On the last Sunday, 13 March, a meeting entitled “Faces of Mercy” took place at the St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr Church in Rome. Its aim was to recall the encyclical Dives in misericordia of saint John Paul II and to bring closer the meaning of the Year of Mercy in the context of the bull Misericordiae vultus by the pope Francis.
Father Andrzej Dobrzyński presented the content of the encyclical on Divine Mercy. He mentioned that the document at the time of publication had been a surprise, because the topic of mercy had been removed from theological reflection and neglected in the culture and social life. John Paul II showed mercy as truth revealed in the Bible and deeply rooted in the Christian faith. Mercy is the love of God to men, despite their sins and infidelity, to men experienced by suffering. Christ fully has shown mercy, especially through the cross and resurrection, overcoming sin and death, healing the wounds of humanity with the medicine of His mercy. Thus, He has revealed God as merciful Father.
Mercy restores the salvific meaning of our lives, it is the path of conversion, that is, of extracting the good from layers of evil, and the path of recovery of human dignity and of reconciliation with God and among men. It has an important role in social life, since it refers to the equality of all men before God and to the need to overcome evil with good, and also to forgiveness. In this way, it acts as a correction of social justice programs that may often be distorted. The speaker noted that the encyclical has an apologetic value revealing God’s action in confrontation with physical and moral evil. Fr. Dobrzyński said also that the prophetic message of the encyclical Dives in misericordia brought hope and power for personal conversion and apostolate in the world today.
Father Zdzisław Kijas OFM Conv., in his speech, focused on the meaning of the current Year of Mercy. He stressed that the mercy of God was about a person of God, but also about lifting up man being prone to falls and about the world wounded by divisions and conflicts. Therefore, it is important to restore hierarchy of values for today’s generation, because mercy serves the good. In the world we live in, one of the important works of mercy is to proclaim the truth because the climate of relativism and self-doubt becomes more prevalent. Proclaiming the truth should be more like patient persuasion than like authoritarian transmission of dogma. Mercy cannot be identified only with the charity and compassion towards all kinds of misery. It should be above all propagation of values and respect for the truth, because God elevates man by awakening spiritual energy dormant in human beings. The speaker also noted that in times of “liquid” values, “culture of demands” and “worship of” nature, mercy is a “key” to open a new chance for mankind. The world without mercy will become more dangerous. Therefore, the Holy Year is a call for an examination of conscience and repentance.
The meeting was organized by the John Paul II Foundation – the Center for Documentation and Research of the Pontificate and the Ministry at the St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr Church in Rome.