCRIPTION OF THE DIVINE MERCY LOGO


On February 22nd, 1931, Jesus appeared to Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, with rays radiating from his heart. The two rays denote blood and water. The pale ray stands for Water which makes souls righteous. The red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls. Christ speaks: “These two rays (Pale and Red) issued forth from the very depth of my tender mercy, when My agonized heart was opened by a lance on the cross. This rays shield souls from the wrath of my Father. Happy is the one who dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him. (Diary 313) 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. (Diary 742)

DIVINE MERCY

The message of the Divine Mercy is simple. It is that God loves us –all of us. And, he wants us to recognize that His mercy is greater than our sins, so that we will call upon him with trust receive His mercy, and let it flow through us to others. Thus, all will come to share His joy. The Divine mercy message is one we can call to mind simply by remembering ABC: A – Ask for His mercy. God wants us to approach Him in prayer constantly, repenting of our sins and asking Him to pour His mercy out upon us and upon the whole world. B¬ – Be merciful. God wants us to receive His mercy and let it flow through us to others. He wants us to extend love and forgiveness to others just as He does to us. C – Completely trust in Jesus. God wants us to know that the graces of His mercy are dependent upon our trust. The more we trust in Jesus, the more we will receive. This message and devotion to Jesus as The Divine Mercy is based on the writings of Saint Faustina Kowalska, an uneducated Polish nun who, in obedience to her spiritual director, wrote a diary of about 600 pages recording the revelations she received about God’s mercy. Even before her death in 1938, the devotion to the Divine Mercy had begun to spread. The message and devotional practices proposed in the Diary of Saint Faustina and set forth in this website and other publications of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception are completely in accordance with the teachings of the church and are firmly rooted in the Gospel message of our Merciful Saviour. Properly understood and implemented, they will help us grow as genuine followers of Christ. Spend time to learn more about the mercy of God, learn to trust in Jesus, and live as merciful to others, as Christ is merciful to you.

How to Recite the Chaplet

The Chaplet of Mercy is recited using ordinary rosary beads of five decades. The Chaplet is preceded by two opening prayers from the Diary of Saint Faustina and followed by a closing prayer.
1. Make the sign if the Cross
In the name of the father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
2. Optional Opening Prayers
You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O fount of life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us. (Repeat three times) O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of Mercy for us, I trust in You!
3. Our Father
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come: Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, Amen .
4. Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace. The lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.
5. The Apostle’s Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; He descended into hell; on the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right of God the father almighty; from there He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
6. The Eternal Father
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.
7. On the Ten Small Beads of Each Decade
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
8. Repeat for the remaining decades
Saying the “Eternal Father” (6) on the “Our father” bead and then 10 “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion” (7) on the following “Hail Mary” beads.
9. Conclude with Holy God (Repeat three times )
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
10. Optional Closing Prayer
Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion – inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your Mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.

WHY SAY THE CHAPLET OF MERCY?

Christ said, "Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death..

When they say this chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will between My Father and the dying person, not as the just Judge but as the Merciful Savior

Priest will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation

Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from my infinite mercy.

I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy....

Through the Chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatable with my will"

PRAYER FOR DIVINE MERCY

Oh Greatly Merciful God, Infinite Goodness, Today all mankind calls out from the abyss of its misery to Thine Mercy ---- To Thy compassion, Oh God; and it is with its mighty voice of misery that it cries out. Gracious God, do no reject the prayers of this earth’s exiles! O lord, Goodness beyond our understanding, Who are acquainted with our misery through and through, and know that by our own power we cannot ascend to thee. We Implore Thee, anticipate us with Thine grace and keep on increasing Thy mercy in us, that we may faithfully do thy Holy Will all through our life and at death’s hour. Let the Omnipotence of Thy Mercy shield us from the darts of our salvation’s enemies, that we may with confidence, as Thy children, await Thine final coming ---- that day known to thee alone. And we expect to obtain everything promised us by Jesus In the spite of all our wretchedness, for Jesus is our Hope: Through Thine merciful Heart as through an open gate we pass through to heaven. Amen…

THREE O’CLOCK PRAYER TO THE DIVINE MERCY

You expired, O Jesus, But the source of life gushed forth for souls And an ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O fount of life, Unfathomable Divine Mercy, Envelop the whole world And empty yourself out upon us. O Blood and Water, Which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus I trust in You.

The Divine Mercy Devotion

Devotion to the Divine Mercy involves a total commitment to God as Mercy. It is a decision to trust completely in Him, to accept His mercy with thanksgiving, and to be merciful as he is merciful. The devotional practices proposed in the diary of Saint Faustina and set forth in this website are completely in accordance with the teachings of the church and are firmly rooted in the Gospel message of our Merciful Saviour. Properly understood, they will help us grow as genuine followers of Christ.

Merciful Heart

There are two scriptural verses that we should keep in mind as we involve ourselves in these devotional practices 1. “ This people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Is 29:13) 2. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Mt 5:7) It’s an ironic and somewhat frightening fact that many of the most religious people of Christ’s time (people who were actively practicing their religion and eagerly awaiting the promised Messiah) were not able to recognize Him when He came. The Pharisees, to whom Christ was speaking in the first quotation above, were very devoted to the prayers, rules, and rituals of their religion; but over the years, these outer observances had become so important in themselves that their real meaning had been lost. The Pharisees performed all the prescribed sacrifices, said all the right prayers, fasted regularly, and talked a lot about God , but none of it had touched their hearts. As a result, they had no relationship with God, they were not living the way He wanted them to live, and they were not prepared for the coming of Jesus. When we look at the image of the Merciful Saviour, or pause for prayer at three O’ clock, or pray the Chaplet – are these things drawing us closer to the real sacramental life of the Church and allowing Jesus to transform our hearts? Or have they just become religious habits? In our daily lives are we growing more and more as people of mercy? In our daily lives are we growing more and more as people of mercy? Or are we just giving “lip service” to God’s mercy?