Q. I pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet every day, but what should I do if I can’t pray it right at 3:00? What would be an alternative time?
A. The message of Divine Mercy was given to us through Sister Maria Faustina Kowalska, a poor, uneducated polish nun from the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Poland during the 1930s. Her feast day is celebrated Oct. 5.
In the apparitions Sister Faustina received from our Lord, he appointed her His Apostle and Secretary of His mercy. He implored her to spread His message of Mercy.
In obedience to her spiritual director, Sister Faustina recorded her experiences with these apparitions in a diary entitled “Divine Mercy in My Soul.” In these writings, Jesus instructs her to spread His message of mercy to the whole world and gave her the necessary elements, that being the Image and Feast of Divine Mercy, as well as the Chaplet and Novena.
Prayed on ordinary rosary beads, The Chaplet of The Divine Mercy is an intercessory prayer that extends the offering of the Eucharist, so it is especially appropriate to use it after having received Holy Communion.
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: “Encourage souls to say the Chaplet which I have given you. Through the Chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with My will.”
It is likewise appropriate to pray the Chaplet during the “Hour of Great Mercy” — three o’clock each afternoon (recalling the time of Christ’s death on the cross). In His revelations to Sister Faustina, Our Lord asked for a special remembrance of His Passion at that hour: “My daughter, try your best to make the Stations of the Cross in this hour, provided that your duties permit it… and if you are not able… immerse yourself in prayer there where you happen to be, if only for a very brief moment.”
Praying the Divine Mercy chaplet at the three o’clock hour has become common practice, however it can be prayed at any time of the day or night, and our Lord made it clear that He desires our attention at that hour to whatever degree our duties allow. He only asks that we pause for a brief instant and think of His total abandonment at the hour of His agony.
Sister Maria Faustina was canonized a Saint in the year 2000. For more information, contact the Apostolate of Divine Mercy through the Family Life Office of the Diocese of Lincoln.
This question was answered by Sandy Danek, coordinator, Apostolate of Divine Mercy, Family Life Office, Diocese of Lincoln. Write to Ask the Register using our online form, or write to 3700 Sheridan Blvd., Suite 10, Lincoln NE 68506-6100. All questions are subject to editing. Editors decide which questions to publish. Personal questions cannot be answered. People with such questions are urged to take them to their nearest Catholic priest.
