On 30th April 2000, Pope John Paul II canonised a nun who had lived in
Poland. She is now referred to as Saint Faustina, and during the 1930s she
received visions of Our Lord, asking her to spread devotion to His Divine
Mercy. In one of the messages, He said to her, “I do not want to punish aching
mankind, but I desire to heal it, pressing it to My Merciful Heart”. It's an
appropriate message for today's world, which has wandered so far away from
God. Perhaps some people might think that God is like an angry father; they
dare not approach Him, fearing what He might do to them. But that is not the
case, and God desires that the abundance of His Mercy be far more widely
known. Just like the Prodigal Son was welcomed back by his father, so God
the Father desires to welcome the return of all His children.
Sometimes people think, “What I've done is too bad. I can't be forgiven the
things I have done. Maybe other people can, but not me.” But that's not what
Jesus said to Saint Faustina. Instead, this is what He said: “Even if a soul were
like a decaying corpse, so that from a human understanding, there was no hope
of restoration and everything was already lost ... the miracle of Divine Mercy
can restore that soul in full”.
So what does this Divine Mercy involve? We've just heard in the Gospel that
Jesus appeared to the disciples after His Resurrection. He gave them the gift of
the Holy Spirit and the power to forgive sins, in other words, the sacrament of
reconciliation, or confession. They were given that divine authority, so that
what they say, happens. If they say someone's sins are forgiven, then they are.
If they choose not to forgive them, they are not forgiven. So if someone with
an honest and humble heart makes a good confession, all is forgiven by God
through the priest. At the end of confession, when he says the prayer of
absolution, the priest extends his hand, calling down the Holy Spirit; then he
makes the sign of the cross, through which our sins are forgiven.
For some people, though, it's not so easy actually getting to confession. I'm not
talking about the housebound; rather I mean those who struggle to reflect on
their lives and then admit their faults to a priest. So Jesus has provided us with
what could be called a spiritual “stepping-stone”, called the Chaplet of Divine
Mercy. It's a series of prayers to be said on ordinary Rosary beads, which takes
about five to ten minutes. Jesus explained to Saint Faustina, “Anyone who says
it will receive great mercy at the hour of death. Priests will recommend it to
sinners as the last hope. Even the most hardened sinner, if he recites this
Chaplet even once, will receive grace from my infinite Mercy.” If you struggle
to go to confession, try praying the Chaplet in order to help you. There should
still be some leaflets on the table at the back of the church telling you how to
pray it; if not, I can find some more for you. The Chaplet isn't just about
praying for ourselves if we struggle to go to confession though – an important
part of it is about praying for mercy upon the whole world.
Today's first reading began by describing the unity of the early Church.
Through prayer and spreading the message of Divine Mercy, we can all play
our part in reconciling people to God and His Church. In this way the Church
can be healed and united in our land through the sacrament of reconciliation,
and flourish once again as God intends.
Curious about exploring things further? If you would like to ask further questions about the topics raised in these homilies (or maybe think it wasn’t explained too well!), please feel free to e-mail Fr Michael at stjoseph.thame@rcaob.org.uk