First World Congress on Divine Mercy
In the Heart of the Church in Rome
April 2nd to April 6th 2008
Reflections by Antonia Moffat–Walsingham, UK
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I write to share with you my reflections on the first ever World Congress of Divine Mercy held recently in the Vatican at the very heart of the Church. It was a moment of grace and blessing for all who attended and I am sure that it will have ramifications throughout the Church in ways at present we cannot even begin to fathom. I was privileged to be one of the 5000 participants along with 20 Cardinals, 50 Bishops and 500 priests from all over the World. With this privilege of attendance goes a profound responsibility which is why I am spending time producing these reflections so that perhaps you will in some way feel you too have attended the Congress. I am a witness to these moments of grace and as such I am also including some of the profound words of encouragement and wisdom which we heard from so many great witnesses of God’s Mercy in the Church of today. Be prepared for a long reflection – as to not include the words of the witnesses would be doing you a great disservice. I desire to take you in Spirit to this Congress and I pray you will realise why I have the need to share these graces – this is part of the SPARK in my heart to proclaim the Mercy of God which we have been commissioned to do…
The Congress was inaugurated on April 2nd2008, the third anniversary of the Birth into Heaven of our beloved Pope John Paul II – the great Pope of the Divine Mercy. We began in glorious sunshine in St. Peter’s Square with Mass presided over by his Holiness Pope Benedict XV1. Pope Benedict emphasised that Pope John Paul II had seen the Mercy of God as the privileged key for the interpretation of his pontificate. We were privileged to hear a deeply moving homily from the heart of Pope Benedict which demonstrated his great love, esteem and gratitude for the gift that Pope John Paul was to the Church and the World. The Pope graciously and intimately shared with us some of the poignant last moments of beloved Pope John Paul’s life on this earth.
In his homily, Benedict XVI said that "April 2 has been imprinted in the Church's memory as the day the Servant of God Pope John Paul II said good-bye to this world… For a few days, the Vatican Basilica and this Square truly became the heart of the world." "Just like three years ago, today as well, just a short time has passed since Easter, and The heart of the Church finds itself still submerged in the mystery of the resurrection of the Lord… He felt an extraordinary faith in Him, and with Him, he maintained an intimate, unique, uninterrupted conversation. "It was enough to see him praying: He literally submerged himself in God and it seemed that everything else during those moments was left outside."
This took me back to the moments I experienced with him when I was blessed to attend Mass in his private Chapel and to the moments of the last Good Friday Way of the Cross at the Coliseum which Pope John Paul followed from his Chapel embracing the Cross.
Pope Benedict spoke of the Pope’s final testimony in the following way..."That eloquent scene of human suffering and faith, in that last Good Friday, also indicated to believers and to the world the secret of every Christian life." "That 'be not afraid' was not based on human strength, nor on successes accomplished, but rather, only on the word of God, on the cross and resurrection of Christ. In the degree in which he was being stripped of everything, at the end, even of his very words, this total surrender to Christ manifested itself with increasing clarity.”
"As it happened to Jesus, also in the case of John Paul II, words gave way at the end to the ultimate sacrifice, to the gift of self. And death was the seal of an existence totally given to Christ, conformed to him even physically with the traits of suffering and trusting abandonment to the arms of the heavenly Father. 'Let me go to the house of the Father,' these words -- report those who were at his side -- were his last words, the fulfilment of a life totally orientated to knowing and contemplating the face of the Lord."
Pope Benedict finished with this final powerful exhortation… "Let us give thanks to God because he has given the Church this faithful and courageous servant" "And while we are offering for his chosen soul the redeeming Sacrifice, we ask him to continue interceding from heaven for each one of us, for me in a special way, who Providence has called to take up his inestimable spiritual heritage.May the Church, following his teaching and example, faithfully continue its evangelizing mission without compromises, spreading tirelessly the merciful love of Christ, fount of true peace for the entire world."
Later all Congress delegates assembled in the Basilica of St. John Lateran for the opening of the Congress. We were welcomed by Cardinal Schonborn of Austria (the official host of the Conference), Cardinal Ruini (the Vicar of the Diocese of Rome) and Cardinal Dziwisz (Archbishop of Krakow and private secretary to Pope John Paul II). They led us in prayer and welcomed all the delegations from the 5 Continents. What was most moving was the effort and sacrifice so many delegates had made from the countries of Asia, Africa and South America to be present for the Congress. Cardinal Schonborn profoundly acknowledged this and in humility we Europeans could only clap in awe and agree with the Cardinal that in comparison we had only taken a short walk!!!We prayed that this Congress on Mercy would have a missionary outreach of mercy to the whole world. It was placed under the patronage of Our Lady of Mercy so as to obtain the maximal fruits of the Congress for the good of the whole World.
Cardinal Schonborn then gave a brief summary as to how the Congress here in Rome was inspired from an International Meeting of Delegates at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Lagiewniki near Krakow in 2006. He said that it was to be followed by National, Diocesan and Continental Congresses to promote the precious gift of the Divine Mercy. He said that we are here in Rome to celebrate the Joy of Easter with confidence and with trust in Jesus. These days were certainly days of joy.
Both Cardinal Schonborn and Cardinal Ruini affirmed that the Pontificate of Pope John Paul II cannot be understood without understanding the meaning of Divine Mercy. Cardinal Ruini summarized that in the reflections of Pope John Paul II that “the love of God is always stronger than our weaknesses, since merciful love goes out in search of sinful man and takes him to salvation.”
Cardinal Dziwisz then warmly welcomed us and said that this welcome was on behalf of Pope John Paul II. I was moved by this profound gesture of spiritual union with the Saint in heaven! He went on to say that only Pope John Paul and St. Faustina are the two messengers of Divine Mercy and that they themselves gathered us here around this great mystery which is being unveiled step by step. The Cardinal then paid tribute to Pope Benedict XVI for his interventions and speeches re the Divine Mercy thus demonstrating his apostolic commitment to the promotion of the worship of the Divine Mercy. The Cardinal then said, “I greet you from the privileged city of Krakow where we disseminate this message to the entire world. We feel privileged and also have the commitment to be Servants of the Divine Mercy just like Pope John Paul II and St. Faustina. I welcome Pope Benedict and I thank him for going as a Pilgrim to the Sanctuary of the Divine Mercy in 2007.” I will now quote a few further snippets from the Cardinal’s moving and powerful address… “The Holy Father Pope John Paul II wanted this Sunday the Sunday after Easter to be celebrated as the Feast of Mercy. Mercy summarizes everything – the whole mystery of Redemption.”… “Pope John Paul II lived with the power of God who opposed all the forces of evil with Divine Mercy….Divine Mercy puts a limitation on evil….Be confident and trustful in Divine Mercy and become women and men of the Mercy of God. This light must develop ever more in our hearts. The Pope encourages us to focus on Divine Mercy and to give praise to God for the grace of Salvation.”…
Sr. Elvira, the founder of the Community Cenacolo which ministers specifically to those with addictions gave a short address witnessing to the fact that the former drug addicts of the Community have been saved and have found their health and life and also Christ thanks to the Mercy of God. The Community then sang the moving song – ‘Open the Doors to Christ. Do not be Afraid’. How I long for this Community to make a foundation at England’s National Shrine to Our Lady in Walsingham.
Cardinal Schonborn then gave the opening major address of the Conference. So much food for thought and I can only give you a few tasters from my notes….The Cardinal said… “With Pope Benedict we look up to the window of the 3rd floor of the apostolic place where the whole world had its eyes…and we remember the unforgettable suffering of the beloved Pope – the fruit of a disease which had taken its toll over many years…I was in Jerusalem in the room of the last Supper. My first thought was upon hearing of the Pope’s final hours was… take him on the Feast of Mercy. During the Mass of Divine Mercy Pope John Pail received the Holy Eucharist in the form of the Precious Blood. He died on Divine Mercy Sunday – Sunday in Albis (white). He canonised St. Faustina. It was a sign from heaven that Pope John Paul II died on the Feast. Pope John Paul II said that the Divine Mercy shaped the image of his Pontificate. Upon his farewell to his homeland in 2002 He dedicated the new Shrine of the Divine Mercy at Lagiewniki. At that moment he announced a mission…
I do so with the burning desire that the message of God’s merciful love, proclaimed 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” (cf Diary of St. Faustina, 1732)
Cardinal Schonborn said that we need to carry the spark within our hearts. He said I give this to you as witnesses of Mercy. These last words are a guideline for the Church. They are the words which underline the organisation of this Conference… On the 3rd anniversary we desire to make an effort to receive this message of Mercy – to receive his desire for Mercy. We hope to make a step forward into the content of the mystery of mercy. If you are not afraid God will teach you even in your dreams!
The Cardinal then went on to speak of how God’s mercy manifests itself in the fact that it reveals TRUTH. He said that Divine Mercy reveals all the errors of an individual and community. This is a manifestation of Divine Mercy as it cannot exist without Truth. Sins can never be trivialised or minimised. God’s Mercy can never be without truth. Mercy in a certain sense can only take root where sins are called by their name and repented of….With the Merciful Saviour we can recognize our sinfulness – we can run and throw ourselves in the compassionate arms of God. Jezu Ufam Tobie! To repent of our sins for the love of God!...The call of mercy is the call to be human. We protest inside – it is impossible to be merciful to everyone!”!! Our hearts are hardened and the Mercy of Jesus is often rejected because of our hardness of heart. Hardness of heart means separation from God. Let us bring our hardness of heart to the Cross so that we can be more fully open to the Mercy of God in our lives and hence apostles of Mercy to the whole world.
At 9pm we were called to congregate with the young people in St. Peter’s Square and we were led in the Rosary by Cardinals Dziwisz, Cardinal Ruini, Cardinal Comastri and Cardinal Schonborn from the Chapel of the tomb of Pope John Paul II. We were able to follow and pray through the medium of the TV screens in the Square. Cardinal Dziwisz assured us that Pope John Paul II was still with us. I sensed that intently as I prayed and gazed at the window of his last hour and remembered with love and gratitude the privilege I had of being present for his funeral. At 9.37 the hour that he returned to the house of the Father we all had a moment of silence. Thanks to a satellite link with Poland, thousands of people in Poland joined with us. Cardinal Dziwisz spoke and prayed with great emotion and said: "Your service to the Church continues, even if in a different way. We think of your teaching, of your example in life, which keeps speaking to our consciences.”
"We want to proclaim the sacred character of life and the sanctity of the family and marriage. In the name of Jesus, we are on the side of the poor, of the humble, of those who have nothing, of the persecuted in the name of justice or religion."
"From the window of the house of the Father, one sees better, therefore, we ask you to watch over the youth of today, their aspirations, hopes, worries. John Paul II, Holy Father, thank you for everything." Every time I hear Cardinal Dziwisz speak I am moved.
So ended our first day of the Congress which also marked the 3rd Anniversary of the death or beloved Pope John Paul II!
April 3rd opened with Morning Prayer of the Church and this day’s theme was to be The Mystery of Mercy –the Church’s Treasure. Cardinal Backis of Vilnius, Lithuania gave a keynote address in which he said that Divine Mercy is the light which has to lighten up the path of the people of the 3rd Millennium. He said only Divine Mercy incarnated in Jesus can re balance the world. We have to start from our hearts. The Cardinal expressed his gratitude to Pope John Paul II who launched the Divine Mercy in the heart of the Church and also to Pope Benedict who repeatedly invites us to follow the path indicated by Pope John Paul II. He then put the question to us… “Why has the Vilnius Archbishop come to speak at this Congress on Divine Mercy?The 1st Image of the Merciful Jesus was painted in 1934 in Vilnius. It was exhibited for the first time in 1935 at the Shrine of the Mother of Mercy in Vilnius. Fr. Sopopko the Confessor of St. Faustina pronounced the homily on Divine Mercy at this exhibition. He is to be beatified next year. Jesus himself said that this celebration has come from the depths of my Mercy. He who believes it will obtain it. The painting was hidden during WW2 and miraculously survived. In 1986 it was brought back from Belarus to Vilnius. Now it is in the Divine Mercy Shrine in Vilnius. Each Image is a sign “a container” with which men can come and take grace from the source of Mercy. It helps us to discover the face of God who is Mercy by contemplating this Sacred Image of the Risen Christ who has a blessing hand and the other touches the wound where blood and water comes out. I live again the meeting of the Risen Christ with Thomas the Apostle…This is an invitation to strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ in the embrace of the Church….The Sacraments are the most beautiful expressions of Divine Mercy. It’s a gift…The mystic meaning is the love and forgiveness of God. Man collaborates with God. The key to penetrate Divine Mercy is through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Divine Mercy in the Eucharist is the gift of love left to the Church – the living Bread to support us on our path. Through Mercy the world will become more human – the whole strength of my Soul comes from the Holy Sacrament. This TRUST in God opens the doors to forgiveness. God wants to be trusted and proposes forgiveness. Where sin is abundant God’s Mercy is even greater…
These are just a few of the gems we received from Cardinal Backis who finished by exhorting us all to go on Pilgrimage to the Divine Mercy Shrine in Vilnius!
Two short testimonies then followed from Cardinal Barbarin of Lyon in France and of Fr. Daniel Ange of France.
Cardinal Barbarin spoke of Mercy as the key for interreligious dialogue. The Cardinal spoke of the need to move from mere tolerance to mutual esteem, and if the Lord gives us the grace, to admiration. As an example he gave the testimony of Blessed Charles de Foucauld. He cited the “interior shock” which Blessed Charles received and felt when he saw the “fervour of the Muslims.” Through this experience Blessed Charles “understood immediately what he had lost in distancing himself from the faith and this was the beginning of his return to Christ. I have the convictionthat only a humble interior attitude, in which each one is attentive to receiving all the gifts that God wants to give, will permit us to be authentic servants of his mercy, servants of the joy in the hearts of man."