John Paul II, The Great Mercy Pope

The Great Mercy Pope: John Paul II

Prayer for the Intercession of Pope John Paul II:

O Blessed Trinity We thank You for having graced the Church with Pope John Paul II and for allowing the tenderness of your Fatherly care, the glory of the cross of Christ, and the splendor of the Holy Spirit, to shine through him. Trusting fully in Your infinite mercy and in the maternal intercession of Mary, he has given us a living image of Jesus the Good Shepherd, and has shown us that holinessis the necessary measure of ordinary Christian life and is the way of achieving eternal communion with you. Grant us, by his intercession, and according to Your will, the graces we implore, hoping that he will soon be numbered among your saints. Amen.

I highly reccommend purchasing the book John Paul II: the Great Mercy Pope by Rev. George Kosicki, CSB. It is an excellent source of information on Pope John Paul II's devotion to the Divine Mercy message. The book is published by John Paul II Institute of Divine Mercy, An Imprint of Marian Press, Marians of the Immaculate Conception, Stockbridge MA 01262. I have requested that Aquinas and More Catholic bookstore, (for which there is a link on the main page of this blogsite) consider carrying this book. Below is more information from his book and a quote from Rev. Kosicki.

     "...the Holy Father has not only taught about God's mercy, but also how he has lived out the message of mercy by the witness of his life. In his writing, teaching, preaching, and by his prayer, his forgiveness, his radiating presence and his ministry to the sick and poor, he reflects God's mercy. The very themes of his pontificate are mercy themes: his challenge, "Do not be afraid!" his call to holiness, to evangelization, to ecumenism; his entrustment to The Divine Mercy and to the Mother of Mercy; the Jubilee Year of mercy; his continued emphasis on the value and dignity of every human being. For all these things, John Paul II has shown himself to be the Mercy Pope. His whole life, therefore, should be an example for the world and a challenge to each individual to be merciful as our heavenly Father is merciful" (Rev. George Kosicki, CSB)

Rev. Kosicki then goes on in his book to identify Pope John Paul II as both a teacher of mercy and a model of mercy. He also identifies the mercy themes found in JPII's writings. I have summarized these sections below:

Teacher of Mercy: The Encyclical Rich in Mercy (Dives in Misericordia), Homilies and Addresses on Divine Mercy, Divine Mercy in Various Writings: Redeemer of Man, Lord and Giver of Life, Mission of the Redeemer, Gospel of Life, and The Day of the Lord.

Model of Mercy: "John Paul II not only teaches about mercy, he puts his teaching into practic: by praying for mercy; by forgiving and asking for forgiveness; by radiating mercy; by his presence; by ministry to the sick, the suffering and the poor"

Themes of Mercy: The value and dignity of each person, "Be not afraid", Universal call to Holiness, New Evangelization, Ecumenism:Commitment to Church Unity, Mary the Mother of Mercy, the Jubilee Year 2000, The message of Divine Mercy as the Message of the Third Millennium

Pope John Paul II on forgiveness and justice: " Forgiveness does not cancel out the objective requirements of justice. ...Properly understood, justice constitutes the goal of forgiveness, ...Mercy has the power to confer on justice a new content, which is expressed most simply in forgiveness (#14, Rich in Mercy)

May 13, 1981  Pope John Paul II, wounded by an attempted assassination, forgives his assassin on the way to the hospital. The Diary of Sister Faustina is read to him in Polish durin his convalescence.

December 27, 1983 Pope John Paul II visits Ali Agca in his prison to extend his forgiveness. A world-wide witness to mercy, recorded in the film Time for Mercy.