'Understanding Divine Mercy' 

by Fr Chris Alar MIC

ST PAULS PUBLICATIONS, 2024; 176 pages; MRP: Rs 200/- ISBN: 978-81-19597-70-3; Available at St Pauls and The Pauline Sisters. 

Mercy does not mean being saved FROM the Cross, but THROUGH the Cross.

These and many other misconceptions about Divine Mercy are solved and resolved in Marian Catholic Priest Fr Chris Alar's latest book 'Understanding Divine Mercy'. The book is a must read for every Catholic who wishes to draw more of Jesus' graces from the practice of the devotion to His Divine Mercy. The global scenario is currently in a deplorable situation. By the time the last of the Boomer children will close their eyes and enter God's Kingdom, the younger generation will be inheriting a world ridden with more problems than solutions caused by the mistakes of those who thought they knew better, but didn't! To equip the young and old to meaningfully understand the importance of Jesus' Divine Mercy, the Paschal Mystery, the virtue of selflessness, and the power of the Sacraments, this book will have to be read, savoured, and cherished. 

Through easy-to-understand mnemonics and basic theology, Fr Chris has managed to bring to the reader the essence of the Divine Mercy Devotion, and how it is not only a devotion, but a message to the Church and for the Church, which must be practised by all. Fr Chris happens to be part of the Marian Priests devoted solely to the international spread of the Devotion to Jesus' Divine Mercy, as He revealed it to St Faustina during the 1930s. Fr Chris has managed to conclusively drill the many aspects of the Divine Mercy Devotion into the heads of the faithful in an interesting and theologically rich way. Through detailed Biblical references and jottings from the many writings of the Saints and Doctors of the Church like St Augustine of Hippo, St Gregory of Nazianzen, St Teresa of Avila, among others, Fr Chris has analysed the devotion in a beautiful way, bringing out its essence, and clearing many ecclesiastical and eschatological mistakes one tends to make while referring to this particular popular devotion that has been equalled to something as efficacious as the many practices one adopts to try to clear temporal sins and unforgiven sins for the sake of gaining partial and plenary indulgences. 

Some important spiritual questions taken up in this keepsake of a book are:

(1) Can Divine Mercy be effective for the soul of a loved one who has committed suicide?

(2) Can the practice of Divine Mercy downplay the importance of the 17th century Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus?

(3) Is mercy killing an act of 'Mercy'?

(4) How are we supposed to reach out to lukewarm Gen Alpha or Gen Z individuals to show them the value of the Cross over fame, wealth, power, and pride? 

(5) Is true love dependent on one's emotions or is it an act of will?

From Poland during the time of Adolf Hitler to the history of St Faustina's Diary's epic and nerve-racking journey to our bookshelves, from St Pope John Paul II's great contribution to this Devotion to the secret about what it means when we say 'the Octave of Easter'; from Pope Benedict XVI's liturgically rich take on the Paschal Mystery to Gen Z and Gen Alpha kids asking a young newly ordained Catholic priest the most bizarre questions; from Association of Marian Helper testimonials to the efficacy and necessity of the Divine Mercy to even a controversial theologian like Karl Rahner SJ having a say in a crucial aspect about this devotion, this book is the need of the hour! Let us teach our young and the lukewarm Catholics among us the need to practise the Devotion to Jesus' Divine Mercy before we have to endure His Justice alone. Let us not let our children reap the weeds of our mistakes, but let them plant the seeds of a New Birth through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ for the betterment of their lives and the lives of their own children and their grandchildren. 

While you are at it, if you have been greatly influenced by St Faustina's Diary, the Divine Mercy Novena, Chaplet, etc., and if you have a calling to spread the message of this Devotion to the world, then Fr Chris has invited you to join the Association of Marian Helpers based in the USA. Check out this book today to know more! 

FIZA PATHAN