Divine Mercy
By, Lawrence P. Grayson
On the Sunday after Easter, the Catholic Church commemorates Divine Mercy. In one sense, this is a recent devotion, having been established by Pope John Paul II on April 30, 2000, the same day he canonized Sister Faustina Kowalska as the first saint of the Great Jubilee Year. St. Faustina had visions of our Lord, who revealed to her His desire for people to turn to and trust in His Mercy.
The doctrine of Divine Mercy, however, is not new, but is rooted in Holy Scripture and the faith that we have received through the apostles and their successors. The Old Testament contains numerous references to God’s mercy. King David, in Psalm 50, begging forgiveness for his sins of adultery and murder, cries out to the Lord:
“Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy;
And according to thy tender mercies blot out my iniquity”
We read, in Psalm 24, that “All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth,” while Psalm 135 contains the frequent refrain, “His mercy endureth forever.” When Moses went to Mount Sinai with two tablets on which the Lord inscribed the Ten Commandments, God proclaimed that He was “a merciful and gracious God.” Even when God exercised Divine Justice in bringing on the flood as a punishment for man’s sins, He displayed Divine Mercy in telling Noah to build an ark so that Noah and his family might be saved, thus giving mankind a second chance.
The early church celebrated the Resurrection, the clearest manifestation of the Divinity of Jesus, with eight days of commemoration, which St. Augustine referred to as the “days of mercy and pardon.” The octave began with Easter Sunday and concluded with Dominica in Albis, or Sunday in White, which Augustine referred to as “the compendium of the days of mercy.”
The revelations to St. Faustina, therefore, do not present new teachings, but rather provide a reminder of God’s love and compassion. The messages were recorded in Sister Faustina’s Diary, a document she wrote at the behest of her spiritual director. God’s desire for the world is made clear in His recorded words:
“I am Love and Mercy itself. When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls”…”I do not wish 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.” (Diary, 1074, 1588)
Divine Mercy is the result of God’s love for us extended in our time of anguish or adversity, whether caused by sin, suffering or the death of another. Pope John Paul II, in his 1994 Regina Caeli Address, rhetorically asked:
“What is mercy if not the boundless love of God, who confronted with human sin, restrains the sentiment of severe justice and, allowing himself to be moved by the wretchedness of his creatures, spurs himself to the total gift of self, in the Son’s cross?”
As a visual reminder for us, our Lord asked St. Faustina to create an image of Himself, standing with mercy radiating from His heart as two large rays, one of red and the other pale, symbolizing the blood and water He shed for us. The image is to bear the words, “Jesus, I trust in you.” The image, the chaplet, which repetitively requests God’s mercy and is said on the beads of the Rosary, and the commemorative Sunday are means for us to personally recall and proclaim the love of God.
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Jesus, I trust in you! |
At the present time, we are confronted with movements throughout the world that defy the teachings of our Church. Abortion, euthanasia, the redefinition of marriage, genetic manipulation and other abominations against human dignity are daring God to release His justice. Pope John Paul II, in 2002, concerned about the future of mankind, consecrated the world to Divine Mercy. Today, our request, both as individuals and as a community of believes, for God’s mercy and our declaration of trust in Jesus, who already paid the price for our salvation through the cross, are essential. Our Lord told St Faustina, “mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy.” (Diary, 300) The directive is clear; the response desired is prescribed
For those who live in or visit Maryland, there is a special opportunity to express your gratitude for our Lord’s Divine Mercy. The final miracle that elevated Sister Faustina to sainthood involved Father Ronald Pytel, the now-deceased pastor of Holy Rosary Church in Baltimore, Father had a very serious and worsening heart ailment that made it difficult for him even to mount the steps of the altar. Through the intercession of Sister Faustina, he was miraculously cured, totally and rapidly, without medical intervention Holy Rosary Church now contains a shrine to Divine Mercy that is well worth visiting at any time, but especially on Divine Mercy Sunday, when usually well over a thousand people participate in the church’s liturgical celebration. This is a wonderful way for you and your family to express your gratitude for God’s love.
A slightly modified version of this article appeared in numerous publications of the Knights of Columbus in Maryland. For further information, contact the author at
