The Divine Mercy Devotion Part 1

 

PRAYER SERIES.

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.

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.

1.     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.
   
   
2.    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. 
   
   
3.  Contemplate on the words of the Chaplet. What do they mean to me personally?
   
   
4. 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.
   
   
5. 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.
   
   
6.  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.
   
   
7. 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.