While some people may be familiar with St. Faustina, the Divine Mercy Chaplet or the Divine Mercy image, few may be aware of Pope Benedict XVI’s continual message of God’s mercy. In Pope Benedict’s Divine Mercy Mandate, David Came traces Pope Benedict’s message of Divine Mercy throughout his pontificate.

His message is far wider than the Divine Mercy devotion. As Pope Benedict says, quoting Pope John Paul II, “‘Divine Mercy is not a secondary devotion but an integral dimension of Christian faith and prayer.”’

Totally accessible, Came invites the reader to consider Pope Benedict’s many entreaties to trust in God’s mercy, to receive this wonderful, transforming gift, and in turn, share it with others.

He suggests how to fulfill Pope Benedict’s mandate.

We find God’s mercy in both Scripture and Tradition. Pope Benedict said, “Mercy is the central nucleus of the Gospel message; it is the very name of God, the Face with which he revealed himself in the Old Testament and fully in Jesus Christ, the incarnation of creative and redemptive Love.”

Pope Benedict and his predecessor hold that Divine Mercy is a crucial message for our time. Quoting John Paul, Benedict reminds us, “Apart from the mercy of God there is no source of hope for mankind.”

By living God’s mercy, we partake in his paschal mystery. We live it most fruitfully when we pass it on to others. Forgiveness, love and mercy to those who have wounded us take Divine Mercy because we are easily consumed by bitterness, hatred and revenge as a result of original sin. If we want peace, Pope Benedict tells us, “From Divine Mercy, which brings peace to hearts, genuine peace flows into the world, peace between different peoples, cultures and religions.”

To those who are fearful, Benedict says, “Only Divine Mercy is able to impose limitations on evil; only the almighty love of God can defeat the tyranny of the wicked and the destructive power of selfishness and hate.”

To those who are sick and suffering, he states, “You who say in the silence: ‘Jesus, I trust in you’ teach us that there is no faith more profound, no hope more alive and no love more ardent than the faith, hope and love of a person who in the midst of suffering places himself securely in God’s hands.”

While some may consider Divine Mercy just another pious devotion, Pope Benedict encourages us to “go forth and be witnesses of God’s mercy, a source of hope for every person and for the whole world.”

If you would like to unleash the power of God’s mercy, learn how it can save the world, stem the tide of evil, heal past wounds, bring aid to those who suffer and more, read this book.

Elizabeth Yank writes from

South Milwaukee, Wisconsin.