by Fr. Adrian Farrelly

St. Faustina’s canonisation was one of the highlights of his papacy. He died on the vigil of, and was canonised on, the Feast of Mercy. Pope John Paul II was the “spark” Jesus spoke about with St. Faustina. (Diary 1732)

Pope Francis – Inspired by God’s Mercy

Today, the Divine Mercy Devotion continues in a remarkable way through Pope Francis. Since his election, we are seeing the kind of person he is and what drives him in his preaching. God’s Mercy is at the core of his ministry. Pope Francis always preaches mercy, but more importantly, he practices it. He shows everybody, in a very tangible way, the endless capacity of God’s mercy and forgiveness.

Keeping the message of God’s Mercy alive

He shows the power of mercy, especially to the weak and poor. So often we see him reaching out to the underprivileged and showing them compassion, not only with words. It is very significant that soon after he became Pope, he counselled fellow priests at a meeting in Rome that, “We are not here to perform a spiritual exercise for the beginning of Lent, but rather to listen to the voice of the Spirit that speaks to everyone in the Church in this, our time, which is indeed the time of mercy. Today, we forget everything too easily, including the teaching of the Church! This is in part inevitable, but we must not forget the important content, the great intuitions and that which has been consigned to the People of God. And divine mercy is among these. … It is up to us, as ministers of the Church, to keep this message alive, above all in preaching and in our gestures, in signs and in pastoral choices, such as the decision to restore priority to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and at the same time to works of mercy”.

Compassion for one another

Pope Francis advised his fellow priests that they should reflect of the reactions of Jesus when He met people who were suffering and he highlighted the compassion which He showed them. He said that priests should be moved by the suffering of others and seek to heal their emotional or spiritual wounds. He asked them if they had become “sterile priests” who had “lost their tears” or if they still had compassion for the suffering of people in their parish. He said, “There are many people who are wounded by material problems, by scandals, even in the Church. … People wounded by the illusions of the world. … We priests must be there, close to these people. Mercy means, above all, taking care of wounds. When a person is injured, this is the immediate help they need, not analyses; the special care can follow, but first we need to tend to the open wounds. Do you know what your parishioners' wounds are? Are you close to them?”

The Responsibility of Lay Catholics

Obviously the priest in the parish is in a unique situation to be able to help people who are suffering, but that doesn’t mean that we, as lay Catholics, have no responsibility to help others. We all know people who are quick to ask for help and quick to disappear when help is needed. But, as Catholic devotees of Divine Mercy, we must lead the way and be a shining example of the power of mercy to heal wounds, forgives trespasses and bring harmony in our families and communities. It is not easy to develop this aspect of our soul, especially since we have our wounds also. But it is what is expected of us as Divine Mercy devotees and Christians.