Divine Mercy Sunday

Tomorrow (April 11th) is Divine Mercy Sunday. In honor of that, I am reprinting the Divine Mercy Chaplet for anyone who might not be familiar with it or simply to encourage others to pray it. It is a prayer I say every day. For anyone interested in learning more about Divine Mercy, I recommend Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul or Divine Mercy: A Guide from Genesis to Benedict XVI.

This chaplet may be prayed using a set of rosary beads or a chaplet to keep track of the prayers.
If neither is available, you can keep track on your fingers.

1. Begin with the Sign of the Cross, 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary and The Apostles Creed.

Sign of the Cross:
In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

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.

The Apostles Creed
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; the third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into Heaven, and sits at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from there He shall 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.

2. Say once:
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. Say 10 times:
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

(Repeat step 2 and 3 five times).

4. Conclude with (three times):

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

History of the Chaplet

In 1933, God gave Sister (now Saint) 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.

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".