Divine Mercy: The Heart of the Gospel

54 Divine Mercy: The Heart Of The Gospel April 19,1998: Again on Divine Mercy Sunday, the Mercy Pope calls us to "accept divine mercy with an open heart." The Personal Experience of the Mercy Pope At the Shrine o f Divine Mercy in Lagiewniki, outside o f Crakow, Poland, on June 7, 1997, where the relics o f Blessed Faustina are kept, John Paul II addressed the Sisters of Our Lady o f Mercy. It was a per­ sonal testimony o f his own involvement with the message o f Divine Mercy and a sweeping summary o f both the message and devotion of the Divine Mercy. The following excerpts highlight the Pope’s personal experience of Divine Mercy: • Purpose o f his pilgrimage: “I have come here ‘to sing of the mer­ cies of the Lord for ever’ (Ps 89:1).” Urgency: “There is nothing that mankind needs more than Divine Mercy.” The Message: Divine Mercy is “that love which is benevolent, which is compassionate, which raises man above his weakness to the infinite heights of the holiness of God.” The Image: Those who gaze on the image of the merciful Jesus, hear like Blessed Faustina, “Fear nothing, I am with you.” 8 Trust: “Those who sincerely say ‘Jesus, I trust in You’ will find comfort in all their anxieties and fears.” • The Church: regards the message of Divine Mercy as “the light of hope” and “unceasingly implores mercy for all.” Commends: “the concerns of the Church and humanity to the mer­ ciful Christ.” Entrusts to the Divine Mercy: “once more [his] Petrine ministry, ‘Jezu Ufam Tobie!’ [Jesus, I trust in You I f ” Personal Witness: “The message of Divine Mercy has always been near and dear to me.” Pontificate: “I took with me [the message of Divine Mercy] to the See of Peter and which in a sense forms the image o f this Pontificate ” (emphasis added). Divine Mercy Sunday: “I give thanks to divine Providence that I have been enabled to contribute personally to the fulfillment of Christ’s will through the institution of the Feast o f Divine Mercy