Now Saint Faustina, is a widely recognized name, and the devotional prayer revealed to her by Christ in many visions, The Divine Mercy Chaplet, is even more widely known. At my parish back home it is recited each day after daily Mass, along with the rosary. But few know of the other devotions revealed by Christ to St. Faustina in her visions. Truly the Chaplet is of indispensable worth, but there are a few other pieces to the Divine Mercy Devotion.
The first is the Divine Mercy Novena, it is recited the nine days before Divine Mercy Sunday, starting on Good Friday. There is a plenary indulgence attached to the recitation of the Novena, assuming all the other norms for receiving the plenary indulgence(to be discussed in a later post) are fulfilled. Each day the Chaplet is said along with another short daily prayer which is said before or after. Each day the intentions mentioned in the daily prayer change according to what Christ revealed.
"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."-Diary of St. Faustina
The specific prayers to the Novena can be found here. If you missed the beginning of the novena don't worry the Feast of Divine Mercy is still yours to be enjoyed!
Immediately following the Novena is the aforementioned Divine Mercy Sunday, also called Feast of Divine Mercy. Of which our Lord commands "I want the image solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Eater, and I want it to be venerated publicly so that every soul may know about it."-Dairy of St. Faustina, 341
and again
"This Feast emerged from the very depths of My mercy, and it is confirmed in the vast depths of my tender mercies."-Dairy of St. Faustina, 420
Third is Devotion to the Image of Divine Mercy. This was the earliest revelation of the entire Divine Mercy devotionals. Christ says it simply "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."-Dairy of St. Faustina, 48
Fourth is The Hour of Divine Mercy. Christ asked that St. Faustina spend special time in prayer during the three o'clock hour, the hour of His agonous death.
"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...My Heart, 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"-Dairy of St. Faustina, 1572
St. Faustina recorded all of her visions and much more in her diary, which is widely published. This post is not meant to be in any way a complete explanation of the entire Divine Mercy devotion and revelations, but I hope, for those already attached to the chaplet, that you may come to a fuller love of the devotion; and for those who are not yet aware of these spiritual aids, that you may find some consolation in the glorious mercies of Christ, as I myself have found many, many times through this beautiful devotion.
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