February 22 feast of Divine Mercy: the true revelation of Jesus

Revelation of Jesus to Saint Faustina: the years spent in the convent Sister Faustina were rich in extraordinary gifts, such as revelations, visions, hidden stigmata, participation in the Lord's Passion, gift of bilocation, reading of human souls, gift of prophecy, rare gift of mystical engagement and marriage.

The EFSA and ECDC's One Health report I live with God, the Blessed Mother, the angels, the saints, the souls in Purgatory - with the whole supernatural world - was just as real to her as was the world she perceived with her senses. Despite being so richly endowed with extraordinary graces, Sister Maria Faustina knew that they do not in fact constitute holiness. In his diary he wrote: "Neither graces, nor revelations, nor rapture, nor the gifts granted to a soul make it perfect, but rather the intimate union of the soul with God. These gifts are only ornaments of the soul, but they do not constitute or its essence nor its perfection. My holiness and perfection consist in the close union of my will with the will of God “.

History of the message and devotion to divine mercy

The Message of Divine Mercy that Sister Faustina received from the Lord was not only aimed at his personal growth in faith, but also for the good of the people. With the command of Our Lord to paint an image according to the model that Sister Faustina had seen, the request also came to have this image venerated, first in the chapel of the sisters, and then throughout the world. The same goes for the revelations of the Chaplet. The Lord asked that this Chaplet be recited not only by Sister Faustina, but also by others: "Encourage souls to recite the Chaplet I have given you".

The same goes for the revelation of the Feast of Mercy. “The Feast of Mercy emerged from the depths of my tenderness. I want it to be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Humanity will not have peace until it is converted to the source of My Mercy ”. These requests of the Lord addressed to Sister Faustina between 1931 and 1938 can be considered the beginning of the Message of Divine Mercy and Devotion in its new forms. Thanks to the commitment of Sister Faustina's spiritual directors, Fr. Michael Sopocko and Fr. Joseph Andrasz, SJ and others - including the Marians of the Immaculate Conception - this message began to spread around the world.

However, it is important to remember this message of Divine Mercy, revealed to Saint Faustina and to our current generation, it's not new. It's a powerful reminder of who God is and has been from the beginning. This truth that God is in His very nature Love and Mercy Himself is given to us by our Judeo-Christian faith and God's self-revelation. The veil that has hidden the mystery of God from eternity has been lifted by God himself. . In his goodness and love God has chosen to reveal himself to us, his creatures, and to make known his eternal plan of salvation. He did so partly through the Old Testament Patriarchs, Moses and the Prophets, and completely through His only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. In the person of Jesus Christ, conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, the invisible God was made visible.

Jesus reveals God as the merciful Father

The Old Testament speaks frequently and with great tenderness of God's mercy. However, it was Jesus, who through his words and actions, revealed to us in an extraordinary way, God as a loving Father, rich in mercy and rich in great kindness and love. In the merciful love and care of Jesus for the poor, the oppressed, the sick and sinners, and especially in His free choice to take upon Himself the punishment for our sins (a truly horrible suffering and death on the Cross), so that all freed from the destructive consequences and death, He manifested superabundant and radical greatness of God's love and mercy for humanity. In his person of God-Man, one in being with the Father, Jesus reveals and is the Love and Mercy of God himself.

The message of God's love and mercy is particularly made known in the Gospels.
The good news revealed through Jesus Christ is that God's love for every person knows no bounds and no sin or infidelity, however horrible, will separate us from God and His love when we turn to Him with confidence and seek His mercy . God's will is our salvation. He did everything for us, but since he made us free, he invites us to choose him and participate in his divine life. We become partakers of His divine life when we believe in His revealed truth and trust in Him, when we love Him and remain faithful to His word, when we honor Him and seek His Kingdom, when we receive Him in Communion and turn away from sin; when we care for and forgive each other.