Marian Helper Spring 2014

scandalous split between faith and life. And so, the Council struck a much different tone than the other Councils, which were often loaded with condemnations. As Pope John XXIII put it when he opened the Council, “Nowadays ... [the Church] prefers to make use of the medicine of mercy rather than that of severity.” And how did the Council go about helping us? What was its merciful approach? Well, for one, it used a whole new tone and language. The documents were written in such a way that one does not have to be a theolo- gian to understand them. In fact, they were written in layman’s terms (literally), so everyone could grasp their meaning. For instance, the Council taught that the call to holiness applies to all Christians, not only priests and religious: “… all Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of love” ( Lumen Gentium , 40). In other words, every Christian is called to be a saint. The logic of the Council Fathers was that you cannot live what you do not love, and you cannot love what you do not understand. In short, the aim of the Council Fathers was to help the faithful bring the faith from their heads to their hearts and into their lives. John Paul II: God is mercy Inspired by Pope John XXIII’s Council, Pope John Paul II wholeheartedly took up its pastoral strategy of mercy. In fact, he even took this strategy a step further. Pope John Paul II believed that of all the truths that modern Catholics need to bring from their heads to their hearts to their lives, the truth that God is mercy is the most impor- tant. It’s this truth, John Paul believed, that helps us come to truly understand our Father in heaven and the Heart of our Savior. And so, as Pope, John Paul II emphasized the theme of mercy. He powerfully proclaimed mercy in one of his first encyclical letters, Rich in Mercy ( Dives in Misericordia ). He pushed for the canonization of Sr. Faustina and promoted the modern message of Divine Mercy as a concrete way to help people appreciate the truth of God’s merciful love. For instance, in the year 2000, he officially declared the Second Sunday of Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday. Finally, he consistently announced that there is nothing the world needs more than mercy. Indeed, in his last Divine Mercy Sunday message, he empha- sized, “How much the world needs to understand and accept Divine Mercy!” Francis: Everything is mercy It’s not surprising to learn that John Paul’s successor, Pope Benedict XVI, continued to emphasize this theme of mercy. Nor is it surprising to learn that Pope Francis, since becoming Pope, has also continued the same proclamation. What is sur- prising, however, is just how frequently and strongly Pope Francis has been preaching this message. Indeed, he hasn’t ceased to proclaim the mercy of God. From his first public homily to his countless gestures of mercy, Pope Francis is show- ing that everything is mercy. And for this reason, the Church and the world have fallen in love with him. Why? Because as Jesus told St. Faustina, “To priests who proclaim and extol My mercy, I will give wondrous power; I will anoint their words and touch the hearts of those to whom they will speak” ( Diary of St. Faustina , 1521). Truly, Pope Francis is touching hearts, including those of Catholics, Protestants, agnostics, and atheists. He’s helping every- one to discover and rediscover the beauty of mercy, the beauty of the Church, and the heart of the Gospel. In fact, his efforts have led to “the Francis effect,” as many in the media have called it, meaning that people through- out the world are flocking to the Church. Thanks to Pope Francis, they understand the Church to be a field hospital for the wounded who are in need of healing, rather than as a moralistic scold. But despite reports in the media, this apostolic fruit isn’t all Francis’s. As I’ve argued in this article, the foundation was laid by several of his prede- cessors — the previous Mercy Popes — and now Francis is reaping the harvest. It’s bee n a team effort of the Church, and soon the whole Church will celebrate this effort, making this Divine Mercy Sunday a great “trifecta of mercy.” MH 14 M arian H elper • S pring 2014 •  www.marian.org “Nowadays ... [the Church] prefers to make use of the medicine of mercy rather than that of severity,” Pope John XXIII said when he opened the Second Vatican Council. Back to index