Novena to St. Faustina

NOVENA TO SAINT FAUSTINA 
Saint Faustina's Feast Day - October 5
For the Knowledge of the Mystery of God’s Mercy

Day I
Coming to Know the Lord God

I was reflecting on the Holy Trinity, on the essence of God. I absolutely wanted to know and fathom who God is. In an instant my spirit was caught up into what seemed to be the next world. I saw an inaccessible light, and in this light what appeared like three sources of light which I could not understand. Suddenly, from this sea of inaccessible light came our dearly beloved Saviour, unutterably beautiful with His shining Wounds. And from this light came a voice which said, Who God is in His Essence, no one will fathom, neither the mind of Angels nor of man. Get to know God by contemplating His attributes (cf. Diary 30). The Lord gave me much light to know His attributes. The first attribute which the Lord gave me to know is His holiness; the second attribute is His justice which reaches deep into the heart of things; and the third one is His love and mercy. And I understood that the greatest attribute is love and mercy. It unites the creature with the Creator (cf. Diary 180).

Saint Faustina, obtain for me the grace of penetrating more and more deeply into the mystery of God’s mercy and of contemplating it in everyday life so that my life may be a living reflection of this greatest attribute of God.

Day II
Divine Mercy in the Creation of the Angels

O God, who are happiness in Your very self and have no need of creatures to make You happy, because of Yourself You are the fullness of love; yet, out of Your fathomless mercy You call creatures into being and grant them a share in Your eternal happiness and in Your life, that divine indwelling life which You live, One God in Three Persons. In Your unfathomable mercy, You have created angelic spirits and admitted them to Your love and to Your divine intimacy. You have made them capable of eternal love. Although You bestowed on them so generously, O Lord, the splendor of love and beauty, Your fullness was not diminished in the least, O God, nor have their love and beauty completed You, because You are everything in Yourself. And if You have allowed them to participate in Your happiness and to exist and to love You, that is only due to the abyss of Your mercy (Diary 1741).

Saint Faustina, obtain for me the grace of penetrating more and more deeply into the mystery of God’s mercy and of contemplating it in everyday life so that my life may be a living reflection of this greatest attribute of God.

Day III
Divine Mercy in the Creation of the World

O God, how generously Your mercy is spread everywhere, and You have done all this for man. Oh, how much You must love him, since Your love is so active on his behalf. O my Creator and Lord, I see on all sides the trace of Your hand and the seal of Your mercy, which embraces all created things (Diary 1749). I adore You for all the works of Your hands, that reveal to me such much wisdom, goodness and mercy, O Lord. You have spread so much beauty over the earth, and it tells me about Your beauty (Diary 1692).

Saint Faustina, obtain for me the grace of penetrating more and more deeply into the mystery of God’s mercy and of contemplating it in everyday life so that my life may be a living reflection of this greatest attribute of God.

Day IV
Divine Mercy in the Creation of Man

God, who in Your mercy have deigned to call man from nothingness into being, generously have You bestowed upon him nature and grace. But that seemed too little for Your infinite goodness. In Your mercy, O Lord, You have given us everlasting life. You admit us to Your everlasting happiness and grant us to share in Your interior life. And You do this solely out of Your mercy. You bestow on us the gift of Your grace, only because You are good and full of love. You had no need of us at all to be happy, but You, O Lord, want to share Your own happiness with us (Diary 1743).

Saint Faustina, obtain for me the grace of penetrating more and more deeply into the mystery of God’s mercy and of contemplating it in everyday life so that my life may be a living reflection of this greatest attribute of God.

Day V
Divine Mercy in the Mystery of the Incarnation

God, You did not destroy man after his fall, but in Your mercy You forgave him, You forgave in a divine way; that is, not only have You absolved him from guilt, but You have bestowed upon him every grace. Mercy has moved You to deign to descend among us and lift us up from our misery. And the inconceivable miracle of Your mercy takes place, O Lord. The Word becomes flesh; God dwells among us, the Word of God, Mercy Incarnate. By your descent, You have lifted us up to Your divinity. Such is the excess of Your love, the abyss of Your mercy. Heaven is amazed at the supera- bundance of Your love. No one fears to approach You now. You are the God of mercy. You have compassion on misery. You are our God, and we are Your people. You are our Father, and we are Your children by grace. Praise be to Your mercy, that You have deigned to descend among us (Diary 1745).

Saint Faustina, obtain for me the grace of penetrating more and more deeply into the mystery of God’s mercy and of contemplating it in everyday life so that my life may be a living reflection of this greatest attribute of God.

Day VI
Divine Mercy in the Work of Redemption

God, You could have saved thousands of worlds with one word; a single sigh from Jesus would have satisfied Your justice. But You Yourself, Jesus, purely out of love for us, underwent such a terrible Passion. Your Father’s justice would have been propitiated with a single sigh from You, and all Your self-abasement is solely the work of Your mercy and Your incon- ceivable love. At the moment of Your death on the Cross, You bestowed upon us eternal life; allowing Your most holy side to be opened, You opened an inexhaustible spring of mercy for us, giving us Your dearest possession, the Blood and Water from Your Heart. Such is the omnipotence of Your mercy. From it all grace flows to us (Diary 1747).

Saint Faustina, obtain for me the grace of penetrating more and more deeply into the mystery of God’s mercy and of contemplating it in everyday life so that my life may be a living reflection of this greatest attribute of God.

Day VII
Divine Mercy in the Holy Church

On leaving the earth, O Lord, You wanted to stay with us, and so You left us Yourself in the Sacrament of the Altar, and You opened wide Your mercy to us. There is no misery that could exhaust You; You have called us all to this fountain of love, to this spring of God’s compassion. Here is the tabernacle of Your mercy, here is the remedy for all our ills. To You, O living spring of mercy, all souls are drawn; some like deer, thirsting for Your love, others to wash the wound of their sins, and still others, exhausted by life, to draw strength (Diary 1747).

Saint Faustina, obtain for me the grace of penetrating more and more deeply into the mystery of God’s mercy and of contemplating it in everyday life so that my life may be a living reflection of this greatest attribute of God.

Day VIII
Divine Mercy in Man’s Union with God

My Lord and Creator, Your goodness encourages me to converse with You. Your mercy abolishes the chasm which separates the Creator from the creature. To converse with You, O Lord, is the delight of my heart. In You I find everything that my heart could desire. Here Your light illumines my mind, enabling it to know You more and more deeply. Here streams of graces flow down upon my heart. Here my soul draws eternal life. O my Lord and Creator, You alone, beyond all these gifts, give Your own self to me and unite Yourself intimately with Your miserable creature. For this incomprehensible goodness of Yours, I adore You, O Lord and Creator, with all my heart and all my soul (Diary 1692).

Saint Faustina, obtain for me the grace of penetrating more and more deeply into the mystery of God’s mercy and of contemplating it in everyday life so that my life may be a living reflection of this greatest attribute of God.

Day IX
Divine Mercy in Eternal Life

Today I was in heaven, in spirit, and I saw its inconceivable beauties and the happiness that awaits us after death. I saw how all creatures give ceaseless praise and glory to God. I saw how great is happiness in God, which spreads to all creatures, making them happy. Now I understand Saint Paul, who said, «Eye has not seen, nor has ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love Him». Oh, how happy is the soul who already here on earth enjoys His special favours! And of such are the little and humble souls (Diary 777-778).

Saint Faustina, obtain for me the grace of penetrating more and more deeply into the mystery of God’s mercy and of contemplating it in everyday life so that my life may be a living reflection of this greatest attribute of God.

Affectionately known as "The Divine Mercy Saint" and dubbed by Pope John Paul II as "The Apostle of Mercy," St. Faustina was a simple Polish nun with only a few years of education. Yet, her Diary has been counted among the greatest literary works of mysticism. In the Diary, St. Faustina recorded revelations from our Lord for the whole world — calling everyone to turn with trust to His mercy. She was declared a saint on Divine Mercy Sunday 2000, the feast day which our Lord described to her decades earlier. Countless graces and favors have been received through her intercession. .

Send your special intentions to be remembered in this Novena to St. Faustina.