Only Divine Mercy

Only Divine Mercy is capable of limiting evil; only God's all-powerful love can overcome the arrogance of the wicked, and the destructive power of selfishness and hatred... This is the only way the world will heal itself. (Pope Benedict XVI)

From the inaugural World Congress of Mercy, Lagiewniki, Poland, Oct. 1-5, 2011

If there was any confusion at all about the focus of the World Apostolic Congress on Mercy, Pope Benedict XVI quickly dispelled it during the opening Mass in St. Peter's Square on Wednesday morning.

The first-ever congress on mercy would focus not on mercy in general, but Divine Mercy specifically. The Holy Father himself referred to the Congress as the "World Apostolic Congress on Divine Mercy." It's not just a matter of semantics. The message of Divine Mercy, as revealed to St. Faustina in the 1930s, sheds light on the nature of God as Merciful Father. It calls on the world to trust in Jesus, to receive His mercy, and to share that mercy with the world through our actions. It's a message that Pope John Paul II believed was particularly suited to our times.

In his homily, delivered before more than 40,000 people, Pope Benedict XVI set the stage tying it in with the Pontificate of John Paul II, known as the "Great Mercy Pope," who tirelessly promoted the message of God's mercy and who canonized St. Faustina, whose revelations have sparked the modern Divine Mercy movement.

"In fact, only Divine Mercy is capable of limiting evil; only God's all-powerful love can overcome the arrogance of the wicked, and the destructive power of selfishness and hatred," the Holy Father said in his homily.

Pope Benedict continued. Pope Saint John Paul II said, "The message of God is a key to the privileged reading of his pontificate. He wanted the message of the merciful love of God to reach all humanity, and he exhorted the faithful to be witnesses of it. For this reason, he wished to elevate to the honor of the altars Sr. Faustina Kowalska, the humble sister who became, by a mysterious divine design, a prophetic messenger of Divine Mercy."

Servant of God John Paul II personally knew and experienced the immense tragedies of the 20th century, and for a long time he asked himself what could stem the tide of evil. The answer could only be the love of God." The aim of the congress is to bring the message of mercy into the daily life of the Church and the world.

Susan Wilson, a member of a Divine Mercy cenacle in Salem, Oregon, was drawn to the congress after she experienced a conversion in 2000, on the day of St. Faustina's canonization. She said, "I believe this congress is the second most important event in human history, second only to the Paschal Mystery of Christ...From this point on we are all being called to spread the message of Divine Mercy. We'll be heralds of His Second Coming, as St. Faustina was."

Evemt participants agreed, "There is so much pain in the world, so many families torn apart. We've come here to learn more about Divine Mercy so that we can bring the message back to our communities"; "We're those vessels of mercy that are being filled up this week so that we may bring it back and share God's mercy with all"; "Christ came and gave a human face to God's mercy ... So we must take that mercy and, in turn, be merciful to others. This is the only way the world will heal itself."

In his homily, the Holy Father asked John Paul II "to continue to intercede from heaven for each of us, and particularly for me whom Providence has called to take up his priceless spiritual legacy. May the Church, following his teaching and example, continue in her evangelizing mission faithfully and without compromise, tirelessly spreading Christ's merciful love, source of true peace for the whole world."