We Have Found Mercy: The Mystery of God's Merciful Love

by Christoph Schönborn, Hubert Philipp Weber (Editor), Michael J. Miller (Translator)

Sister Faustina Kowalska, the Polish nun who had mystical encounters with the merciful Christ in the early 20th century, was canonized a saint by Pope John Paul II. The Pope also declared the first Sunday after Easter to be Divine Mercy Sunday, and it was during the vigil Mass of this feast that the Holy Father received his last Holy Communion and drew his last breath. The message of Divine Mercy as communicated through Sister Faustina is both a starting point and a recurring theme for Cardinal Schonborn's discussion of God's merciful love. The Archbishop of Vienna explores the presence of God's great mercy in the Scriptures, Tradition, the life of Christ, and the sacraments and works of the Church, while raising important questions along the way, such as, What is the relationship between mercy and justice? Mercy is the central nucleus of the Gospel message. In our time humanity needs a strong proclamation and witness of God's mercy . . . Go forth and be witnesses of God's mercy, a source of hope for every person and for the whole world. -- Pope Benedict XVI

Genres: Religion

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1900

About the author

Christoph Maria Michael Hugo Damian Peter Adalbert Graf von Schönborn, O.P.
is a Bohemian-born Austrian Dominican friar and theologian, who is a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He serves as the Archbishop of Vienna and President of the Austrian Bishops' Conference. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 1998. He is also the chaplain of the Order of the Golden Fleece (Austrian branch), of which he has been a member since 1961. He is a member of the formerly sovereign princely House of Schönborn, several members of which held high offices of the Holy Roman Empire and the Catholic Church.

Reviews

[Dhanaraj Rajan]

A simple book on reflections that are primarily centered on Divine Mercy.

It can be a simple spiritual book for one's own edification or it can act as a guide for any spiritual guide who wants to give the spiritual retreat for a week on the theme of Divine Mercy. There are nine chapters and the first and the last could be avoided (if you want) and thus you will have seven solid talks. The chapters are adequately filled with Biblical passages along with sparkling interpretations; revealing passages from the Church documents - the encyclicals and the Catechism of the Catholic Church; the appropriate quotes from the Church Fathers and the notable saints; and some interesting anecdotes.

The major questions answered in the chapters are:
1. How to reconcile the idea of 'God of revenge' of Old Testament with the 'God of Mercy' of the New Testament? Are they two different Gods or is it a misinterpreted understanding? If so, how?
2. If God is merciful, how is that expressed in the Bible? The explanation is given by explaining two Hebrew words that are used in the Bible in this context, namely, 'chesed' and 'Rachamim'. Read about the explanation in the book and it is very interesting.
3. Can the idea of unconditional mercy of God be reconciled to the concept of Divine Justice? Are the not in contrary positions? How are they to be reconciled?
4. What is the importance of the sacrament of confession, 'the tribunal of God's mercy' and why we should confess? I personally loved this chapter (the sixth chapter).
5. How are the ideas of heaven, purgatory and hell be explained? What is meant by 'hardness of heart'? The reflections concerning these are interestingly explained.

A good book of Spiritual Nourishment regarding Divine Mercy......