I
promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish. I also promise victory over (its) enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. I Myself will defend it as My own glory.(Diary, 48)
Faustina was asked by her spiritual director and confessor to ask Jesus what the blue and red rays meant.
During prayer I heard these words within me:
The two rays denote Blood and Water. 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 very depths of My tender mercy when My agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross. These rays shield souls from the wrath of My Father. Happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him.
We are not only to receive the mercy of God, but to use it by being merciful to others through our actions, our words, and our prayers; in other words, we are to practice the Corporal and Spiritual Works (Acts) of Mercy.
The Lord wants us to do these works of mercy, because even the strongest faith is of no use without works.
Jesus' Call to Mercy
"I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from
this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it.
I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor:
the first — by deed, the second — by word, the third — by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an
unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy.
Many souls ... are often worried because they do not have the material means with which to
carry out an act of mercy. Yet spiritual mercy, which requires neither permissions nor storehouses, is much more meritorious and is within the
grasp of every soul.
If a soul does not exercise mercy somehow or other, it will not obtain My mercy on the day of judgment. Oh, if only souls knew how to gather eternal treasure for themselves, they would not be judged, for they would forestall My judgment with their mercy" (1317).
What are the Works of Mercy?
Corporal Works
Feed the hungry
Give drink to the thirsty
Clothe the naked
Shelter the homeless
Comfort the prisoners
Visit the sick
Bury the dead
Spiritual Works
Teach the ignorant
Pray for the living & dead
Correct sinners
Counsel those in doubt
Console the sorrowful
Bear wrongs patiently
Forgive wrongs willingly
How to Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet
1. Begin with the Sign of the Cross, 1 Our Father, 1
Hail Mary and The Apostles Creed.
2. Then on the Our Father Beads say 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.
3. On the 10 Hail Mary Beads say the following: For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
(Repeat step 2 and 3 for all five decades).
4. Conclude with
(three times): Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole
world.
Mercy
Oh My Jesus - Forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell, and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.
What is the Divine Mercy?
In 1933, God gave Sister Faustina a
striking vision of His Mercy, Sister tells us:
"I saw a great light, with God the Father
in the midst of it.
Between this light and the earth I saw Jesus nailed to the Cross
and in such a way that God, wanting to look upon the earth, had to
look through Our Lord's wounds and I understood that God blessed
the earth for the sake of Jesus."
Of another vision on Sept. 13, 1935, she
writes:
"I saw an Angel, the executor of God's
wrath... about to strike the earth...I began to beg God earnestly for the world
with words which I heard interiorly. As I prayed in this way, I saw the Angel's
helplessness, and he could not carry out the just punishment...."
The following day an inner voice taught
her to say this prayer on ordinary rosary beads:
"First say one 'Our Father', 'Hail Mary',
and 'I believe'. Then on the large beads say the following words:
'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 smaller beads you are to say the
following words:
'For the sake of His sorrowful Passion
have mercy on us and on the
whole world.'
In conclusion you are to say these words
three times:
'Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal
One, have mercy on us
and on the whole world'.
Jesus said later to Sister Faustina:
"Say unceasingly this chaplet that I have
taught you. Anyone who says it will receive great Mercy at the hour of death.
Priests will recommend it to sinners as the last hope. Even the most hardened
sinner, if he recites this Chaplet even once, will receive grace from My
Infinite Mercy. I want the whole world to know My Infinite Mercy. I want to give
unimaginable graces to
those who trust in My Mercy...."
"....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".