We’re All in Need of Divine Mercy

Dear Friends in Christ.

            As the body of Pope Francis is laid to rest at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, let us entrust his soul to the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy.  We have placed an image of Pope Francis at our statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary during these nine days of mourning and prayer.  You are also invited to join us in the chapel on Monday from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm in Eucharistic Adoration, as we pray for the repose of his soul.  Let us also pray fervently that a holy successor will be chosen, one who will speak clearly on issues of faith and morals, guided by Sacred Scripture and Tradition.  Such a pope will not be popular in the eyes of the world, but neither was the founder of Catholicism nor its first pope.  In fact, Jesus was crucified for speaking the truth, as was St. Peter.  It was the bishop, St. Ignatius of Antioch, writing to the infant Church in Rome- where he would be thrown to the lions in the Roman Colosseum in the early 2nd Century- who said, “Christianity is not the work of persuasion, but of real power.”  What he meant was that the Church’s flourishing was not based on flashy marketing campaigns, aligning itself with the rich and powerful, nor in altering the truths of the faith to accommodate the wishes of modern man.  Rather, the work of the Church is rooted in Christ crucified, made present through the sacramental life of the Church.  It is the power of grace and the witness of the saints these past 2,000 years that will win over adherents, not the use of social media or compromising the truth.

           Interestingly, it was Pope St. John Paul II who promulgated the celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday to take place on the 2nd Sunday of Easter, beginning in the year 2,000.  The Lord would call him home on the Vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday, on April 2, 2005.  The funeral Mass and burial for Pope Francis occurred on the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday as well.  Why are we all in need of Divine Mercy?  The Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph #1022 states, “Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven- through a purification (purgatory) or immediately- or immediate and everlasting damnation.”  In St. Faustina’s Diary, which has been published in many languages and is approved by the Church, she relates this prophetic message, received from the Lord: “My daughter, speak to the world about my Mercy; let all mankind recognize My unfathomable mercy.  It is a sign for the end times; after it will come the day of justice.  While there is still time, let them have recourse to the fount of My mercy; let them profit from the Blood and Water which gushed forth for them.”  Paragraph #848

           This Sunday, the Sacrament of Reconciliation will be offered after all four Masses so that you may receive God the Father’s mercy.  Immediately following the 12:30 pm Mass, you invited to attend the chanting of the Divine Mercy Chaplet as we worship the Lord in Eucharistic Adoration.  From popes to paupers, we are all in need of Divine Mercy.  As we pray for the repose of Pope Francis, and invoke the intercession of St. John Paul II, may we humbly approach the throne of Divine Mercy, for this is the hour God the Father has given us, we do not know what tomorrow will bring.

In Christ,