Divine Mercy: The Heart of the Gospel

'My name is sacrifice” : The Mission of Blessed Faustina 107 nitely merciful” (893). That Christ is the “lamb that was slain” (Rv. 5:12) and so the victim par excellence is clear from Scripture. If recent theological concerns have proven inadequate to our human need to understand the mystery of suffering, the Scriptural and spiritual facts remain. Common in theolo­ gy o f former times, they point the way to a renewed appreciation o f the value o f suffering, for the Christian who follows Christ unites himself with Him on the paten, and thus all one’s “sacrifices,” all one’s suffer­ ings, take on a cosmic meaning, and serve in the redemption o f the world. Moreover, it is the explicit teaching of St. Paul (Col. 1:24) that the Christian makes up in his own body what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ, thus receiving the ultimate dignity o f which a Christian is capa­ ble: o f continuing the saving work o f Christ, helping in his own flesh and blood to effect the redemption in the cosmos, to “carry his cross” (Mt. 16:24 inter al ). The disciple is to take Christ’s Cross and follow Him not only because He said so, though obedience needs no further reasons, nor yet to keep Him company, though he desired companions: rather, the Christian is given the privilege o f seeing his cross united with the Cross o f the Savior of the world, o f being a co-redeemer with Christ of the world. That is the dignity to which Faustina was called, that is the dignity to which Christians are called. Having consecrated herself to Jesus in an act o f oblation for the souls o f sinners, willingly accepting all the “sufferings, fears and terrors with which sinners are filled,” uniting herself with Jesus and not fearing “the blows o f divine justice” her sacrifice was confirmed by Jesus’ words: “I am giving you a share in the redemption o f mankind. You are solace in my dying hour” (310). Conformed to Christ’s sufferings here on earth, the victim soul is promised an “unfathomable glory” that awaits him. And Faustina’s intercession is to continue beyond her death, as Christ told her that her intercession will continue “in the next life.”80 Hell Subject to demonic attacks, terrified at times o f the tortures of the damned which she herself experienced, (e.g. 23-24) Faustina was aware at first-hand o f that from which the Mercy of God in Christ is to shield