Chaplet of Divine Mercy - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Chaplet of the Divine Mercy
Divine Mercy
The Divine Mercy is a Roman Catholic devotion to the merciful love of God and the desire to let that love and mercy flow through one's own heart towards those in need of it...

is a Roman Catholic devotion based on the visions of Jesus

Jesus

Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...

reported by Saint

Saint

A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...

Mary Faustina Kowalska

Maria Faustina Kowalska, commonly known as Saint Faustina, born Helenka Kowalska was a Polish nun, mystic and visionary...

(1905-1938), known as "the Apostle of Mercy." She was a Polish

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

sister

Nun

A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...

of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy

Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy

The Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy , - was founded by Mother Teresa Eva Potocka in Warsaw, Poland on November 1, 1862.This was the first "Mercy House"...

and canonized as a Catholic saint in 2000.

Faustina stated that she received the prayer through visions and conversations with Jesus, who made specific promises regarding the recitation of the prayers. Her Vatican biography quotes some of these conversations.

The chaplet

Chaplet (prayer)

The term Chaplet is used commonly to designate Roman Catholic prayer forms which use prayer beads, but are not necessarily related to the Rosary. Some of these chaplets have a strong Marian connotation, others are more directly related to Jesus or the Saints. Chaplets are considered "personal...

is often said as a rosary-based prayer
Rosary based prayers
Rosary-based prayers are mostly Roman Catholic prayers said on a set of rosary beads. These prayers recite specific word sequences on different parts of the rosary beads. They may be directed at Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary or The Father...

with the same set of rosary

Rosary

The rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...

beads used for reciting the Holy Rosary or the Chaplet of Holy Wounds. However, the chaplet may also be said without beads, usually by counting prayers on the fingertips. The chaplet may also be accompanied by the veneration of the Divine Mercy image.

Origin, promises and recitations

On September 13, 1935, while Faustina was in Vilnius

Vilnius

Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...

, she wrote of a vision of Jesus about the chaplet in her diary (Notebook 1 item 476). Faustina stated that Jesus asked her to pray the chaplet and instruct others to do so. Although the chaplet is said on beads like the Rosary, it is about a third of the length of the Rosary, and unlike the Rosary that has evolved over the years, the form and structure of the chaplet has remained unchanged since Faustina attributed it to a message from Jesus.

According to Faustina's visions, written in her diary, the chaplet's prayers for mercy are threefold: to obtain mercy, to trust in Christ

Christ

Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...

's mercy, and to show mercy to others.

Faustina wrote that Jesus promised that all who recite this chaplet at the hour of death or in the presence of the dying will receive great mercy. She wrote that Jesus said:

"....When they say this Chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying not as the just judge but as the Merciful Savior."

Faustina stated that Jesus also promised that anything can be obtained with this prayer if it is compatible with His will. In her diary Faustina recounted a vision on September 13, 1935 in which she saw an angel sent to a city to destroy it. Faustina began to pray for God's mercy on the city and felt the strong presence of the Holy Trinity. After she prayed the internally-instructed prayers, the angel was powerless to harm the city. In subsequent visions, Faustina learned that the prayers she spoke were to be taught to all the people of the world.

According to Roman Catholic tradition, the chaplet may be said at any time, but it is said especially on Divine Mercy Sunday

Divine Mercy Sunday

Divine Mercy Sunday is a Roman Catholic solemnity celebrated the Sunday after Easter. It is based on the Catholic devotion to the Divine Mercy due to Saint Faustina Kowalska, and is associated with specific indulgences.-Background:...

and Fridays at 3:00 PM. The Chaplet is prayed daily at the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy

National Shrine of The Divine Mercy

The National Shrine of The Divine Mercy is a Roman Catholic shrine located in Stockbridge, MA.The priests and brothers of the Congregation of Marians of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary have resided on Eden Hill in Stockbridge, MA, since June 1944...

in Stockbridge, Massachusetts

Stockbridge, Massachusetts

Stockbridge is a town in Berkshire County in Western Massachusetts. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,947 at the 2010 census...

. In the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

, Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

, and Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

the "3 o'clock Prayer" is broadcast on radio and television stations daily at 3:00 p.m. In 2000, Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II

Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...

ordained the Sunday after Easter Divine Mercy Sunday

Divine Mercy Sunday

, where Roman Catholics remember the institution of the Sacrament of Penance. The hour Jesus died by crucifixion, 3:00 PM (15:00), is called the Hour of Mercy. In a novena

Novena

In the Catholic Church, a novena is a devotion consisting of a prayer repeated on nine successive days, asking to obtain special graces. The prayers may come from prayer books, or consist of the recitation of the Rosary , or of short prayers through the day...

, the chaplet is usually said each of the nine days from Good Friday

Good Friday

Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...

to Divine Mercy Sunday.

Pope John Paul II was instrumental in the formal establishment of the Divine Mercy

Divine Mercy

The Divine Mercy is a Roman Catholic devotion to the merciful love of God and the desire to let that love and mercy flow through one's own heart towards those in need of it...

devotion and acknowledged the efforts of the Marian Fathers

Congregation of Marian Fathers

The Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary is a Roman Catholic male clerical religious congregation founded, 1673, in Poland...

in its promotion in a Papal Blessing in 2001, the 70th anniversary of the revelation of the Divine Mercy Message and Devotion. Although the prayers said on the beads of the rosary chain share specific similarities in the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and the Chaplet of Holy Wounds, these are distinct chaplets and were introduced over 20 years apart, one in Poland

Poland

, the other in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

.

The Divine Mercy devotion is also observed by the Universal Anglican Church.

The chaplet

The chaplet begins by making the Sign of the Cross

Sign of the cross

The Sign of the Cross , or crossing oneself, is a ritual hand motion made by members of many branches of Christianity, often accompanied by spoken or mental recitation of a trinitarian formula....

. The chaplet has an optional opening prayer:

"Thou didst expire, Lord 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 Thyself out upon us."

And the following is repeated three times: "O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of Mercy for us, I trust in Thee!"

There are then seven segments to the chaplet:

1. The Our Father

Lord's Prayer

The Lord's Prayer is a central prayer in Christianity. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, it appears in two forms: in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the discourse on ostentation in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus being approached by "one of his...

2. The Hail Mary

Hail Mary

The Angelic Salutation, Hail Mary, or Ave Maria is a traditional biblical Catholic prayer asking for the intercession of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. The Hail Mary is used within the Catholic Church, and it forms the basis of the Rosary...

3. Recitation of the Apostles' Creed

Apostles' Creed

The Apostles' Creed , sometimes titled Symbol of the Apostles, is an early statement of Christian belief, a creed or "symbol"...

4. On the large bead before each of the five decades (set of ten prayers) it is stated:

"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Thy Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world."

5. On each of the 10 small "Hail Mary" beads it is stated:

"For the sake of His sorrowful Passion
Passion (Christianity)
The Passion is the Christian theological term used for the events and suffering – physical, spiritual, and mental – of Jesus in the hours before and including his trial and execution by crucifixion...

, have mercy on us and on the whole world."

6. Items 2 and 3 are repeated for each of the decades.

7. The chaplet concludes with:

"Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world."

The above prayer is repeated twice more.

There is also an optional concluding prayer:

"Eternal God, in Whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Thy mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Thy holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself. Amen."

Novena of Divine Mercy

The Chaplet may be said alone or as part of a Novena

Novena

. Faustina wrote that in her visions Jesus instructed her that the Feast of the Divine Mercy (the Sunday after Easter

Easter

Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...

) be preceded by a Divine Mercy Novena which would begin on Good Friday

Good Friday

.

Faustina wrote that Jesus gave her a specific intention to pray for on each day of the 9 days of the Novena, and said that the last day would be the most difficult intention of all, namely to pray for the lukewarm and indifferent. Faustina wrote that Jesus described these people as follows:

"These souls cause Me more suffering than any others; it was from such souls that My soul felt the most revulsion in the Garden of Olives. It was on their account that I said: 'My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass Me by.' The last hope of salvation for them is to flee to My Mercy."

Each of the 9 days of the novena thus asks for God's mercy for a specific group of people:

First Day - all mankind, in particular all sinners.
Second Day - the souls of priests and the religious.
Third Day - the souls of the devout and faithful people.
Fourth Day - for the non-believers and those who do not yet know Jesus.
Fifth Day - the souls of heretics and schismatics.
Sixth Day - the souls of "the meek and humble" and for little children.
Seventh Day - the souls of people who especially glorify Christ's mercy.
Eighth Day - souls in Purgatory
Purgatory
Purgatory is the condition or process of purification or temporary punishment in which, it is believed, the souls of those who die in a state of grace are made ready for Heaven...

.
Ninth Day - souls who have become lukewarm and indifferent.

Prayer groups

The Eucharistic Apostles of the Divine Mercy group is a community that holds regular meetings in which the Divine Mercy prayers are recited. There are groups all over the world, operated by different facilitators. In total there are 16 functioning EADM groups. They can be found at:

Africa - Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria,Cameroon, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda
Asia - India, Singapore, Philippines and Samoan Islands
Australia - South Australia
Europe - Portugal
North America - Arizona, Florida, Texas, Saskatchewan and Toronto
South America - Ecuador, Brazil

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Origin, promises and recitations

The chaplet

Novena of Divine Mercy

Prayer groups

See also

Further reading

External links