The Hour of Great Mercy

The Divine Mercy Image, Saints John Paul II and Faustina Kowalska

With the Divine Mercy Novena well underway, and millions of Catholics around the world seeking to receive the plenary indulgence on April 3, this year's date for Divine Mercy Sunday, I thought it fitting to publish today's post on the Hour of Great Mercy.

The Hour of Great Mercy is privileged time, an opportunity to receive Jesus' mercy anew, every day at 3:00pm, the hour of His death on the Cross. This privilege was established by Jesus in the late 1930s through His chosen vessel, Sister Faustina, a young Polish Catholic nun who published a diary several hundred pages long documenting all that Jesus communicated to her. Here is what Jesus stated regarding the Hour of Great Mercy:

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 ... In this hour I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion. (Diary 1320).

Jesus also requested that at the Hour of Great Mercy, we implore His mercy upon the whole world. With all the problems in the world today, we do not need much convincing of the necessity of His mercy: the Christian persecution and genocide in the Middle East, and other acts of terror and violence by Muslims in the name of Islam, abortion, contraception, death penalty, euthanasia and assisted suicide, pornography/pornovision; alcohol and other drug addictions; human exploitation and trafficking, the indoctrination of children with sexual immorality from inappropriate education curriculums, and the list goes on. Here is what Jesus instructed Sister Faustina regarding His mercy upon the whole world:

As often as you hear the clock strike the third hour immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it, invoke it's 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. (Diary 1572)

Whatever problems may exist in our lives, we must never give into despair, depression, fear, disheartenment or discouragement of any kind, because available every day to each one of us is Jesus' mercy. Below is a note of hope and encouragement from Saint John Paul II on Jesus' Divine Mercy, from his homily on the canonization of Sister Mary Faustina Kowalska, Sunday, April 30, 2000:

Each person is precious in God's eyes; Christ gave his life for each one; to everyone the Father gives his Spirit and offers intimacy. (6)

This consoling message is addressed above all to those who, afflicted by a particularly harsh trial or crushed by the weight of the sins they committed, have lost all confidence in life and are tempted to give in to despair. To them the gentle face of Christ is offered; those rays from his heart touch them and shine upon them, warm them, show them the way and fill them with hope. How many souls have been consoled by the prayer "Jesus, I trust in you", which Providence intimated through Sr. Faustina! This simple act of abandonment to Jesus dispels the thickest clouds and lets a ray of light penetrate every life. Jezu, ufam tobie. (7)

Jesus did not dictate what the exact wording of prayer should be at 3:00pm, but He did provide some recommendations:

Try your best to make the Stations of the Cross in this hour, provided that your duties permit it; and if you are not able to make the Stations of the Cross, then at least step into the chapel for a moment and adore, in the Most Blessed Sacrament. My Heart, which is full of mercy: and should you be unable to step into chapel, immerse yourself in prayer there where you happen to be, if only for a very brief instant. (Diary 1572)

What is to be understood about prayer at the Hour of Great Mercy is that it should meet these specific conditions: that it be said at 3:00 pm to honour the moment of Jesus’ agony on the Cross; it should be addressed to Jesus directly, and not to God the Father, the Blessed Mother or Saint Faustina (not that we can not beg for mercy together with Mary standing beneath the Cross and together with Saint Faustina) because as Jesus stated, "I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me..." (Diary 1320); and in its entreaties, the prayer should refer to the values and merits of His sorrowful passion. 

To clarify further, our prayer should be in the form of the following expression: "Through the merits of Your sorrowful Passion, we ask You, Lord..." It is important to note that our prayer should not include the intercession of the Blessed Mother or Saint Faustina because saying such a prayer we would refer to the values and merits of the Mother of God or saints. This is contrary to what Jesus wants; that is, we are to refer to the merits of His Passion. Our prayer intentions during the Hour of Great Mercy should be according 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 toward our neighbour, which is a fundamental condition for practicing true devotion to the Divine Mercy.

It is also important to understand the Hour of Great Mercy is a separate form of devotion to the Divine Mercy, in which Jesus associated a specific promise with it, and how it should be practiced. Some may not understand this, and assume that other prayers from the Divine Mercy Devotion, such as the chaplet, should be recited at this Hour of Great Mercy. This was never the instruction of Jesus. Although the chaplet to the Divine Mercy can be recited afterwards, it should not be "the" prayer you recite at the Hour of Great Mercy. The reason being is that the chaplet is directed to God the Father (Eternal father, I offer you…), and the prayer at the Hour of Great Mercy is to be addressed to Jesus directly.

Taking time out at 3:00pm each day, no matter where you are, what you are doing, or who you are with, always affords you an opportunity to not only receive His great mercy, but to experience Divine Intimacy with Jesus. It is a time to meditate upon His mercy revealed in His passion, and to implore His mercy upon the whole world, yourself, and those you mention in prayer.

Divine Mercy Novena and Chaplet Begins On Good Friday

Pope John Paul II at Rome’s Rebibbia Prison on December 27, 1983, visiting Mehmet Ali Agca,
the man who tried to assassinate him on May 13, 1981, in St. Peter's Square.

If you have not been following my blog or if you have not visited it in quite some time, today's post continues with a series of posts on Divine Mercy Sunday, a feast that is celebrated on the Sunday after Easter.

Jesus requested the establishment of this feast to a Polish nun, Sister Faustina Kowalska, who published a diary several hundred pages long documenting all that Jesus communicated to her. The core message of Divine Mercy Sunday is nothing new, as it has been taught by the Church through scripture and tradition: that God is merciful and we too must be merciful. Divine Mercy Sunday emphasizes this in a greater way, calling people to a deeper understanding that God's love is unlimited and available to everyone, even the greatest sinners. 

Prior to the Feast of Divine Mercy Sunday, Jesus asked that it be preceded by a Novena to The Divine Mercy, to begin on Good Friday. Jesus gave a specific intention to Sister Faustina for each day of the novena, with the last day the most difficult intention of all, the lukewarm and indifferent souls. Sister Faustina had made note of this in her diary, "These souls cause Me more suffering than any others; it was from such souls that My soul felt the most revulsion in the Garden of Olives. It was on their account that I said: 'My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass Me by.' The last hope of salvation for them is to flee to My Mercy." 

Each day of the novena, we bring to Jesus' heart a different group of souls to be immersed in his ocean of mercy as is noted in Sister Faustina's diary, "On each day of the novena you will bring to My heart a different group of souls and you will immerse them in this ocean of My mercy...On each day you will beg My Father, on the strength of My passion, for the graces for these souls." Below are the different groups of souls prayed for each day of the novena:

1. DAY 1 (Good Friday) - All mankind, especially sinners
2. DAY 2 (Holy Saturday) - The souls of priests and religious
3. DAY 3 (Easter Sunday) - All devout and faithful souls
4. DAY 4 (Easter Monday) - Those who do not believe in and do not yet know Jesus 
5. DAY 5 (Easter Tuesday) - The souls of separated brethren
6. DAY 6 (Easter Wednesday) - The meek and humble souls and the souls of children
7. DAY 7 (Easter Thursday) - The souls who especially venerate and glorify Jesus' mercy
8. DAY 8 (Easter Friday) - The souls who are detained in purgatory; 
9. DAY 9 (Easter Saturday) - The souls who have become lukewarm.

During the Solemn Novena leading to Divine Mercy Sunday, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, should be offered each day for the above noted daily intentions; that is, on Day One in addition to the novena prayer, recite the chaplet for that day's same intention. This would mean that for Day One, both sets of prayers (novena and chaplet) would be offered up for "All mankind, especially sinners." On Day Two, the prayers would be offered up for "The souls of priests and religious" and so forth. This pattern would continue until all the intentions for the novena were completed. It is important to note that a proper spirit of prayer must accompany the recitation of the novena and chaplet. It would not suffice to mechanically recite the prayers, content on completing them without true devotion. 

Here is what Jesus told Sister Faustina about the importance and significance of the Divine Mercy Chaplet:

Say unceasingly this chaplet that I have taught you. Whoever will recite it will receive great Mercy at the hour of death. 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. I desire that the whole world know My Infinite Mercy. I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those who trust in My Mercy.... (Diary 687)

....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.

An end note regarding the selected photo associated with today's post. As the caption mentions, it is Pope John Paul II visiting the Turkish assassin who tried to kill him. What the photo further spotlights about the Divine Mercy Devotion, that Pope John Paul II clearly demonstrated, as followers of Christ we must be merciful. This is a requirement of the Divine Mercy Devotion. Jesus stated to Sister Faustina, "...[T]here must also be deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to our neighbours always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to absolve yourself from it. (Diary 742)

Jesus, have mercy on us. Our Lady Queen of Peace, pray for us.

Divine Mercy Sunday: An Opportunity to Obtain a Plenary Indulgence

The Divine Mercy image, Saint Pope John Paul II,
and Sister Faustina Kowalska

Today's post builds upon and is a continuation of my previous post, Divine Mercy Sunday: The Message of Mercy From Jesus. The message of mercy from Jesus is a beautiful expression of Our Saviour and Redeemer's love for us. It is a love so great that we can not fully comprehend it, but He has made it known, in part, through Divine Mercy Sunday which comes with it an opportunity to receive a plenary indulgence. 

Jesus communicated this wonderful gift of a plenary indulgence to Sister Faustina Kowalska, the young Polish nun who wrote a diary of several hundred pages, documenting all that Jesus communicated to her about His message of mercy. Part of that message was concerning the plenary indulgence, which was noted as follows: 

On one occasion, I heard these words: My daughter, tell the whole world about My Inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy...(Diary 699)

An important point to note regarding the Divine Mercy Devotion is the requirement that we strive not only to properly prepare to receive mercy from Jesus, but we must extend His mercy to others through our deeds. Jesus was very specific about this as noted in Sister Faustina's diary:

Yes, the first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to our neighbours always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to absolve yourself from it. (Diary 742)

A plenary indulgence is the full remission of temporal punishment due to sacramentally forgiven sins. This is granted by the merits of Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints. There are two kinds of punishment attached to sin, eternal and temporal. Sacramental confession absolves us and forgives the eternal guilt of sin, but it does not necessarily remove the temporal punishment. It depends on our degree of sorrow, which may result in the expiation of all the temporal guilt of our sins. For what ever is lacking in our sorrow and with it any remaining temporal punishment, we must expiate through prayer, penance and other means. What temporal punishment remains after death must be made up for in Purgatory.

The Divine Mercy Sunday indulgence is an opportunity for the complete remission of all temporal punishments resulting from our sins. Dependent upon this, in part, is our openness to God's grace. It is important that we perform the conditions of the Divine Mercy Sunday indulgence in a proper manner; that is, with true devotion and sincerity in our desire to receive the indulgence.

It is also important that we be detached from our sins; that we truly detest our sins. In doing so, we orient our will away from creatures and direct it toward God. This is a necessary condition that must be satisfied to receive the plenary indulgence. In this way, we open our will to God's mercy flowing into our souls, which alone is able to effect the complete remission of all temporal punishment. 

To receive a plenary indulgence, the following are the usual conditions:

• Sacramental Confession, within about 20 days before or after
• Eucharistic Communion, preferably on the day, or the days before or after
• Prayer for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff (the pope)

The specific conditions that must be satisfied, in addition to the usual conditions, for the Divine Mercy Sunday indulgence:

• in any church or chapel, in a spirit that is completely detached from the affection for a sin, even a venial sin, take part in the prayers and devotions held in honour of Divine Mercy
• or, in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament exposed or reserved in the tabernacle, recite the Our Father and the Creed, adding a devout prayer to the merciful Lord Jesus (e.g. Merciful Jesus, I trust in you!")

If any of the above conditions are not fulfilled, the indulgence is not considered a plenary indulgence, but a partial indulgence. 

As a friendly reminder, Divine Mercy Sunday is celebrated on the Sunday after Easter.

Divine Mercy Sunday: The Message of Mercy From Jesus

Pope John Paul II, the Divine Mercy image and Sister Faustina Kowalska

Mark your calendars Divine Mercy Sunday is April 27. I decided to publish today's post well in advance of the feast day to afford those who have never heard of or practiced this devotion, the time to become familiar with it. If you are such an individual, I hope today's post will help you to understand and embrace this beautiful devotion.

The Divine Mercy message was nothing new, but it was a powerful reminder of what the Church has always taught through scripture and tradition: that God is merciful and forgiving and that we too must show mercy and forgiveness with others, always and everywhere. With the Divine Mercy Devotion, this message takes on a greater focus, calling the faithful to a deeper understanding that God’s love is unlimited and available to everyone, especially the greatest sinners.

The Feast of Divine Mercy Sunday which had initially been granted to Poland and celebrated within Vatican City, was extended to the Universal Catholic Church on April 30, 2000, by Pope John Paul II. The origin of the Divine Mercy Devotion comes from the writings of Sister Faustina Kowalska, a young uneducated Polish nun who in obedience to her spiritual director, wrote a diary of approximately six hundred pages recording the revelations she received from Jesus about God’s mercy. On February 22, 1931, Jesus appeared to Sister Faustina as was noted in her diary:

In the evening, when I was in my cell, I became aware of the Lord Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand was raised in blessing, the other was touching the garment at the breast. From the opening of the garment at the breast there came forth two large rays, one red and the other pale. In silence I gazed intently at the Lord; my soul was overwhelmed with fear, but also with great joy. After a while Jesus said to me, 'paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the inscription: Jesus, I trust in You.'

The dialogue continued later as Jesus explained the significance of the coloured rays emanating from His heart:

The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous; the red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls. These two rays issued forth from the depths of My most tender Mercy at that time when My agonizing Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross....Fortunate is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him.

The message of mercy is that Jesus loves all of us, no matter how great our sins may be. Jesus wants us to recognize that His mercy is greater than our sins. With this recognition, we are to call upon Him with trust, that we will receive His mercy and let it flow to others. The result will be that everyone will come to share His joy. The following are three fundamental aspects of the Divine Mercy Devotion: 

• Ask Jesus For His Mercy: Jesus wants us to approach Him in prayer constantly, with a spirit of true repentance, imploring His mercy upon us and the entire world. 
• Be Merciful: Not only does Jesus want us to receive His mercy, but He wants us to let it flow to others, extending His love and forgiveness that we received.
• Completely Trust in Jesus: Jesus wants us to understand that the graces of His mercy are dependent upon our trust in Him. The more we trust in Jesus, the more we will receive.

Living the message of mercy is essential to the Divine Mercy Devotion. The devotional practices associated with the Divine Mercy Devotion are but vessels of mercy through which God's love can be poured out upon the world. It does not suffice for us to recite the Divine Mercy Chaplet, nor to hang a picture of the Divine Mercy image in our homes or pray at 3:00pm each day, the Divine Mercy hour; we must strive to put mercy into action. This is not an option of the Divine Mercy Devotion, it is a requirement. Jesus made this abundantly clear in his direct communication to Sister Faustina, "I demand from you deeds of mercy which are to arise out of love for me. You are to show mercy to your neighbours always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse yourself from it (Diary, 742). 

If you are new to this devotion, showing mercy always and everywhere may seem somewhat difficult if not impossible under certain circumstances, but Jesus assures us that it is possible, "When a soul approaches Me with trust," He explains, "I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls" (Diary, 1074). This is something we should not only strive for, but pray for daily that we may fulfill the Gospel command, "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful" (Luke 6:36).

The question remains, how do we radiate God's mercy to others? We do this in three ways: by our actions, by our words, and by our prayers. In these three degrees, Jesus told Sister Faustina, "is contained the fullness of mercy" (Diary 742). This threefold practice of mercy is what Jesus is calling us to, but we are not all called in the same way. Jesus who understands our personalities, and individual circumstances in our lives, knows perfectly how to help us recognize the ways with which we can show mercy in our daily lives; therefore, we must pray for this imploring Jesus to show us the way. 

In our sincere desire to live the message of mercy, we must completely trust in Jesus and His mercy. In so doing, we can be assured that He will grant us all the graces we need to fulfill the devotional requirements of being merciful with others. It is with such sincerity that we can be confident that Jesus will not categorize us as one of those people who "...[D]raw near with their mouths and honour me with their lips, while their hearts are from from me..." (Is 29:13)

Today's post is but an introduction to the Divine Mercy Devotion. There are other aspects of this devotion that I have reserved for subsequent posts. If after today's reading, you have welcomed Jesus' mercy in your life, then this post has accomplished its goal. For if we truly receive God's mercy and extend it to others, we will be deserving of Christ's wonderful promise, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy" (Matthew 5:7).


Peace.