86 years old, yet still constantly new, still continuously being known by many, effectively influencing us and the whole world. Of its origins we can read in the Diary of St. Faustina (D.474-478), a work that has reached all the continents of the world. The Chaplet of the Divine Mercy. On September 13 and 14, in Vilnius in the year 1935 will fall the next anniversary of its apparition.
The Chaplet is an exceptional prayer because like the “Our Father”, the Lord Jesus Himself dictated it. It is an intercessory prayer because we pray not only for ourselves but also for people all over the world. It is also a very effective prayer because in it we use the strongest argument: calling on the merits of the sorrowful passion of Jesus – the beloved Son of the Eternal Father and our Lord – the Redeemer. After all, it is a prayer that reveals to us the face of a merciful and just God. The words, “for the sake of His sorrowful passion” appeals to both [Jesus’] atonement offered to the Father for our sins and the sins of the world, and to the mercy of God who does not want to punish aching humankind but longs to bring it close to His heart. The Chaplet is a prayer for the appeasement of the just anger of God due to our sins.
And there is special gift associated with the Chaplet, these are the promises of the Lord Jesus. Among them, the general promise, concerns the granting of all manner of grace, both those relating to our earthly life and to the eternal salvation of those who will pray the Chaplet (cf. Diary 754, 796, 1541). Already in her lifetime, Sister Faustina had the opportunity to see many times how effective this prayer was, when for example during the drought she prayed for the longed-for rain or to calm the storm (cf. Diary 1128, 1731).
And that’s not all: there are still the specific promises! They are also addressed to each one of us. They relate to the grace of a peaceful (without fear) and happy death (that is, the assurance of heaven). This promise is given not only to people praying the Chaplet, but also to the dying, for whom others will pray with faith.
It is important to read these passages from the Diary: 687, 754, 1541 and learn the power of the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy. Those who pray it have experienced many times in their lives great miracles of God’s mercy. That is why today, millions of people around the world pray the Chaplet. It has been translated probably into all the languages of the world, even into tribal dialects. And no wonder. It is a gift of God for our times.
