The Archbishop
of Hobart (Tasmania), Julian Porteous - who was recently notified by Tasmania’s
Anti-discrimination Commissioner that a complaint had been laid against him in relation to the
distribution, to the families of students in the Catholic schools, of
the pro-traditional marriage booklet Don’t Mess With Marriage - has been
tireless in his promotion of the devotion of the Divine Mercy. According to a Tasmanian
Catholic (letter 30 Mar, 2016): “The Archbishop … has really been ‘plugging’
Divine Mercy, he couldn’t do any more”.
For Lent, Archbishop Porteous issued a magnificent
small formatted 28-page booklet, entitled:
The Time of Mercy:
A Spiritual Reflection For The Year of Mercy
which
we would recommend every reader to try to get hold of.
The
address given at the back of the pamphlet is: www.hobart.catholic.org.au
If
one were to look for a ‘theory of everything’ (as referred to in the ‘Modern
Physics’ article above), then one need go no further than this booklet. Its Contents
are:
Preface
Introduction
This
is the time of mercy
Why
is this the time of mercy?
Receiving
Mercy
Have
Mercy on us and on the whole world
Merciful
like the Father
Pope’s
Prayer for Year of Mercy
Parables
and Psalms on Mercy
Corporal
and Spiritual Works of Mercy
A
guide to Confession
This
booklet leaves nothing unsaid!
* * * * *
A correspondent
has also strongly recommended a “wonderful new book” by Fr. Michael Gaitley, “The
Second Greatest Story Ever Told”.
“It
is incredible because Father ties all of history together – Bible – Polish
History – Fatima – before that, Sacred Heart devotion – Divine Mercy – True
Devotion”.
The world needs the mercy of God
April
25, 2014
Talking
Point by Archbishop Julian Porteous
IN the year 2000, as a new
millennium was being ushered in, Pope John Paul II instituted the Feast of
Divine Mercy, a feast to be celebrated on the Second Sunday of Easter.
Clearly in the mind of the pope was
the particular relevance of this feast and the devotion to the Divine Mercy for
our times.
In fact Pope John Paul had
commented, “Right from the beginning of my ministry in St Peter’s See in Rome I
consider this message my special task. Providence has assigned it to me in the
present situation of man, the Church and the world.”
The apparitions to St Faustina
emphasised the mercy of God and urged people to go to Confession and receive
Holy Communion today.
The Diary of Saint Faustina tells
of the message concerning this day:
“My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I
desire that the Feast of mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and
especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are
open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the
fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy
Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day
all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear
to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet.” (Diary 699)
At a time when the practice of
confession has fallen off among so many Catholics this call of Christ to
discover grace of the sacrament is important.
Of course, the call to approach the
Sacrament of Mercy on this feast day, should be an encouragement to use the
sacrament regularly, at least monthly.
Devotion to the Divine Mercy may
also be a providential act of God to help the Catholic people to return to this
sacrament. The Lord wanted to link going to Confession with acts of mercy.
Just as the Lord taught his
disciples that once receiving mercy we should show mercy ourselves, and as we
pray in the Lord’s Prayer – forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who
trespass against us – so the mercy we taste in the confessional should move our
hearts to express a generous mercy to others.
One expression of this desire to
show mercy is to pray in intercession for the needs of the whole world. In the
chaplet we pray,
“Eternal Father, I offer you the Body
and Blood, Soul and Divinity of your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ,
in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.”
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is a
powerful prayer.
Again we can refer to the words
received by St Faustina,
“Whoever will recite it will
receive great Mercy at the hour of death. Priests will recommend it to sinners
as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if
he were to recite this Chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My
infinite mercy. I want the whole world to know My infinite mercy. I desire to
grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My Mercy …” (Diary 687)
The world needs
mercy.
Firstly the world needs the mercy
of God.
Through the revelations to St Faustina
the Lord Jesus is calling upon us to intercede for the world, crying out for
mercy.
Secondly we need
mercy.
We are sinners.
We cannot remain in our sins. We
need to approach the Sacrament of Mercy, the confessional, and to do so
regularly.
Thirdly, we need
to be instruments of mercy to others. The injunction of the Lord in the Our
Father must be our constant inspiration: we will forgive others, as we seek
forgiveness ourselves.
Archbishop Julian Porteous is the Archbishop of Hobart.
