Pope Calls for a Day of Prayer, Fasting, Mercy

By Chris Sparks

Pope Francis has called for May 14 to be a day of prayer, fasting, and works of mercy, all in pursuit of an end to the coronavirus pandemic.

At the end of his May 3 Regina Caeli address, the Holy Father said, “Since prayer is a universal value, I have accepted the proposal of the Higher Committee for Human Fraternity for believers of all religions to unite spiritually this 14 May for a day of prayer, fasting, and works of charity, to implore God to help humanity overcome the coronavirus pandemic. Remember: 14 May, all believers together, believers of different traditions, to pray, fast, and perform works of charity.”

On May 3, the Vatican News Service explained, “The Higher Committee of Human Fraternity was established last year as a concrete response to the Document on Human Fraternity signed by Pope Francis and Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, during the Pope’s Apostolic Journey to the United Arab Emirates in February 2019.

“As part of its mission to ensure the objectives of the [Document] are realised, the Committee meets with religious and other world leaders in order ‘to support and spread the values of mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.’”

The call to prayer, fasting, and works of mercy fits the message of Divine Mercy we’ve received through St. Faustina. Jesus told her:

I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it. I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor: the first — by deed, the second — by word, the third — by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy (Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, 742).

Many souls … are often worried because they do not have the material means with which to carry out an act of mercy. Yet spiritual mercy, which requires neither permissions nor storehouses, is much more meritorious and is within the grasp of every soul. If a soul does not exercise mercy somehow or other, it will not obtain My mercy on the day of judgment. Oh, if only souls knew how to gather eternal treasure for themselves, they would not be judged, for they would forestall My judgment with their mercy (Diary, 1317).

There are a number of ways to answer this call to prayer, fasting, and works of mercy on May 14. For example:

  • You could obtain the emergency plenary indulgence the Holy See has attached to the Divine Mercy Chaplet by praying the Chaplet with the intention “to implore from Almighty God the end of the epidemic, relief for those who are afflicted and eternal salvation for those whom the Lord has called to Himself.”
  • You could obtain that same indulgence by praying the Rosary for the same intention.
  • You can venerate the Divine Mercy Image, asking Jesus to cover the whole world with the rays of His mercy, protecting us all from disease and healing those afflicted.
  • You could offer assistance to friends, family, or neighbors who have been economically impacted by the coronavirus and the lockdowns.
  • You can reach out to the elderly, the isolated, and the sick, making sure that they’re being taken care of, that they’re doing OK, and that they have hope for the future.

The sky’s the limit on works of spiritual mercy. Corporal works of mercy ought to be performed with all due safety precautions, but with a little Holy Spirit-inspired creativity, many things remain possible.

Let’s answer the Holy Father’s call. Let’s love our neighbor and pray for the end of this pandemic.

Chris Sparks serves as senior book editor for the Marian Fathers. He is the author of the Marian Press book How Can You Still Be Catholic? 50 Answers to a Good Question.

{shopmercy-ad}

2ME

You might also like...

What is the Paschal Triduum, March 28, 29, and 30, and what does it mean? Brother Stephen J., MIC, explains that to participate in the Church’s full celebration of the Paschal Mystery is one of the best ways to celebrate Easter.

More than 15,000 people are expected to attend the annual Divine Mercy Sunday Weekend festivities on April 6-7. An international broadcast of the Marian Fathers’ celebration will air on the EWTN Global Catholic network beginning at 12 Noon ET on Sunday, April 7.

Our Lord told St. Faustina, "I desire that during these nine days you bring souls to the fountain of My mercy, that they may draw ... strength and refreshment and whatever grace they need in the hardships of life, and especially at the hour of death" (Diary, 1209).