On 13 and 14 of September, we will be celebraring the 89th anniversary of the revelation of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Jesus taught humanity two prayers: Modlitwy Pańskiej, when the Apostles asked Him for it, and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, which He dictated to St. Faustina in Polish, in the Vilnius convent of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in 1935. As she noted in her Diary: In the evening when I was in my cell, I saw an Angel, the executor of divine wrath. He was clothed in a dazing robe, his face gloriously bright, a cloud beneath his feet. From the cloud, bolts of thunder and flashes of lightning were springing into his hands; and from his hand they were going forth, and only then were they striking the earth. When I saw this sign of divine wrath which was about to strike the earth, and in particular a certain place, which for good reasons I cannot name, I began to implore the Angel to hold off for a few moments, and the world would do penance. But my plea was a mere nothing in the face of divine anger. Just then I saw the Most Holy Trinity. The greatness of Its majesty pierced me deeply and I did not dare to repeat my entrietaties. At that very moment I felt in my soul the power of Jesus’ grace which dwells in my soul. When I became conscious of this grace, I was instantly snatched up before the Throne of God. Oh, how great is our Lord and God and how incomprehensible His holiness! I will make no attempt to describe this greatness, because before long we shall all see Him as He is. I found myself pleading with God for the world with words heard interiorly.
As I was praying in this manner, I saw the Angel’s helplessness: he could not carry out the just punishment,which was rightly due for sins. Never before had I prayed with such inner power as I did then.
The words with which I entreated God are these: Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ for our sins, and those of the whole world; for the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us.
The next morning, when I enered chapel, heard these words interiorly: Every time you enter the chapel, immediately recite the prayer which I taught you yesterday. When had said the prayer, in my soul I heard these words: This prayer will will serve to appease My wrath. You will recite it for nine days, on the beads of the rosary, in the folllowing manner: First of all, you will say one OUR FATHER and HAIL MARY and the I BELIEVE IN GOD. Then on the following words: ‘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 on the whole world.” In conclusion, three times you will recite these words: „Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and thw whole world” (Diary, 474-476).
In consequent revelations, the Lord Jesus associated many great promises with this prayer, on the condition it is recited in the spirit of trust in Him and mercy towards one’s neighbors. The general promise states that trustful recitation of the Chaplet can help a person acquire anything which is compliant with the will of God. Moreover, He provided us with additional promises, which apply to the joyful grace and the grace of serene death, without fear and apprehension. They can be obtaied not only by thise who pray the Chaplet trustfully, but also by the dying at whose side the prayer is said in a proper manner.
Today, apart from the call Jesus, I trust in You!, it is the best known prayer to Divine Mercy, recited on all continents and languages, even in those of small tribes. More information on the Chaplet and its story can be found here.
