Divine Mercy
By Liz Wiskowski
What is divine mercy? Where did this come from?
The Bible is full of examples of God's mercy. In the Old Testament, when
God gives Moses the Ten Commandments, He promises to show mercy to those who
love Him and keep His commandments. At another time, God describes Himself to
Moses as "the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and
abounding in mercy."1 King David sings of the Lord who is
"merciful and gracious."2 Even the prophets speak of the merciful Lord
who wants to lavish mercy on those who will turn back to Him. The presence of
Jesus in the world reveals to us that God is the Father of Mercies. Christ's
entire life can be seen as a testimony to the mercy of God. He said,
"blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy."3 All the way up to the cross, He showed mercy
to all He met, and even on the cross, said, "Father, forgive them."4 So you see, God's mercy is nothing new.
In the 1930s Jesus appeared
many times to a Polish nun, Sister Faustina, and asked her to write down
everything He told her. He showed her His divine image, with the two streams
flowing from His heart, one red, one white, representing the blood and water
that came forth from His side when He was pierced at His crucifixion. He asked
that this image be painted with the words "Jesus, I trust in you." He
promised that even the most hardened sinners would be saved if they revered this
image. Jesus also told Sister Faustina of His desire that the first Sunday after
Easter be dedicated as the "Feast of Mercy." As per Pope John Paul
II's wishes, this was done in the year 2000.
Jesus appeared to Sister
Faustina many times over a period of years, and it is all recorded in her diary.
One of the things He gave her was the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. We pray this
every Friday in our chapel at 3 pm, the hour of His death. Join us, or pray it
yourself at home. Many indulgences can be gained, and you can receive a whole
ocean of grace.
1 Exodus 34:6
2 Psalm 86:15
3 Matthew 5:7
4 Luke 23:34