PRAYER
SERIES.
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| The Holy Spirit: Prayer Series Icon. |
THE DIVINE MERCY CHAPLET
Do you
ever feel dry in prayer, stopped praying, would like to explore a different way
to pray?
Throughout
this series I would like to present some different ways to pray. Many of them you will have heard of before,
some of them you have already tried but might like to revisit and others may
provide a different way into prayer.
In today’s post I would like
to focus on The Divine Mercy Chaplet. As I write this post, I have in mind
people who may have no knowledge or little knowledge of the chaplet or people
who have had some experience praying the chaplet but have let it slip from
their prayer life and would like to have a new look at it.
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| Divine Mercy Image. |
There is a lot of information
regarding the apparition of Our Lord to Sr Faustina. Understanding the image of
Divine Mercy and how the chaplet came about is worth knowing. Here is a good link regarding this Devotion
and the meaning of the image. https://www.thedivinemercy.org/message/devotions/image
The other point to realise
that we can forget is that not every devotion is necessarily suited for us at a
particular time. There are a whole range
of devotions and these can suit our personalities and ways of praying. Sadly, people can be put off some devotions
because of the personalities of some people who use it. It is important to remember that every
devotion used properly is a means to coming closer to God. If along the way,
the devotion itself becomes the most important factor, then we have lost sight
of the purpose.
If you are not familiar with
this devotion and would like to use it as a form of prayer, I recommend that
you start saying the chaplet first and see how it fits into your spirituality.
Yes, it is great to have an understanding about the devotion too and yes, it
gives you a greater appreciation for the devotion. However, there is a lot of information
regarding it and if we spend our time on the research, then we may get bogged
down and not actually pray the chaplet.
In essence the key to this
devotion is to realise that we are sinners and yet with God’s divine mercy, we
are saved and redeemed. It does not replace Sacrament of Reconciliation- the
sacrament of Mercy but it can be a great accompaniment to the sacrament.
In this day and age, some
people find it difficult to admit they are not perfect- they are indeed a
sinner in need of the mercy of God. If we find this difficult, then we only
need to have a desire to admit the truth about ourselves that we are indeed
sinners and to understand God’s mercy and ask God for help and His grace. This is a good starting point. The key to
starting then is to know what your starting point is. Where do I stand when it
comes to the concept of God’s mercy? Do I believe that I need God’s mercy? If
our starting point is that we do not need God’s mercy but would like to have a
desire to have a need for God’s mercy.. then start there. Start where ever you are at and God will come
to your aid.
HOW TO PRAY THE CHAPLET.
First, you use your rosary
beads but say different prayers using the rosary beads.
The first part of the chaplet
begins with an Our Father, Hail Mary and Apostles Creed.
Then with each decade on the
Our Father bead we say
Eternal Father, I offer you
the Body and blood, soul and divinity of Your dearly belove Son in atonement
for our sins and those of the whole world.
On the Hail Mary beads we say:
For the sake of His sorrowful
passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
At the end of the 5 decades,
we close the chaplet saying it 3 times with the words
Holy God, Holy Mighty One,
Holy immortal One
Have mercy on us and on the
whole world.
The chaplet is closed with the
words Jesus I trust in You.
SUGGESTED ACTION PLAN FOR THIS
WEEK.
- Ask God to enlighten you with regard to the
concept of God’s mercy for you. Where
are you at? Remember God accepts us
where ever we are at even if it is a very vague and faint desire to accept
God’s mercy.
- Consider the passion of Christ- you might like
to read the scripture of the Passion of Christ or read parts of it during the
week. The purpose here is to help us
appreciate at a very personal level that Jesus suffered and died for me.
- Contemplate on the words of the Chaplet. What
do they mean to me personally?
- Start to say the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Depending on your needs and starting point,
why not start with one decade said daily slowly. You could add another decade
the next week and so on. By five weeks you will have said the 5 decades daily
and will have found a rhythm for your day with this devotion.
- You can find CD’s or mp3 where the chaplet is
sung. This can be helpful too as you
feel like you are praying with other people .
Some people can pray it whilst having the CD/mp3 on in the car on the
way to work or on the way home.
- Explore whether there is a Divine Mercy group
in your parish or a parish nearby. This
may/may not be helpful in understanding more about this devotion.
- Buy my Divine Mercy Hymn which was written during Coronavirus in 2020. It is available on the album Gospel Reflections in Song at my other blog.
On a personal note, I have
used this devotion in the past and then stopped using it for quite a number of
years after a huge negative experience.
Then last year during the coronavirus lock down, I found myself starting
to pray it again. I started with one decade each day for the week. By five weeks,
I had incorporated it back into my spiritual life, had let go of the past
negative experiences and had reconnected with my need for mercy. Now I can
mentally say it in the car whilst driving too, although I prefer to say it
comfortably in the right frame of mind at home in the morning. It definitely connects me to Jesus every
morning.
The key to any devotion is not
to get ‘married’ to the devotion itself and forget the whole purpose is to
communicate with God. The devotion is a
means to fuller love and appreciation of God.
If the devotion itself is becoming the focus of your attention and you
are not connecting with God, then it is time to review what is happening.
I hope that this week that if
you have not used this devotion before, you may explore it in some way. If you
have used ti previously and were put off it by other people that you can revise
your thoughts on it and let go of these negative experiences and turn to Jesus
to help you again explore this devotion.
Next week: Saying the Novena chaplet.
