Three o’clock in the afternoon — the hour Jesus died on the Cross — is called the Hour of Great Mercy. In her Diary, Saint Faustina recorded the Lord’s promise that in this hour He would refuse nothing to the soul that asks of Him through His Passion. Pausing to pray at three o’clock, even for a moment, is one of the simplest and most powerful daily habits in the Divine Mercy devotion.
The Three O’Clock Prayer
You expired, O Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and an ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us. (Diary, 1319)
O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You.
A Shorter Prayer
If you have only a moment, you can simply pray: “Jesus, for the sake of Your sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world,” or even, “Jesus, Mercy.”
How to Keep the Hour of Mercy
Our Lord gave Saint Faustina three ways to honor this hour, according to what our duties allow: make the Stations of the Cross; or adore the Blessed Sacrament; or, if neither is possible, “immerse yourself in prayer there where you happen to be, if only for a very brief instant” (Diary, 1572). In every case He asks us to turn to His Passion and to beg His mercy — for ourselves, and especially for sinners.
Jesus’ Promise
“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 for the whole world.” (Diary, 1320)
About This Devotion
Saint Faustina Kowalska (1905–1938) was a humble Polish religious sister to whom the Lord revealed the message of Divine Mercy, recorded in her Diary. The devotions she received — the Image of Divine Mercy, the Chaplet, the Feast of Divine Mercy, and the Hour of Great Mercy — were examined and approved by the Church. Pope John Paul II canonized her in the Jubilee Year 2000 and established Divine Mercy Sunday for the universal Church. The three o’clock hour invites every believer, in the middle of an ordinary day, to remember the love poured out on the Cross.
Related Prayers and Devotions
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy
A Prayer for Anxious and Fearful Thoughts (Jesus, I Trust in You)
The Stations of the Cross
Sources: Prayers and quotations are drawn from the Diary of Saint Faustina (entries 1319, 1320, 1572), as published by the Marian Fathers (thedivinemercy.org) and EWTN.