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How to Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet
The Divine Mercy Chaplet can be prayed using traditional Rosary beads, although it is not necessary to do so. The Chaplet takes only a few minutes, and thousands of Catholics around the world pray it every day to ask for God's mercy.
What is the Chaplet of Divine Mercy?
In the 1930s, Jesus appeared to Saint Faustina Kowalska, a humble and kind Polish nun, and revealed to her the depth of His mercy. Saint Faustina entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in 1925 but passed away just thirteen years later, in 1938, due to tuberculosis. Throughout her holy life, she continually received revelations from Jesus and diligently recorded His words in her diary. Saint Faustina was canonized by Saint John Paul II on April 30, 2000.
In 1935, an angel appeared to Saint Faustina, and she heard the call to pray for mercy. The following day, Christ appeared to her and urged her to pray the Chaplet—both alone and with others—at the hour of death. She recorded this revelation in her diary:
Encourage souls to pray the Chaplet I have given you. Whoever recites it will receive great mercy at the hour of death. When this Chaplet is prayed in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as the just Judge, but as the Merciful Savior. Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a most hardened sinner, if he were to recite this Chaplet just once, he would receive the grace of My infinite mercy. I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy. Through the Chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with My will.
The Diary of Saint Faustina
Why do we pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy?
We pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet to ask for mercy in our own lives and in the lives of our neighbors. We also pray to remember that we must trust in God; we must acknowledge our weaknesses and replace our anxieties and worries with abundant trust in God. We pray that we may live out the words "Jesus, I trust in You" with honesty.
Whoever sincerely says "Jesus, I trust in You" will find comfort in all their anguish and fears... There is nothing man needs more than Divine Mercy—that love which is benevolent, which is compassionate, and which lifts man above his weakness to the infinite heights of God's holiness.
Saint John Paul II (Kraków, Poland, June 7, 1997)
When should the Chaplet of Divine Mercy be prayed?
You can pray the Chaplet at any time, but here are three especially significant moments to ask for God's mercy:
After Mass
Divine Mercy is a prayer of intercession that extends the offering of the Eucharist; therefore, it is especially appropriate to use it after receiving Holy Communion at Mass.
Before the Feast of Mercy
The Chaplet can be prayed at any time, but the Lord expressly told Saint Faustina to recite it as a novena during the nine days before the Feast of Mercy (the first Sunday after Easter). Then he added: "For this Novena, [of Chaplets] I will grant all possible graces to souls." (Diary of Saint Faustina, 796)
At three in the afternoon.
3:00 p.m. is known as the "Hour of Great Mercy," in remembrance of Christ's death on the cross at 3:00 p.m. on Good Friday. Likewise, the Stations of the Cross are often prayed at this time.
How to Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet
Using standard rosary beads (or your ten fingers), follow this structure:
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Begin with the Sign of the Cross.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
-
Opening Prayer:
You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty yourself out upon us.
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Repeat three times: (Diary, 84) Sor Faustina. O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of Mercy for us, I trust in you!
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Prayer Our Father.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen -
Hail Mary. Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you;
blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
6. Pray The Apostles' Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.
Amen.
In the traditional prayer of the Rosary, we pray the Our Father for each of the five beads. In the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, we pray the following:
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.
On the ten small beads:
For the sake of his sorrowful Passion,
have mercy on us and on the whole world.
7. Upon completing the five decades, recite the doxology three times on the medallion ("Holy God...").
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
8. 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. Amen.
10
"For the sake of his sorrowful Passion"
10
"For the sake of his sorrowful Passion"
Eternal Father
10
"For the sake of his sorrowful Passion"
10
"For the sake of his sorrowful Passion"
10
"For the sake of his sorrowful Passion"
3 times: Holy God, Holy Mighty One
7*
8*
Closing prayer
6*
5*
4*
The Apostles' Creed
Hail Mary
Our Father
Prayer of Saint Faustina
3*
2*
Opening Prayer
1*
Sign of the Cross