I took a few days away to reflect and connect with God in a more personal and profound way and during this time I would move to specific places for a day of prayer one of these places was the Divine Mercy Sanctuary in Kraków Poland the home of Pope John Paul II. Visiting the tomb of St. Faustina and the Divine Mercy Sanctuary was a profound and enlightening experience that deepened my faith in ways I never imagined. As I walked through the sacred grounds, I could feel a sense of peace and compassion enveloping me, reminding me of the boundless love and mercy that God has for me and every one of us.

The divine Mercy Sanctuary

I find St. Faustina’s message of Divine Mercy very relevant in today’s divided society and world just like John Paul II desired to see a Just and Peaceful World. Now in a time where there is so much conflict and wars, natural calamities, political divides, and immigrant-related challenges, the message of Divine Mercy serves as a beacon of hope, and reconciliation, and an invitation for us to accommodate other people by going out of our way to help those in need. It reminded me that no matter our sins or shortcomings, we are all deserving of God’s infinite love, mercy, and forgiveness.

Doves are symbols of peace

The sanctuary itself is a place of solace and reflection, where people from all walks of life come to seek solace and renewal in full-time Adoration and other spiritual programs. I was lucky to touch and pray for her first-class relic that didn’t leave me the same. I had a novena prayer I was taking with a friend and when I mentioned it in silence there was an inward moment that gave me joy. It was a reminder for me that despite our differences, and difficulties in life we are all united in our shared humanity and our need for grace and redemption is desirable.

Especially in our present world which often seems to be filled with individualistic and materialistic cravings, Sweyed by Technology and social media that somehow if not well used can separate us from the love of God and our neighbor. We tend to know more about what is happening to our neighbors through social media than knowing how they actually are. Children feel separated from the parents whom they live within families because the interactions are more done on social media rather than in person, we have so many judgments and condemnations, thank compassion, and listening so with all these the message of Divine Mercy offers a different perspective. It challenges us to look beyond our own prejudices and biases, and to embrace a more compassionate and forgiving way of living with ours again seeking a just and peaceful world.

At the tomb of St. Faustina

That patience of saying I am sorry, that patience of listening more than speaking more or even listening to oneself as I speak is an act of compassion and a way to be just to others. Parents, Teachers, and families let us be just to each other, the children entrusted to our care and listen to them as opposed to judging them for the first spot but being able to understand them and guide them I always thought if the parents of Blessed Carlo Acutis were not patient they would have never known the hero in him.

After, my visit to the tomb of St. Faustina and the Divine Mercy Sanctuary reaffirmed my belief in the power of mercy and grace as a challenge I have to carry with love because it reminded me that my media work involves talking and listening to so many people sometimes I lose the patience and that no matter how divided the world may seem, there is always hope for healing and reconciliation through the boundless love of God. It is upon me and your dear reader to take a part in being a peace builder be it at your workplace or family or even with strangers.

This place itself is welcoming to all stranger on first site I recognized my Country Flag

The Emmaus story which I love so much raises an interesting question: of who the stranger is? The question is, can we welcome the strange one? How can we be as receptive to Christ in them just like those two despairing disciples were open and receptive to Jesus on the road to Emmaus? To receive what “the other” has to give, we will need to practice what I call “inner hospitality” that is, a spirit of openness and receptivity to those unlikely moments when the friendliness of a stranger or the strangeness of a friend causes our hearts to burn within us.

In Matthew 25:42-46 Jesus points out that when we welcome all types of strangers, we are welcoming Christ himself—which is exactly what happened to the two