Journeying with Divine Mercy

Caught in Providence is a beloved local show where I live because of the fair Judge Frank Caprio. In a recent episode, a priest visited the judge with a special message and donation. Both priest and judge shared stories of witnessing mercy and the importance of the unity of family. The priest shared that the meaning of the Hebrew word chesed can be translated as mercy or to “journey with someone, to pull them out of the depths of their despair.” I have a devotion to the Divine Mercy and yes, praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet is indeed a journey.

If you come to our church, you’ll see me and my youngest son make a stop in front of the image after Mass, but my journey with mercy began about 11 years ago. Back then, my husband and I were new parents to our first son, yet I was having trouble healing from some past relationships. God was telling me it was time to leave the past behind; after all, how did it serve me to keep rehashing it?

I was getting sick and tired of this weighing on me, so I decided to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet daily as I pushed the stroller around the neighborhood. First, I struggled to pray the words, “Eternal Father I offer You the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.” I pondered how I could “offer” the Son to the Father. I had to pause every time I got to those big beads, but the more I prayed, the more it sank in how much He loves us and all the ways He wants to save us. 

Next, I struggled with asking that these past people forgive me for whatever they felt I may have done to them. This prayer request was a tough one because, naturally, I thought that they had wronged me. But I stuck to this pattern of asking the Lord to help me forgive them and help them forgive me, and it worked. After a few months, I realized I had stopped playing movies in my mind or worrying about what people thought of me. 

What a load off my mind and heart to hand this healing over to the Father and the Son.

My second experience of receiving the gift of mercy was when my father lay dying. Once his cancer came back for a third time and in a different way, it took about a month for him to pass. During that month I constantly prayed the chaplet for his peaceful death and for his sins to be forgiven. Even though that month was challenging for many reasons, it was also layered with peace. In the end, my prayers were answered and my father’s last moments were peaceful. 

These days I have an alarm on my phone to ring at 3 PM to remind me to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet. I always make sure I add the intention of praying for our nation, for the person in my life who may need mercy the most, or for the recently deceased. If you're struggling with offering forgiveness, receiving forgiveness, or accepting death, begin your journey of mercy with Jesus. He will always lead the way.