Divine Mercy Novena is a fountain of grace for the Church

Original Divine Mercy image as revealed to St. Faustina Kowalska in 1931. (Public Domain)

By Marco Roman, PhD

Communications Director

Each year on Good Friday, Catholics throughout the world begin the Divine Mercy Novena, a nine-day prayer that culminates on Divine Mercy Sunday, the Sunday following Easter.

This devotion flows directly from the mystery of Christ’s Passion, Death and Resurrection and reminds us that the greatest revelation of God’s power is His mercy.

The devotion originates from the mystical experiences of St. Faustina Kowalska, a humble Polish Religious sister of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. In the 1930s, she received a series of revelations in which Jesus called the world to rediscover the depth of God’s mercy for sinners and for all humanity.

These experiences were recorded in her spiritual diary, Divine Mercy in My Soul. In one of the most striking passages of the diary, Jesus told her, “Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to my mercy” (Diary 300).

The message entrusted to St. Faustina gradually spread throughout the Church and the world. One of its most important promoters was Pope St. John Paul II, who had a deep personal devotion to Divine Mercy from his youth in Poland. In 2000, he canonized St. Faustina and established the Sunday after Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday for the universal Church, recognizing the profound spiritual importance of the message of mercy for our time.

The Divine Mercy Novena begins on Good Friday and continues for nine days, concluding on the vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday. Each day of the novena focuses on praying for particular groups of people — including priests, consecrated souls, sinners, the faithful and the whole world — entrusting them to the mercy of Christ.

The principal prayer associated with the devotion is the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, prayed using the beads of the rosary. At the heart of the chaplet is the offering of Christ’s saving sacrifice to the Father: “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.”

This prayer expresses a profound truth of our faith: our redemption comes through the one saving sacrifice of Christ accomplished on the Cross and continually made present to us in the Holy Eucharist.

In the revelations recorded by St. Faustina, Jesus emphasized the immeasurable depth of divine mercy available to every sinner who approaches Him with trust and repentance. As she records in her diary, Jesus said, “The greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to my mercy” (Diary 723). These words capture the very heart of the Gospel — that no sin is greater than the mercy of God when we turn to Him with humble faith.

Divine Mercy Sunday is also associated with the gift of a plenary indulgence granted by the Apostolic Penitentiary with the approval of St. John Paul II. A plenary indulgence removes all temporal punishment due to sin whose guilt has already been forgiven in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

To obtain this indulgence, the faithful must fulfill the usual conditions required for a plenary indulgence: sacramental confession, reception of Holy Communion, prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father and complete detachment from all sin, even venial sin.

In addition, the faithful must either participate in prayers and devotions held in honor of Divine Mercy in a church or chapel or, in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, recite the Our Father and the Creed and add a devout prayer to the merciful Lord Jesus, such as the invocation, “Jesus, I trust in you.”

Those who are unable to be present in church because of illness or other serious circumstances may also obtain the indulgence if, with a spirit detached from sin and with the intention of fulfilling the usual conditions as soon as possible, they pray the Our Father and the Creed before an image of the merciful Savior and entrust themselves to His mercy.

The message of Divine Mercy is not simply a private devotion but a call to conversion and renewed trust in the saving power of Christ. Jesus told St. Faustina, “Let no soul fear to draw near to me, even though its sins be as scarlet” (Diary, 699). These words echo the central proclamation of the Gospel: through the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, humanity has been reconciled to God and offered the gift of eternal life.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church expresses this truth beautifully: “The Gospel is the revelation in Jesus Christ of God’s mercy to sinners” (CCC 1846).

At the same time, the devotion reminds us that those who receive mercy must also become instruments of mercy toward others. Jesus told St. Faustina, “I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for me” (Diary 742). The Christian who has experienced God’s forgiveness is called to extend that same compassion and charity to those in need.

Across the Diocese of Boise, many parishes celebrate the Divine Mercy devotion with prayer services, Eucharistic Adoration, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and opportunities for confession. These gatherings reflect the growing appreciation among the faithful for this powerful reminder of God’s mercy revealed in Christ.

The devotion also resonates deeply with the Church’s mission of evangelization. Each year during the Easter season, we witness many catechumens — the Elect — receiving the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil and becoming neophytes, newly reborn through the saving waters of Baptism and nourished by the Eucharist.

At the same time, candidates who have already been baptized are fully initiated into the Catholic Church through the reception of the Sacraments of Confirmation and the Holy Eucharist. Their journey reminds us that the mercy flowing from the heart of Christ continues to draw souls toward conversion, reconciliation and the fullness of life in His Church.

As we celebrate the Paschal Mystery, the Church invites us to contemplate the wounded yet glorified heart of Christ, from which flowed blood and water for the salvation of the world. The Divine Mercy Novena and Divine Mercy Sunday remind us that the Resurrection is not only a victory over death but also the triumph of God’s mercy over sin.

St. Faustina recorded these striking words of Jesus describing the significance of the feast: “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” (Diary 848).

The grace poured out through the Paschal Mystery is the same grace that cleanses us in Baptism, restores us in Reconciliation and nourishes us in the Eucharist. In this way, the devotion to Divine Mercy leads us back to the very heart of the Church’s sacramental life.

For those who wish to learn more about the Divine Mercy devotion, the Divine Mercy Novena and the Church’s teaching regarding the indulgence associated with Divine Mercy Sunday, additional resources can be found through the Divine Mercy apostolate at thedivinemercy.org, which provides guidance on the chaplet, novena and message entrusted to St. Faustina.

In a world often marked by anxiety, division and uncertainty, the message entrusted to St. Faustina continues to echo with urgency and hope: Jesus, I trust in you.