Pope Francis delivers the Angelus address on Aug. 21, 2022. / Vatican Media. See CNA article for full slideshow.
Vatican City, Sep 18, 2022 / 04:35 am (CNA).
Pope Francis said Sunday that Christians should not become discouraged or remain indifferent to stories of corruption, but instead “be creative in doing good with prudence.”
Speaking from the window of the Apostolic Palace, the pope said in his Angelus address on Sept. 18 that people can “start to complain and play the victim” in times of crisis, even in the Church.
“Brothers and sisters … in our world today there are stories of corruption like in the Gospel: dishonest conduct, unfair policies, selfishness that dominates the choices of individuals and institutions, and many other murky situations. But we Christians are not allowed to become discouraged, or worse, to let go of things, remaining indifferent,” Pope Francis said.
“On the contrary, we are called to be creative in doing good with prudence and the cleverness of the Gospel, using the goods of this world, not only material but all the gifts we have received from the Lord, not to enrich ourselves, but to generate fraternal love and social fellowship.”
The pope’s comments on corruption were inspired by a parable in Sunday’s Gospel in the Church’s liturgical calendar, Luke 16:1-13, a reading that the pope admitted can be difficult to understand at first glance.
Pope Francis said: “Jesus tells the story about corruption: a dishonest manager who steals and then after being discovered by his master, acts shrewdly to get out of the situation. We ask ourselves: what is this shrewdness about … and what does Jesus want to tell us?”
“Jesus uses this story as a way to put before us a provocation when he says: ‘The children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.’”
Pope Francis commented that those who live by “certain worldly standards” today seem to know how to get by even when in trouble, while Christians can sometimes be “naive, not knowing how to take the initiative to find ways out of difficulties.”
“I am thinking of times of personal or social crisis, but also Church crisis: sometimes we give in to discouragement or we start to complain and play the victim. Instead, Jesus says we can also be clever according to the Gospel, awake and alert to discern reality and be creative to find good solutions for us and others,” he said.
Before praying the Angelus prayer with the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis encouraged people to remember: “To inherit eternal life then, there is no need to accumulate goods in this world, but what matters is the charity we have lived in our fraternal relationships.”
The pope prayed for people in Ukraine and all victims of war. He said that he was sorry to hear about the fighting in Armenia on the border with Azerbaijan and is praying for a ceasefire.
“Let us pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary so that she may help us be like herself, poor in spirit and rich in mutual love,” he said.
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The Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition cover the altar, just dedicated by the cardinal. The covering of the altar signifies that it is both the place of the Eucharistic sacrifice and the Lord’s table. / Credit: Photo courtesy of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
Jerusalem, Sep 12, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).
On Aug. 31, exactly 100 years after its dedication, the Church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant was reopened for worship on the hill of Kiryat Yearim, nine miles from Jerusalem.
The church, which was closed for four years for restoration work, stands atop the hill overlooking the (Muslim) village of Abu Gosh. From the top, visitors can see Jerusalem.
A view from the hill of Kiryat Yearim, where the Church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant stands. At the foot of the hill lies the Muslim village of Abu Gosh, with Jerusalem visible in the background, a little more than nine miles away. The place, mentioned in the Bible as “Kiriath-Jearim,” held an important role in the history of the Jewish people, as it was here that the Ark of the Covenant rested for about 20 years until King David brought it to Jerusalem. Credit: Marinella Bandini
The place, mentioned in the Bible as “Kiriath-Jearim,” has held an important role in the history of the Jewish people as it was here that the Ark of the Covenant rested after being recovered from the Philistines (see 1 Samuel 6).
The ark contained the two stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments — God’s covenant with the Jewish people — were inscribed and was the sign of God’s presence among his people.
According to the Bible, it was hosted in the house of Abinadab, where it remained for about 20 years (see 1 Samuel 7:1-2) until King David brought it to Jerusalem.
For this reason, even today, the site is visited by many groups of Jews.
A Byzantine basilica was built on the top hill around the fifth century. The current church, the foundation stone of which was laid in 1920, stands on the remains of that building. It was consecrated in 1924 by the then-Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Luigi Barlassina, and dedicated to Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant.
The Church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant in Kiryat Yearim (exterior). The church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, whom Christians also honor with the title of “Ark of the Covenant.” “The covenant of God with his people finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who is no longer just the sign of God’s presence but God himself among us. Mary is the new Ark of the Covenant because she carried Christ himself in her womb,” said Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, in his homily. Credit: Marinella Bandini
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the current Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, recently came to the basilica to dedicate its new altar on the occasion of the reopening of the church.
“This reopening is a moment of trust in the future, a desire to start anew, and this is what we need most at this time, when everything around us speaks of death and endings,” he told CNA after the celebration on Aug. 31.
The opening of the doors of the Church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant in Kiryat Yearim on Aug. 31, 2024, for the solemn celebration with the rite of dedication of the altar, presided over by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem. Credit: Photo courtesy of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
“Climbing this mountain, blessed by the presence of the Lord,” he added, “invites us to have a broad and farsighted perspective on events and not to close ourselves off in the dramatic present moment.”
Hosting the event were the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition, a French congregation founded in 1832 by Mother Emilie De Vialar, which owns and operates the church and surrounding property.
The complete details of how the land came to be acquired by the sisters are lost to history, but it centers on one of the order’s sisters who died in 1927. Sister Josephine Rumèbe, who is buried in the church, was reportedly endowed with special mystical gifts and managed to acquire the land on behalf of the sisters. The story goes that she had 5,000 francs at her disposal and sought the help of a clergyman for the purchase. To prevent a competing buyer from acquiring it, the cleric secured the entire hill for 20,372 francs. Miraculously, when Sister Josephine counted the gold coins hidden in her room, the amount matched exactly what she needed.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, pours the chrism oil on the new altar of the Church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant in Kiryat Yearim. On Aug. 31, 2024, he presided over the solemn Mass with the rite of dedication of the altar, marking the reopening of the church after four years of restoration and maintenance work. Credit: Marinella Bandini
The dedication of the new altar in the basilica took place after the recitation of the creed and chanting of the litanies. The cardinal placed relics in the altar, including that of Mother Emilie De Vialar, who was canonized a saint in 1951. This was followed by the anointing of the altar with chrism oil, the incensing of the altar, the covering of the altar, and the lighting of the altar.
The relics placed inside the new altar of the Church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant in Kiryat Yearim, which was dedicated by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, on Aug. 31, 2024. Among the relics are those of Mother Emilie De Vialar, founder of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition, the order who owns the church and surrounding property. Credit: Marinella Bandini
“The covenant of God with his people finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who is no longer just the sign of God’s presence but God himself among us. Mary is the new Ark of the Covenant because she carried Christ himself in her womb,” said the cardinal in his homily, inviting the faithful, following the example of the Virgin Mary, to renew their trust in God as the Lord of history and active within history.
Upon entering the church — whose iconographic elements were created by artists from the Ave Center of the Focolare Movement — the eye is drawn to the golden flame emanating from the center of the apse.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, celebrates the Eucharistic liturgy on the altar he dedicated in the Church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant in Kiryat Yearim on Aug. 31, 2024. Credit: Marinella Bandini
A special decoration that, on one hand, evokes the biblical significance of fire, symbolizing the presence of God, and on the other, is connected to the history of this place and particularly to Sister Josephine’s vision of a “mountain of fire,” holds significance here.
When she was still a young postulant in France, during Eucharistic adoration, Sister Josephine had a vision of flames forming a mountain with Jesus above them instead of the host. The vision then vanished, and only 50 years later, at the time of laying the foundation stone of the church, it was revealed to her that the “mountain of fire” was indeed Kiryat Yearim, which she used to call “the Holy Mountain.”
Sister Valentina Sala, the current provincial of the congregation for the Holy Land, immediately felt a strong connection to this place. She recounted to CNA: “The first time I came here for a few weeks, a sister took me to Kiryat Yearim. I knelt at Sister Josephine’s tomb and prayed to return if that was God’s will.”
Sister Valentina Sala, the current provincial of the congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition for the Holy Land, prays at the tomb of Sister Josephine Rumèbe, founder of the convent and the church in Kiryat Yearim. “The first time I came here for a few weeks, a sister took me to Kiryat Yearim. I knelt at Sister Josephine’s tomb and prayed to return if that was God’s will,” she recounted to CNA. Credit: Marinella Bandini
On the centenary of the church’s dedication, Sister Valentina also emphasized the significance of this place for her congregation, whose charism is to serve the needs of people through works of charity.
“What is charity work? What people need today is not just health care or education; there is a hunger and thirst for God. We must be able to recognize this need, helping those who come here to listen to his voice. We need places where people can pause and rest with God,” she said.
When the construction of the church was nearly complete, Sister Josephine had a vision of the Virgin Mary, at the top of the church, facing Jerusalem with outstretched arms in a gesture of dispensing grace. A statue now stands above the church to recall that vision, facing away from those entering and directed toward Jerusalem.
“This place, which evokes the covenant, invites us to realign ourselves with God and to be under this blessing,” Sister Valentina concluded.
This is also the meaning of the words she addressed to those present — the vast majority of local faithful from Jerusalem as well as from Galilee — at the end of the Mass.
Hundreds of local faithful from Jerusalem and Galilee attend the solemn Mass with the rite of dedication of the altar, marking the reopening of the Church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant in Kiryat Yearim, on Aug. 31, 2024. A hundred years ago, Sister Josephine Rumèbe of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition wrote about having seen a vision of “a crowd rushing toward the basilica. I saw priests, sisters of our order, and then men and women of the world who were even more pleasing to God than all the others, holy souls shining like stars.” Credit: Marinella Bandini
“Sister Josephine had already seen you in various visions: ‘I saw a crowd rushing toward the basilica. I saw priests, sisters of our order, and then men and women of the world who were even more pleasing to God than all the others, holy souls shining like stars.’”
She continued: “And what if we are that vision? What if we are that future? Of course, we are! From now on, you will be the ones to bring life to this hill, to this covenant between God and his people. Come, rush, stay, feel at home. There is not only a newly renovated church to see but a Presence to discover: Take the time to dwell with the Lord. What could be more beautiful… Many graces await to be dispensed from here!”
Cardinal Raymond Burke at EWTN’s studio in Rome during the canonization of St. John Paul II and St. John XXIII. / Credit: Steven Driscoll/CNA
Vatican City, Nov 28, 2023 / 13:34 pm (CNA).
Pope Francis has stripped one of his top American critics, Cardinal Raymond Burke, of his Vatican housing and salary privileges, the Associated Press is reporting.
According to the AP report, which is based on conversations with two anonymous sources briefed on the measures, the pope discussed his planned actions against the American prelate at a Nov. 20 meeting of Vatican office heads.
The pope reportedly said that Burke was a source of “disunity” in the Church and that he was using the privileges afforded to retired cardinals against the Church.
The Italian Catholic news blog La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana first reported pending actions against Burke on Nov. 27.
“Cardinal Burke is my enemy, so I take away his apartment and his salary,” the pope had said at the Nov. 20 meeting, according to Bussola’s undisclosed Vatican source.
CNA was unable to immediately reach Burke to confirm the measures against him. The Vatican’s communications office did not respond to EWTN’s request for comment by time of publication.
The AP reported that the Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, “referred questions to Burke.”
“I don’t have anything particular to say about that,” Bruni told reporters.
Burke was ordained a priest by Pope Paul VI in Rome in 1975 and was bishop of La Crosse, Wisconsin, from 1995 to 2004 and archbishop of St. Louis from 2004 to 2008. Widely regarded as an expert in canon law, Burke was appointed in 2008 as prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura (the highest judicial authority in the Church) by Pope Benedict XVI. Two years later, Benedict made him a cardinal.
Pope Francis removed him from the post of prefect in 2014 and instead appointed him cardinal patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, a mostly ceremonial role dedicated to the spiritual welfare of the members of the order. He remained patron until this year but had held only the title, having been reportedly restricted from active involvement since 2016 and thus sidelined during the extensive institutional reforms of the order over the last years. In June, Pope Francis named Cardinal Gianfranco Ghirlanda, SJ, as Burke’s official replacement. At the time of the announcement, Burke was only a few days away from the customary retirement age for bishops of 75.
Burke has emerged as a strong critic of some of Pope Francis’ initiatives.
He was one of the five cardinals who sent “dubia” to Pope Francis asking for clarification on the Church’s position on doctrinal development, the blessing of same-sex unions, the authority of the Synod on Synodality, women’s ordination, and sacramental absolution.
The document was made public on the eve of the opening of the Synod on Synodality at the Vatican and discussed at an Oct. 2 press conference in which Burke took part and expressed his concerns about the synod.
“It is unfortunately very clear that the invocation of the Holy Spirit by some has for its purpose the advancement of an agenda that is more political and human than ecclesial and divine,” Burke said.
This would not be the first former curial official this year asked to leave his Vatican living quarters.
According to a German newspaper report in June, Pope Francis ordered Archbishop Georg Gänswein to leave the Vatican and return to Germany. Gänswein, a longtime secretary to Pope Benedict XVI, served as prefect of the Papal Household to both Benedict and his successor, Pope Francis, until February 2020. Gänswein’s departure from the Vatican following the death of Benedict and subsequent dismissal by Pope Francis was seen by some as a fall from grace.
According to the German media report, Pope Francis in his comments on the decision “referred to the custom that the former private secretaries of deceased popes did not remain in Rome.”
The body of Pope Francis lies in state at the Vatican’s Domus Sanctae Marthae chapel, surrounded by Swiss Guards, cardinals, and Vatican officials paying their respects before his transfer to St. Peter’s Basilica for public veneration, Monday, April 21, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media
Vatican City, Apr 22, 2025 / 06:55 am (CNA).
The Vatican on Tuesday released the first photos of Pope Francis after his death, showing him dressed in red vestments and lying in a simple, wooden coffin inside the chapel of the Santa Marta guesthouse.
The photos, taken on the evening of April 21 during the first step of the papal funeral rites, show the pontiff, who died earlier in the day at the age of 88, holding a rosary and wearing the papal miter and pallium. The lit Easter candle is visible to Francis’ right, and he is flanked by Swiss Guards.
The body of Pope Francis lies in state at the Vatican’s Domus Sanctae Marthae chapel, surrounded by Swiss Guards, cardinals, and Vatican officials paying their respects before his transfer to St. Peter’s Basilica for public veneration, Monday, April 21, 2025. Credit: Vatican Media
The photos also show scenes from the “rite of the ascertainment of death and deposition in the coffin,” the first stage in the papal funeral rites, which was presided over by the camerlengo, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, on April 21.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell blesses Pope Francis as he lies in state at the Vatican’s Domus Sanctae Marthae before his transfer to St. Peter’s Basilica for public veneration, Monday, April 21, 2025. Credit: Vatican Media
The photos also show the sealing of the papal apartments in the Casa Santa Marta, where Pope Francis lived during his pontificate.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell seals the papal apartments in the Casa Santa Marta, where Pope Francis lived during his pontificate, Monday, April 21, 2025. Credit: Vatican Media
On April 22, the Vatican’s liturgical office also published information about what will happen next in the funeral rites for Pope Francis.
Pope Francis’ casket will be moved to St. Peter’s Basilica in a solemn procession on the morning of Wednesday, April 23, and placed near the basilica’s main altar for the public to view the body, pray, and say goodbye.
Pope Francis’ hands are seen as his body lies in state at the Vatican’s Domus Sanctae Marthae chapel, Monday, April 21, 2025. Credit: Vatican Media
Pope Francis’ funeral Mass, called the “Missa poenitentialis,” will be held in St. Peter’s Square at 10 a.m. local time on Saturday, April 26.
The funeral will mark the first day of the “novendiales,” nine consecutive days of mourning for the pope.
Also on Tuesday morning, the College of Cardinals met for the first of its “general congregations,” pre-conclave meetings of cardinals to discuss important Church business during the sede vacante (vacant see of Peter), issues facing the universal Church, and what qualities could be desirable in the next pope.
According to the Holy See Press Office around 60 cardinals were present for the first general congregation, which included prayer for Pope Francis and the reading of his final testament.
The college also chose three cardinals to assist Farrell, the camerlengo, over the next three days: Cardinals Pietro Parolin, Fabio Baggio, and Stanisław Ryłko. The second meeting will be held on the afternoon of April 23.
All good points from the Holy Father. And, here’s another “clever” Gospel thought about corruption, as a cross-cultural phenomenon….if the German “synodal path” is still “Catholic,” then Islam is still “a religion of peace.”
But, the fly in the ointment, however, is the “wrong turn” taken by Muhammad himself after he had lost the clan protection against the culture of tribal blood-feud vengeance—that is, after the natural deaths of both his protective uncle and his wife who was fairly well-positioned in Meccan high society. His flight to Medina (the Hejira, 622 A.D.) marks a paradigm shift (!) within/from original Islam. It replaced the peaceful period of Islam with the later defensive/expansive and jihadist period, beginning in the last ten years of Muhammad’s life (d. 632 A.D.).
Within Islam and the Qur’an, the unresolved retention of this contradiction is defended as “abrogation.”
Today, in Germania, has a parallel “wrong turn” and recent paradigm shift (!) come when the Council and then the Church’s restorative leadership under Pope St. John Paul II and Benedict were replaced by the feuding Germanic tribe of Kasper/Marx/Batzing (and Hollerich)? And, by their synodal dismantling of the “real” Second Vatican Council (of the Documents) with the virtual “spirit of the council” and worse?
Within the Church, now, Cardinal Roche even brands the Novus Ordo (and the entire Tradition associated with it?) as not only an imperfect but still a grounded “development” but, in his words, as an “abrogation” (!). More unifying (and less Islamic) parsing of events seems not too much to ask within the perennial and Eucharistic Church.
During his tenure, Papa has generated a good deal of controversy on a wide range of topics. To his credit, he has said it is acceptable to criticize the pope. Ye t some comments are over the top, for example the following:
“A submission from Maryland, U.S. says the name Bergoglio means “Antichrist”.”
“Pope Francis said Sunday that Christians should not become discouraged or remain indifferent to stories of corruption, but instead “be creative in doing good with prudence.”
Divine Mercy in My Soul, 1556
My daughter, tell souls that I am giving them My mercy as a defense. I Myself am fighting for them and am bearing the just anger of My Father.
Luke 16:1 The Parable of the Dishonest Steward.
I have seen these “Dishonest Stewards”! I have actually even done business with them. They are our precious Catholic Priests.
If you have a debt to God, in which you could never in a septillion lifetimes repay, go visit your local Catholic Priest, he will work something out for you.
“And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently”
Divine Mercy in My Soul, 1448
Tell souls where they are to look for solace; that is, in the Tribunal of Mercy (the Sacrament of Reconciliation). There the greatest miracles take place (and) incessantly repeated. To avail oneself of this miracle, it is not necessary to go on a great pilgrimage or to carry out some external ceremony; it suffices to come with faith to the feet of My representative and to reveal to him one’s misery, and the miracle of Divine Mercy will be fully demonstrated. Were a soul like a decaying corpse so that from a human standpoint, there would be no (hope of) restoration and everything would already be lost, it is not so with God. The miracle of Divine Mercy restores that soul in full. Oh, how miserable are those who do not take advantage of the miracle of God’s mercy! You will call out in vain, but it will be too late.
Divine Mercy in My Soul, 699
I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet.
Divine Mercy in my Soul, 635, The Blessed Virgin Mary :
you have to speak to the world about His great mercy and prepare the world for the Second Coming of Him who will come, not as a merciful Savior, but as a just Judge. Oh, how terrible is that day! Determined is the day of justice, the day of divine wrath. The angels tremble before it. Speak to souls about this great mercy while it is still the time for [granting] mercy. If you keep silent now, you will be answering for a great number of souls on that terrible day
Spreading the Good News is an effective way to combat corruption.
Indeed! God bless you.
All good points from the Holy Father. And, here’s another “clever” Gospel thought about corruption, as a cross-cultural phenomenon….if the German “synodal path” is still “Catholic,” then Islam is still “a religion of peace.”
But, the fly in the ointment, however, is the “wrong turn” taken by Muhammad himself after he had lost the clan protection against the culture of tribal blood-feud vengeance—that is, after the natural deaths of both his protective uncle and his wife who was fairly well-positioned in Meccan high society. His flight to Medina (the Hejira, 622 A.D.) marks a paradigm shift (!) within/from original Islam. It replaced the peaceful period of Islam with the later defensive/expansive and jihadist period, beginning in the last ten years of Muhammad’s life (d. 632 A.D.).
Within Islam and the Qur’an, the unresolved retention of this contradiction is defended as “abrogation.”
Today, in Germania, has a parallel “wrong turn” and recent paradigm shift (!) come when the Council and then the Church’s restorative leadership under Pope St. John Paul II and Benedict were replaced by the feuding Germanic tribe of Kasper/Marx/Batzing (and Hollerich)? And, by their synodal dismantling of the “real” Second Vatican Council (of the Documents) with the virtual “spirit of the council” and worse?
Within the Church, now, Cardinal Roche even brands the Novus Ordo (and the entire Tradition associated with it?) as not only an imperfect but still a grounded “development” but, in his words, as an “abrogation” (!). More unifying (and less Islamic) parsing of events seems not too much to ask within the perennial and Eucharistic Church.
During his tenure, Papa has generated a good deal of controversy on a wide range of topics. To his credit, he has said it is acceptable to criticize the pope. Ye t some comments are over the top, for example the following:
“A submission from Maryland, U.S. says the name Bergoglio means “Antichrist”.”
This however, is quite uncalled for!
Instead, let us pray for Papa!
“Pope Francis said Sunday that Christians should not become discouraged or remain indifferent to stories of corruption, but instead “be creative in doing good with prudence.”
Divine Mercy in My Soul, 1556
My daughter, tell souls that I am giving them My mercy as a defense. I Myself am fighting for them and am bearing the just anger of My Father.
Luke 16:1 The Parable of the Dishonest Steward.
I have seen these “Dishonest Stewards”! I have actually even done business with them. They are our precious Catholic Priests.
If you have a debt to God, in which you could never in a septillion lifetimes repay, go visit your local Catholic Priest, he will work something out for you.
“And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently”
Divine Mercy in My Soul, 1448
Tell souls where they are to look for solace; that is, in the Tribunal of Mercy (the Sacrament of Reconciliation). There the greatest miracles take place (and) incessantly repeated. To avail oneself of this miracle, it is not necessary to go on a great pilgrimage or to carry out some external ceremony; it suffices to come with faith to the feet of My representative and to reveal to him one’s misery, and the miracle of Divine Mercy will be fully demonstrated. Were a soul like a decaying corpse so that from a human standpoint, there would be no (hope of) restoration and everything would already be lost, it is not so with God. The miracle of Divine Mercy restores that soul in full. Oh, how miserable are those who do not take advantage of the miracle of God’s mercy! You will call out in vain, but it will be too late.
Divine Mercy in My Soul, 699
I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet.
Divine Mercy in my Soul, 635, The Blessed Virgin Mary :
you have to speak to the world about His great mercy and prepare the world for the Second Coming of Him who will come, not as a merciful Savior, but as a just Judge. Oh, how terrible is that day! Determined is the day of justice, the day of divine wrath. The angels tremble before it. Speak to souls about this great mercy while it is still the time for [granting] mercy. If you keep silent now, you will be answering for a great number of souls on that terrible day
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