The canonisation of Blessed John Paul II and Blessed John XXIII held yesterday, the Divine Mercy Sunday, at the Vatican, is a feast of God’s mercy.

John XXIII has been affectionately recorded in history as “Il Papa buono”, the “Good Pope.” Why? He advocated ecumenical values.

His diplomatic experience as Apostolic Nuncio in Bulgaria and at Istanbul helped him understand that the Catholic Church urgently needed to open wide her windows for the “fresh air” of the Holy Spirit.

Such a life-giving air turned the Church from a closed society into an open communion of faith, hope and love. Pope John XXIII instilled a fraternal attitude in the Catholic Church’s heart towards the Jewish world. On June 4, 1960, he founded the Secretariat for the Unity of Christians. He wrote two important encyclicals, namely Mater et Magistra (May 20, 1961) on social evolution in light of Christian Doctrine and Pacem in Terris (April 11, 1963) on peace among all nations.

He visited hospitals and prisons and always associated himself with charity on behalf of the suffering and poor of the Church and the world. He was the Pope that made the Church dialogue with the secularised world.

John Paul II trailed on the same path of his holy predecessor John XXIII.

One of his great contributions was the institution of the Divine Mercy Sunday.

When he canonised St Maria Faustina Kowalska, the Secretary of the Divine Mercy, John Paul II squarely told the world that God’s Mercy will always have the upper hand.

He ardently believed that the Divine Mercy message is “light and hope spread throughout the world, spurring sinners to conversion, calming rivalries and hatred and opening individuals and nations to the practice of brotherhood”.

Let us daily pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet so that you and I, although sinners, will be empowered by the merciful Jesus to work for peace, reconciliation and fraternity!