TOS207 Turn and Return – The Glory of Divine Mercy

When Jesus appeared to Faustina, He shared with her His divine plan of Mercy. He made it very easy for His beloved Children to partake of an incredible amount of grace. Since those moments His words have traveled throughout the world to make known His love and mercy. Truth of the Spirit with Patti Brunner offers episode TOS207 Turn and Return – The Glory of Divine Mercy with the Lord’s words and the story of the Divine Mercy Image, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, the Divine Mercy Sunday and the Divine Mercy Novena taken from St. Faustina’s Diary[i]. For video, audio, and script please continue reading.

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Last week the Lord shared with me, “Patti, when the weak call out my name, I lift them from the dungeons of darkness. I send my angels to break the chains and to lead them out. What do they do with freedom? Does the light burn their eyes since they are accustomed to darkness? The veil that protected them will now cleanse them like a washcloth to enter into my Presence. Only then shall they truly embrace their freedom.”

A few days later the Lord told me, “My Child, forget not my benefits. I Am who Am. I will never leave you or forsake you. ‘Turn and return’; I will always welcome back those who have left me—even those who betray or deny me. I named one of these the head of my Church! Peter, upon this rock I build my Church. This proves to the world that I forgive and restore my favor upon those who repent and return.” The Lord then inspired me to speak to you about Repent and Return-The Glory of Divine Mercy.

Welcome to Truth of the Spirit. I’m your host Patti Brunner. Today’s episode is “Turn and Return – The Glory of Divine Mercy”. We will share the story of the Chaplet, Divine Mercy Sunday and the Novena. We will share the promises Jesus gave us through St. Faustina and then we will pray the Chaplet.

As I prayed about this episode, Our Lord Jesus told me, “When I appeared to Faustina, I shared with her my divine plan of Mercy. I made it very easy for my beloved Children to partake of an incredible amount of grace. Since those moments My words have traveled throughout the world to make known my love and mercy. I gave her instructions for a reminder to the people—the image of My Divine Mercy—that it might be a constant reminder for my children to turn to Me in trust no matter what the difficulty, no matter how hard the trial. ‘Jesus I trust in You’. This simple mantra, this precious ejaculation of praise has saved countless lives as it releases my grace into the hearts of those who call out in their great need.

Each and every time I respond with my grace. Each and every time!

The Lord wanted us to share the Chaplet story.

On February 22, 1931, Sr. Faustina saw a vision of Jesus who then told her to paint His image. The image on our cover was painted in 1934. She asked the artist to add the quote of a prayer Jesus taught Faustina, “O Blood and Water which gushed forth from the side of Jesus as a Fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You.” Instead of this quote the words “Jesus, I trust in You” was added to the image of Divine Mercy.

On July 28, 1934, Sr. Faustina began writing the Diary under obedience to her confessor, Father Michael Sopocko, of her interior experiences. Years later, in 1972, he explained that as a seminary and university professor he didn’t have time to listen to her lengthy confessions so he told her to write down everything and to show it to him from time to time.

What a blessing that has been!

On Sept. 13, 1935, according to Diary entry 474, St. Faustina received a vision of an angel sent by God to execute his wrath upon the earth. Faustina began to implore the Angel to hold off for a few moments and the world would do penance, but her plea was powerless. Suddenly, she saw the Holy Trinity and felt the power of Jesus’ grace within her. Before the Throne of God, she found herself pleading with God for mercy with words she heard interiorly: (Diary, 475) “Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ for our sins and those of the whole world; for the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us.”

The next morning the Lord told her that “This prayer will serve to appease My wrath.” He completed his instruction to her in praying the Chaplet prayers using rosary beads.

In subsequent revelations, the Lord made it clear that the Chaplet was not just for her, but for the whole world. He also attached extraordinary promises to its recitation. We’ll cover those in a few moments. For now let’s continue with the history of this tremendous prayer.

On Oct. 4, 1938, Sr. Faustina died. She had stopped writing in her Diary a few months earlier.

During 1940 and 1941, the Divine Mercy message spread first among the victims of WWII.

In 1940, Fr. Joseph Jarzebowski, MIC, a member of the Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate Conception, was stranded by war. Before his departure Fr. Michael Sopocko, St. Faustina’s spiritual director, gave Fr. Jarzebowski materials on Divine Mercy that he had prepared. With these materials and with seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Fr. Jarzebowski set out for the journey out of Poland. He vowed that if he were able to safely reach his fellow Marians in America, he would spend the rest of his life spreading the Divine Mercy message and devotion.

After an extraordinary journey from Poland into Lithuania, then across Russia and Siberia to Vladivostok, and from there to Japan, he arrived on American soil. In 1941, hardly three years after the death of Sr. Faustina, the Divine Mercy devotion was brought to the USA from Poland. True to his vow, he immediately began to spread the message in Polish, with the help of the Felician Sisters in Michigan and Connecticut.

Between 1942-1959, the Divine Mercy message spread worldwide through the efforts of the Marians, who published images and literature in many languages. In 1944 Fr. Walter Pelczynski, MIC, established the “Mercy of God Apostolate” in Stockbridge, MA, and now that’s the home of the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy and the Marian Helpers Center, a religious publishing house that has become the international center for the Divine Mercy message and devotion. You can find their address on the back of the familiar Divine Mercy pamphlets.

By 1953, some 25 million pieces of Divine Mercy literature had been distributed around the world. Everything came to a stop in 1959 when the Holy Office issued a notification banning Divine Mercy devotion. Investigations of Sr. Faustina continued under the guidance of Archbishop Karol Wojtyla and in 1965 Sr. Faustina was given the title “Servant of God”. On January 31, 1968, the process of Beatification of Sr. Faustina was inaugurated. Ten years later, April 15, 1978, the Prefect of Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith declared the Notification that the ban was no longer binding. The following year in May of 1980, the Marians published the Critical Edition of Sr. Faustina’s Diary in Polish. Six years later, 1986, Marians published the Critical Edition of Sr. Faustina’s Diary in English.

In 2000, Sr. Faustina was canonized a saint by Pope John Paul II, formerly known as Cardinal Karol Wojtyla. On August 21, 2002, there was a Decree of the Apostolic Penitentiary issued on Indulgences attached to devotions in honor of Divine Mercy.

Are you curious about the story of Divine Mercy Sunday? The first Mass during which the Divine Mercy image was displayed was on April 28, 1935, the first Sunday after Easter and was attended by Sr. Faustina. In 1936 according to Diary 699 Jesus told Faustina, “My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy.”

On April 30, 2000, Pope John Paul II canonized Sr. Faustina as the first saint of the Great Jubilee Year on the Second Sunday of Easter. The Holy Father announced that the Second Sunday of Easter would now be celebrated as Divine Mercy Sunday throughout the universal Church. In his homily, the Holy Father said: “In fact, it was between the First and Second World Wars that Christ entrusted His message of mercy to her. Those who remember, who were witnesses and participants in the events of those years and the horrible sufferings they caused for millions of people, know well how necessary was the message of mercy. Jesus told Sr. Faustina: ‘Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy,’ (Diary, 300). Through the work of the Polish religious, this message has become linked forever to the 20th century, the last of the second millennium and the bridge to the third.” Pope John Paul continued, “It is not a new message but can be considered a gift of special enlightenment that helps us to relive the Gospel of Easter more intensely, to offer it as a ray of light to the men and women of our time.” Pope John Paul II continued saying, “What will the years ahead bring us? We are not given to know. But the light of Divine Mercy, which the Lord in a way wished to return to the world through Sr. Faustina’s charism, will illumine the way for the men and women of the third Millennium. Sr. Faustina’s canonization has a particular eloquence: ‘… by this act I intend today to pass this message on to the new millennium.’”

A few days later, on May 5, 2000, the Church issued a decree officially establishing the Second Sunday of Easter as “Divine Mercy Sunday.”

As I prepared for this episode the Lord said to me, “Remind of the Novena that begins on Good Friday.” A novena is typically nine days of prayer in preparation of a celebration of a feast day. The Chaplet can be said anytime, but the Lord specifically asked that it be recited as a novena. He promised, “By this Novena (of Chaplets), I will grant every possible grace to souls.”

Sr. Faustina wrote in her Diary 1209 “Jesus, I trust in You. Novena to The Divine Mercy which Jesus instructed me to write down and make before the Feast of Mercy. It begins on Good Friday.” Jesus told her: “I desire that during these nine days you bring souls to the fountain of My mercy, that they may draw there from strength and refreshment and whatever grace they have need of in the hardships of life, and especially at the hour of death” (Diary, 1209).

For each of the nine days, our Lord gave Saint Faustina a different intention: All mankind, especially sinners; the souls of priests and religious; all devout and faithful souls; those who do not believe in God and those who do not yet know Jesus; the souls who have separated themselves from the Church; the meek and humble souls and the souls of little children; the souls who especially venerate and glorify His mercy; the souls detained in purgatory; and souls who have become lukewarm.

Next, the Lord wanted Truth of the Spirit to share the promises with you. St. Faustina recorded these words of Jesus, “Encourage souls to say the Chaplet which I have given you (Diary, 1541). Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death (Diary 687). Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this Chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite mercy (Diary 687). I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy (Diary 687). When they say this Chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as the just Judge but as the Merciful Savior (Diary, 1541). “When hardened sinners say it, I will fill their souls with peace, and the hour of their death will be a happy one.” (Diary, 1541)

The Promises

Divine Mercy Sunday may be the greatest day of the year because of the immeasurable amount of grace Jesus promised to pour forth on this day. In the private revelation accepted publicly by the Church, Jesus made a specific promise to Saint Faustina about Divine Mercy Sunday: “On that day . . . The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment.” (Diary, 699) Jesus gave these conditions and promise of a complete pardon at least two other times to Faustina. (Diary, 300 & 1109)

Other promises attached to the praying of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy as revealed to St. Faustina Kowalska include the following: “I promise that the soul that will venerate this image (of Divine Mercy) will not perish. I also promise victory over (its) enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. I, Myself,” Jesus said, “I, myself will defend it as My own glory.” (Diary, 48)

“The two rays denote Blood and Water…These two rays issued from the very depths of My tender mercy,” Jesus said, “when My agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross. These rays shield souls from the wrath of My Father…I desire that the first Sunday after Easter be the Feast of Mercy…whoever approaches the Fount of Life on this day will be granted complete remission of sins and punishment. Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy.” (Diary, 299-300)

“The souls that say this chaplet will be embraced by My mercy during their lifetime and especially at the hour of their death.” (Diary, 754)

“Souls who spread the honor of My mercy…at the hour of death I will not be a Judge for them, but the Merciful Savior.” (Diary, 1075)

“At three o’clock, implore My mercy, especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony…I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion.” (Diary, 1320; also, cf. Diary, 1572)

Jesus told her, “The prayer most pleasing to Me is prayer for the conversion for sinners. Know, my daughter, that this prayer is always heard and answered.” (Diary, 1397)

“My mercy is greater than your sins and those of the entire world.” (Diary, 1485)

“To priests who proclaim and extol My mercy, I will give wondrous power; I will anoint their words and touch the hearts of those to whom they will speak.” (Diary, 1521)

“Through this chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with My will.” (Diary, 1731)

Pray the Chaplet with us. We will pray the optional Opening and Closing Prayers taken from the Diary 1319, 84 and 950.

Divine Mercy Chaplet

In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us. (Diary, 1319)

(Repeat three times)

O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You!

(Diary 84)

The Lord’s Prayer:

Our Father Who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name; Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven; Give us this day our daily bread; And Forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Amen

Hail Mary:

Hail Mary full of Grace, the Lord is with Thee, Blessed art Thou among Women and Blessed is the Fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen

Apostles’ Creed:

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord. Who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He shall come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

On starting and on the “Our Father” Rosary beads say:

1. Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.