THE DEVOTION TO THE DIVINE MERCY


This is not just one more devotion, just another booklet or picture. It's incomparable with anyone or anything. The Devotion to the Divine Mercy is determining the destiny of the world, the destiny of humanity. No diplomacy, politics, or any human faculty or skill can save that which seems to be heading for the destruction man has prepared -not just for one individual, but for humanity. Only Jesus, the Crucified One and the Risen One can do
this; and, this I maintain - through Mary.

                                               Franciszek Cardinal Macharski


The mission of the Blessed Sr. Faustina gives birth to new forms of devotion to the Divine Mercy. Its foundation is the attitude of trust in God and mercy toward one's neighbors.

Trust in this devotion is understood as inner attitude toward God which is expressed in the fulfillment of His will. Such an attitude is made up of a number of virtues, the most important of which is: faith, hope and love, as well as humility and contrition. Trust grows out of getting to know the secret of God's merciful love for man. It is not an emotional attitude, a feeling or an intellectual act which recognizes God's revelation as the ultimate truth, but it is man's lifetime attitude toward merciful God which is expressed in the fulfillment of His will. The words: Jesus, 1 Trust in You - which can be seen underneath the image of the Divine Mercy, are man's most appropriate response to his getting to know the mystery of the Divine mercy and his experiencing of God's mercy in his own life.

Trust constitutes the foundation of the devotion to the Divine Mercy to such an extent that without it, one cannot talk about the cult of the Divine Mercy the way the Lord Jesus wished it. Every form of the devotion described by the Blessed Sr. Faustina becomes an authentic act of worship of the Divine Mercy and will bring the desired fruits (among others, the fulfillment of Jesus' promises), if it flows out of the attitude of inner trust in God. Trust is such an essential act of devotion to the Divine Mercy that even without the practice of other forms of the devotion, it assures the attainment of graces contained in the general promises which the Lord Jesus associeted with this devotion. The graces of My mercy are drawn by means of one vessel only, and that is - trust. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive.

Mercy towards one's neighbors is the second, besides trust, essential element of this devotion. Through the Blessed Sr. Faustina, the Lord Jesus reminds us about the basic Christian duty: You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it. I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor: the first - by deed, the second - by word, the third - by prayer; in these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy. In the private revelations to the Blessed Sr. Faustina the Lord Jesus expressed a desire, that those who worship Him should perform out of love for Him through deed, word or prayer at least one act of mercy toward their neighbors every day. He also explains that mercy for the soul is of greater merit and adds that one does not need material resources to implement it. Mercy may and should be practiced by every human individual. It is a requirement which is set forth in the Holy Gospel before all those who have been baptised. Thanks to this, the worship of the Divine Mercy, does not have a merely devotional character, but is a deeply experienced form of Christian life.