This prayer is a central petition from the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, revealed to Saint Faustina Kowalska in the 1930s. It is a powerful invocation asking God the Father to look upon the suffering of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to grant mercy to the individual praying and to all of humanity.
The prayer originates from the private revelations Jesus gave to Polish nun St. Faustina Kowalska, which she recorded in her diary. The devotion to Divine Mercy, including this chaplet, gained widespread approval under Pope St. John Paul II. He canonized St. Faustina in 2000 and established the Second Sunday of Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday, anchoring the devotion firmly in the Church's liturgical life, as reflected in the Roman Missal.
This prayer expresses a core tenet of Christian faith: salvation comes through the sacrificial suffering of Jesus Christ. By pleading 'for the sake of his sorrowful Passion,' we are not reminding God of the event, but aligning our own hearts with the infinite value of that sacrifice. It is an act of profound trust, appealing to God's love as revealed in the Passion and asking for the mercy that flows from it for everyone.
This invocation is prayed repeatedly during the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. The Chaplet is often prayed at 3:00 PM, the traditional hour of Jesus' death, known as the Hour of Great Mercy. It is especially fitting during Lent, on Good Friday, and during the novena leading up to Divine Mercy Sunday. Many pray it for the conversion of sinners, for the dying, and in times of great global need.
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