‘Fire’ is the Optimal Word

Allow me to encapsulate the essentials of this historic gathering:

Upon a small hilltop on the outskirts of Krakow, Poland, the “spark” of the modern Divine Mercy movement was lit with the revelations of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska in the 1930s.

Nearly 2,000 Divine Mercy apostles from 69 countries gathered in October on this small hilltop for the second World Apostolic Congress on Mercy, an historic event with potentially major repercussions. The Mercy Congress underscored two truths: the urgency of the Divine Mercy message for the Church and the world, and the fittingness of the metaphor that defines its spread, from “spark” to “flame” to “wildfire.”

For five days, from Oct. 1-Oct 5, it was standing-room only inside the Basilica of Divine Mercy, a mere several hundred feet away from the convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy where Jesus told St. Faustina, “Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy” (Diary of St. Faustina, 300). Jesus told St. Faustina that His mercy message to her — a reinforcement of the Gospel call to turn away from sin, turn in trust to His mercy, and share His mercy with others — stands as the “spark” that “will prepare the world for My final coming” (Diary, 1732).

The Joy: It Shows
A spark needs fuel, oxygen, and the proper conditions for a chemical chain reaction. In the case of the Divine Mercy movement, the fuel consists of the countless lost souls searching for meaning. The oxygen consists of the evangelization efforts of those transformed through the mystery of Divine Mercy and the special gift God gave us through St. Faustina. A chain reaction is inevitable.

“The fire has been set, and now its light is reaching more and more hearts in more and more places around the world,” said Fr. Kazimierz Chwalek, MIC, the Marians’ Provincial Superior in the United States and Argentina. “Congress attendees have so much joy, and it shows. When you see their enthusiasm and joy, that brings encouragement and hope to others, and this consoling message exponentially grows from there.”

Fire — purifying fire — there’s no better way to describe it.

“What’s in my heart — and what’s on the heart of everyone here — is to get this spark of Divine Mercy out into the world,” said Purisima Narvaez, a Marian Helper from Glendale, Calif., who joined a Mercy Congress pilgrimage led by the Marians.

Is There a Doctor in the House?
The bells tolled at the Basilica of Divine Mercy and in churches throughout Krakow, as the Congress commenced on Oct. 1. Five days later — on the Feast Day of St. Faustina — the impact of the event became clear.

Attendees in the Basilica roared with applause when Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Austria, president of the Mercy Congress, called for St. Faustina to join the ranks of only 33 other saints who have been declared Doctors of the Universal Church. His Eminence announced that on behalf of the Congress, a formal request has been made to Pope Benedict XVI to bestow upon St. Faustina the distinguished ecclesiastical title of Doctor of the Church. Signatories of the request include prelates who attended the Congress — Cardinals Stanislaw Dziwisz, Audrys Juozas Backis, Stanislaw Rylko, Joseph Zen, Franciszek Macharski, and Philippe Xavier Barbarin.

Congress organizers, Cardinal Schonborn and Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, pushed for drafting this formal request believing St. Faustina’s teachings of the mystery of God’s mercy — and the influence her Diary has exerted all over the world — make her eminently qualified for the title.

“Her Diary, written in simple language, helps us to comprehend how God proceeds with souls,” says Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC, who served as vice-postulator of St. Faustina’s canonization cause and who helped lead the Marians’ Mercy Congress pilgrimage. “And it gives us a richer understanding of the relationship between mercy and love and the notion of merciful love as the source and ultimate reason for the whole of salvation.”

An Official Mission’
The conclusion of the Mercy Congress included two more news items. Cardinal Dziwisz announced plans to found an international academy in Krakow that will serve for theological and pastoral formation on Divine Mercy. In addition, inspired by the Marians, through the person of Fr. Kazimierz, Cardinal Schonborn announced that on behalf of the Congress representatives, a letter was sent to the Vatican proposing that the Divine Mercy message be placed at the center of the “New Evangelization” call from the Holy Father.

Pope Benedict XVI has chosen “New Evangelization” as the theme for the next world Synod of Bishops in Fall 2012. He said the theme reflects a need to “re-evangelize in countries where Christian faith and practice have declined, and where people have even moved away from the Church.”

“This is an amazing achievement from this Congress,” said Fr. Patrice Chocholski of Lyon, France, general secretary of the Congress. “We are agreeing, as a Church, the need to present Divine Mercy to the world, otherwise people are afraid of God or have no idea who God is. … This is a communion, a communion of Bishops and Cardinals in agreement that Divine Mercy is an official mission of the Church — not just of devotional groups, who are very important, not just certain parishes, but the whole Church.”

“Mercy as the Source of Hope” was the theme of the Congress, which included an entrustment of the world to The Divine Mercy, theological presentations, testimonies, Holy Masses, missions, and a special greeting from Rome from Pope Benedict XVI.

After praying the Angelus Sunday, Oct. 2, Pope Benedict XVI addressed a message the Mercy Congress, making reference to the Congress’ theme and to St. Faustina. “Dearly beloved,” he said, ” reinforce your trust in the Lord through common reflection and prayer so that you will take effectively to the world the joyful message that ‘mercy is the source of hope.'”

To show appreciation to the Marians for their pivotal role as official promoters of the Divine Mercy message and devotion since 1941, Cardinal Dziwisz presented Fr. Kaz with a first-class relic of Blessed John Paul II, known as the “Great Mercy Pope,” which will be displayed at the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy, in Stockbridge, Mass.

“It’s a drop of his blood on cloth,” said Fr. Kaz. “It’s an extraordinary gift for our Shrine. Alongside St. Faustina and her confessor, Blessed Michael Sopocko, we have a relic of the third great promoter of Divine Mercy.”

The Congress follows in the heels of the first World Apostolic Congress on Mercy held in Rome in 2008, an event called for by Pope Benedict XVI to perpetuate the work of Blessed John Paul II.

By the grace of God, there will be a third World Apostolic Congress on Mercy. More than likely it will take place in Bogota, Columbia. In the meantime, there’s talk of another major Divine Mercy gathering in Krakow. No dates have been set.

Day Four: We Turn to the Great Mercy Pope

Today, most of the talks and activities turn to the life and spirituality of Pope John Paul II, whose name is nearly synonymous with Divine Mercy. Following testimonies and Holy Mass here in Krakow, we’ll travel to his home town, Wadowice, where there will be an ecumenical prayer on Market Square for the intercession of Blessed John Paul II “for the mercy to the world.”

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5:30 p.m.

Just a half block away from a house at 7 Koscielna Street where the future Vicar of Christ, Blessed John Paul II, was born and raised. Bands are playing, a choir is singing, and hundreds have gather in the town square of Wadowice. Fittingly, it’s an ecumenical prayer ceremony, gathered together Lutherans, Evangelicals and Eastern Orthodox.

“John Paul formed lasting friendships here [in Wadowice] with people from many faiths, people with whom he remained close to throughout his pontificate,” says Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, the Archbishop of Krakow and former secretary to Blessed John Paul II. Town dignitaries and Church officials are assembled upon a makeshift stage in front of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the church where Karol Wojtyla, the future Pope, was baptized, confirmed, served as an altar boy, and prayed in front of its miraculous image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

Led by Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, the gathering prayed for the intercession of Blessed John Paul II. “We pray to our beloved friend to hear our prayer — to pray through the Merciful Lord for mercy upon the world, ” said Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz.

Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus has just spoken to the assembly. He announced that The Knights — the world’s largest Catholic family fraternal organization, with more than 1.8 million members — has purchased the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C. The large structure is located near the campus of the Catholic University of America and the Marian Scholasticate.

“Our intention is to transform the Center into the Shrine of Blessed John Paul II,” Mr. Anderson said. “I am grateful to the Archbishop of Washington, His Eminence Donald Wuerl, who has recently designated the Center as a Diocesan Shrine, and it is out intention at the earliest practical date to request that the Center be named the National Shrine of the United States devoted to Blessed John Paul II.”

Cardinal Dziwisz then announced that he will be presenting the Knights of Columbus with a first-class relic of the late Holy Father after the conclusion of the Congress tomorrow.

“It is indeed an honor to receive a relic of Blessed John Paul II,” said Supreme Knight Carl Anderson. “This relic will be given a place of honor in Blessed John Paul’s shrine in the United States, and will serve as reminder to all of those who visit it of the saintliness of Blessed John Paul.”

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2:55 p.m.
I missed the train this afternoon to Wadowice, Pope John Paul II’s hometown, where the Congress attendees were gathering to pray for the intercession of the Church’s new blessed — for mercy to the whole world. Thanks to a group of merciful Nigerian Divine Mercy apostles, room was made for me on their bus.

We were traveling on a narrow road in the countryside when we came upon a terrible accident. In the middle of the road was a mangled automobile. To the side, by the guard rail, was a mangled motorcycle. A young man, probably on his early 20s, lay facedown in a pool of blood, clearly dead. The sirens sounded as the ambulance arrived. Our bus was directed around the accident. It was now 3 o’clock. We prayed the chaplet for the soul of the young man and any other victims of the accident.

11:15 a.m.
“Santo Subito!” — or “Sainthood now!” — was the slogan of reverence assigned to John Paul II by the faithful beginning the afternoon of his death in 2005. In the hearts of many, John Paul II already is a saint. But for now, the Great Mercy Pope, whose epic and iconic life revealed the true nature and identity of the Catholic Church, can be called “blessed” due to his intercession two months after his death.

It was then that a French nun, Sr. Marie Simon-Pierre of the Little Sisters of Catholic Motherhood, was cured from Parkinson’s Disease through the intercession of Pope John Paul II, who himself suffered from Parkinson’s disease.

Sister Marie has just finished her talk, titled, “The Healing Touch of Mercy.” Here’s the full text.

10:16 p.m.

Next up is Frederic Buttigier of Colombe, France, who was converted through the Divine Mercy message and the Diary of St. Faustina. His talk is titled, “In the World of Olympic Prizes.” He dedicates his talk to “Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of the Divine Mercy.” He says that several years ago he first read about St. Faustina and her revelations. He read her Diary, and soon he began practicing the Divine Mercy devotions praying the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy and venerating the image.

“In this Olympic year, when everywhere we will hear Faster, Higher, Stronger, i.e. the motto of the modern Olympic Games,” he says, “St. Faustina embodies these ideas in the divine dimension. As a sportsman who is used to the greatest commitments and self-sacrifices, I am very impressed or even spellbound by Sr. Faustina and her personality. We are not able to achieve the same level, but we can for sure follow her life, which was filled with love and sacrifice for a neighbor, prayers and begging for Divine Mercy for us and the whole world.”

He mentions another Olympic motto that states, “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part?

“In my opinion, as Christians, we can understand this motto as a call for being the witnesses of Christ through our deeds, words and prayers.”

Here are some highlights of his talk:

• Thanks to her book, St. Faustina, has guided me to Christ — humble, noble Jesus, who does not condemn but who saves; who is omnipresent, especially in the sacrament of the Eucharist and confession. However, even the Christians do not always see Jesus the way they should.

• Lord is always ready to take us in and save each of us. We venerate the face of Jesus in the image. … And rays coming from the heart of Jesus … my dear God, let the rays coming from Your humble heart touch my heart as well as the hearts of the whole congregation gathered today. I would like to hide in their shadows not only in sacraments but also in everyday life. I would like to be changed by You, my dear God, into the herald of peace so that my language becomes merciful and my feet take me whenever someone needs me …

Frederic shares that he joined the Faustinum Association, which organizes theology courses on the spirituality Divine Mercy. He began a prison ministry, which includes distributing Divine Mercy materials to convicts. He speaks of his experience following his first meeting with convicts:

I went to church and prayed for those men with hardened hearts, who seemed to me the victims of the sinful society rather than people deserving punishment.

He speaks of his life as a competitive athlete and the opportunity it presents to share the Divine Mercy message:

One French competitor wanted to practice with me. He was a real hulk and weighed 150 kg. He agreed to pray with me in front of the Divine Mercy image, and after a few minutes I saw tears in his eyes. Now, every time he meets me, he speaks about Jesus. Jesus brought him great faith back. At church, people saw me praying the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy; then they started to do the same every day.

He concludes his talk with a call to “every Christian from the whole world to establish the feast of the Divine Mercy in the place where they live.” He says, “Let us take the words of our beloved Holy Father, Blessed John Paul II, “Do not be afraid to open the door to Christ!”

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9:44 a.m.

The conference and testimonies have just begun. Cardinal Schonborn notes that this day, Oct. 4, is the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi.

“But the blessing of this day [for us] is Blessed John Pail II, and his witness to Divine Mercy is the sustenance for our day.

Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz of Warsaw, Poland, takes the lectern before a standing-room-only basilica. He says it’s impossible to speak of Divine Mercy without speaking of John Paul II.

“He clearly taught us that in the economy of salvation a sin cannot be perceived as a condition of mercy but it should always be treated as an act of objection to the mystery of Redemption finally finding victory in Christ,” the Cardinal said.

Here are some highlights of his talk:

• According to John Paul II, Christ reveals the real nature of God’s mercy through His acts, and this mercy requires reciprocity and moves people’s hearts without depriving them of their freedom.

• The Second Vatican Council emphasized strongly and repeatedly that there is a specific strict connection between the words of revealing God and His acts. Words explain the sense of acts and signs, while acts — on the other hand — illustrate and confirm the truthfulness of the previously expressed words.

• Following John Paul II’s train of thoughts … Jesus Christ performs — in Himself and through Himself — the most absolute revelation of mercy — that is love, which is more powerful than sin and evil, love which lifts man up when he falls into the abyss and frees him from the greatest threats.

• John Paul II emphasizes the role of Christ’s conduct and deeds in revealing the mystery of His Father’s mercy to people.

• It is impossible to know yourself if you show no consideration towards God and exclude Him from the horizons of the life. You cannot know God if you do not know yourself.

• God desires salvation for all people, so the mission of the Church is universal. The Divine Mercy is present in the Church and it may become, in the perspective of the overall Christian and human dialogue, a special meeting place for different religions and philosophical systems. Many religions accentuate the existence of the Divine Mercy, drawing special attention to the role of mercy in human life. A proper insight into the content of different religions might indicate the basic element which connects all religions. Countless works refer to the attitude of ecumenism and hold promise for the future as they indicate the possibility of gaining the natural knowledge of God who manifests himself through mercy. As the universal sacrament of salvation, the Church is given the task of portraying God as being rich in mercy and consequently renewing everything in Christ.

7 a.m.
Yesterday afternoon, we visited Auschwitz-Birkenau, taking two old trains on an hour-and-a-half journey into the depths of horror. As we wandered through the gates and along the rusted barbed wire and the endless barracks and the fearsomely straight, one-way railroad line that cuts through the center of it all and stops dead at the gas chambers where more than a million people were murdered and their teeth removed for their gold fillings, their hair cut to the scalp for bodily insulation, their bodies desecrated by so-called doctors, the remains burnt; and as we looked at the old photos taken by the SS troops of the families they separated and the faces of the children who wear caps and knickers, and of the mothers clutching tightly to infants, I thought, “How in the world will I explain this to my wife when I get home?”

There were something like 1,500 of us there from the Mercy Congress. We comprised a procession of plaintive prayer/song. We were led through the camp by a group of Cardinals, including Stanislaw Dziwisz, archbishop of Krakow, and Christoph Schönborn of Austria, president of the World Apostolic Congress on Mercy.

We gathered at what’s called a “monument,” between the ruins of two gas chambers and crematoriums that the Nazis numbered with cold efficiency — building II and building III. We came to a halt there. But it’s not really a monument. It’s more of an area created to accommodate groups like ours with speakers who have prepared to stop, formally, and sort out all this terror and evil, if such a thing is possible (and I don’t think that it is). I imagine John Paul II, the great apostle of The Divine Mercy, came closest when, during a visit there in 1979, he called Auschwitz “the Golgatha of our time.”

While the ceremony got started, I wandered out of range to walk among the barracks and the ruins. I wondered where that undergound bunker was where that beautiful saint, Maximilian Kolbe — prisoner #16670 — died of starvation. You probably know the story: When he heard a condemned man cry out, “My wife! My children!” St. Maximilian volunteered to die in his place. Among the other condemned men kept in this bunker, Maximilian led in song and prayer, and gave witness, telling them that they would soon be with Mary in Heaven.

That bunker was somewhere out on those plains of low and long barracks that resemble chicken shacks, somewhere within firing range of one of those dreadful wooden guard towers. I could hear singers singing Ave Maria in Polish, pronouncing the lyrics in hard right angles. … Anyway, too many thoughts to gather during a Congress whose pace leaves no time for stopping. I figured it was time to pay attention to the talks at that monument and write some notes, which I did. It can be summed up thusly: In the end, our home rests in God, and goodness and mercy triumph over evil. The camp officials that oversee Auschwitz have seen to it that steel beams be installed to prop up sections of walls of the gas chambers. Why not let these buildings be overtaken by nature? Because evil doesn’t get off that easy. It’s there for all to see. At the end of the ceremony, the choir sang in Latin — it sounded like they were chiseling an inscription of beauty for the ages. When the singing finally stopped and everything fell to silence, an infant started wailing — a wail that cut through the air, the only reasonable inscription for the moment. I thought, “Maybe the choir wasted its breath.” That child’s cry was the days’ greatest moment of eloquence.

Looking Back on St. Faustina

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2:30 p.m.

We’re all off to Auschwitz for a day trip. We’ll be walking through the camp in silence with Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, archbishop of Krakow, and Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Austria, president of the World Apostolic Congress on Mercy.

Before boarding the train, I caught up with Marian Helper Deacon Vincent Ricciardi …

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1 p.m.

His plain-spokeness at the first World Apostolic Congress on Mercy in Rome, 2008, garnered him many admirers. To the delight of attendees here at the second Mercy Congress, Cardinal Philippe Barbarin (Lyon, France) is back. It was His Eminence who, in 2002, famously challenged his flock in Lyon to “Turn off the TV and turn on the Gospel.” It was also he who shares two secrets of happiness in the religious life: Give your life totally to God, and pray daily.

At the noon Mass at the Basilica of Divine Mercy, His Excellency served as holist.

Read a translation of his homily, titled “The Divine Mercy in the History of Salvation,” a reflection on Mary’s Magnificat.

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10 a.m.

Day Three’s conference and testimonies begin with Archbishop Wladyslaw Ziólek whose talk is titled “Sister Faustina as Secretary and Apostle of Divine Mercy.”

The Archbishop is from Lodz, Poland. Diary readers may remember that St. Faustina was born in the village of Glogowiec near Lodz in 1905. One evening in Lodz when she was 20-years old, she was dancing at a party when Jesus appeared to her. He was stripped and covered with wounds. Everything surrounding Faustina disappeared. She only saw Him. He asked her, “How long shall I put up with you and how long will you keep putting me off?” (Diary, 9). At His instruction, she ran to the cathedral in Lodz to pray. There, she heard these words from Jesus: “Go immediately to Warsaw, and there you will enter a convent.” The rest, of course, is history.

The Archbishop noted the historic effect the revelations of St. Faustina have had in revitalizing the Church and its adherents. The apostolic movement of Divine Mercy, originating from St. Faustina’s revelations, has enlivened the religious life and led to countless conversions and re-conversions, he said.

“They learn and contemplate the mysteries of the Divine Mercy, plead them for themselves and the world,” he said. “The movement unites many thousands of followers from all around the world. Cloistered orders, active congregations, old and new communities, groups, brotherhoods, associations and individuals participate in the Movement.

Here’s a transcript of the Archbishop’s talk.

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8:30 a.m.

Father Kazimierz Chwalek, MIC, the Marians’ Provincial Superior in the United States and Argentina, says “The Congress is helping people come to know God as a God of mercy who can cure us from our brokenness, our sinfulness and our fears.”

The Congress is an exciting time to be Christian, a Divine Mercy apostle, and a Marian Father, he says.

Father Kaz, as everyone knows, is famously unstoppable, yet we actually managed to stop him for a moment. Here he is …

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I’m on a roll. Last evening I also managed to stop another unstoppable: Marie Romagnano, RN, founder of Healthcare Professionals for Divine Mercy, an apostolate of the Marian Fathers. Marie has near-celebrity status here at the Mercy Congress. Word of her apostolate precedes her.

What does the Mercy Congress mean to her and her healthcare apostolate? Listen in …

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7 a.m.

If you have never met Fr. Dante Aguero, MIC, you’re missing out. He’s a humble servant and a zealous apostle of Divine Mercy. The Marian priest from Argentina gives us a report just outside the Basilica of Divine Mercy …

Father Dante also shares a message in his native tongue, Spanish.

The Congress Poses a Challenge

7 p.m.
Father Seraphim Michalenko, MIC, the vice-postulator of St. Faustina’s canonization cause, spoke before a packed crowd at the Dominican Church in Krakow this afternoon. You can listen to part of his talk while gazing at the Image of The Divine Mercy.

Read the full text of Fr. Seraphim’s talk.

So it’s onward … to write about an intriguing speech in Krakow this evening on why St. Faustina is qualified to become a Doctor of the Church.

Also, I met Cardinal Schonborn today during breakfast. He agreed to an interview later in the week.

12:46 p.m.
In the Basilica, the Holy Father’s words to Congress attendees were just broadcast. Following the Angelus, the Holy Father addressed the pilgrims. The official translation from English is below, followed by a translation from Polish provided by the very helpful press secretary here, Klaudia Tarczon.

In English, the Holy Father said:

… In particular, I extend cordial greetings to the participants in the Second International Congress on Divine Mercy in Krakow, and to the students from Iona College, Australia. The Gospel of today’s liturgy spurs us to pray for all who work in the Lord’s vineyard, especially where they face violence and threats because of their faith. May God grant them, and all of us, strength in our service to him and to one another. God bless all of you!

The translation from Polish:

With a special greeting,I invoke to the organizers and participants of the second World Apostolic Congress on Divine Mercy, which these days takes place in Krakow in Lagiewniki. My Dears, by common reflection and prayer, make your faith stronger in the Lord, in the way it allows you to carry more effectively the Good News to the world that mercy is the source of hope. God bless you!

10:30 a.m.
Holy Mass, the Basilica of Divine Mercy

Divine Mercy is the hope for the contemporary world. Not a hope, but the hope.

Day Two of the Mercy Congress has begun with morning prayer followed by Holy Mass here in the Basilica of the Divine Mercy. The chief celebrant and homilist is Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for the Laity.

“Your presence here is a clear sign of the fact that today the message of Divine Mercy that has originated from the Lagiewniki convent [where St. Faustina lived] reaches the farthest corners of the world,” he said, addressing both the attendees of the Mercy Congress and those listening through radio and television.

Clearly, that’s no exaggeration. Television stations are covering the event, cameras attached to booms. Radio stations have microphones trained on the proceedings. Press from around the world are packing the press room, filing stories to places far and wide (when the Internet connection complies).

This Congress — and the attention it has garnered — is a “sign of the times,” said the Cardinal, who has gained notoriety in calling for Christians to be courageous disciples of Christ in a secular world.

In view of the huge scale of problems, fears and crisis in the modern world, the Church must see as its prime task to inspire young people who lack faith in the future, noted Cardinal Rylko, who organized of World Youth Day in 1989 and 1991.

“That is why, in the Lagiewniki Sanctuary, we primarily look for the motifs of hope, faithfully gazing at the face of the Merciful Jesus and listening to His words addressed to Sr. Faustina, ‘Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy,'” (Diary of St. Faustina, 300).

His Eminence titled his homily, “Divine Mercy as the Hope to the World.”

And, indeed, all hope is not lost to the present generation, he said, addressing the crowd that includes devotees of Divine Mercy who range from teens clutching iPhones to elderly in wheelchairs. The thousands gathered here are from different countries and different social stratum. Yet all consider themselves “family,” joined in unity with the Merciful Savior who transforms hearts of stone to hearts of love.

No locale could better suit such a “family reunion” as here upon this small hilltop where in the 1930s, in a convent a mere 300 yards from this pulpit, where Jesus told St. Faustina to “Proclaim that mercy is the great attribute of God. All the works of My hands are crowned with mercy,” (Diary, 301).

“Here,” said Cardinal Rylko, “you can almost tangibly feel the particular concentration of difficult human affairs, problems, suffering, often frantic search for the meaning of life.”

Furthermore, he noted, it was here where Blessed John Paul II on Aug. 17, 2002, famously entrusted the world to The Divine Mercy. “May this message radiate from this place to our beloved homeland and throughout the world,” the Holy Father said. “May the binding promise of the Lord Jesus be fulfilled: from here there must go forth the spark which will prepare the world for His final coming.”

Our own Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC, often makes note of this quote. “That’s a startling phrase,” he has said. “Some people just gloss right over it. But the Pope took the word of the Lord seriously, and he calls it a ‘binding promise.’ … So when people ask me why is the message of Divine Mercy important for the world today, the answer is simple: Through the message of Divine Mercy, our Lord is preparing us for His final coming.”

It all adds up. In Lagiewniki, St. Faustina promised the Lord she would follow His command to “conquer souls” (Diary, 1488).

How many souls have been conquered since then? How many have recognized sin as the barrier to God’s love? How many have encountered God’s tender mercy through the message of The Divine Mercy?

Thousands. Maybe millions!

“It’s a message that keeps growing and growing, by the grace of God,” said Antonio DelBello, a Divine Mercy apostle from Switzerland.

But Cardinal Rylko hastens to add that God’s love remains “unrequited and rejected” to much of the world. That’s why this Mercy Congress and this locale are crucial to the conversion of the world. They serve as “a kind of school of hope,” he said.

He exhorted the attendees of the Mercy Congress — those who “have met Merciful Christ in their lives and let Him touch them personally and transform their lives” — to be “apostles of hope” and “brave advocates of the message that originated here in Lagiewniki.”

“Christ relies on you very much,” Cardinal Rylko said in conclusion. The Congress proves that the “evangelical harvest is really plentiful, but the workers are unfortunately still few.”

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9 a.m.

Father Joseph Roesch, MIC, is here with many of his fellow Marians. What does this Mercy Congress mean to the Marians, who have been official promoters of the Divine Mercy message and devotion since 1941?

A lot. Check it out …

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8:30 a.m.

I have videos to share, but the Internet connection here has been slow or non-existent. Pray for me. Thanks!

‘The Power to Change the World’

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The bells tolled at the Basilica of Divine Mercy in Lagiewniki, Poland, just after 2 p.m. today — but they weren’t the only bells ringing.

“Churches throughout the Archdiocese of Krakow are ringing as well,” announced Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, standing before a crowd of more than 2,000 people on the very spot where Blessed Pope John Paul II entrusted the world to Divine Mercy.

Photo: Marie Romagnano, RN
The calm before the Congress. Marie Romagnano, RN, took this photo of the basilica and the sisters’ convent this morning. Marie is the founder of Healthcare Professionals for Divine Mercy, an apostolate of the Marians in Stockbridge, Mass. We’ll be interviewing Marie later on …

The bells marked the commencement of the second World Apostolic Congress on Mercy, whose reverberations will undoubtedly be heard and felt beyond Lagiewniki, where St. Faustina, the Apostle of Divine Mercy, received many of her revelations. They will be heard and felt beyond metropolitan Krakow, too, where in 1967 a man named Karol Wojtyla, then Archbishop of Krakow, submitted documents about Faustina to the Vatican requesting the start of the process of her beatification. That man became Pope John Paul II. He beatified Sr. Faustina in 1993 and canonized her the first saint of the new millennium in 2000.

Through the pilgrims from 69 countries who have packed the Basilica, those reverberations undoubtedly will continue to resound throughout the world.

The Congress theme is “Mercy as the Source of Hope.”

“We’re here because we love Jesus and we loved John Paul II and we love St. Faustina,” said Carol Kennedy, from Great Britain, who is attending the Congress with a group of her parishioners.

Cardinals, bishops and clergy from throughout the world are among the attendees. Most conspicuous in the crowd are the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, whose distinctive, squared-off veils are a profound reminder of their famous fellow sister, Faustina (1905-1938), a lowly nun who died here in the convent just as her revelations were first becoming known.

“From the Lagiewniki hill, the mystery of God who is rich in mercy is reminded to the world,” said Cardinal Dziwisz, archbishop of Krakow, who spent 40 years working side-by-side with Pope John Paul II. “This is the place from which the message full of hope that Jesus gave to mankind through St. Sr. Faustina and Blessed John Paul II was sent to the world.”

Through the Mercy Congress — five days of talks, testimonies, prayer, song, Holy Mass, and fellowship — attendees look forward to growing ever zealous, ever courageous, ever inspired to bear witness to the world to our Merciful Savior, the Cardinal said.

“Christ is speaking to us just as He once did to St. Sr. Faustina: Tell [all people], My daughter, that I am Love and Mercy itself,” said Cardinal Dziwisz, quoting from St. Faustina’s Diary, passage 1074.

“We come from various parts of the world: Europe and Africa, America and Asia, Australia and Oceania,” said Cardinal Dziwisz. “We all feel drawn by this call of Christ from the Upper Room: As the Father has sent Me, so I send you” (Jn 20: 21-23).

The opening day includes Holy Mass. The Chief Celebrant is Cardinal Audrys J. Backis of Vilnius, Lithuania, a city where Faustina also lived. The homilist is Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, SDB, of China.

Before the celebration of Holy Mass, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Austria, president of the World Apostolic Congress on Mercy and Archbishop of Vienna, spoke of the purpose of the Mercy Congress.

“The main objective,” he said, “is to focus on the life of parishes, congregations and movements on mercy and its radiance. Parishes … are a perfect setting to exercise mercy and thus be a visible sign of God’ love. God in His beauty expresses himself and gives himself by the splendor of Mercy. The local ecclesial community can offer Him to the world in so far as they too shine out with this Mercy.”

“Divine Mercy,” said Cardinal Schonborn, “has the power to change the world.”

Read the full text of Cardinal Schonborn’s opening talk.

Tomorrow in Rome, during his Angelus, Pope Benedict XVI will extend a message to Mercy Congress participants.

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For anyone interested, the Mercy Congress is being broadcast on the Internet. Check it out.

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Hey, look who we just ran into — John Canavan, a Marian Helper from Australia. Check out our video (he pulls his dear friend, the famous Catholic painter Tommy Canning, in for a cameo … Tommy, you’re a good sport!).

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The Congress is set to begin in three hours, and who is that over there? None other than Fr. Patrice Chocholski of France, the general secretary of the Mercy Congress. He sat with us for a few minutes to share his thoughts on the importance of this gathering, how the Divine Mercy movement has spread throughout the world, and whether the Congress will include an ecclesiastical push to declare St. Faustina a Doctor of the Church (that’s been the rumor).

What is this Mercy Congress such an historic event?

“As Fr. Seraphim Michalenko says, Divine Mercy is the biggest movement in the history of the Catholic Church,” says Fr. Patrice, referring to our own Fr. Seraphim, who served as vice postulator for St. Faustina’s beatification and canonization.

What makes the promotion of the Divine Mercy message and devotion particularly special, says Fr. Patrice, is that is has been brought about by the laity. “People around the world have been transformed by the need of Christ’s mercy in their lives,” he says.

“The Church has been listening, and now it’s speaking,” Fr. Patrice says.

Priests, bishops and cardinals have acknowledged the importance of Divine Mercy in the life of the Church, says Fr. Patrice, and now those same priests, bishops and cardinals are working hard to propagate this message and support the laity.

He refers to Archbishop Alapati L. Mataeliga of Samoa who recently spoke at New Zealand’s national Mercy Congress.

“The Archbishop of Somoa said, ‘Yes, I tell my priests to be with these people. It will be good for you. When there is a Congress on mercy, I’m here all the time, because it is good for me.’ This is what Cardinal Barbarin of France also says. He says that every time he participates in a gathering of Divine Mercy devotees something new is created within him. He says, ‘It changes me, it transforms me. There is always something new that brings me to a better relationship with the Lord and also allows me to discover the beauty of the Church, which pushes us to its mission.'”

During the first World Apostolic Congress on Mercy in Rome in 2008, it was clear the “lay people were already convinced” of the importance of Divine Mercy, says Fr. Patrice. “And now, through the lay people, [Divine Mercy] belongs to the Church. The Church needs it.”

Pope Benedict XVI is expected to make a statement tomorrow from Rome to the Mercy Congress attendees. How much is the Holy Father involved in the Congress?

“Through his bound of friendship with Cardinal Schonborn,” says Fr. Patrice, “… it is clear he is concerned with this. They meet very often … [and the Holy Father] always encourages these Congresses and speaks very often of Divine Mercy.”

Cardinal Schonborn will speak today about how Divine Mercy sparks a “true renewal of our being, our relationship with the Merciful God,” says Fr. Patrice. “This creates renewal in ourselves and our relationships with others, and Pope Benedict is very convinced of this and has been from the beginning of his pontificate.”

What makes this Congress different from the first World Apostolic Congress on Mercy?

“This Congress will be a true expression of communion in the mission of The Divine Mercy in the whole world,” Fr. Patrice says. “So many countries, so many movements, so many congregations all together will be witnesses to The Divine Mercy. This a great event. I’m sure that it will be a new impulse in this mission to give witness to Divine Mercy all around the world … that we need Divine Mercy.”

He adds, “Even people who don’t know of St. Faustina have placed great importance on the message Christ shared through her.”

That message, put simply, is that God is Mercy; that He loves us no matter who we are and what we have done; He wants us to reach for Him, to allow Him to enter our heart and lives; and furthermore, we are obligated to share His mercy through loving and serving each other.”

“Divine Mercy is the second name of God,” says Fr. Patrice. “This is a way to meet Him, a way to be in a deep relationship with Him. So Divine Mercy becomes the Light that changes our relationship with people. We become apostles of this Light.”

Why now, in this particular moment of history?

“In Europe and elsewhere in the world, [society] has become more materialistic, more aggressive, more [individualistic],” says Fr. Patrice. “Whereas Divine Mercy pushes us to live each day with the goodness of God, the trust of God. As Cardinal Schonborn will express today, through Divine Mercy we learn to have a deep trust in God. … that we belong to Him.”

Okay, one final matter.

There’s a buzz here regarding whether through this Congress there will be a push made to declare St. Faustina a Doctor of the Church. After all, she is arguably the most popular saint of modern times. Her Diary — a series of personal revelations she received from Jesus Christ in the 1930s — sheds light on the progress of the mystical life of the soul and gives an unparalleled understanding into the mystery of Divine Mercy.

Could she join the ranks of St. Therese and only 32 other saints who have been declared Doctors of the Universal Church? Does Fr. Patrice have anything to share about this?

He smiles. He pauses.

“She is a gift to the whole church, not just Poland. She’s really universal. The Lord says through her that we are to speak of His mercy to the whole world.”

But will there be a push here to honor her with this distinguished ecclesiastical title?

He smiles. “I’m sure that you should interview Cardinal Schonborn on this matter … because it belongs to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.”

We hope to do so.

Father Patrice said he’d help arrange it.

Thanks for the interview, Fr. Patrice!

On the Eve of an Historic Event

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By the way, some of the biggest names in the Church will be participating. View the VIP list.

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With a zeal to bring the Divine Mercy message into the daily life of the Church and the world, thousands of people from around the world are disembarking here at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Lagiewniki, Poland, on the grounds of the convent where in the 1930s St. Faustina received many of her revelations.

The five-day World Apostolic Congress on Mercy begins tomorrow at 9 a.m.

The Congress is nothing short of an historic event in the life of the Church, “opening a new chapter in our understanding more and more the mystery of Divine Mercy and the special gift God gave us through St. Faustina and John Paul,” says Sr. Gaudia of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy.”

View our interview with Sr. Gaudia …

“We believe that the Divine Mercy is the keyword, the paradigm for a new evangelization. It will be the light guiding humankind of the third millennium,” said Fr. Fr. Patrice Chocholski of Lyon, France, general secretary of the Congress.

The Congress follows in the heels of the historic first World Apostolic Congress on Mercy (WACOM) held in Rome, Italy, on April 2-6, 2008, an event called for by Pope Benedict XVI to perpetuate the work of Blessed John Paul II, the Great Mercy Pope.

“Mercy as the Source of Hope” is the theme for the Congress, which will include testimonies, lectures, street celebrations, Holy Masses, missions, and a day trip to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum. A Church congress is a Vatican-approved gathering focusing on a particular aspect of the faith — in this case, mercy.

Appropriately, the venue is here in Lagiewniki, home of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska received many of her revelations here, which she recorded in her Diary — a book that has since sparked a worldwide missionary front in the name of Jesus, The Divine Mercy.

The venue serves to underscore the critical role the message of The Divine Mercy now has in the Universal Church.

At the conclusion of the first Congress, our Holy Father encouraged pilgrims to return home to sure up an apostolic beachhead in which the zeal of the Mercy Congress could take root and flourish.

“Go to the world and be witnesses of Divine Mercy,” Pope Benedict XVI urged participants.

Bridging the two World Congresses were national Congresses held throughout the world, including the North American Congress on Mercy, in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 14-15, 2009.

The beatification on May 1 — Divine Mercy Sunday — of John Paul II, provides the perfect lead-in to the Mercy Congress. In his writings and homilies, Pope John Paul II described Divine Mercy as the answer to the world’s problems and the message of the third millennium.

In 1997 he visited then-Blessed Faustina’s tomb here in Lagiewniki and proclaimed: “There is nothing that man needs more than Divine Mercy. … From here went out the message of Mercy that Christ Himself chose to pass on to our generation through Blessed Faustina.”

Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, Archbishop of Krakow and longtime aide to Pope John Paul II, is host of the Mercy Congress. Among the many cardinals and bishops who will participate will be Cardinal Christopher Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna, who served as master of ceremonies for the World Congress in Rome.

Among the many highlights, Pope Benedict XVI will present a special message to Congress attendees.

“The Congress will help people come to know God as a God of mercy who can cure us from our brokenness, our sinfulness and our fears,” said Fr. Kazimierz Chwalek, MIC, the Marians’ Provincial Superior in the United States and the vice-president of the North American Mercy Congress. “We will share how He wants us to do the same for each other — to carry each others’ crosses — in a world in desperate need of His profound gift of mercy.”

The ‘Necessary’ Message

The following is the homily delivered by Fr. S. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC, during the Holy Mass that closed the first North American Congress on Mercy at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., Nov. 15, 2009. The text below includes Fr. Seraphim’s subsequent expansions and related insights to the original homily:

It appears to me not to be void of significance that the first North American Congress on Mercy (NACOM), which we have just celebrated — following upon the first World Apostolic Congress on Mercy (WACOM), which was held in Rome in April of 2008 under the auspices of His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI — should have taken place here, in the host city of Washington, in the District of Columbia, and that, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, of the Patroness of the host country. For it was from this city, more precisely, from the House of Studies of the Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, located at that time on the corner of Lawrence Street, North East, opposite the former site of the Newman Bookshop, very near to this awe-inspiring house of worship, that the message of Jesus, The Divine Mercy, was first begun to be propagated on this continent in the western hemisphere, hardly two-and-a-half years after the passing into eternity of our Savior’s confidante, the now Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, while most of the religious sisters of her own community had not yet learned that their humble sister of the second choir of their congregation was in any way involved in the matter.

I find it a striking fact, too, that it is Our Lady’s shrines that have played a significant role in the origin, growth, and making public of the revelations concerning The Divine Mercy message and devotion entrusted to the Church and the world through the humble members of the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. For it was at the renowned shrine of Our Lady — the Mother of Mercy of the Gate of the Dawn — in the city of Vilnius, now again the capital of Lithuania, that the first image of Jesus, The Divine Mercy, painted under St. Faustina’s directions from the Lord and funded by her spiritual director, the recently-beatified priest, the Rev. Michael Sopocko, was first presented to the faithful during the closing celebrations of the observance of the Holy Year of Redemption on the Octave Sunday of Easter in 1935 (see Diary, 420-422).

It was also the Novitiate Chapel under the patronage of the Immaculate Conception, of the American Province of the Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary on Eden Hill in Stockbridge, Mass., which housed the first shrine of The Divine Mercy in this country since 1944. Relocated to a larger and beautifully-adorned adjacent edifice at the insistence and generosity of the faithful, grateful for the numerous graces obtained through The Divine Mercy Devotion, the shrine was dedicated in 1960, and on March 20, 1996, it was declared by the Administrative Committee of The United States Catholic Conference of Bishops and the National Catholic Conference of Bishops as the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy.

And it is here, at the now Basilica of The National Shrine of The Immaculate Conception, that the Feast of His Mercy, designated by our Lord for the first Sunday after Easter, has been annually celebrated since 1990, with ever-growing participation of the faithful, deeply devoted to Jesus, The Divine Mercy.

So, there is a deep connection between the two great mysteries of our faith — The Divine Mercy and The Immaculate Conception — as has been so eminently demonstrated by the presentation of the Marian Father, Donald Calloway, MIC, in the course of the Congress. The Feast of the Immaculate Conception, among all of the Virgin Mary’s feasts, was St. Faustina’s favorite. She prepared herself for it several times in an extraordinary way, “… not only by means of the novena said in common by the whole community, but I also made a personal effort to salute [Mary] a thousand times each day, saying a thousand ‘Hail Marys’ for nine days in her praise” (Diary, 1412-1413). On the occasion of that feast in 1935, appearing to Sr. Faustina during Holy Mass, Our Lady said to her: “You give me great joy when you adore The Holy Trinity for the graces and privileges which were accorded me” (Diary, 564).

There had not yet been any pronouncements made on the part of Church authorities regarding the claimed revelations at the time the devotion took root in this country, but devotional prayers and an image representing Jesus, The Divine Mercy, were granted Imprimaturs by several bishops in Poland and by the Archbishop of our country’s Primatial See, the then-Archdiocese of Baltimore-Washington. Within about 10 years from the humble initiative to make the message and devotion known, these had been spread from here to every other continent.

It should not have been surprising that, after nearly 20 years of swift, spontaneous growth throughout the world — significantly through laymen’s grassroots activity — the spreading of the message and devotion should have been halted by order of Church authorities, because this was clearly foretold by the good religious [Sr. Faustina] in the record of her spiritual experiences, kept in obedience to her spiritual mentor’s directive.

There she wrote:

Once, as I was talking with my spiritual director, I had an interior vision — quicker than lightning — of his soul in great suffering, in such agony that God touches very few souls with such fire. The suffering arises from this work. There will come a time when this work, which God is demanding so very much, will be as though utterly undone. And then God will act with great power, which will give evidence of its authenticity. It will be a new splendor for the Church, although it has been dormant in it from long ago. That God is infinitely merciful, no one can deny. He desires everyone to know this before He comes again as Judge. He wants souls to come to know Him first as King of Mercy. When this triumph comes, we shall already have entered the new life in which there is no suffering. But before this, your soul [of the spiritual director] will be surfeited with bitterness at the sight of the destruction of your efforts. However, this will only appear to be so, because what God has once decided upon, He does not change. But although this destruction will be such only in outward appearance, the suffering will be real (Diary, 378).

The spiritual guide to whom this prophecy was addressed was the Rev. Fr. Michael Sopocko. He was raised to the honors of the altar as “Blessed” a year ago on Sept. 28, 2008. This occurred hardly 33 years after his death, and it stands in contrast to the 300 years it took for Fr. Claude Colombière, S.J. — the spiritual guide of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, through whom our Lord revealed the devotion to His Most Sacred Heart — to be declared a saint. Both priests died on Feb. 15, the day to which their memorial is assigned. In Blessed Michael’s case, it is the day on which St. Faustina celebrated her namesday [the day of her patron saint, St. Faustus].

We must all be aware with what caution Holy Mother Church looks upon private revelations, particularly when through them some action is requested of Church authorities that would affect the Church’s liturgical life or devotional practices. This was certainly the case with the revelations granted to the now “Saint” Faustina.

Saint Thomas Aquinas, mindful in this matter of the Apostle Paul’s warning in his First Letter to the Thessalonians (5:19-21): “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophetic utterances. Test everything; retain what is good,” do not treat private revelations lightly. He places them in the category of the prophetic ministry in the Church as he considers verse 18 from the 29th chapter of the Book of Proverbs. That passage is usually translated: “Where [there is] no vision, the people perish.” But St. Thomas prefers the translation that reads: “Where there is no prophecy, the people cast off restraint” (Summa Theologiae, 2a2ae, Q.174, art.6, Reply).

So (after St. Augustine), St. Thomas states: “That is why at every period men were instructed by God about what they were to do, according as was expedient for the salvation of the elect” (Summa, Ibid.), not to proclaim new doctrines (for that would be incompatible with the concept of prophecy), but to offer a deeper understanding of particular revealed truths, or to give guidance to leaders in the Church as to actions they should take in given times and circumstances for the good government of the faithful. For “… divine grace which inspires prophets is, for man, a still more effective means of help. Light from prophecy extends also to the directing of human acts. In this sense prophecy is needed for the ruling of a people, and especially as regards the worship of God. For in this nature is insufficient, and grace indispensable” (Summa Theologiae, 2a2ae, Q.172-the cause of prophecy, article 1 ad 3 and 4).

Saint Peter is quite emphatic about the source of prophecy, saying “… for no prophecy ever came through human will; but rather human beings moved by the Holy Spirit spoke under the influence of God” (2 Pt 1:21).

The Jesuit Father Karl Rahner was asked by the Father General of his religious order to explain the rationale of private revelations, such as those regarding the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, of which the Society of Jesus was the principal proponent. The well-known German theologian pointed out that, “A private revelation as a mission to the Church signifies not so much an Indicative [a declaration] communicating something new … but an Imperative [a command] which, within the concept of a particular situation of the Church, points out a particular course of action from the many possible, according to the universal and public revelation, as the most urgently needing to be realized. … An imperative of this kind is possible because, while in the knowledge [the entire body] of the faith many things at the same time can be true and good, in the action [exercise] of the faith not everything that is true and good can be actuated at the same time, to the same degree and with the same intensity. Hence, the private revelation as a mission to the Church … answers the question as to what is most urgently to be done here and now in accordance with the general principles of the faith” (Theological Investigations, Vol. III, pp.338, 339), and, St. Thomas would add, “according as [is] expedient for the salvation of the elect” (cf. above).

Evidently, we find the message regarding The Divine Mercy extremely necessary for the particular time and circumstances in which the Church and the world find themselves now. We will do well to recall what the now Servant of God, Pope John Paul II, declared in his famous second encyclical, Rich in Mercy:

…[A]t no time and in no historical period — especially at a moment as critical as our own — can the Church forget the prayer that is a cry for the mercy of God amid the many forms of evil which weigh upon humanity and threaten it. Precisely this is the fundamental right and duty of the Church in Christ Jesus, her right and duty towards God and towards humanity. The more the human conscience succumbs to secularization, loses its sense of the very meaning of the word “mercy,” moves away from God and distances itself from the mystery of mercy, the more the Church has the right and the duty to appeal to the God of mercy “with loud cries” [as Jesus did in the Garden of Olives] (Heb 5:7). These “loud cries” should be the mark of the Church of our times, cries uttered to God to implore His mercy, the certain manifestation of which she professes and proclaims as having already come in Jesus crucified and risen, that is, in the Paschal Mystery. It is this mystery which bears within itself the most complete revelation of mercy, that is, of that love which is more powerful than death, more powerful than sin and every evil, the love which lifts man up when he falls into the abyss and frees him from the greatest threats.

Modern man feels these threats. What has been said above in this regard is only a rough outline. Modern man often anxiously wonders about the solution to the terrible tensions which have built up in the world and which entangle humanity. And if at times he lacks the courage to utter the word “mercy,” or if in his conscience empty of religious content he does not find the equivalent, so much greater is the need for the Church to utter this word, not only in her own name but also in the name of all the men and women of our time (n.15) [emphases, the Pope’s.]

It was non-Catholics who immediately hailed the encyclical as the best document to have come out of the Vatican, while Catholic sources kept a strange silence about it for almost a year, until a religious community under the title of “Merciful Love” sponsored an international congress to examine the subject at its general headquarters in Collevalenza, near the city of Todi, Italy.

The Archbishop, later Cardinal, Paul Poupard, rector of The Catholic Institute in Paris, who was requested to elaborate on the theology of divine mercy at the congress, had a hard time finding adequate material on the subject, even in the latest Catholic Encyclopedia that was just published at that time in Italy and in France, which offered only a few lamentable paragraphs on the word “mercy.” He recalled how, when word spread that the Holy Father John Paul II was about to publish the second encyclical letter of his pontificate in November of 1980 on the theme of the mercy of God, some Catholic theologians in Rome publicly ridiculed the idea saying, “With all the problems going on in the world, doesn’t the pope have anything better to write about than about mercy?” The Archbishop expressed his great astonishment about how this “fundamental axis of our Faith” — that God is Love and Love is Mercy — could have become so obscured for such a long time (Acts of the International Congress: A First Reading of the Dives in Misericordia, The Shrine of Merciful Love, Collevalenza, 26-29 Nov. 1981, pp. 203, 204).

Yet about 22 years earlier, there was an effort on the part of individuals in the Vatican to suppress the writings of Sr. Faustina Kowalska together with the devotions based on them. While I was working with an Italian priest, Don Carlo Vivaldelli, on a translation into Italian of Sr. Faustina’s Diary, he informed me that a friend of his from seminary days became a secretary to Pope John XXIII, and from him he learned that a decree was prepared to prohibit forever the spreading of Sr. Faustina’s Diary and the devotion to Jesus, The Divine Mercy, based on the “supposed” revelations recorded in it. Knowing that Pope Pius XII gave signs of being in favor of the writings of Sr. Josepha Menendez of Spain on a similar topic of God’s mercy, the individuals not in favor of the subject awaited the seriously ailing Pontiff’s demise.

The friend described to Don Carlo what followed. On the first day after his enthronement, when the successor to Pope Pius XII entered his office, he sat down at the desk on which an orderly heap of documents was awaiting the new Pope’s review and signature. The Pope made the sign of the Cross and, well aware from experience of Curial practices, turned the pile of documents upside down, and proceeded to examine the documents. The first one he picked up was the proposed “decree” regarding Sr. Faustina’s writings. It was evidently placed at the bottom of the pile so that, perhaps tiring from going over all the preceding ones, the Pope would trust the work of his collaborators, and just sign it. Instead, John XXIII read the document carefully, and shook his head saying, “No, no, no!” And he indicated that this “decree” will not do — the Polish bishops should be consulted for their opinions. The document had to be revised. It became a “Notification,” setting the matter aside until clarifications could be obtained. (Communication between Poland, dominated by Soviet communism, and the Vatican was stopped by the government. Even external telephone communications were intercepted.)

The temporary ban lasted 20 years until further investigations were able to be carried out and a very detailed analysis of Sr. Faustina’s writings was made by a top theologian upon the request of Karol Wojtyla, the Archbishop of Kraków. The verdict was that the writings contained nothing against the Catholic faith or morals; on the contrary, whoever would carefully read them and follow them would reach a high degree of sanctity. As a result, Pope Paul VI rescinded the ban. Exactly six months later, the Cardinal Archbishop of Kraków succeeded him and his short-lived successor, Pope John Paul I, as Pope John Paul II. Thanks to the successful process in the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Pope John Paul II was able to beatify Sr. Faustina in 1993 and to declare her a saint in the year 2000. After more than 1,000 years of Christianity in Poland, Sr. Faustina was the first woman born on Polish soil ever to be canonized!

Although all that our Lord assigned to Sr. Faustina to accomplish was finally fulfilled, her work is not finished. In May of 1935, she recorded in her Diary:

A Certain Moment
When I became aware of God’s great plans for me, I was frightened at their greatness and felt myself quite incapable of fulfilling them, and I began to avoid interior conversations with Him, filling up the time with vocal prayer. I did this out of humility, but I soon recognized it was not true humility, but rather a great temptation from the devil. When, on one occasion, instead of interior prayer, I took up a book of spiritual reading, I heard these words spoken distinctly and forcefully within my soul, You will prepare the world for My final coming. These words moved me deeply, and although I pretended not to hear them, I understood them very well and had no doubt about them. Once, being tired out from this battle of love with God, and making constant excuses on the grounds that I was unable to carry out this task, I wanted to leave the chapel, but some force held me back and I found myself powerless. Then I heard these words, You intend to leave the chapel, but you shall not get away from Me, for I am everywhere. You cannot do anything of yourself, but with Me you can do all things (Diary, 429).

The following year, on the Feast of the Annunciation, God’s presence enveloped Sr. Faustina in a special way in the morning during meditation, as she saw the immeasurable greatness of God and, at the same time, the lowering of Himself to His creatures. She recorded:

Then I saw the Mother of God, who said to me, Oh, how pleasing to God is the soul that follows faithfully the inspirations of His grace! [Our Lady could have been referring to her response to the Archangel Gabriel and its consequences.] I gave the Savior to the world; as for you, you have to speak to the world about His great mercy and prepare the world for the Second Coming of Him who will come, not as a merciful Savior, but as a just Judge. Oh, how terrible is that day! Determined is the day of justice, the day of divine wrath. The angels tremble before it. Speak to souls about this great mercy while it is still the time for mercy. If you keep silent now, you will be answering for a great number of souls on that terrible day. Fear nothing. Be faithful to the end. I sympathize with you. (635)

What struck me during yesterday’s Vigil Mass were the words of Bishop [William] Lori [the Bishop of Bridgeport, Conn., and the Episcopal advisor to NACOM] when he related that someone asked him why these days were picked for this Mercy Congress, and whether the planners checked the readings from Sacred Scripture for this Sunday beforehand. The Gospel passage deals with “The Son of Man, at the end, returning with great power and glory” (Mk 13:24-32). This is what moved me to change the direction of this homily and to bring our attention to the eschatological dimension — the matters dealing with the last things — in St. Faustina’s revelations. There we read entries such as these:

Souls perish in spite of My bitter Passion. I am giving them the last hope of salvation [literally — “sheet anchor,” one that can be shot out rapidly — a person or thing to be relied upon in danger or emergency (Webster’s Dictionary)], that is, recourse to My Mercy. If they will not adore My mercy, they will perish for all eternity. Secretary of My mercy, write, tell souls about this great mercy of Mine, because the awful day, the day of My justice, is near (Diary, 965, 998).

One day, while Sr. Faustina was saying the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy, she heard a voice that said:

Oh, what great graces I will grant to souls who say this chaplet; the very depths of My tender mercy are stirred for the sake of those who say the chaplet. Write down these words, My daughter. Speak to the world about My mercy; let all mankind recognize My unfathomable mercy. It is a sign for the end times; after it will come the day of justice. While there is still time, let them have recourse to the fount of My mercy; let them profit from the Blood and Water which gushed forth for them.

In the last year of her life, St. Faustina wrote: “Today I heard the words”:

In the Old Covenant I sent prophets wielding thunderbolts to My people. Today I am sending you with My mercy to the people of the whole world. I do not want to punish aching mankind, but I desire to heal it, pressing it to My Merciful Heart. I use punishment when they themselves force Me to do so; My hand is reluctant to take hold of the sword of justice. Before the Day of Justice I am sending the Day of Mercy. I replied, “O my Jesus, speak to souls Yourself, because my words are insignificant.” (Diary, 1588).

Nevertheless, our Lord persisted with Sr. Faustina:

Write: before I come as a just Judge, I first open wide the door of My mercy. He who refuses to pass through the door of My mercy must pass through the door of My justice. (Diary, 1146)

Our preparation for the Day of our Lord’s Coming should concentrate on putting away all sin. The second reading for this Sunday’s Liturgy, from the Letter to the Hebrews, assures us that by one sacrifice Jesus obtained forgiveness for our sins, and, “when He had accomplished purification from sins, He took His seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high …” (Heb 1:3; 10:12). In the “Tent of Meeting” set up by Moses, and in the Temple in Jerusalem, there was only one seat — the “throne of mercy” upon the Ark of the Covenant, the place where God manifested His presence in the “Shekinah Glory,” Uncreated Light.

The normal position for a priest is standing. He was never allowed to rest sitting down as he went about his ongoing tasks of performing the rites regarding the various offerings for the sins of the people of God. But Jesus, having been “made perfect,” that is consecrated [as per Cardinal Vanhoye’s translation], was declared by God High-Priest of the New Covenant in His own Blood according to the order of Melchizedek. There is significant power in our enthroned High-Priest, for He has accomplished and fulfilled the perfect, once-for-all offering of Himself, as through His death He entered the inner sanctuary in heaven, not made by human hands, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, obtaining eternal redemption (Heb 10:19; 9:12). This is the hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the divine Presence behind the veil — heaven (see Heb 6:19).

By this same once-for-all act, Jesus has “made perfect” forever those who are being consecrated — all who obey Him, who place their faith and absolute trust in Him. With the author of The Book of Revelation (1:5,6) we, too, can call out: “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood, who has made us into a kingdom, priests for His God and Father, to Him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.” For this is why, as sharers in His priesthood, we have the confidence — more exactly, the boldness, the “accorded right” [again, Cardinal Vanhoye’s translation] — to approach the throne of grace at any time to obtain mercy and to find grace to help in time of need (Heb 4:16), unlike the high-priest in the Old Testament who alone could enter the “holy of holies,” and that, only once a year. But Jesus, “because He remains forever, has a priesthood that does not pass away, therefore He is always able to save those who approach God through Him, since He lives forever to make intercession for them (see Heb 7:24, 25; Rom 8:34).

Finally, there is an entry in St. Faustina’s Diary (1732) in which the Servant of God John Paul II quoted in part toward the end of his homily during the dedication of the Basilica of the Shrine of The Divine Mercy, in Lagiewniki, Poland, near the final resting place of the mortal remains of our Lord’s beloved confidante. St. Faustina recorded:

As I was praying for Poland, I heard the words: I bear a special love for Poland, and if she will be obedient to My will, I will exalt her in might and holiness. From her will come forth the spark that will prepare the world for My final coming.

The Holy Father declared: “Today, therefore, in this Shrine, I wish solemnly to entrust the world to Divine Mercy. I do so with the burning desire that the message of God’s merciful love, proclaimed here through St. Faustina, may be made known to all the peoples of the earth and fill their hearts with hope. May this message radiate from this place to our beloved homeland and throughout the world. May the binding promise of the Lord Jesus be fulfilled: from here there must go forth ‘the spark which will prepare the world for his final coming.'”

It was the second part of the Diary entry that the Holy Father quoted, and then he said, “Let this binding promise be fulfilled.” Most of the hearers hardly noticed the word, even though it was pronounced with emphasis. Did the Holy Father, by saying this, intend boldly to hold the Lord to His word?

Pope John Paul II then continued, “This spark needs to be lighted by the grace of God. This fire of mercy needs to be passed on to the world. In the mercy of God the world will find peace and mankind will find happiness!”

This was the challenge that sparked the inspiration for a World Apostolic Congress on Divine Mercy. When Pope Benedict XVI agreed with the idea and insisted it be held in Rome, it became the World Apostolic Congress on Mercy. From it came the call for regional, national, and diocesan Congresses. It is now up to us, who participated in this first North American Congress on Mercy, to enkindle and spread that fire of mercy to our homes, parishes and communities, in order to prepare everyone around us so that That Day will not catch us unaware nor fill us with fear, but truly be for us the moment when our Lord “will appear a second time, not to take away sin but to bring the [fullness] of salvation to those who eagerly [on tiptoe] await him” (Heb 9:28).

For Jesus will appear at the parousia (“presence” or “arrival,” as stated in New Testament passages that deal with the Second Coming) as the high-priest reappeared on the Day of Atonement, emerging from the Holy of Holies that He entered to take away sin, “while all the people of the land would shout for joy, praying the Merciful One, as the high-priest … coming down … would raise his hands over all the congregation of God’s People, the blessing of the Lord would be upon his lips, the name of the Lord would be his glory.” This dramatic scene, described in the Book of Sirach, (50:5-11), is what the image of Jesus — The Divine Mercy — commanded by our Lord to be painted by Sr. Faustina, to be blessed on the First Sunday after the Lord’s Resurrection, and solemnly venerated first in the Sisters’ Chapel and then throughout the world — is truly meant to represent.

This image fulfills in a supreme manner all that our Holy Father Benedict XVI describes in his work: The Spirit Of The Liturgy, with regard to “art ordered to divine worship.” He declares:

The images of the history of God in relation to man do not merely illustrate the succession of past events but display the inner unity of God’s action. In this way they have a reference to the sacraments, above all to Baptism and the Eucharist, and in pointing to the sacraments, they are contained within them. Images thus point to a presence; they are essentially connected with what happens in the liturgy. Now history becomes sacrament in Christ, who is the source of the Sacraments. Therefore, the icon [image] of Christ is the center of sacred iconography [the art of “writing” sacred images, for they are illustrations of sacred Scriptures]. The center of the icon of Christ is the Paschal Mystery: Christ is presented as the Crucified, the risen Lord, the One who will come again and who here and now hiddenly reigns over all. Every image of Christ [note: ordered to divine worship!] must contain these three essential aspects of the mystery of Christ and, in this sense, must be an image of Easter. … But whatever happens, one aspect can never be completely isolated from another, and in the different emphases [whether of the Passion, the Resurrection or of the Return] the Paschal Mystery as a whole must be plainly evident. An image of the Crucifixion no longer transparent to Easter would be just as deficient as an Easter image forgetful of the wounds and the suffering of the present moment [emphasis mine]. And, centered as it is on the Paschal Mystery, the image of Christ is always an icon of the Eucharist, that is, it points to the sacramental presence of the Easter mystery.

I know of no other image of Christ that clearly exhibits every element described by the Holy Father than that of Jesus, The Divine Mercy, revealed in an apparition to St. Faustina with the command: “Paint an image according to the pattern you are seeing” (Diary, 47) — a command like that given by God to Moses: “You shall erect the Dwelling [sanctuary] according to the pattern shown you on the mountain” (Ex 26:30). When the Jews demanded of Jesus, “What sign do you show to us, since You do these things,” that is, cleansing the temple, Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Saint John comments, “But He was speaking of the temple of His body” (Jn 2:18-21).

The very first entry in St. Faustina’s Diary is a poem that begins with the statement: “O Eternal Love, You command Your Sacred Image to be painted …” (1). The next stanza declares: “O sweet Jesus, it is here [that is, in this image] You established the throne of Your mercy,” a reference to the most important item in the sanctuary that Moses was commanded to construct and furnish according to the pattern in heaven seen by him on the mountain — the Ark of the Covenant with its golden lid, the Mercy Seat.

It was upon this lid — “beaten” out of one mass of gold (the gold representing divinity and utter sinlessness/holiness; the beating calling to mind verse 3 of Psalm 129: “The plowers plowed on my back; They made their furrows long”)— that the blood of propitiation was sprinkled as the atoning sacrifice which, “taking away our sins, turns aside God’s wrath.” Saint John emphatically states: “[Christ] Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world” (1 Jn 2:2; Jn 1:29) [Our Lord inserted a part of this passage in the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy.] The Body of Jesus, then, is the perfect temple of God as well as the real propitiatory, sprinkled with His own precious Blood for our redemption (Rom 3:25). The red and pale “Rays of Mercy,” emanating from the Lord’s pierced side in The Divine Mercy image, are the illustration of Christ’s consecration as High Priest through what He suffered in loving obedience to His Father and out of compassionate love for us sinners — to whom He eternally united Himself through the Incarnation. It is also the illustration of the priestly ministry He shares with those who obey Him to bring forth much fruit in the Holy Spirit to the glory of the Father.

The Letter to the Hebrews (8:3) indicates what the priestly ministry is as it declares: “For every high-priest is constituted to offer gifts and sacrifices.” It, therefore, encourages believers who have been given a share in Christ’s priesthood: “Through Him therefore let us continually[emphasis mine] offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, fruit of lips professing His name” (13:15). We do precisely that when at our Lord’s invitation — and even command — we pray in particular the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy, which is strictly connected to the Eucharistic Sacrifice: “Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of your dearly-beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world. For the sake of [out of regard for] His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.”

From all the forgoing, it becomes evident that our one need is to know Jesus better, to come to the knowledge of the higher truth concerning Him in His heavenly priesthood, who “had in all things to become like His brothers so that He might become a merciful and worthy of faith High Priest for the things of God in order to expiate the sins of the people; for in what He suffered Himself, having been tested, He is able to those being tested to offer help” (Heb 2:17-18). The author of Hebrews continues: “For we do not have a High Priest unable to suffer with our weaknesses, but [One] tested in all things in like manner without sin. Let us approach therefore with accorded right to the throne of grace so that we might receive mercy and find grace for timely help” (4:15-16); “let us approach with a true heart in fullness of faith with hearts sprinkled pure from a wicked conscience; and with a body washed by pure water let us maintain unmoved the profession of the hope — for faithful [is] the one who promised — and let us consider each other for the stimulation of charity and noble works, not deserting our gathering, as [is] a custom for some, but encouraging, and the more so in proportion as you look at the approaching Day” (10:22-25; translation endorsed by Cardinal Vanhoye).

We can readily understand then why our Lord insisted that a particular prayer “must be clearly in evidence” (Diary, 327) on the image He commanded to depict Him and to be signed: “Jesus, I trust in You!” It is the short form of the prayer He taught St. Faustina: “O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of Mercy for us, I trust in You!” (Diary, 47, 327). The Blood and Water gushing forth from the area of His Heart is also the symbol and expression of His personal, priestly, atoning self-offering out of love for us, making Him worthy of our unbounded trust to save us to the uttermost by His being faithful to His divine promises. That is why in the Polish language, in which Jesus stated that prayer, the final “You” is in the singular number, and why the name of Jesus — “Yahweh is salvation” — is a legitimate and significant stand-in for the “Blood and Water” in the signature on The Divine Mercy Image.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, during his “Queen of Heaven, rejoice,” address at noon on Divine Mercy Sunday of 2006, His Holiness Benedict XVI, commented on the Gospel reading of the day, saying:

The Evangelist further recalls that on the occasion of both his appearances — the day of the Resurrection and eight days later — the Lord Jesus showed the disciples the signs of the crucifixion, clearly visible and tangible even in his glorified Body (cf. Jn20:20,27). Those sacred wounds in his hands, in his feet and in his side, are an inexhaustible source of faith, hope and love from which each one can draw, especially the souls who thirst the most for Divine Mercy.

In consideration of this, the Servant of God John Paul II, highlighting the spiritual experience of a humble Sister, St Faustina Kowalska, desired that the Sunday after Easter be dedicated in a special way to Divine Mercy; and Providence disposed that he would die precisely on the eve of this day in the hands of Divine Mercy. The mystery of God’s merciful love was the center of the Pontificate of my venerable Predecessor. Let us remember in particular his 1980 Encyclical Dives in Misericordia, and his dedication of the new Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow in 2002.

The words he spoke on the latter occasion summed up, as it were, his Magisterium, pointing out that the cult [worship]of Divine Mercy is not a secondary devotion but an integral dimension of Christian faith and prayer.

The German translation of this latter paragraph renders it rather thus: “… the worship of Divine Mercy is not a second-rate devotion but an integral dimension of a Christian’s faith and prayer.”

May our Lord’s declaration: “Mankind will not experience [or enjoy] security so long as it does not turn with trust to the Fount of My Mercy” (Diary, 300, 699 — a more literal translation) spur us on to make His Divine Mercy message and devotion an integral factor of our Christian lives.

Father Seraphim Michalenko, MIC, served as vice-postulator in North America for St. Faustina’s canonization cause. He lives on Eden Hill in Stockbridge, Mass., where he holds the title of “Fr. Joseph, MIC,” director of the Association of Marian Helpers.

Be a part of the discussion. Add a comment now!

Fr. Joe Roesch, MIC – Dec 3, 2009

Magnificent! Thank you Fr. Seraphim. I am sorry I missed it!

Humble servant of God’s Love and Mercy – Dec 1, 2009

O most sweet Jesus, our hearts either rejoices in You or are tormented for You, but use us for Divine Mercy’s end.

May devotion to Divine Mercy be in every contrite hearts. Long live Jesus, Mercy Incarnate and the Divine Paradise!

ics – Nov 26, 2009

Praise, Glory, Thanks and Adoration to the Tri-une Almighty God Father, Son and Holy Spirit. LORD JESUS CHRIST, “King of Mercy”, have mercy upon the souls who did not have an opportunity to the Divine Mercy Chaplet.Nothing is impossible to You Almighty Eternal Father Who always waits for our genuine repentance and return to Your fathomless mercy and love. To love is to trust and to embrace Your mercy and to be merciful always. Let every breath be words inspired by Your mercy: Jesus, I love You. ” JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU “.

Robert Allard, Director, Apostles of Divine Mercy – Nov 25, 2009

I thank the Lord for Fr. Seraphim who has been graced with great insight in the revelations of Divine Mercy. His words bring great comfort and assure us of God’s love and mercy for all those who trust in Jesus. I wish that all priests could here these inspired words.

Carole – Nov 24, 2009

What a powerful treatise! Thank you, Fr. Michalenko for your devotion to this work. I pray the message be preached from all pulpits. May the Holy Spirit prepare us all to hear this word.

God love and bless you and all who toil in this vineyard.

Jim – Nov 23, 2009

A fantastic writing. No doubt, this is the time for God’s mercy – the duty to spread this message continues with us through our actions, words, and deeds.

A Continent Shifts Toward God

By Dan Valenti (Nov 15, 2009)
For a momentous day in the life of North America, in a development guaranteed not to register on any man-made instrument, the continental axis tilted to God. The full impact of this historic day will not be known for years, but we do know this: the resulting good for an entire hemisphere will be both immeasurable and profound.

Even among the most jaded of conference goers and by the high standards of veterans of similar gatherings, the first-ever North American Congress on Mercy (NACOM) was a spectacular success — as God measures it, certainly, and, yes, even as man does.

In the nation’s capital, Ground Zero for political contention and cultural war, mercy was afoot. The first-ever North American Congress on Mercy (NACOM) was at hand.

Radiance, Pouring Through Her Eyes
On Nov. 14, 2009, in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., mercy found a home in the receptive hearts of more than 700 pilgrims. From all walks and circumstances they came — from California to Massachusetts, from Minnesota to Texas, from New Brunswick, Canada, to Puebla, Mexico — thirsting to intensify their love of Divine Mercy, craving to learn more, and on fire to spread it to others.

Susan Buck of Silver Springs, Md., works in human resources for the executive branch of the federal government, attached to the White House. Her journey to NACOM marked an action point, one of no return:

“I know very, very well the depths of God’s mercy and forgiveness of God,” she says. “He forgave me for a very bad sin when I didn’t think forgiveness was possible. Now I want to turn away from mistakes of the past and learn more about how I can extend mercy in my life going forward, to all that I meet. That’s why I came. To prepare myself for what only God knows.”

Susan said she had a strong and undeniable feeling “that tremendous graces would be coming to us [pilgrims] through the speakers at this Congress if we are open to them.” Asked mid-way during the day if that had in fact been borne out, she smiled, pouring radiance through her eyes.

“Oh, yes,” she said. “Oh yes.”

‘She Spoke Directly to My Heart’
Susan referred particularly to the witness of Theresa Bonopartis, who described the utter sense of loneliness and abandonment that haunted her when, as a teen, she aborted a baby boy — a saline abortion in which the baby burns to death in the womb. An existential and spiritual dread pressed upon her soul for years, until she found the courage to take God up on His promise to forgive even the most heinous of sins and the most despicable of sinners. That forgiveness led to reparation and to the establishment of a life of ministry to other women and men dealing with post-abortive trauma.

“She spoke directly to my heart,” Susan said of Bonopartis. She also said she’s now ready to take action to help others, in the way the NACOM testimonials spoke about.

“I came to hear stories of mercy,” she said, adding that she trusts the experience will result in a direction for how she might begin to minister to others. Susan Buck, you see, had just demonstrated the prime prerequisite God places upon his agent of mercy: become open and available. That’s all.

Fly on instruments, using God as your radar. Be willing to serve, and let God handle the rest. He will handle the guidance, direction, resources, and problem solving. The key is trust, as it says in the signature line under the image of The Divine Mercy: “Jesus, I trust in You.” The devil is most assuredly NOT in these details.

“I’m glad that they are having this Congress,” Susan said. “I feel privileged to be here. It’s obvious this is the work of the Holy Spirit.”

Verbal Tapestries
Each witness wove verbal tapestries on the central theme of God’s mercy. Speakers included:

• Father Matthew Mauriello, Congress president, who served as master of ceremonies.
• Dr. Scott Hahn, author, who gave the keynote address.
• Dr. John Bruchalski, MD, founder and director of Divine Mercy Care, which performs spiritual and corporeal works of mercy in northern Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.
• Kellie Ross, co-founder and director of Missionaries of Our Lady of Divine Mercy in Manassas, Va.
• Sister Lucille of the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal, Bronx, N.Y.
• Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, superior of the house of studies for the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception.
• Father Patrice Chocholski, Lyon, France, lecturer and theologian and general secretary of the World Apostolic Congress on Mercy, who gave a concluding reflection.
• The Most Rev. William Lori, Bishop of Bridgeport, Conn., NACOM’s episcopal adviser and principal celebrant of Holy Mass that concluded the day.

Who are We? Who is Anyone?
Where faith is required, doubt will be present, for the condition of faith presumes the probability, the potential presence, of doubt. The speakers at the North American continent’s first-ever Congress of God’s mercy witnessed to what had become for them an experiential truth: God’s love for us is not a trick of the imagination, nor is it wishful thinking on steroids. God’s love is real.

The speakers reported of an experience so joyful and profound that they had no choice but to get out into the world and begin sharing it with others, in word and mainly in action.

In the witnesses who spoke on this day, and in the lives of those who heard them, mercy is not an idea. It’s an action. It’s not fluff but a pragmatic and intelligent response to an undeniable inner desire all people share, one roughly suggested by the word “spirituality.”

Who are we, who is anyone, not to believe the truth of what they say?

Be a part of the discussion.

Humble servant of God’s Love and Mercy – Dec 1, 2009

O Most Sweet Jesus, we trust that You will hasten the joyful day when the Limitless Love and Inexhaustible Mercy that is in the Triune God is in all hearts. O Lord, our contrite hearts rejoice in You or are tormaneted for You, but use us for Divine Mercy’s end.

SUSIE B AUSTRALIA – Nov 19, 2009

THANK GOD FOR THAT AND PLEASE GOD HELP US TO KEEP TRUSTING IN YOUR SON JESUS,AMEN.

‘Our Great Hope’

The following are some of the reflections by the President of the North American Congress on Mercy, Fr. Matthew R. Mauriello, who served as master of ceremonies for the two-day event, Nov. 14-15:

The Prayer for the Opening of the North American Congress on Mercy

Almighty God, heavenly Father,
Your unbounded mercy is our great hope.

We praise You, O God, for You so loved the world that You sent Your only Son to be our Savior.

We ask Your pardon and mercy upon us as we acknowledge our sinfulness and the times we have not trusted in You.

We thank You, O Lord Almighty, for this wonderful day in which we have the opportunity during this Congress to learn more and more about Your mercy and put it into practice in our lives.

We ask You, Heavenly Father, to bestow Your abundant blessings upon all present, our speakers and participants. Be merciful to us this day and every day.

May we become more closely conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, Your Son, in union with Mary, our Most Holy Mother.

We ask this through Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

In His Opening Message
Father Matthew mentioned how appropriate it is that the Mercy Congress take place during the Year of the Priest since it is through the instrumentality of the priest that the Lord dispenses His Mercy through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. He said:

When Jesus was criticized for eating at the house of St. Matthew, He responded, “the healthy do not need a physician but the sick do, I have not come here for the righteous but for sinners, it is mercy I desire, not sacrifice.” The Church is not a museum for saints, but a clinic for sinners.

The word “mercy” comes from the Latin word Misericordia. It is from the two word roots miseria and cordiaMiseria means misery, pain, sorrow, and cordia means heart. And so it means to take another’s pains to heart: to feel their pain and sympathize with them.

The word “compassion” comes from two Latin words: cum meaning with and passiomeaning suffering, like the Passion of our Savior that we contemplate on Good Friday. Here we see the compassionate person as suffering with another in their pains. This should then spur us on to action.

The Lord talks about this in the Gospel of St. Matthew when He talks about the final Judgment. The King says, “Come, blessed of My Father, enter the kingdom prepared for you for I was hungry and you gave Me to eat, thirsty and you gave Me to drink,” and the list continues. The just then reply: “Lord when did we see You hungry and feed You or thirsty and give You to drink or attend to You in Your needs?” And the King will reply, “Whenever you did it to one of the least ones, you did it to Me.”

This is what we are called to do. Learn of the Merciful Lord and put it into practice in our lives. This is the purpose of the Congress to which so many of you have come from far and near.

Mercy, Our Hope
(This “theme song” for the Mercy Congress was written by Fr. Matthew and Fr. Anthony Dandry and is sung to the Tune of O Jesus, We Adore Thee)

Refrain:
Lord Jesus, King of Mercy
We place our Trust in Thee
Our Hope and our Salvation,
Please hear our humble plea.

Verses:
1. You saved your chosen People,
Their foes went in the sea
Your Mercy was upon them
And set the captives free. (Refrain)

2. Our Light and our Salvation
No peril shall we fear
Our Hope in times of danger
Shows proof that You are near (Refrain)

3. You give us strength to prosper
There’s nothing without You.
Your Gospel gives us guidance
In what we say and do. (Refrain)

4. You reach out to all sinners
When they are far away
Bring back into Your Sheepfold
All who have gone astray.

5. We sinners need Your mercy
We give as we receive
By deeds done with compassion
We show that we believe (Refrain)

6. Dear Mary, Queen of Mercy
O, please our Mother be
Our Advocate and Helper
We give our Hearts to thee. (15) (Refrain)

Reflection during Eucharistic Adoration, Nov. 14

Father Matthew said:

We are in the month of November in which we honor all the saints. This is our destiny to live our lives in the love and friendship of the Lord and be joined to Him one day in heaven.

Perhaps you recall this question from the Catechism from your First Holy Communion. “Why did God make you?” The answer is, “God made me so that I can know Him, love Him, and serve Him in this world and be happy with Him forever in heaven.” This is the goal of our Christian life: to live a holy life throughout this earthly pilgrimage and arrive at the destination in heaven.

My personal goal is to be a “canonizable” saint. No, I do not want to be recognized by the Church, but rather want to live a life of heroic virtue, to do good and avoid evil the best I can and abide in the grace of the Lord. So many have done it, and God shows no partiality: All are invited to holiness. We need heroic virtue to do this: one of the ingredients of sainthood.

Jesus tells us in the 15th chapter of the Gospel of St. John that He is the Vine and we are the branches, and we need to be connected to Him to have His life within us. We are to abide with Him for “apart from Him we can do nothing” (Jn 15:5). This is the way to grow in holiness. Is it easy? No. But it is possible. In St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he wrote, “I can do all things in Him who gives me strength.”

Today, in the presence of our Lord — truly present, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity — we are like the chosen apostles, Peter, James, and John on Mt. Tabor. We say, as they did, “Lord it is good to be here.” Jesus gave them a foretaste of heaven on that mountaintop. He was going up to Jerusalem to undergo His suffering and death and wanted to give them courage that all would be well. They saw in advance the glorification of His triumph.

Like the apostles who wanted to build three booths, we, too, must go down the mountaintop and resume our lives with its own crown of thorns and crosses, but we have a glimpse and foretaste of heaven in the presence of the Lord and at every Holy Mass where we unite ourselves to Jesus, the Way the Truth, and the Life. His victory is ours as well, and with Him all things are possible. He can help us live a life united to Him in this world and to have our true goal of becoming saints so that we may be with Him one day in the kingdom of heaven.

Closing Comments
The Mercy Congress concluded with Holy Mass in the Basilica’s Crypt Church. At the end of Mass, Fr. Matt told NACOM attendees:

First and foremost, I wish to offer words of thanksgiving to the Lord for His aid in promoting the work of spreading the message of His bountiful mercy. We of the NACOM committee had asked the Lord that we may be His instruments in spreading the message: “Mercy: Our Hope.” Learning it and living it.

Thanks in particular to the Blessed Mother Mary. We put all under her mantle and maternal protection and asked her to help us in promoting the message of her Son’s love and mercy.

Gratitude to Pope Benedict XVI for continuing the work of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II. He opened the World Apostolic Congress on Mercy April 2-6, 2008, and told us to continue to spread the message of the Lord’s mercy.

It is like we brought the lit torch, just like the Olympics, begun in Rome, to us here in North America, and from the North American Congress on Mercy in Washington, D.C., then to each parish and diocese.

Special thanks to Fr. Patrice Chocholski, the general secretary for the World Apostolic Congress on Mercy, who came from Lyon, France, to show his support. Just as Fr. Patrice offers his support and presence throughout the world, so I, too, as the North American Coordinator, offer my presence, when possible, to help in regional and local conferences and congresses on the mercy of the Lord.

Father Matthew, president and coordinator for NACOM, is the pastor of St. Roch Parish in Greenwich, Conn.

How Do Mercy and Judgment Fit Together?

The following homily was delivered by the Most Reverend William E. Lori, STD, Bishop of Bridgeport, Conn., on Nov. 14, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, in Washington, D.C. Bishop Lori served as Episcopal Advisor for the North American Congress on Mercy.

Introduction: 2012?
You may have seen advertisements for a movie released only yesterday entitled 2012. That is the year the Mayan calendar is said to end, and also the year when scientists and other experts conclude that the world itself will end. A series of natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions and typhoons unfold before our eyes as the world collapses on all sides and as we follow the epic adventures of a few people seeking to escape the encircling doom.

Ah, but happily, no one but the heavenly Father knows the day and the hour when human history will end and the Son of Man will come in glory. And isn’t it the case that the inspired words of today’s Scripture readings vastly outpace the special effects of the movie 2012 in describing “earth’s closing thunders”? After all, these readings are not fictional but the revealed Word of God. And they tell us not merely about impending natural disasters but rather alert us to the eternal significance of the end of time.

More than a description of natural disasters will have an end, the revealed Word of God speaks of the Day of Judgment in which our eternal destiny will be sealed. The Book of the Prophet Daniel says: “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake: some shall live forever … others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace. …” In tonight’s Gospel passage from St. Mark, Jesus Himself speaks about what will come to pass at the end of time: “… the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky. …” And amid that cosmic upheaval, Jesus, the Son of Man, will come in power and glory to gather the elect, those who shall be saved, from the four winds.

All the Ways of the Lord Are Mercy and Truth (Ps. 24:10)
Those of you gathered for this National Congress on Divine Mercy may now want to ask those of us who planned this event a question: “Didn’t anyone check the readings for this Sunday before scheduling an event dedicated to the mercy of God?” “Could there be a set of Scripture readings more likely to prompt us to fear the judgment of God rather than to trust in His mercy than the ones that were just proclaimed?” “Wouldn’t it make more sense to reflect on a Gospel passage like the Prodigal Son or the shepherd who goes after the lone lost sheep?”

And the answer to those questions is, “Yes, of course, it would be easier to base a homily about mercy on such passages rather than readings on Christ’s second coming ‘to judge the living and the dead.’ But these readings have been given us not to make it easy on the homilist but rather to help understand more fully the gift and mystery of God’s mercy … to see how mercy and judgment fit together.

Now, in Psalm 24, verse 10, we read: “All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth.” How prone we are to set mercy and truth in opposition to one another, to see forgiveness and judgment as diametrical opposites. To do so, however, is to introduce the divisions of our hearts into the indivisible and merciful Heart of the Triune God, and at the same time, to short-circuit the Church’s teaching on Divine Mercy.

Indeed, the mercy, the loving kindness of God, is so great it can never be measured. The reading from the Letter to the Hebrews reminds us that Jesus, Mercy Incarnate, poured out His life for us for the forgiveness of our sins. Every time we worthily participate in Mass, every time we go to Confession we encounter the power, the beauty, and tenderness of the Father’s mercy revealed and poured forth by Christ and communicated through the Holy Spirit. God, indeed, is “rich in mercy” as Pope John Paul the Great taught us so well.

Yet mercy would not be mercy if it merely absolved us of responsibility for our sins while allowing us to continue wallowing in them, without any changes in how we think, speak, or act; without a change in the depth of our heart! The mercy of God does not absolve us of responsibility for our actions because to do so is to rob us of our human dignity. Mercy is not the misguided love of careless or overly indulgent parents who allow their children to run wild under the rubric of kindness.

No, the Lord’s mercy is imbued with wisdom and truth. As Pope John Paul II taught in his encyclical on the Mercy of God: “… The willingness to forgive, which is inextricably bound up with merciful love, ‘does not cancel out the objective requirements of justice … In no passage of the Gospel does forgiveness, or mercy as its source, mean indulgence toward evil, toward scandal, toward injury or insult” (14).

Mercy Transforms and Gives Hope
Yes, the mercy of God seeks to forgive, to calm, to soothe, to heal — but it also seeks to rescue us from the misery of a sinful way of life and to transform us, body, mind, and spirit, into the likeness of Jesus, the Son of Man, who will come to judge the living and the dead. If the mercy of God did anything less, it would not be truly merciful because it would not correspond to our innate longing for His love and still less would it correspond to the call to holiness and the vocation to love given us in Baptism.

To be sure, the Lord does not merely set high ethical standards, turn us loose, and then judge us harshly when we fail. On the contrary, the Lord constantly knocks at the door of our heart, constantly seeks to walk with us on our journey through life, speaking to us words of spirit and life, filling us with His sacramental presence, and helping us through the Holy Spirit to choose what is good and true, to keep great the commandment of love (so as to become poor in spirit, lowly, humble, single-hearted, prayerful, and merciful). Indeed, the Lord seeks to give us His mercy, forgiveness, and strength more earnestly than we ask for it!

All of which leads us back to the prospect of the Last Judgment. In his encyclical, Spe Salvi(Saved by Hope), Pope Benedict XVI teaches us that the Final Judgment is “a setting for learning and practicing hope.” He says that “… the image of the Last Judgment is not primarily an image of terror but rather an image of hope; for us it may even be the decisive image of hope.” “Is it not also a frightening image?” he asks. And he answers: “I would say it is an image that evokes responsibility … (44).” We who are gathered in this great basilica share the mercy of God, a mercy which fills our hearts with hope, a hope which causes us to live differently, to choose what is right, what is good, what is true — even as we seek God’s help in time of weakness.

Thus, we approach the particular judgment with hope and await the Second Coming of Christ in joyful hope — as we say at every Mass! — confident that the penetrating gaze of the Just Judge will cleanse our hearts from any remaining impurity so that we might be capable of being filled with the love of God in the communion of saints.

As we hasten on our way, let us ask Mary, the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God, the Mother of Mercy, our sweetness and our hope, to pray with us and to pray for us.