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Good morning Father Angelo,

I particularly enjoy your website, so I decided to esternate to you my doubts about the chaplet of divine mercy.

First of all, while we recite the chaplet we say “have mercy on us and on the whole world”, and “in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world”; who am I referring to when I recite the chaplet alone, given that I still use the plural form (US, OUR, etc…)? If I recite the chaplet by myself I should be using the singular form (“for my sins”) but the text doesn’t indicate so; therefore I’ve been asking myself to whom should I refer to mentally when I say “have mercy on us” and “in atonement for our sins”.

Secondly, what does the expression of the Creed  “was conceived by the Holy Spirit” mean?

Is the same concept expressed in the Nicene Creed when it is said: “by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man”?

Same for the expression “communion of saints”, also to be found in the Apostle’s creed: what does it mean?

And lastly: if we recite the chaplet of divine mercy even only once in our lifetime, would we still go to paradise? In theory, if one recites it even only once, does he have to go to confession ever again? For example: I could recite it now at 27 years old, die at the age of 90, without doing any good deed, no sacramental life. Would I still end up going to Heaven?
This clearly isn’t my intention, I want to go to Mass, progress in love, better myself, doing works of charity; but I have this doubt still.

The answer from father Angelo

My dear,

1. Let me answer your first question. You asked why you should say “have mercy on us” in the plural form: remember the teaching of the Lord who during the Sermon of the Mount said “This is how you are to pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name..” (Matthew 6,9). Saint Cyprian and Saint Thomas underline the meaning of the adjective “our”, because the Lord wants us to pray with a heart full of charity and love towards everyone. The most beautiful sign of a heart full of charity is the fact that whatever we ask to God for ourselves, we simultaneously ask for everyone, even our enemies.

2. Regarding your second question: the expression “was conceived by the Holy Spirit” means that Christ was conceived without the help of a man. Otherwise he would have been simply a man like the rest of us. Instead, while remaining God, he wanted to assume  a human nature like ours. He got it from the virginal womb of Mary, who became pregnant miraculously, outside of all laws of nature, by intervention of the Holy Spirit. When Our Lady asked how could that happen, the angel responded: “nothing will be impossible for God” (Luke 1, 37). With the incarnation God remained who He was, that is God, and also became what He wasn’t: a body and soul like us.

3. Thirdly, you asked what the communion of saints is. Essentially, it is four things:

It primarily is the communion between all those that participate in the life of the Holy, that is God: “for our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ” (1 John 1, 3).

Secondarily, it means a communion in holy things, which are shared by all believers in Christ: the faith, the sacraments (especially the eucharist), all charisms and spiritual gifts. At the root of this communion you have charity, which moves us toward the sharing of all things (Acts 2,42).

Thirdly, it means the communion between all the parts that form the mystical body of Christ. This sort of communion is realized with all those who live in the grace of God and are part of the pilgrim Church on Earth; with the Church that lives in the state of purification (Purgatory); with the heavenly Church, which consists of all those who live in the glory of God and intercede for us.

We are all part of one family, the Church.

Fourthly, it means the communion of each other’s merits. Saint Thomas said that “the power of the Holy Ghost, communicates to each one the blessings of Christ’s members on account of their being united in charity” (Summa Theologiae, III, 82, 6, ad. 3). He also said: “as in our natural body the operation of one member works for the good of the entire body, so also is it with a spiritual body, such as is the Church. Because all the faithful are one body, the good of one member is communicated to another: “And every one members, one of another” (Romans 12:5). This is expressed in the words, “the Communion of Saints” (communio sanctorum)” (On the Apostles Creed, art.10).  That’s how the goods and merits of Christ become the goods and merits of everyone. The same can be said for the goods and merits of the Saints, both those in Heaven and in purgatory, as well as those who are pilgrims on Earth, which are shared by those who are in a state of grace.

Likewise, the goods and merits of each one of us are eternally available to everybody. Thus is built in the present world the unity between all men that will be completed when we will all be one in Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

4. Lastly, you asked if one can be sure to go to Heaven if he recites the chaplet of divine mercy, even just once. The answer is no, because it is necessary to live in a state of grace. Jesus said: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven” (Matthew 7, 21). Therefore we must make a distinction: if we wish to be friends with the Lord (and we are happy to do the will of our friends) then yes, the Lord won’t let us fall victim to the enemy at the last moment. If one, on the other hand, uses that prayer like a magic spell, without caring about being friends with the Lord, then that prayer doesn’t guarantee anything, like Jesus said in Matthew 7, 21.

I wish you a happy and holy Easter, bless you and will remember you in my prayers. Father Angelo