After all, this website is an apostolate of the Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate Conception, and the Marians have a special calling, as part of their charism, to spread the message of the merciful love of God. Is it any wonder, then, that our Lord called the Congregation of Marians of the Immaculate Conception to be not only the custodians of the U.S. National Shrine of The Divine Mercy, in Stockbridge, Mass., and the sponsors of the work of the John Paul II Institute of Divine Mercy, but also to be the official translators of St. Faustina's Diary into English and Spanish - and indeed, the first agent of the worldwide spread of The Divine Mercy message and devotion? We hear a clear echo of this cry in the life of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, especially in that beautiful and tender passage in her diary where Mary encourages us all to approach her as a merciful mother: This calls to mind Our Lady's words to St. Brigid of Sweden (Rev. Theologians call one form of that mercy God's "prevenient" grace, from the Latin prae-venire, which means "to come before." The Greek word used here is kecharitomene, which means, "graced one," or in this context, "transformed by grace." She had a common and in that time frequently used name, Mirjam, with a beautiful meaning: ‘loved by God’. – Google Analytics It was an all girl school who was shut down cause nobody wanted to go there nomo. Read part 2 here. First of all, Mary is Mother of Mercy because, through her Immaculate Conception, God fashioned her to be the created masterpiece of his mercy in the world. Access to this data is limited to the owner of this website and the contracted agency [Studio Alloy] that analyses the data.For the collecting of data third party tools are used. Ending a cycle of manipulation, unkindness or unconsciousness.” I choose to end that cycle. It is God extending patience to those who deserve to be punished,” Challies said. For the works of mercy it would only be good if Mary herself could be the protectress. Father Seraphim Michalenko, MIC, relying on the work of the French theologian M.D. Nor could she ask for it. Robert Stackpole, STD, is director of the John Paul II Institute of Divine Mercy and author of Divine Mercy: A Guide from Genesis to Benedict XVI (Marian Press). And this special grace is the reason why the angel Gabriel could go on to say to Mary: "Fear not, Mary, for you have found favor with God." In the history of Christian faith and of the Church she has a unique position, close to God, and as well close to all people. This site uses functional cookies and external scripts to improve your experience. The theological connection between The Divine Mercy and the Immaculate Conception is just too deep and profound for all of this to be an historical accident. Our Lady, Mother of Mercy. But there is so much to say here precisely because the connection between Mary and Divine Mercy runs so deep that you will have to pardon me if I take about four instalments to say it all! We see a faint reflection of it in a parent's love for a child. This data will be stored in the relevant tool and is deleted after 26 months. Rather, the parent's love comes right from the start, a completely free gift, just because the child is the parent's own child. We celebrate one of the greatest mysteries of the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Aug. 15. In order to enhance the user experience on this website we collect anonymised user data for analytical purposes. How did a young Jewish girl from Nazareth become the Queen of Angels, Queen of Patriarchs, and Queen Prophets? Mercy, therefore, carries the idea of having compassion on someone with all one's heart. Example: Stay logged in functionality; cookie preferences. As Pope John Paul II wrote in His encyclical Dives in Misericordia (Rich in Mercy), section 9: "Mary is the one who experienced mercy in an exceptional way - as no one else." Mary was a woman in whom God’s love became tangible and active. Author and blogger Tim Challies described mercy as “God acting patient. The name Mother of Mercy expresses the very trust in that caring and overwhelming love which we may experience and which originates from God himself. With words taken from old biblical traditions, Mary sings that God is merciful and cares about poor and little people. Your choices will not impact your visit. As mother of Jesus, Mary had an important role in passing on God’s grace: we believe that still now, through her intercession and protection, she fulfils this role. Prevenient grace is this completely free gift of God's mercy. No other creature, therefore, so completely manifests God's mercy as does Mary Immaculate. Also, we should not be surprised to find that St. Maria Faustina, the great apostle of Divine Mercy, had a special devotion to our Lady's Immaculate Conception. Mary herself was one of these anawim, a simple woman, friendly and humble of heart, a ‘maidservant’ as the hymn of thanks of Mary herself puts it. The mercy and justice Jesus proclaimed were especially meant for them. Our Founder, Bishop Zwijsen chose that name for his congregations, since the work of both the sisters and brothers would be in the field of mercy. The title Mother of Mercy is just another way of saying ‘Mirjam’: ‘loved by God’. Mother of Mercy. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. If the Eternal Father is the Father of mercies, Our Lady the Blessed Virgin Saint Mary is the Mother of Mercy. Which cookies and scripts are used and how they impact your visit is specified on the left. The Immaculate Conception is really the supreme manifestation of God's prevenient, unmerited mercy. Every once in a while someone sends me a question that I file away because I know it is so big and so important that I cannot tackle it right away. It was something done in her and for her by the Father of Mercy, and solely on the basis of the foreseen merits of His incarnate Son, Jesus Christ. There is still something else. We can find in the Gospel of Luke Mary’s hymn of thanksgiving, the Magnificat. Father Donald Calloway, MIC, explains. Got a question? Don't send your daughters to the new school mercy McCauley. By God's prevenient grace, therefore, she was made the masterpiece of the Father's mercy, and in the fullness of time, this special grace within her enabled her to receive our Savour into the world. It’s God’s patience in action. It must be the gift of His grace that fills a soul to overflowing. I pulled, “Mother of Mercy” and I thought, “Oh my goodness, what does that mean?” This says, “Dispensations of mercy come when we are without recourse. A child is loved by its parents not because the child has "earned" it, or deserved it, or even asked for it in any way. It, in turn, derives from two words: misereri, meaning "to have pity on" or "compassion for" and cor, meaning "heart" (genitive case - cordis: "of the heart"). Mary's words here also remind us of what she said to St. Juan Diego in Guadalupe: Mary is truly our Mother of tender compassion, our "Mother of Mercy." In short, the whole world's salvation began with a foundational act of unmerited, unprompted, freely given Divine Mercy: That act of mercy was Mary's Immaculate Conception. What does she mean to us? For us, at any rate, it expresses the special presence, simplicity, humanness and love of Mary; her being moved and being available. Three more reasons for rejoicing in Mary as "Mother of Mercy" are on the way in the next three instalments of this column. According to the Gospel, Jesus was surrounded by many of those poor and simple people: tradition also calls them the ‘little people of the Lord’ (anawim). Saint Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote about “the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3). Well, Ted, I will certainly try. She found divine favor not because of her merits or deserving, but because of God's special grace within her. Meaning of God’s Mercy. E-mail him at jpii@marian.org. If we look at the life and writings of St. Maria Faustina, we can find at least four ways in which Mary can be truly called the merciful Mother of Christians, and of every soul searching for God. 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