Pope John Paul II and Divine Mercy

Pope John Paul II visited and prayed at the Shrine
of Divine Mercy in Krakow, Poland, June 7, 1997.

What a joyous day this is for the world. Our beloved Pope John II is beatified in Rome on this Divine Mercy Sunday, the feast he made official in 2000 at the canonization of Saint Faustina.

Let us pray to him for the strength and courage he exemplified during his pontificate. When the will is weak we must have faith in God and seek strength and hope from His unfathomable Divine Mercy.

This excerpt is taken from John Paul II's homily on the first universal celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday in 2001.

"Jesus, I trust in You!"

This prayer, dear to so many of the devout, clearly expresses the attitude with which we too would like to abandon ourselves trustfully in Your hands, 0 Lord, our only Savior.

You are burning with the desire to be loved and those in tune with the sentiments of Your Heart learn how to build the new civilization of love. A simple act of abandonment is enough to overcome the barriers of darkness and sorrow, of doubt and desperation. The rays of Your Divine Mercy restore hope, in a special way, to those-who feel overwhelmed by the burden of sin.

Mary, Mother of Mercy, help us always to have this trust in your Son, our Redeemer. Help us too, St. Faustina, whom we remember today with special affection. Fixing our weak gaze on the divine Savior's face, we would like to repeat with you: "Jesus, I trust in You!" Now and for ever. Amen.