Saint John Paul II called St. Faustina "the great apostle of Divine Mercy in our time."
Saint Faustina (1905-1938) was a young, uneducated nun in a convent of the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Poland during the 1930s. She had only three years of simple education, so hers were the humblest tasks in the convent, usually in the kitchen or garden. However, she received extraordinary revelations — or messages — from our Lord Jesus. Jesus asked Sister Faustina to record these experiences, which she compiled into notebooks. These notebooks are known today as the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, and the words contained within are God's loving message of Divine Mercy.
Though the Divine Mercy message is not new to the teachings of the Church, St. Faustina's Diary sparked a great movement, and a strong and significant focus on the mercy of Christ.
Saint John Paul II canonized Sr. Faustina in 2000 making her the "first saint of the new millennium." Speaking of St. Faustina and the importance of the message contained in her Diary, the Pope called her "the great apostle of Divine Mercy in our time."
On Sept. 1, 2015, the Marian Fathers in Stockbridge launched a petition drive requesting the Holy See to name St. Faustina a Doctor of the Church. The Church bestows this ecclesiastical title on saints of extraordinary holiness, those whose theological writings have been declared exemplary and beneficial for the countless faithful worldwide in teaching the truth, beauty, and splendor of the faith. Please join the thousands who have already signed this petition!
Here are, in no particular order, the Top 22 Quotes of St. Faustina from the Diary, selected by Robert Stackpole, STD, Emeritus Director of the John Paul II Institute of Divine Mercy. The words spoken by Jesus to St. Faustina are traditionally printed in bold.
1) On one occasion, Jesus gave me to know that when I pray for intentions which people are wont to entrust to me, He is always ready to grant His graces, but souls do not always want to accept them: My Heart overflows with great mercy for souls, and especially for poor sinners … it is for them that the Blood and Water flowed from my Heart as from a fount overflowing with mercy (Diary, 367).
2) [Jesus said,] Souls that make an appeal to My mercy delight Me. To such souls I grant even more graces than they ask. I cannot punish even the greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to My compassion (Diary, 1146).
3) [Jesus said,] I am offering people a vessel with which they are to keep coming for graces to the fountain of mercy. That vessel is this image with the signature: “Jesus, I trust in You” (Diary, 327).
4) [Jesus said,] The graces of My mercy are drawn by means of one vessel only, and that is — trust. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive (Diary, 1578).
5) When I went for adoration, I heard these words: ... Tell [all people], My daughter, that I am Love and Mercy itself. When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls (Diary, 1074).
6) The Lord said to me, ... Tell My priests that hardened sinners will repent on hearing their words when they speak about My unfathomable mercy, about the compassion I have for them in My Heart. To priests who proclaim and extol My mercy, I will give wondrous power; I will anoint their words and touch the hearts of those to whom they will speak (Diary, 1521).
7) One thing alone sustains me and that is Holy Communion. From it I draw all my strength; in it is all my comfort. … Jesus concealed in the Host is everything to me. … I would not know how to give glory to God if I did not have the Eucharist in my heart (Diary, 1037).
8) Today the Lord said to me, Daughter, when you go to confession, to this fountain of My mercy, the Blood and Water which came forth from My Heart always flows down upon your soul and enobles it. Every time you go to confession, immerse yourself entirely in My mercy, with great trust, so that I may pour the bounty of My grace upon your soul. When you approach the confessional, know this, that I Myself am waiting there for you. I am only hidden by the priest, but I Myself act in your soul. Here the misery of the soul meets the God of mercy. Tell souls that from this fount of mercy souls draw graces solely with the vessel of trust. If their trust is great, there is no limit to My generosity (Diary, 1602).
9) In whatever state a soul may be, it ought to pray. A soul which is pure and beautiful must pray, or else it will lose its beauty; a soul which is striving after this purity must pray, or else it will never attain it; a soul which is newly converted must pray, or else it will fall again; a sinful soul, plunged in sins, must pray so that it might rise again. There is no soul which is not bound to pray, for every single grace comes to the soul through prayer (Diary, 146).
10) Today I head the words: In the Old Covenant I sent prophets wielding thunderbolts to My People. Today I am sending you with My mercy to the people of the whole world. I do not want to punish aching mankind, but I desire to heal it, pressing it to My Merciful Heart. I use punishment when they themselves force Me to do so; My hand is reluctant to take hold of the sword of justice. Before the Day of Justice I am sending the Day of Mercy (Diary, 1588).
11) On one occasion, I heard these words: My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and a shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. 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. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day are opened all the divine floodgates through which graces flow. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My mercy (Diary, 699).
12) Novena to The Divine Mercy which Jesus instructed me to write down and make before the Feast of Mercy. It begins on Good Friday. ...
First Day
Today bring to Me all mankind, especially all sinners, and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. In this way you will console Me in the bitter grief into which the loss of souls plunges Me.
Most Merciful Jesus, whose very nature it is to have compassion on us and to forgive us, do not look upon our sins but upon our trust which we place in Your infinite goodness. Receive us all into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart, and never let us escape from It. We beg this of You by Your love which unites You to the Father and the Holy Spirit. ...
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon all mankind and especially upon poor sinners, all enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion show us Your mercy, that we may praise the omnipotence of Your mercy for ever and ever. Amen (Diary, 1209-1211).
13) Praises of The Divine Mercy (Diary, 948-949).
God's Love is the flower—Mercy the fruit.
Let the doubting soul read these considerations on Divine Mercy and become trusting.
- Divine Mercy, gushing forth from the bosom of the Father, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, greatest attribute of God, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, incomprehensible mystery, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, fountain gushing forth from the mystery of the Most Blessed Trinity, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, unfathomed by any intellect, human or angelic, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, from which wells forth all life and happiness, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, better than the heavens, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, source of miracles and wonders, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, encompassing the whole universe, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, descending to earth in the Person of the Incarnate Word, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, which flowed out from the open wound of the Heart of Jesus, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, enclosed in the Heart of Jesus for us, and especially for sinners, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, unfathomed in the institution of the Sacred Host, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, in the founding of Holy Church, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, in our justification through Jesus Christ, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, accompanying us through our whole life, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, embracing us especially at the hour of death, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, endowing us with immortal life, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, accompanying us every moment of our life, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, shielding us from the fire of hell, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, in the conversion of hardened sinners, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, astonishment for Angels, incomprehensible to Saints, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, unfathomed in all the mysteries of God, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, lifting us out of every misery, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, source of our happiness and joy, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, in calling us forth from nothingness to existence, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, embracing all the works of His hands, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, crown of all of God’s handiwork, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, in which we are all immersed, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, sweet relief for anguished hearts, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, only hope of despairing souls, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, repose of hearts, peace amidst fear, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, delight and ecstasy of holy souls, I Trust in You.
- Divine Mercy, inspiring hope against all hope, I Trust in You.
14) God’s mercy sometimes touches the sinner at the last moment in a wondrous and mysterious way. Outwardly, it seems as if everything were lost, but it is not so. The soul, illumined by a ray of God’s powerful final grace, turns to God in the last moment with such a power of love that, in an instant, it receives from God forgiveness of sin and punishment … (Diary, 1698).
15) I adore You, Lord and Creator, hidden in the Blessed Sacrament. I adore You for all the works of Your hands, that reveal to me so much wisdom, goodness and mercy, O Lord. You have spread so much beauty over the earth, and it tells me about Your beauty, even though these beautiful things are but a faint reflection of You, Incomprehensible Beauty. And although You have hidden Yourself and concealed Your beauty, my eye, enlightened by faith, reaches You, and my soul recognizes its Creator, its Highest Good; and my heart is completely immersed in prayer of adoration (Diary, 1692).
16) Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself (Diary, 950).
17) In the evening, when I was in my cell, I saw the Lord Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand [was] raised in the gesture of blessing, the other was touching the garment at the breast. From beneath the garment, slightly drawn aside at the breast, there were emanating two large rays, one red, the other pale. In silence I kept my gaze fixed on the Lord; my soul was struck with awe, but also with great joy. After a while, Jesus said to me, Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: Jesus, I trust in You. I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and [then} throughout the world.
I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish. I also promise victory over [its] enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. I Myself will defend it as My own glory (Diary, 47-48).
18) O my Jesus, each of Your saints reflects one of Your virtues; I desire to reflect Your compassionate heart, full of mercy; I want to glorify it. Let Your mercy, O Jesus, be impressed upon my heart and soul like a seal, and this will be my badge in this and the future life. Glorifying Your mercy is the exclusive task of my life (Diary, 1242).
19) O Most Holy Trinity! As many times as I breathe, as many times as my heart beats, as many times as my blood pulsates through my body, so many thousand times do I want to glorify Your mercy.
I want to be completely transformed into Your mercy and to be Your living reflection, O Lord. May the greatest of all divine attributes, that of Your unfathomable mercy, pass through my heart and soul to my neighbor.
Help me, O Lord, that my eyes may be merciful, so that I may never suspect or judge from appearances, but look for what is beautiful in my neighbors‟ souls and come to their rescue.
Help me, that my ears may be merciful, so that I may give heed to my neighbors‟ needs and not be indifferent to their pains and moanings.
Help me, O Lord, that my tongue may be merciful, so that I should never speak negatively of my neighbor, but have a word of comfort and forgiveness for all.
Help me, O Lord, that my hands may be merciful and filled with good deeds, so that I may do only good to my neighbors and take upon myself the more difficult and toilsome tasks.
Help me, that my feet may be merciful, so that I may hurry to assist my neighbor, overcoming my own fatigue and weariness. My true rest is in the service of my neighbor.
Help me, O Lord, that my heart may be merciful so that I myself may feel all the sufferings of my neighbor. I will refuse my heart to no one. I will be sincere even with those who, I know, will abuse my kindness. And I will lock myself up in the most merciful Heart of Jesus. I will bear my own suffering in silence. May Your mercy, O Lord, rest upon me.
You Yourself command me to exercise the three degrees of mercy. The first: the act of mercy, of whatever kind. The second: the word of mercy – if I cannot carry out a work of mercy, I will assist by my words. The third: prayer – if I cannot show mercy by deeds or words, I can always do so by prayer. My prayer reaches out even there where I cannot reach out physically.
O my Jesus, transform me into Yourself, for you can do all things (Diary, 163).
20) Today Jesus said to me, I desire that you know more profoundly the love that burns in My Heart for souls, and you will understand this when you meditate upon My Passion. Call upon My mercy on behalf of sinners; I desire their salvation. When you say this prayer, with a contrite heart and with faith on behalf of some sinner, I will give him the grace of conversion. This is the prayer:
“O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You” (Diary, 186-187).
21) The next morning, when I entered chapel, I heard these words interiorly: Every time you enter the chapel, immediately recite the prayer which I taught you yesterday. When I had said the prayer, in my soul I heard these words: This prayer will serve to appease My wrath. You will recite it for nine days, on the beads of the rosary, in the following manner: First of all, you will say one OUR FATHER and HAIL MARY and the I BELIEVE IN GOD. Then on the OUR FATHER beads you will say the following words: “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.” On the HAIL MARY beads you will say the following words: “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion have mercy on us and on the whole world.” In conclusion, three times you will recite these words: “Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world” (Diary, 476).
22) Jesus: Be not afraid of your Savior; O sinful soul. I make the first move to come to you, for I know that by yourself you are unable to lift yourself to me. Child, do not run away from your Father; be willing to talk openly with your God of mercy who wants to speak words of pardon and lavish his graces on you. How dear your soul is to Me! I have inscribed your name upon My hand; you are engraved as a deep wound in My Heart (Diary, 1485).
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