Devotion

The Divine Mercy

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So many devotions - someone had a blog by that name. Catholics have a million of them, some approved, some inspired by one's private devotion, many recommended by the Church. There are racks of assorted chaplets in Catholic religious stores, all brightly colored, many stemming from private revelations and the writings of holy people.

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In the late 19th century and early 20th century, there was only one chaplet recommended above all, by none other than Our Lady and the popes: The holy Rosary. A devotion so important, Our Lady told us it would bring peace to the world as well as the conversion of sinners. The devotion so important to John Paul II, he enriched it with 5 more mysteries.

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After this, there is one more, very prominent and crucial chaplet - given to the world by Christ himself, through the instrumentality of St. Faustina Kowalska: The chaplet of Divine Mercy, through which our Lord promised unimaginable graces to those who recite it on ordinary rosary beads. See how the Lord esteems His Mother's rosary? This devotion was established and promulgated by the Pope himself, establishing the Solemnity of the Divine Mercy on the Second Sunday of Easter.

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The chaplet is far above any private devotion chaplet invented by human piety. The chaplet was dictated and arranged by our Lord for our times. The Creed and the Pater and Ave which precede the litany, happen to coincide with the prayers required for a plenary indulgence.

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The prayer, "Eternal Father, I offer you the body, blood, soul, and divinity of your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world" is a prayer which immediately unites us to the holy sacrifice of the Mass and the silent loving action of Jesus in the Eucharist - in other words, the chaplet is very much a spiritual communion with the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus.

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The invocation is followed by the litany, "For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole World." This repetition unites us to the prayer of the Church, interceding for the entire world.

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The concluding doxology, repeated three times, "Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world" is our acceptable adoration of the Holy Trinity in spirit and truth.

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The chaplet is so powerful, our Lord is unable to resist even the most hardened sinner, even if he recites it only once - he stressed that to Faustina.

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John Paul II never endorsed any 20th century apparition outside of Fatima. The Pope never recommended the revelations of any 20th century mystic other than those of St. Faustina and the Devotion to Divine Mercy which became her mission to spread throughout the world.

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"I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in my mercy. Through this chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with my will." - Words of our Lord to St. Faustina: Diary: 687, 1731

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Go here for more information on the Divine Mercy Devotion