Devotion for the Dying
MARY'S CALL TO HER LOVING CHILDREN
The Divine Mercy
This powerful devotion revealed by Our Lord to Sister Faustina [1905-1938] includes the remarkable practice of receiving anything compatible with God's Will. Our Lord revealed to Sister Faustina a Chaplet of Divine Mercy, telling her:
"Unceasingly recite this chaplet that I have taught you . . . Priests will recommend it to sinners as a last hope of salvation. Even the most hardened sinner, if he recites this chaplet even once, will receive grace from My infinite mercy . . . Oh what great graces I will grant to souls who will recite this chaplet . . . By means of it you can ask and obtain anything, if what you ask for will be compatible with My will. I want the whole world to know My infinite mercy. I want to give unimaginable graces to those who trust in My mercy."
Our Lord also revealed to Sister Faustina that at 3:00 every afternoon the gates of His mercy are opened wide.
A Promise
During a vision of the Divine Mercy devotion, Our Lord said to Sr. Faustina, "At three o'clock implore My mercy, especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony. This is the hour of great mercy for the whole world . . . In this hour I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion." Later, He added, ". . . 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. 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."
Our Lord requested of Sr. Faustina the making of the Stations of the Cross in this hour, if possible. If not, He asked that she step into the chapel for a moment and adore His Heart full of mercy in the Blessed Sacrament. He continued, "Should you be unable to step into the chapel, immerse yourself in prayer there where you happen to be, if only for a very brief instant."
The Divine Mercy Chaplet
In 1935, Blessed Faustina received a vision of an Angel sent by God to chastise a certain city. She began to pray for mercy, but her prayers were powerless. Suddenly she saw the Holy Trinity and felt the power of Jesus' grace within her. At the same time she found herself pleading with God for mercy with words she heard interiorly. As she continued praying the Angel became helpless and could not carry out the deserved punishment. The next day, as she was entering the chapel, she again heard this interior voice, instructing her how to recite the prayer that Our Lord later called "the Chaplet."
From then on, she recited this form of prayer almost constantly, offering it especially for the dying. In subsequent revelations the Lord made it clear to her that the devotion was meant not just for her, but for the whole world. He also attached extraordinary promises to its recitation:
"Whoever will
recite
it will receive great mercy at the hour of death . . . When they say
this
chaplet 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 sinner most hardened, if he were
to recite this chaplet, only once, he would receive grace from My
Infinite
Mercy . . . Through the Chaplet you will receive everything, if what
you
ask for is compatible with My Will."
In 1941 the devotion of The Divine Mercy was brought to the United States from Poland by a member of the Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate Conception.
How
to
Recite the Chaplet
[Prayed
on ordinary Rosary Beads]
Begin by saying
one
Our
Father, one Hail Mary, and the Apostles
Creed.
On the five decades,
using the Our Father bead [or large bead]:
Eternal Father,
I offer
Thee the Body, Blood, Soul, and
Divinity of Thy dearly
beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ,
in atonement for our
sins, and those of the whole world.
On the Hail
Mary beads
[smaller beads - there
are 10 of them in each decade]:
For the sake of
His
Sorrowful Passion,
have mercy on us and
on the whole world.
In conclusion, say three times:
Holy God, Holy
Might
One, Holy Immortal One,
have mercy on us and
on the whole world.
The 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.
The
Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of
grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou
among women, and
blessed
is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of
God, pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour
of our death. Amen.
The
Apostles'
Creed
I believe in God, the
Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus
Christ, His only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the
power of the Holy
Spirit,
and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under
Pontius Pilate, was
crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into Hell.
On the third day He
rose again. He ascended into Heaven, and is seated
at the right hand of
the Father. He will come again 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 the life
everlasting. Amen.
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