Divine Mercy is much more than a simple spiritual concept or a beautiful theological idea: it is the very heart of the Gospel. It reveals God's deep, faithful and gratuitous love for humanity, especially when it is wounded, lost or sinful. In the mystery of Divine Mercy, the face of God is revealed as that of a Father who never tires of forgiving, loving and lifting up.

To understand Divine Mercy is to enter into the most intimate part of Christ's heart, pierced on the Cross, from which water and blood gush forth. It is here, in this total gift of Jesus for the salvation of the world, that mercy reaches its peak. It is at once just, compassionate, patient, but above all transforming.

Mercy in the Bible: a love that lifts up

Divine Mercy is not a modern invention. It irrigates the entire history of salvation, from Genesis to Revelation. The Hebrew word hesed, often translated as "mercy", designates a faithful, benevolent, active love, offered even when it is undeserved.

In the Old Testament, God reveals himself as "slow to anger, rich in love and mercy" (Exodus 34:6). He never stops pursuing his people, even when they go astray. The psalms sing of this mercy as a source of hope:

"Eternal is his love!"

In the New Testament, mercy takes on a face: Jesus Christ. He is the one who heals, who forgives, who approaches sinners, who weeps over Jerusalem, who eats with the outcasts. His parables, like that of the prodigal son or the good Samaritan, teach that mercy is a path of life, a demand of the heart.

The Cross is the ultimate revelation of this mercy: Jesus bears our sins, our sorrows, and responds with absolute love.

The revelation to Saint Faustina: a mercy for our time

In the twentieth century, Jesus wanted to revive this essential truth in the heart of the Church, through Saint Faustina Kowalska, a humble and silent Polish nun, canonised in 2000. To her, he entrusts the message of Divine Mercy, which he calls the ultimate plank of salvation for humanity.

In his Little Diary, Jesus says to her:

"Humanity will not find peace until it turns with trust to my mercy."

God's mercy is not simply legal forgiveness. It is a creative act that restores life, a divine tenderness that binds up wounds, a look of love that restores dignity. Jesus invites everyone to trust in his mercy, to immerse themselves in it as in an infinite ocean, capable of purifying all faults and transforming the most hardened hearts.

An active and dynamic mercy

Divine Mercy is not limited to receiving God's forgiveness. It also calls for an inner transformation. Jesus said to Sister Faustina:

"Mercy is God's greatest attribute, but also a requirement for those who live by it."

So to live by mercy is:

To welcome God's love with confidence, even in our frailties;

To allow ourselves to be lifted up to love more in our turn;

To be merciful to others: to forgive, to help, to console, to pray for the living and the dead.

Mercy pushes us to step outside ourselves, to see each person as a brother or sister. It does not deny sin, but overcomes it through love.

Divine Mercy and today's world

The modern world, with its wars, violence, individualism, and deep moral wounds, thirsts for mercy. Many ignore God or fear him as a distant judge. The message of Divine Mercy comes in response to this spiritual and existential crisis: God did not come to condemn, but to save.

John Paul II, the great apostle of Mercy, said:

"The more sin abounds, the more grace overflows."

This is a message of hope for everyone: no one is too far away, too guilty, too broken to be saved. All we have to do is open our hearts and say, "Jesus, I trust in You."

A spiritual path for every day

Divine Mercy is lived out daily, through:

Prayer, especially the Chaplet of Mercy;

Confession, a source of profound healing;

Communion, which unites us to the Heart of Christ;

Concrete acts of charity, which make Christ's love visible.

Every day then becomes an opportunity to anchor ourselves in mercy: in silence, in encounters, in forgiveness given or received.

Conclusion: mercy, a response of love

Divine Mercy is God's love that stoops to lift up. It is the open Heart of Christ, always ready to welcome those who return. It is a refuge, a strength, a school of life. It teaches us that the last word is never sin, fall or failure, but life, hope, resurrection.

By welcoming this mercy and letting it radiate around us, we in turn become witnesses to a love that is stronger than anything. And that begins simply, every day, with a humble prayer:

"Jesus, I trust in You."