Divine Mercy and the Divine Mercy Chaplet

Divine Mercy has been called "the greatest grassroots movement in the history of the Catholic Church" and has changed millions of lives. 

The Divine Mercy message is mainly
associated with a Polish nun, now known as St. Maria Faustina Kowalska. She died in 1938, about a year before the start of World War II. Saint Faustina was a mystic, who received extraordinary experiences of the Lord Jesus in prayer. Jesus appeared to her and even spoke with her. God sometimes appears to mystics because He has a prophetic message for a particular time in history, and He uses particular men and women to share His message. Sometimes it's to remind us of something that's been forgotten. Sometimes it's a warning. At other times, it's a message of comfort. Or it may simply be a call to conversion. The message to Saint Faustina is simple. It is that God loves us – all of us. And, He wants us to recognize that His mercy is greater than our sins, so that we will call upon Him with trust, receive His mercy, and let it flow through us to others. Thus, all will come to share His joy.

Jesus told St. Faustina, “Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy” (Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 300; see also 699). The five elements of the devotion (represented by the acronym F.I.N.C.H., for Feast, Image, Novena, Chaplet, Hour) have attached to them some of the most powerful and extraordinary promises of any devotion.

Spend time to learn more about the mercy of God, learn to trust in Jesus, and live your life as merciful to others, as Christ is merciful to you.

Divine Mercy gets to the heart of Sacred Scripture. In fact, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church says, "The Gospel is the revelation in Jesus Christ of God's mercy to sinners" (1849). Right there: That summarizes it. Divine Mercy is the Gospel. It's the good news. And so, it gets to the very center of our faith. Moreover, in the words of Pope Benedict XVI, "Divine Mercy is not a secondary devotion, but an integral dimension of Christian faith and prayer. Mercy is the central nucleus of the Gospel message."

John Paul II said that mercy is "love's second name." It's a particular kind of love, a particular mode of love when it encounters suffering, poverty, brokenness, and sin. Divine Mercy is when God's love meets us and helps us in the midst of our suffering and sin. In fact, because this side of eternity we're all sinners and because suffering is our lot in life, God's love for us here always takes the form of mercy. It's always the Lord stepping out in compassion to help us poor, weak, and broken sinners. From our perspective, then, every good we receive is an expression Divine Mercy

The Catholic Church's Catechism highlights God's mercy as a central aspect of the Gospel message, revealed in Jesus Christ's life, death, and resurrection, and emphasized through devotions like the Divine Mercy Chaplet and the Feast of Divine Mercy.

Summary

Divine Mercy as the Gospel:
The Catechism states that "The Gospel is the revelation in Jesus Christ of God's mercy to sinners".

Mercy as Love's Second Name:
Mercy is seen as a particular kind of love, a mode of love that responds to suffering, poverty, brokenness, and sin.

God's Mercy in Creation, Redemption, and Sanctification:

Creation: God's creation of the world is an act of merciful love, overcoming potential nothingness.

Redemption: The Incarnation, where the Son of God became human, is an act of merciful love, sharing our lot and offering salvation.

Sanctification: The sending of the Holy Spirit to sanctify and refresh us is also an expression of divine mercy.

The Divine Mercy Chaplet:
This devotion, inspired by Saint Faustina's visions, focuses on God's infinite mercy and asks for His mercy upon the world, especially sinners.

Divine Mercy Sunday:
Pope John Paul II established Divine Mercy Sunday, a day to focus on God's mercy, stemming from the readings of Sister Faustina and the message of Divine Mercy.

 
The Church's Role:
The Church is called to manifest God's mercy through the sacraments, especially Reconciliation, and through works of charity.