On this Second Sunday of Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday 2011, the light of Blessed John Paul II continues to burn in the world; for the former Pope was one who, always with charity and love, repeatedly articulated the message of Christ's mercy in great and penetrating depth. Through his love for Jesus and through his love for Mary whose "fiat" brought Mercy into the world, he will be forever remembered as a humble and living image of what humanity unceasingly seeks: the regenerative and healing mercy of Christ Jesus.
The Beatification of Venerable Pope John Paul II began at 10:00 a.m. It was truly a sacred moment for which the world has long yearned. During the Rite of Beatification, Pope Benedict XVI raised to the Altar his beloved friend and predecessor, a truly extraordinary Pope whom the entire world knew and loved, and whose memory will remain infused within us all with deep tenderness and veneration for all ages to come.
The Mass was preceded by a gathering of the faithful to recite the Devotion of Divine Mercy, a prayer in which we offer to the Father the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of his dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and the sins of the whole world. In reciting this profound prayer, we are spiritually united with the Paschal Mystery of our Savior who so unreservedly gave of himself for our sake.
Today, let us recall the words of Saint Thomas Aquinas: "mercy consists in bringing a thing of non-being into being." This transpired in the life of the early Church. The believers "devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of bread and to prayers." They were filled with awe; they were witnesses of wondrous signs; they lived for the good of the other; they were selfless and generous; they overflowed with "exultation and sincerity of heart." God "in his great mercy" gave them - and us - "a new birth of to a living hope" through the resurrection of Christ.
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