THE DIVINE MERCY NOVENA

Pray one of the most beautiful and powerful devotions of all time, enhanced with magnificent sacred art!

The interior of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City

HOW TO PRAY WITH THE BOOKLET

If possible, I highly recommend that you pray the Divine Mercy Novena with the booklet entitled The Divine Mercy Message and Devotion. It is by Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC, and it is published by Marian Press. This booklet is a terrific resource on Divine Mercy. I like to have the sacred art on the computer screen in front of me so that I can follow along and pray using the booklet. From a logistical standpoint, it seems to be the easiest and most effective way for me to pray this devotion, so I recommend this to you as well.

HOW TO PRAY WITHOUT THE BOOKLET

However, in a worst-case scenario, I know that sometimes it’s possible that we forget our booklet, or just don’t have it handy, or maybe we are traveling on that particular day. If that’s the case, then I have provided everything you need on this website, for your convenience, so that you can still access the devotion through your smartphone.

SACRED ART

I cannot even begin to describe just how helpful sacred art has been to my prayer life. What you may notice gradually, perhaps even imperceptibly, over time is that the sacred art will help you develop a stronger relationship with Our Lord, with Our Lady, and even with the saints. Just as we like to have pictures of our loved ones at our office desk when we cannot see them in person, similarly having sacred art in front of us when we pray can be very consoling and comforting.

THE DIVINE MERCY CHAPLET OF THE HOURS

Just as I have learned to slow down and prioritize quality of prayer over quantity of prayer when reciting the Holy Rosary: A Divine Drama, I have learned to do basically the same thing with the Divine Mercy Chaplet of the Hours. However, since the chaplet is already such a short prayer, there is no need for me to stretch it out more than one day. Rather, what I do is pray the various different decades at different times of the day, much like The Divine Office (also known as The Liturgy of the Hours). Once again, I have been pleasantly surprised by how much better I am able to focus in prayer. I like to use the chaplet as an opportunity to humbly and reverently bring my sincere and loving intercessions before Our Lord. In front of me is inspiring sacred art depicting The Divine Mercy (I prefer the painting based on the original image that was made for St. Faustina, the one by Eugeniusz Kazimirowski). Then, as I recite the prayers of the chaplet, I imagine bringing each individual into the holy presence of Jesus. I usually offer one or two intentions for each of the ten divine-mercy prayers that make up a decade (“For the sake of His sorrowful passion,….”). As I mentioned previously, I like this method because I can spend quality time in prayer, without being rushed. Let me repeat again the simple yet powerful words of the very wise St. Francis de Sales: “A single Our Father said with feeling has greater value than many said quickly and hurriedly.”