WHAT DO YOU DO AT 3PM EVERY DAY?
Fr. Brendan Kealy
If you have not read the Diary of St. Faustina of Divine Mercy, I recommend that you order a copy. In it, Jesus literally opens His Sacred Heart to Faustina, and in turn, speaks to us. He tells us, through her, that trusting Him and His Mercy should constitute our faith as Christians. He gives us the image of Divine Mercy, revealing the mysteries of the Church, which came forth from His Sacred Heart. He reveals an expressway on how to become a Saint on earth, by meditating on His Passion every day, especially at 3pm, which He calls the Hour of Mercy.
He is not talking about the time between 3pm and 4pm but at the exact moment of 3pm, because it was at 3pm that His saving mission was accomplished and His Blood and Water were poured out on the Cross for the sins of the whole world. In the Diary, Jesus reveals His limitless love and mercy for us, especially for the hardened sinner who repents. He asks that we imitate Him, so that our lives are guided by acts of love and mercy. This requirement forms the heart of the Gospel:
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” (Matt 5:7)
SET YOUR PHONE TO RING AT 3PM EVERYDAY
Jesus asked Faustina the following:
“At three o’clock, implore My mercy, especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony. This is the hour of great mercy … In this hour I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion.” (Diary 1320)
He continued:
“As often as you hear the clock strike the third hour immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it, invoke its omnipotence for the whole world, and particularly for poor sinners, for at that moment mercy was opened wide for every soul.”
JESUS DOES NOT IMPOSE BUT PROPOSES
He said:
“In this hour you can obtain everything for yourself and for others for the asking; it was the hour of grace for the whole world, mercy triumphed over justice. Try your best to make the Stations of the Cross in this hour, provided that your duties permit it; and if you are not able to make the Stations of the Cross, then at least step into the chapel for a moment and adore, in the Most Blessed Sacrament, My Heart, which is full of mercy: and should you be unable to step into chapel, immerse yourself in prayer there where you happen to be, if only for a very brief instant.” (Diary 1572)
What is so striking in this request by Jesus is that He is not asking for the hour to overrule our work but to keep 3pm in one’s heart for the conversion of sinners.
DO NOT GET CAUGHT BY SATAN
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy can be prayed many times per day. When St. Faustina was lying on her death bed, one of the last things she told her spiritual director, Blessed Fr. Sopocko, was to be spiritually alert against laziness, because if ever the day came that he thought he had prayed enough Chaplets, then Satan had got him.
Satan hates the Chaplet because he knows it redeems so many souls, placing them beyond his reach, especially in their final hour on earth. To accompany this Chaplet, Jesus also gave us a Conversion Prayer which we should pray many times a day:
“O Blood and Water which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You.” (Diary 187)
Jesus once asked Faustina to pray this Conversion Prayer 33 times per day over 9 days for the Pope and her country. This prayer, together with the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, especially when prayed at 3pm, gives the lost sinner, wherever they may be in the world, the last hope of salvation.
Praying the Chaplet for those seriously injured by sin and dying of despair makes them become powerful instruments of God’s saving grace.
THE POWER OF THE ROSARY
Our Lady appeared many times to Faustina and once said:
“My daughter, what I demand from you is prayer, prayer, and once again prayer, for the world and especially for your country.” (Diary 325)
On top of the Rosary, Jesus Himself gave us the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, which reaches His Sacred Heart, where He will directly intercede for the dying soul. Every prayer is needed to save sinners. We must take our role in redemption seriously, or there will be no place for us in Heaven.
Jesus specifically gave us the Chaplet to save the dying, protecting their souls from Satan at the moment of death. He said:
“At the hour of their death, I defend as My own glory every soul that will say this Chaplet; or, when others say it for a dying person; the pardon is the same.” (Diary 811)
He also said:
“Oh, what great graces I will grant to souls who say this Chaplet; the very depths of My tender Mercy are stirred for the sake of those who say the Chaplet.” (Diary 848)
And for those who spread this devotion:
“All those souls who will glorify My Mercy and spread its worship, encouraging others to trust in My Mercy, will not experience terror at the hour of death. My Mercy will shield them in that final battle.” (Diary 1540)
SALVATION OF SOULS DEPENDS ON OUR PRAYERS
Not every soul can receive the Sacrament of the Last Rites or Confession, so through the Chaplet, Jesus directly intervenes, giving the dying person the last chance for true contrition and salvation. Like the Good Thief on the Cross, who in a brief moment opened his heart to Jesus, the dying can be miraculously converted.
Jesus told Faustina:
“Pray as much as you can for the dying; by your entreaties obtain for them trust in My mercy, because they have most need of trust, and have it the least. Be assured that the grace of eternal salvation for certain souls in their final moment depends on your prayer.” (Diary 1777)
WE CAN SAVE SOULS WE DON’T EVEN KNOW
Even if the dying person is unknown to us or lives in another country, our prayers still count. Jesus said:
“I remind you, [Faustina], My daughter, that as often as you hear the clock strike the third hour, immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring and glorifying it; invoke its omnipotence for the whole world, and particularly for poor sinners; for at that moment mercy was opened wide for every soul.” (Diary 1572)
Jesus promised that meditation on His sorrowful Passion brings light and wisdom to the soul:
“By such meditation, much light [and wisdom] fell upon her soul and she got a clearer understanding of many things she could not understand before.” (Diary 267)
The prophet Malachi also writes:
“Almighty God will throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. God will prevent pests from devouring the crops, and promised that the vines in the fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe.” (Malachi 3:9-11)
Satan, the pest, tries to devour our faith before we die. Jesus continued:
“When this Chaplet is said by the bedside of a dying person, God’s anger is placated, unfathomable mercy envelops the soul, and the very depths of My tender mercy are moved for the sake of the sorrowful Passion of My Son.”
Faustina wrote:
“Oh, if only everyone realised how great the Lord’s Mercy is and how much we all need that mercy, especially at that crucial hour!” (Diary 811)
Jesus promised:
“When we pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy in the presence of the dying, I will stand between the Father and the dying person, not as the just Judge but as the merciful Saviour.” (Diary 1541)
JESUS ASKS: WHAT ARE WE DOING FOR SALVATION?
One evening, Faustina saw the Lord Jesus upon the Cross. From His hands, feet, and side, the Most Sacred Blood was flowing. Jesus said:
“All this is for the salvation of souls. Consider well, My daughter, what you are doing for their salvation.”
Faustina responded that she was doing almost nothing, and Jesus encouraged her:
“Know, My daughter, that your silent day-to-day martyrdom in complete submission to My will ushers many souls into heaven. And when it seems to you that your suffering exceeds your strength, contemplate My wounds, and you will rise above human scorn and judgment. Meditation on My Passion will help you rise above all things.” (Diary 1645)
THE MIRACLE OF THE DIVINE MERCY CHAPLET
One day, Jesus alerted Faustina to a man she did not know who was dying. He said:
“My daughter, help Me to save a certain dying sinner. Say the Chaplet that I have taught you for him.”
When Faustina began to say the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, she saw the man dying in the midst of terrible torment and struggle. His Guardian Angel was defending him, but he was powerless against the enormity of the soul’s misery. A multitude of devils was waiting for the soul.
But while she was saying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, she saw Jesus just as He is depicted in the Divine Mercy image. The rays which issued from Jesus’ Heart enveloped the sick man, and the powers of darkness fled in panic. The sick man peacefully breathed his last.
When Faustina came to herself, she understood:
“How very important the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is for the dying. It appeases the anger of God.” (Diary 1565)
Jesus is asking us to pray the Chaplet unceasingly and promised:
“Whoever says this Chaplet will receive great Mercy at the hour of their death. Even the most hardened sinner, if they recite this Chaplet even once, will receive grace from My Infinite Mercy.”
God bless.
