The Feast of the Secretary of Mercy, St Maria Faustina.

“Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10: 29).

Monday 5th October 2020, 27th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of the Secretary of Mercy, St Maria Faustina Kowalski (1905 - 1938). Polish. Nun of the Blessed Sacrament.

Jesus Christ our Merciful Savior communicated with St Maria Faustina His desire to have the Divine Mercy Devotion established. Maria was not well educated but she worked very hard to accomplish this divine purpose. Before she died in 1938, she left the world a book which has since become a classic: "Diary of St Maria Faustina Kowalski." This book recounts the conversations of the mystic Maria Faustina  with Jesus and established the Divine Mercy Devotion.

Our key Scripture for today is from the Parable of the Good Samaritan, (Luke 10: 25 - 37). You may call this a story of mercy.
What is mercy? From the Parable, we may say that mercy is when someone shows you pity in a moment of great need.

One day after shopping for groceries at Walmart, I was $5 short at the checkout counter. As I started to remove some groceries to make the right amount, the man behind me stepped forward and told the cashier he would pay the $5. I thanked him profusely in spite of my embarrassment. The man showed me mercy which I appreciated immensely.
One Saturday morning, I was again in the checkout counter in the same Walmart store. The man in front of me made a small purchase about $5. He did not have enough cash on him. I stepped forward and told the cashier to add it to my bill. The man refused to accept the offer. I pleaded with him to accept the little help and told him how someone helped me when I was in a similar situation some weeks ago.  I was sad to see him walk away without his grocery. He refused to give me the opportunity to show mercy and be a good neighbor.

Be a good neighbor.
Allow someone to be a good neighbor to you. Jesus is always a good neighbor.

Jesus gave us the Divine Mercy Devotion through St Maria Faustina. This devotion is summarized through the ABC of Mercy:

A = Ask for mercy.
B = Be Merciful.
C = Completely trust Jesus for mercy.

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