Throne of mercy

When an older family member was dying, I asked her if she wanted a priest (other than me) to visit her. It is a standard and recommended procedure for a Catholic like her to receive the Sacrament of the sick (Anointing of the Sick) and the Apostolic Pardon at the end of life. She said no. She had been raised in a devout Catholic home, but was not practicing at the time. Very worried about her salvation, I contacted a holy priest friend to ask what my family and I should do. He suggested that we pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for her and have all of our praying friends do the same. We followed his suggestion and prayed daily this devotion which is especially for those who are dying. Thankfully, just hours before she passed (!), she asked to see a priest and presumably received the sacraments. Thus, she died in a State of Grace and was saved!

Ever since then, I have been a big believer in the power of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. I have imitated my priest friend in recommending it to people in any difficult or life-threatening situation. The crux of the Chaplet is asking for God’s mercy by going to the Cross. The constant refrain of the prayer is “for the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world”.

The Chaplet originated less than 200 years ago as a result of the apparitions of the Lord Jesus to St. Faustina who was a Polish nun. Her autobiography which details all of His messages of Divine Mercy to the modern world is simply amazing. It is perfect for those who have been away from the Lord and His Church because it is solely focused on offering them mercy. The Lord wants His lost sheep back and makes very generous and concrete offers of forgiveness.

The Chaplet is prayed on the beads of the Rosary and takes about five minutes. It is a quick breath of Grace that takes us and our biggest intentions to the throne of the Father’s mercy. Nice break in the day from the secular world!