Saint Faustina Kowalska (25 August 1905 – 5 October 1938) was a Polish nun who had visions of Jesus, which she recorded in her diary. He stressed His Divine Mercy, available to those who would believe and trust in Him. One evening Jesus appeared to her as wearing a white robe with red and pale white rays radiating from His heart. He told her in this vision to paint the image that she saw with the words “Jesus, I trust in You” at the bottom. An artist was commissioned to produce this painting. After much work with Sister Faustina to get it exactly right, it turned out that the head and face had the same proportions as the Shroud of Turin.
The Chaplet can be prayed at any time but is most often prayed as a Novena (nine days of prayer) the nine days before the Feast of Mercy. (Some begin it on Divine Mercy Sunday and the following eight days.) The purpose is to receive great graces that our Lord wants to bestow on us – if we’ll only ask Him.
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy begins and ends with optional prayers from Sister Faustina’s diary. Then, using Rosary beads, the Chaplet begins with the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Apostles’ Creed. On the first bead before each decade, pray:
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.
On each of the ten following beads, pray:
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
This is repeated for all five decades of the Rosary. The Chaplet then concludes with:
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
This conclusion is said three times.
In this age where it seems you can trust no one, isn’t it comforting that we know we can always trust in Jesus.
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