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John Paul II

The truth about God’s Mercy which constitutes the central motif of the pontificate of John Paul II, appeared in his teaching already at the very beginning, in the encyclical letter Dives in misericordia (“God Rich in Mercy” – 1981). Beside the encyclical Redemptor hominis (“Man’s Redeemer” – 1978) and Dominum et vivificantem (“The Lord and Giver of Life” – 1983), this papal document constitutes a part of a grand dogmatic trilogy, in which the Pope speaks to the contemporary man about God reveals Himself to man as a Holy Trinity – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Mercy is the key to the understanding of the mystery of God and man. It characterizes God who reveals himself to man in the History of Salvation. It constitutes the main topic of Christ’s teaching and is fully revealed in the mystery of salvation, in His death and Resurrection. Mercy constitutes at the same time man’s very special chance, as through it he may experience the proximity of God who is merciful.

foto.T.WARCZAK

During the beatification of Sister Faustina Kowalska on the second Sunday after Easter, on the 18 April 1993 in Rome, John Paul II emphasized that the mystery of the Divine Mercy which God reminded the whole world about through the life and activity of the humble nun from Poland, is a “prophetic call to the world”. For the entire humanity worn out by dreadful wars, the message of mercy became a sign of hope which pointed to the presence of God who bestowed love and offered a possibility of man’s spiritual renewal.

The canonization of Sister Faustina Kowalska which took place in Rome on the 30 April 2000 had a special significance, as through this act John Paul II passed on a message of mercy to the whole world; this message was to serve as a bridge which joins the second millennium of Christianity with the new century. He also reminded the humankind that God’s mercy offers an extraordinary opportunity for a rebirth of the whole of the humankind: “Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy” (Diary 699). The Message of Mercy allows us to interpret anew the Gospel about the Divine Mercy, in the light of which, man not only experiences mercy when he receives it from God, but is also capable of sharing mercy with others (DM 14).

John Paul II proclaimed the second Easter Sunday as the “Sunday of Mercy” emphasizing that mercy offers man a chance to get to know the “true face of God and the true face of his brethren” (Canonization Homily, 5). At the same time, the message of mercy constitutes a reminder to the world about the dignity and value of each and every man, for whom Christ had given His own life.

During the canonization of St. Faustina Kowalska, John Paul II emphasized clearly that the message of mercy which is proclaimed unceasingly by the Church and now remembered thanks to the revelations of St. Sister Faustina, is becoming today a part of the experience of the contemporary man who is lost among a multitude of various ideologies and concepts that have originated at the turn of the XX and XXI century. In the mystery of the Divine Mercy, a Christian discovers the true face of God, who is close to man, and the true face of man who needs mercy and is ready to exercise mercy. The Holy Father returned to this thought on numerous occasions when he polemicized with the “theology of God’s death”, or else when he pointed out to the errors of the contemporary totalitarian regimes which try to remove God from the history of man’s thought.

foto.T.WARCZAK

When consecrating the Basilica of the Divine Mercy in Kraków, John Paul II emphasized once again that the contemporary world needs God’s Mercy and he set up a new task for the Church, namely that of bringing the mystery of the Divine Mercy closer to the world: “Today, therefore, in this Shrine, I wish solemnly to entrust the world to Divine Mercy. I do so with the burning desire that the message of God’s merciful love, proclaimed here through Saint Faustina, may be made known to all the peoples of the earth and fill their hearts with hope. May this message radiate from this place to our beloved homeland and throughout the world. May the binding promise of the Lord Jesus be fulfilled: from here there must go forth “the spark which will prepare the world for His final coming” (c.f. Diary 1732). This spark needs to be lighted by the grace of God. This fire of mercy needs to be passed on to the world. In the mercy of God the world will find peace and mankind will find happiness! I entrust this task to you, dear Brothers and Sisters, to the Church in Krakow and Poland, and to all the votaries of Divine Mercy who will come here from Poland and from throughout the world”.

foto.T.WARCZAK

The topic of Divine Mercy appeared in the teaching of John Paul II yet again in the Apostolic Letter entitled Novo millenio ineunte, published at the threshold of the Third Millennium of Christianity (6.01.2001); in it, the Pope wrote about the “imagination of mercy” in the context of the unification of Europe. The above problem had already become the subject of reflection of the Bishops’ Synod in October 1999, during which the bishops prepared the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000. The fruit of the synodical debate was the Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Europa (28.VI.2003). The above topic brings to mind at least a few of the concepts which recurred in all of the teaching of John Paul II; yet, the common denominator of all of them seems to be the truth about the God of mercy.

Undertaking the issue of Divine Mercy in the teaching of John Paul II calls for a presentation of the problem of the mystery of God who reveals himself in the Old and the New Testament and who is essentially merciful. The pope gives a very original interpretation of God, who is revealed as the Father of Mercy in the whole of the History of Salvation. The mystery of mercy allows man to understand himself and to realize his own vocation. At the same time, it makes him aware that he needs mercy constantly and that he is capable of exercising mercy towards his neighbors. Such assumptions adopted by Pope John Paul II make us focus our attention on the mystery of God who reveals His mercy in the Old Testament, as well as on Christ who constitutes the fullness of the revelation of mercy of the Father in the New Covenant; it also makes us analyze the ways of realizing mercy by Christ’s disciples.

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