Meditations for the Chaplet of Divine Mercy
A Chaplet of Reparation
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is a meditative prayer to God Our Father. Contemplating the suffering of Jesus with compassion is a way to enter into His suffering and offer reparation for our sins and the sins of the whole world. These meditations can be used at each decade.
I. Before the Last Supper, Jesus said His goodbye to His Mother. They both knew it was their final embrace before His death. How much Jesus suffered knowing He could do nothing to lessen Her sorrow.
II. At the Last Supper, Jesus gave His own Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity to His Apostles. In spite of the love he received and in spite of the warnings of his fate, Judas still chose to betray Jesus. How much Jesus suffered from the coldness of Judas’s heart.
III. Jesus, the King of the Universe, is brought before Pontius Pilate who treats Him as a curiosity, an amusement. Without compassion Pontius Pilate orders the scourging of a man he knows is innocent. How much Jesus suffered for the indifference of Pontius Pilate.
IV. Simon of Cyrene stood before Jesus, saw His blood-stained cloak, the sweat and blood pouring down the face of Jesus, His cheeks covered by the spittle of the crowd — and felt no pity. He had to be forced to help carry the cross. How much Jesus suffered from the contempt of those for whom He was dying.
V. The Romans nailed His wrists at the point where so many nerves come together that even morphine cannot kill the pain. He suffered the humiliation of the world gloating over His naked, tortured body as He convulsed in agony.
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A Chaplet of Reparation – Praying with the Saints
I. Saint Joseph suffered the loss of the child Jesus for three days. In sorrow he searched for Him without consolation and offered up his suffering to join it with the suffering of abandonment Jesus would feel in the garden of Gethsemane when all of His disciples ran away. We too offer up the times we felt abandoned by family and friends in reparation for the times we too abandoned or neglected God. We ask Saint Joseph to intercede for us so that Our Lord will give us the grace of constancy and perseverance in times of trial.
II. Saint Maria Goretti was devoted to chastity and resisted her rapist because she did not want him to commit a sin. She suffered 14 stab wounds and joined her suffering to Jesus’s suffering in the scourging. We too offer up the times when others have offended our chastity whether in word or deed in reparation for the times we were unchaste in our thoughts, in our words, or in our deeds. We ask Saint Maria Goretti to intercede for us so Our Lord will give us the grace of purity of heart.
III. Saint Venantius suffered torture and attempted execution five times by the Roman authorities, but his Guardian Angel intervened. During one of his tortures, his teeth were smashed and his jaw was broken. He offered up his suffering to join it to the buffets, slaps, and punches Jesus suffered at the hands of the Pharisees and the Roman soldiers. We too offer up the times we have been unjustly treated in reparation for the times we have been unjust to others. We ask Saint Venantius to intercede for us so Our Lord will give us the grace of humility and fortitude.
IV. Saint Agnes refused to give up her virginity and was dragged naked through the streets of Rome. She offered up her suffering to join it to Jesus’s suffering as He stumbled, fell, and was pushed and dragged on the road to Calvary. We too have suffered persecution in trying to follow Christ and we offer up our suffering in reparation for all the times we took the easy way out and all the compromises we have made when we should have stayed firm. We ask Saint Agnes to intercede for us that Our Lord will give us the wisdom to understand the path that is pleasing to Him and the courage to make correct choices.
V. Saint Peter suffered crucifixion upside down. He offered it up to join it to Jesus’s suffering on the cross and in reparation for his own betrayal. We too offer up all of our sufferings in reparation for the times we neglected the most vulnerable – the unborn, the poor, the elderly — because we failed to see Christ in them. We ask Saint Peter to obtain for us the grace to forgive ourselves for all the sins we have confessed in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
