Divine Mercy In My Soul...
New life emerging in spring with the message of eternal life in the Easter Season is inspiring! Yet, in the midst of this promise our world is troubled! God in His merciful wisdom has given us all that we need to find peace in a world of pain. St. Augustine referred to the Easter Octave as, “the days of mercy and pardon.”
Faith is a personal act, but not an isolated act; no one can believe alone (CCC 166). It is our right and duty to share the truth of Christian faith. Our culture is affected by our silence. Human dignity is restored with the mercy of God, and the heart of the Gospel message is God’s love for sinners. Old Testament prophets and the Gospels of the New Testament speak of the tender mercy of God, and how we can to partake in divine life. “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matt. 25:40)
On April 23, the Church celebrated Divine Mercy Sunday. The history of The Divine Mercy message and devotion span more than 86 years. The life of St. Faustina Kowalska in Poland and her connection concerning Pope St. John Paul II illustrate a real story of divine intervention. In his youth, Karol Wojtyla witnessed evil and suffering during World War II in occupied Poland. In seminary, he was introduced to the message of Divine Mercy as revealed to the Polish mystic nun, Sister Maria Faustina Kowalska.
In 1981, Pope John Paul II wrote an encyclical letter, “Rich in Mercy,” in which he refers to Christ as the “incarnation and inexhaustible source of mercy.” He emphasized, “Christ’s messianic program; the program of mercy must become the program of His people, the program of the Church.” In 1993, Pope John Paul II beatified Sister Faustina; and on April 30, 2000, she was canonized, as he proclaimed the Second Sunday of Easter to be Divine Mercy Sunday for the Universal Church. Pope John Paul II died on the Vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday in 2005 and was canonized by Pope Francis on April 27, 2014, Divine Mercy Sunday.
In 1931, the earliest element of the Devotion to Divine Mercy was revealed in an image to Sister Faustina of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. God usually chooses his messengers from humble people who are unknown to the world. Faustina’s mission, as given by Jesus, was to proclaim and spread the truth revealed in Scriptures about the merciful love of God for every human person. This apostolic movement of Divine Mercy and the devotion implores God’s mercy on the whole world. In “The Diary of St. Faustina,” she writes that the Blessed Mother appeared to her on March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation, and told her that Jesus came first as a Savior – but in His Second Coming, He will be a Just Judge. Jesus demanded something very important from Faustina: “You are going to prepare the world for my final coming.”
The image of The Divine Mercy that Jesus described to Faustina was painted and venerated publicly for the first time in April 1935, during the closing of the 1900th Jubilee of Redemption at the Shrine of Our Lady of Mercy in Vilnius, Poland (presently Lithuania). In 1941, the Divine Mercy Devotion was brought to the United States from Poland by Marian Father Joseph Jarzebowski, a member of the Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate Conception. Today, the ministry of the Marian Fathers is to promote the message of The Divine Mercy with the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Thank you, Jesus, I Trust in You! Amen!
For more information about the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy, visit http://www.thedivinemercy.org/shrine/about.php
