This prayer comes from the Diary of St. Faustina Kowalska, a 20th-century Polish nun who received visions of Jesus as the Divine Mercy. It is a powerful invocation of God's mercy, often prayed at 3 p.m., the Hour of Mercy, recalling the moment of Christ's death on the cross.
This prayer was recorded by St. Faustina Kowalska in her diary, "Divine Mercy in My Soul," specifically in entry 1319. She received these words as part of a series of private revelations from Jesus in Poland during the 1930s. The devotion to Divine Mercy, including this prayer, was championed by Pope St. John Paul II, who canonized St. Faustina in 2000 and established the Second Sunday of Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday for the universal Church.
The prayer's meaning is rooted in the moment of Christ's death on the cross. The "source of life" that "gushed forth for souls" refers to the blood and water that flowed from Jesus' pierced side, symbols of the Sacraments of Eucharist and Baptism (CCC 1225). It is a profound meditation on God's self-emptying love, an "ocean of mercy" that is infinite and available to all. By praying it, the faithful place themselves at the foot of the cross, asking to be enveloped by this saving grace.
This prayer is most fittingly prayed at 3 p.m., the Hour of Great Mercy, recalling the moment Jesus died on the cross. It serves as the opening prayer for the Divine Mercy Chaplet and is a central part of the Divine Mercy Novena, which begins on Good Friday. Many pray it for special intentions, such as for the dying, for the conversion of sinners, or whenever they feel a profound need to trust in God's unfathomable mercy.
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