The Divine Mercy Chaplet

I have been contemplating this prayer for a few weeks now and how powerful it is and the implications of saying it daily. I do try to say it daily, but let's face it, somedays I forget; somedays I am annoyed at something or someone and say eh, no, not praying today; and some I just have the best intentions but run out of steam and nod off in the middle of it. Most of the time I do say it, though, and it is part of my daily ritual just as taking a shower and having my morning cup of tea are.

A little history of the Divine Mercy Chaplet ~
From 1931 to 1938 Our Lord appeared to a Polish Sister by the name of Maria Faustina Kowalska.  Our Lord appeared to her many times during those years and told her of his Divine Mercy and that all should approach Him and ask Him for it. Anyone who approaches Him will be spared the fires of hell if they turn to Him during their life or at the moment of their death. The Chaplet is said to increase your own devotion to Christ and it is said in the presence of the dying so that He can be the just judge and grant them mercy at the moment of death. There are basically three things to remember about the chaplet:

1. You should ask for His Mercy. Jesus wants us to approach Him in prayer constantly.  He wants us to repent of our sins and ask Him to pour His mercy out upon us and upon the whole world. 
2. You should be merciful to others. Jesus wants us to receive His mercy. He wants us to extend our love and mercy to others, through forgiveness, just as He does for us. 
3. You should have complete trust in Jesus. Jesus wants us to know that the graces of His mercy are dependent upon our trust. The more we trust in Him, the more graces we will receive. 


The revelations, devotions, Feast day, image and graces were all written, by her, prior to her death in 1938. Jesus told her to record all that He had given her and the devotion of the faithful commenced just prior to her death. The notes are referred to as her Diary btw.

The chaplet is said daily at 3:00 P.M. If you cannot say the entire chaplet, which takes 7-8 minutes, you can say, "Jesus, I trust in you" at that hour and then the chaplet when you have time. Here is the Chaplet, which is on our Prayer Page at the website as well, so you can see the "rosary" prayers mentioned. It IS said on a standard rosary. http://www.gloryglorygifts.com/the-prayer-page.html.

THE DIVINE MERCY CHAPLET

​1. Make the Sign of the Cross - In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
2. Our Father (see rosary)
3. Hail Mary (see rosary)
4. The Apostle's Creed (see rosary)
5. The Eternal Father
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.
6. On the Ten Small Beads of Each Decade
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
7. Repeat for the remaining decades
Saying the "Eternal Father" (6) on the "Our Father" bead and then 10 "For the sake of His sorrowful Passion" (7) on the following "Hail Mary" beads.
8. Conclude with Holy God (Repeat three times)
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
9. Optional Closing Prayer
Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion — inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.

So, getting back to my thoughts. Jesus requested that we say the Chaplet daily for ALL of those that are going to die the day that you say it. Those who do perpetual adoration are asked to say it for ALL those that will die during the week. It occurred to me after the Orlando shootings that I had said the prayer for ALL those that died in that tragedy. That is a pretty heavy responsibility when you think about it. Jesus heard my prayer (and every other person that said it that day) for every one of those people before they ever stepped foot into that club. Do you see where this is heading? Yup, I prayed for the patrons, workers and I even prayed for the shooter. I will be honest, at first I was horrified when I realized that but since I have calmed down it has occurred to me that Jesus did say to love my enemy. Pray for my enemy for what reward is there in loving your friends and family - even the tax collectors do that (okay so I paraphrased Jesus). That is exactly what Jesus told St. Faustina when he appeared to her ~ that the Divine Mercy Chaplet is to be said for the most hardened of hearts. IF he cried out to Jesus in the last moment he could be saved. He didn't though, so my guess (though I'm not supposed to do this) is that he isn't with Jesus in paradise. 

We are living in a very messed up world that seems to be growing worse each day. I do take a small amount of comfort in knowing that Jesus heard many prayers for those that lost their lives in Dallas, Nice and Turkey this past week. May His divine mercy rest on those of the faithfully departed that we have lost and on those that we are yet to lose.

I implore  you to start saying the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy today. Increase your own devotion to Christ and pray for all humanity. The Chaplet can lead many lives to Him, even at the hour of their death. Your prayer, of this chaplet, can save a soul and that is a pretty awesome thing.

God bless, and peace

Mare

BTW: Maria Faustina Kowalska was made a saint by the Catholic Church in 2000. Pope John Paul II called her the first Saint of the new millennium.

Does God Answer Our Prayers?

Well, I think He answers my prayers, SOMETIMES.  AT Times I don't like the answer; sometimes I feel like He isn't listening. The truth of the matter is that God hears all of our prayers.

Admittedly, many days I feel very close to him and it is often on days that I least expect to find any kind of peace or solace that I experience it. I live with a chronic, often very painful, syndrome that is basically a ticking time bomb in my body. I know that it is fatal but we are all dying so that thought really doesn't bother me. After all, you do have to die in order to be with our Lord and hold his hand or be held in his embrace. Truly, I long for that day however I wouldn't do anything to speed the process along; I have too many things I want to accomplish here before that happens. There are days, though, that I am wracked with so much pain that I have curled up into my bed and under the covers. On those days I have cried out to him to relieve the pain and yes, with the help of things like Advil and warmth the pain is alleviated.

Almost a decade ago I met a man. The moment our eyes met it was like the world stopped and I got hit by a lightning bolt at the same time. We got very friendly very fast and when I was with him, even if there were hundreds of people in the room with us, it was like we were the only two people standing there. I can't even count how many nights I tossed and turned and wrote in my journal all because of him. The first few years it was agony and ecstasy as any new relationship is. You know how it is, you think of your love night and day and can't wait to see them, even if it is just a glimpse of their smile. You don't have to go anywhere or do anything special, just being with them is special enough and you want to spend all of your free time with them. The only problem was that there wasn't any sunsets and rainbows in our future. There wasn't even any dates or stolen kisses in the present. I was gob-smacked, over the moon, crazy in love with a man that was totally and completely off the market and there was no way that was going to change either. It was sheer torture. Now I'm a reasonably level-headed gal. I do not give into flights of fancy and my feet are pretty grounded in reality but the man just overwhelmed me with emotion. After a few years of intensity I finally dropped to my knees in my bedroom one night and prayed fervently that God would lift this burden from my heart. He did just that and He also knocked me on my butt for a few years too. When I saw the man a  year or so later my heart still leaped, I can't lie, but at least I was able to talk to him without blushing wildly like a school girl. God answered my prayer yet I also got the opportunity to distance myself from things so that a clearer head could prevail. He is such an awesome God for doing that for me. It does show me, though, that even if you are truly, madly, deeply in love with someone that doesn't mean that you are meant to be together. It isn't a fun part of life yet it is a fact of life (and no he was not a married man, not in the traditional way anyway).

It is mentioned in the Bible that God does not answer all prayer. John 9:31 states, "We know that God does not listen to sinners, but He does listen to the one who worships Him and does His will." Well, since we are all sinners, I am certainly flawed as you have read, does this mean that only a select few receive his response to our prayer? Seems so. I guess, if you are living a life that is rife with mortal sin don't expect to be hearing from Him anytime soon. You must have a penitent heart, turn your life to Him, and live in the graces that He has given you. If it is His will and in your best interest He will heed and answer your prayers. It takes courage and hard work to follow in His footsteps in this day and age. That is why the sacrament of Confession is such a beautiful thing. I find comfort and solace in knowing that I can unburden myself of my sins weekly, if need be, and then go on living my life with and for Christ.

There is a beautiful prayer, The Divine Mercy Chaplet, that can and should be said daily, though it is for the dying. Jesus said that ALL should say this prayer daily. This prayer is one of penitence that asks God to forgive all of your sins. It is said on a rosary. In the interest of space I will provide you with a link to our Prayer Page on the website. The link is above. This is said at 3:00 P.M., which is the holy hour. Another great habit to get into is to meditate on your sins before bed and then say an Act of Contrition. That is on our Prayer Page as well. Another wonderful prayer is The Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows. Also on that Page. That is said while you meditate on your sins and Mother Mary's sorrows. They are special beads that are available. Contact us for availability. The link is at the top of this blog.  Divine Mercy, Divine Child of Jesus, Rosary for Life, the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows and a Chaplet to St. Benedict are some that are available at the moment. 

I can promise you, if you put God first in your life, He will put you first as well. Have a great week.

Mare