Divine Mercy: The Heart of the Gospel

52 Divine Mercy: The Heart Of The Gospel sage of that encyclical. I wish to read it again and deliver it again. Right from the beginning of my ministry in St. Peter’s See in Rome, I considered this message my special task. Providence has assigned it to me in the present situation of man, the Church and the world. It could be said that precisely this situation assigned that message to me as my task before God (November 22, 1981). Then in a series of addresses on Divine Mercy Sunday over the years he continues to call us to the experience of God’s Mercy: 8 April 10, 1991: Pope John Paul II speaks about Sister Faustina, showing his great respect for her, relating her to his encycli­ cal, Rich in Mercy , and emphasizing her role in bringing the message of Mercy to the world: The words o f the encyclical on Divine Mercy (Dives in Misericordia) are particularly close to us. They recall the figure of the Servant of God, Sister Faustina Kowalska. This simple woman religious particularly brought the Easter message o f the merciful Christ closer to Poland and the whole world... . And today? ... Is it perhaps not necessary to translate into the language of today’s generations the words o f the Gospel, ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy’? (Mt. 5:7) • April 18,1993: Sister Faustina is beatified by Pope John Paul II in Rome on the Second Sunday of Easter which Our Lord had revealed to her as the "Feast of Mercy”: “I clearly feel that my mission does not end with death, but begins,” Sister Faustina wrote in her diary. And it truly did! Her mission continues and is yielding astonishing fruit. It is truly mar­ velous how her devotion to the merciful Jesus is spreading in our contemporary world and gaining so many human hearts! This is doubtlessly a sign o f the times - a sign o f our 20th century. The balance of this century which is now ending, in addition to the advances which have often surpassed those of preceding eras, pre­ sents a deep restlessness and fear o f the future. Where, if not in The Divine Mercy, can the world find refuge and the light of hope? Believers understand that perfectly. “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. Give thanks to the