The Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy from the community in Washington DC daily lead prayer at the Hour of Mercy (3 P. M.) and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy at the National Shrine of St. John Paul II in English.
You can join them in prayer: www.jp2shrine.org/youtube
Learn more about the prayer at the Hour of Mercy:
Whose idea was it to pray at 3:00 p.m.?
Jesus Himself wants us to be with Him when He is laying down His life for us!
How do we know this?
From St. Faustina’s Diary. She wrote down Jesus’ words: “I remind you, My daughter, that as often as you hear the clock strike the third hour, immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it; invoke its omnipotence for the whole world, and particularly for poor sinners; for at that moment mercy was opened wide for every soul. (…) It was the hour of grace for the whole world – mercy triumphed over justice” (Diary, 1572).
What for?
Jesus said: “In this hour you can obtain everything for yourself and for others for the asking“ (Diary, 1572).
What does God promise us?
“In this hour, I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion” (Diary, 1320).
What do we need to do?
Jesus said: “If only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony” (Diary, 1320).
From other passages in St. Faustina’s Diary we know that the prayer at the Hour of Mercy should be:
- At 3:00 P.M. – the moment of Jesus’ death on the Cross (not the whole hour)
- Addressed to the Lord Jesus directly
- The prayer should refer to the values and merits of His sorrowful passion
Intentions we pray for during the Hour of Mercy should be in accord with the will of God, which pertains to all prayers. The prayer itself should be trustful and it should also be combined with deeds of mercy towards our neighbors, which is a condition of the true devotion to the Divine Mercy.
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is another form of the devotion to Divine Mercy.
Learn more about this powerful prayer:
Whose idea was it to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy?
Jesus’! The Lord Jesus dictated the Chaplet to St. Faustina in Vilnius on September 13th -14th, 1935.
What was the occasion?
On Friday, September 13th, while in her room St. Faustina had a vision of an angel who came to punish those on earth for their sins. When she saw that sign of divine wrath, she implored the angel to hold off for a few moments while the world did penance. However, when she stood before the majesty of the Holy Trinity, Faustina dared not repeat such a request. Only when she felt the power of Jesus’ grace in her soul did she start to pray and the words spoken to her were heard interiorly. In the Diary she wrote: “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” (Diary 475).
What is the Chaplet for?
Jesus said: “It pleases Me to grant everything they ask of Me by saying the chaplet (Diary 1541), adding: if … [it] is compatible with My will” (Diary 1731). “By saying the chaplet you are bringing humankind closer to Me” (Diary 929).
What does God promise us?
The Lord Jesus promises to grant the grace of conversion and a peaceful death, even if the Chaplet has been said only once. These graces are offered not only to those who recite the Chaplet but also to the dying when the faithful recite it at their bedside:
“At the hour of their death, I defend as My own glory every soul that will say this Chaplet; or [if] the Chaplet is said by the bedside of a dying person, then the indulgence [for the dying] is the same. When this chaplet is said by the bedside of a dying person, God’s anger is placated and unfathomable mercy envelops the soul“ (Diary 811).
“Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite mercy“ (Diary 687).
“The souls that say this chaplet will be embraced by My mercy during their lifetime and especially at the hour of their death” (Diary 754).
When and how should we pray the Chaplet?
We can pray the Chaplet anytime! It must be prayed in the spirit of devotion to Divine Mercy: an attitude of trust in God and mercy towards our neighbor.
