ASIA/PHILIPPINES - The nation consecrates itself to Divine Mercy: a "collective response of faith and hope"

Tuesday, 15 April 2025 prayer mercy politics society

Archdiocese of Manila

PHILIPPINES

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Manila (Agenzia Fides) – In a context of growing social and political polarization, the Philippines is preparing to consecrate itself to Divine Mercy as a sign of national unity. The country's Bishops' Conference has called for a solemn act of consecration for Sunday, April 27, the Feast of Divine Mercy, which will be celebrated during Masses in all the country's churches. Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, President of the Bishops' Conference, described this consecration as “a collective response of faith and hope” to the “serious challenges” facing the nation and the world: widespread corruption, the erosion of truth, the growing rejection of the Church's teachings on life and the family, as well as the threat of internal divisions and armed conflicts at the local and global levels. “The national consecration will be a profound expression of our trust in Divine Mercy, which remains our last refuge in these times of uncertainty and trial,” the Cardinal explained.
“We entrust ourselves, our Church, and our nation to God's infinite mercy, certain that in it we will find the healing, renewal, and hope we so deeply need,” he wrote. During the ceremony, a prayer of consecration will be recited, asking Jesus for mercy for wars, for sins against truth, justice, and fraternity, as well as for abuses against human dignity and the family. “Jesus, with complete faith and trust in your boundless ocean of love, we place ourselves under the protection of your merciful care,” the prayer continues: “We unite ourselves to your perfect offering, with the Holy Spirit, to the Father, so that we may be completely transformed in your mercy. Have mercy on us for the wars between nations and the terrors with which we torment one another. Have mercy on us for the widespread sin against the truth and the horrible sins against justice and human brotherhood. Have mercy on us for the blasphemy to which your Divine Mercy is subjected and the abominable deception of the weak and the poor. Have mercy on us for the abuses against human dignity, the sin against life, love, and family.” The initiative is inspired by the spirit of the Fifth World Apostolic Congress on Mercy, held in Cebu in 2024, where the Filipino faithful reaffirmed their commitment to be “vehicles of the Lord's compassion” and concrete witnesses of his mercy in all communities. They were also “true messengers of mercy.” The nation, it was stated at the end of the Congress, needs “works that translate the spirit of mercy into concrete acts: the baptized are called to be a living mercy for others.” Divine Mercy Sunday was instituted in 2000 by Saint John Paul II, coinciding with the canonization of Saint Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun and mystic whose revelations inspired this devotion. It is celebrated annually on the second Sunday of Easter. (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 15/4/2025)