Promises of Divine Mercy
February 22, 1931. Poland.
A bright light suddenly floods the room of a 25-year-old nun named Faustina. Children outside think an airplane is parked next to the building, bathing it in blinding light.
But it was Jesus Christ.
Appearing before Faustina, He told her to paint Him as she saw Him, giving her this message:
"I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish. I also promise victory over [its] enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. I Myself will defend it as My own glory."
Promises Fulfilled
Faustina had the image painted, just as Jesus asked. Over time, He even made additional promises about the image:
"These rays shield souls from the wrath of My Father. Happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him."
"By means of this image I shall be granting many graces to souls; so let every soul have access to it."
His words have proven true. As the image has been distributed across the globe, miracles have abounded.
Homes spared destruction. Illnesses cured. Addictions healed.
This page lists just a tiny fraction of the recorded miracles. And yet, the promises related to the image are just a few of many promises He gave the world through Faustina.
The Hour of Great Mercy
Perhaps the most lavish of Jesus's promises regards the Hour of Great Mercy, 3 O'Clock in the afternoon:
"In this hour, I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion."
"In this hour you can obtain everything for yourself and for others for the asking; it was the hour of grace for the whole world--mercy triumphed over justice."
"As often as you hear the clock strike the third hour, immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it; invoke it's omnipotence for the whole world, and particularly for poor sinners; for at that moment mercy was opened wide for every soul."
It couldn't be any easier. Try it the next time it strikes 3 pm, or any time during the 3 o'clock hour. Jesus was a real man who truly existed in history, and who died a terrible death. Imagine His suffering and how abandoned He must have felt. Through the power of His suffering, you can ask Him to heal you and your family. If you do this with love and trust, He promises that you can "obtain everything for yourself and others for the asking." So ask.
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy
"My daughter, encourage souls to say the chaplet...It pleases Me to grant everything they ask of Me by saying the chaplet."
"Through the chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with My will."
"At the hour of their death, I defend as My own glory every soul that will say this chaplet; or when others say it for a dying person, the indulgence is the same."
"Oh, what great graces I will grant to souls who say this chaplet; the very depths of My tender mercy are stirred for the sake of those who say the chaplet."
"The souls that say this chaplet will be embraced by My mercy during their lifetime and especially at the hour of their death."
"This prayer will serve to appease My wrath."
Visit this site or download this app for great guides to this powerful prayer. Or watch this beautiful video, and pray along.
The Novena of Divine Mercy
"I will deny nothing to any soul whom you will bring to the fount of My mercy."
"By this Novena I will grant every possible grace to souls."
"This prayer will serve to appease My wrath. You will recite it for nine days on the beads of the rosary."
Go here to learn how to pray this special nine-day prayer.
The Conversion Prayer
"I desire that you know more profoundly the love that burns in My Heart for souls, and you will understand this when you meditate upon My Passion. Call upon My mercy on behalf of sinners; I desire their salvation. When you say this prayer, with a contrite heart and with faith on behalf of some sinner, I will give him the grace of conversion. This is the prayer: O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You.“
Spreading the Message of Mercy
"Souls who spread the honor of My mercy I shield through their entire lives as a tender mother her infant, and at the hour of death I will not be a Judge for them, but the Merciful Savior."
"All those souls who will glorify My mercy and spread its worship, encouraging others to trust in My mercy, will not experience terror at the hour of death. My mercy will shield them in that final battle."
"As often as you want to make Me happy, speak to the world about My great and unfathomable mercy."
"Do whatever is within your power to spread devotion to My mercy. I will make up for what you lack."
Just think for a moment how a tender mother shields her infant. Jesus is promising to protect you in the same way. Help Him reach more souls in this suffering world. Help spread this message of Divine Mercy.
Faith? Or Superstition?
Are these practices superstitious? The answer lies with you.
Are you putting your trust in the practices? Or are you putting your trust in Jesus? The two are drastically different, with drastically different results.
It can be difficult to trust--we are human, after all. And so we trust Jesus with the greatest faith we can muster. And if we're truly trusting in Him, we're going to feel called to treat others with the same love and mercy that He's given to us.
Jesus, Himself, told Faustina, "By means of this image I shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is of no avail without works."
Without trust, without loving your neighbor, the practices outlined above are just empty, meaningless motions, void of benefit. They are not magic spells. But they do work...if you trust and love.
