THE DIVINE MERCY

Pray one of the most beautiful and powerful devotions of all time, brimming with inspiring 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 I have noticed over time is that gradually, even imperceptibly, sacred art can help 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 NOVENA

For many years, I probably never even thought of Our Lord’s Passion when praying this beautiful novena. But now when I pray it, I meditate upon Our Lord’s suffering throughout the entire nine days. I do this by coupling this very powerful prayer with inspiring sacred art. The art is organized into three groups so that for the first three days, I am meditating upon the beginning of the Passion; then, on the next three days, I am meditating on the continuation of the Passion; then, on the final three days, I am meditating upon the conclusion of the Passion. For me, sacred art helps me to experience Jesus’ love-filled sorrow in a new and beautiful way. I hope that you too will find it to be a fruitful form of meditative prayer.

If you scroll down this page, you will find the Divine Mercy Novena, which begins every year on Good Friday and ends on Divine Mercy Sunday.

THE DIVINE MERCY CHAPLET: A DIVINE DRAMA

As I have done with the Holy Rosary, I have structured the Divine Mercy Chaplet like a five-act play, spread out over the course of a week. However, one important difference is that I pray the Holy Rosary as a meditative prayer, while I pray the Chaplet as a contemplative prayer. I do this because I find that experiencing both meditative prayer and contemplative prayer each day gives my prayer life better balance. Therefore, in terms of sacred art, in the first half of each decade, I am contemplating one of the five sorrowful mysteries; then, in the last half of each decade, I am contemplating The Divine Mercy. This is what it looks like:

Prologue — Introductory Prayers of the Divine Mercy Chaplet (Sunday)

Act I — The First Decade of the Divine Mercy Chaplet (Monday)

Contemplation: The Agony in the Garden & The Divine Mercy

Act II — The Second Decade of the Divine Mercy Chaplet (Tuesday)

Contemplation: The Scourging at the Pillar & The Divine Mercy

Act III — The Third Decade of the Divine Mercy Chaplet (Wednesday)

Contemplation: The Crowning with Thorns & The Divine Mercy

Act IV — The Fourth Decade of the Divine Mercy Chaplet (Thursday)

Contemplation: The Carrying of the Cross & The Divine Mercy

Act V — The Fifth Decade of the Divine Mercy Chaplet (Friday)

Contemplation: The Crucifixion & The Divine Mercy

Epilogue — The Concluding Prayers of the Divine Mercy Chaplet (Saturday)

If you scroll farther down this page, below the Divine Mercy Novena, you will find the Divine Mercy Chaplet, which can be prayed on any day of the year.