Praying to the Divine Mercy of Jesus

What does Divine Mercy mean?

Divine Mercy is the most perfect expression of God's love for humanity. It is Heaven's response to human misery, sin, pain and weakness. The word ‘mercy’ comes from the Latin misericordia: ‘misery’ and ‘heart.’ It is the heart that bends toward misery, takes it upon itself, and does not turn away from it.

God does not love us because we are good. He loves us because He is good. This is the foundation of Divine Mercy: a love that does not depend on merit, but transforms everything in its path.

This mystery was revealed with particular intensity to Saint Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun, between 1931 and 1938. Jesus appeared to her and entrusted her with a message for the whole world: that of Mercy. He said to her:

‘The greater the misery, the greater the right to My mercy. [...] Let the weak, sinful soul not be afraid to approach Me, even if its sins are like scarlet.’

Divine Mercy is:

• The tenderness of a Father for his lost children
• The compassion of the Son who gives his life on the Cross
• The light of the Holy Spirit who heals broken hearts

Mercy and Love: what is the difference?

Love is what God is. Mercy is what He does. It is love in action, which lowers itself, lifts up, and restores. God's love is pure gift, but His mercy is a love that descends into the dust of our lives to lift us up.

Mercy and the Heart of Jesus

The pierced Heart of Jesus, source of Blood and Water, is the very symbol of Mercy. These rays are, in the words of Jesus, the Blood that is the life of souls, and the Water that purifies them. Contemplating this image, we understand that mercy is not an abstract idea: it is a person: Jesus Christ.

Mercy and Forgiveness: two related realities

Forgiveness is the fruit of mercy. Where forgiveness cancels the debt, mercy restores the relationship. It heals, consoles and restores. It goes beyond simple justice. Jesus does not simply say to us, ‘I forgive you,’ but adds, ‘I love you even more.’

Divine Mercy is therefore the door that is always open. No matter how dark the night, He is the morning. No matter what the sin, He is forgiveness. No matter how deep the wound, He is the balm. There is no case lost for the Merciful Jesus.

Discover items dedicated to Divine Mercy in our shop

How to pray to Divine Mercy?

The main prayer to honour Divine Mercy is the Divine Mercy Chaplet, taught by Jesus to Saint Faustina. This prayer, rich in promises, is recited while meditating on the Passion of Christ and offering it for the salvation of the world.

Why pray at 3 p.m.?

3 p.m. is called the hour of Mercy because it is the hour when Jesus died on the Cross. He said, ‘At this hour, you can obtain everything for yourself and for others.’ This hour is sacred, and praying at this time opens the heavens.

How to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy?

On a traditional rosary, here is how it is done:

• On the cross: ‘In the name of the Father...’
• Then one Our Father, one Hail Mary and one Creed
• On the large beads (of the Our Father): ‘Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.’
• On the small beads (from the Hail Mary): ‘By His painful Passion, be merciful to us and to the whole world.’
• At the end: ‘O Blood and Water, which flowed from the Heart of Jesus as a source of mercy for us, I trust in You.’

Possible intentions

This rosary can be recited for:

• To obtain physical or spiritual healing
• To ask for protection for oneself or a loved one
• Relieve the souls in purgatory
• Implore peace, conversion, forgiveness

Discover our Divine Mercy rosaries

Why pray to Divine Mercy?

Jesus told Saint Faustina that the soul that prays this chaplet with confidence will receive great graces. This prayer transforms the soul and gives it:

• Inner peace: It calms anxiety, doubt and wounds of the heart.
• Trust: It teaches us to put everything in God's hands.
• Forgiveness: It obtains reconciliation with God, even for the most serious sins.
• Conversion: It softens hardened hearts and opens them to the love of the Father.
• Grace at the hour of death: Jesus promised to come himself as Saviour, not as Judge, to the soul that recites this rosary.

Each prayer of the rosary is an act of love offered for ourselves and for the world. In these troubled times, it is a shield of light against despair and fear.

Treat yourself to an image of the Merciful Jesus

Prayer to Divine Mercy

Lord Jesus,

You are the God of tenderness and mercy, slow to anger and full of love. I come to You as a wounded child. I have nothing to offer You but my poverty, my sometimes cold heart, my faults, my wounds. But I know that it is towards me that Your gaze is turned with the greatest tenderness.

O Merciful Jesus,

I plunge into Your pierced Heart everything that weighs me down, everything I cannot bear. I abandon to Your hands my past, my mistakes, my doubts, my anger, my cowardice. Purify them in the Blood and Water that flow from Your Sacred Side.

O Source of Life,

river of inexhaustible mercy, irrigate the deserts of my soul. I offer you my life, Lord, with all that it contains, in the hope that you alone can make it fruitful.

Jesus,

teach me to love as You do, with patience and humility. Give me a heart that consoles instead of judging, that lifts up instead of crushing. Make me an artisan of Your peace, an instrument of Your mercy in this harsh world thirsty for true love.

I beg You, Lord,

surround with Your Heart those whom I offer to You today: the sick, hardened sinners, divided families, the dying, and the abandoned souls in purgatory. May none of them be lost, may none of them be forgotten. Bring them into the light of Your Kingdom. Mary, Mother of Mercy, present me to Your Son. Support my prayer. Make it fervent, true, and powerful in its weakness.

Jesus, I trust in You. Jesus, I trust in You. Jesus, I trust in You.

FAQ on Divine Mercy