TODAY IS THE 87TH “BIRTHDAY” OF THE CHAPLET OF THE DIVINE MERCY
Today we celebrate another anniversary of the revelation of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. The Chaplet is a special prayer because its author is God Himself. St. Faustina learned this prayer during her stay in Vilnius.
She wrote down the words, which she heard in her soul, in the Diary. She described this event as follows:
“The next day, Friday, 13 September [1935].
In the evening, when I was in my cell, I saw an angel, the executor of God’s wrath. He was in a bright robe, his face shone, and under his feet there was a cloud from which thunderbolts and lightning came out into his hands, and from his hands they went out and hit the Earth. … I started entreating God [197] for the world in the words I had heard inwardly.
As I prayed thus, I saw the powerlessness of the angel, and he could not carry out the just punishment that sin deserved. I had never before prayed with such inner power as I prayed then. The words with which I begged God are as follows:
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. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us.
The next morning, when I entered our chapel, inwardly I heard the following words:
Whenever you come into the chapel, straightaway say the prayer I taught you yesterday.
When I had said the prayer, I heard these words in my soul:
This prayer is to assuage My anger. You will say it for nine days, using an ordinary five-decade rosary, in the following way: first, say one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and the Apostles’ Creed; next, on the Our Father beads you will say ‘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;’ and on the Hail Mary beads you will say these words, ‘For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.’ At the end, you will say these words three times, ‘Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world”. (Diary. 474-476)
Jesus bestowed extraordinary promises to those who recite the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. He reassures us that one who prays it can receive all favours and blessings. Jesus also emphasizes that through this prayer it is possible to obtain the grace of a happy (in a state of grace) and peaceful death. The Lord Jesus promises this even to hardened sinners: “When hardened sinners say it, I shall fill their souls with peace, and the hour of their death will be happy” (Diary. 1541).
May this Chaplet of Divine Mercy, which is so widespread throughout the Christian world, captive us once again with its history, and inspire us to greater trust and closeness to Jesus.
