Bogoslovska smotra, Vol. 86 No. 4, 2016.
Review article
A Theological Analysis of the Veneration of the Divine Mercy by St. Faustina Kowalska
Franjo Podgorelec
orcid.org/0000-0002-1088-7878
; Catholic Faculty of Theology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Eligio Bellulo
Abstract
On the occasion of the year of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy this article will systematically analyse the teaching of the first canonised saint in the third millennium, who had a decisive influence on pious people in the development of the veneration of the Divine mercy via her private prophetic revelations. In the analysis of her teaching we used relevant literature that managed to gather the fruits of a fertile theological debate that took place in the second half of the twentieth century, especially in Poland. The article evaluates theologically the possibility, importance, and relevance of private prophetic revelations in the Church, as a means of clarifying and actualising those aspects of the public revelation that have fallen out of favour. The article, thus, presents the historical development of the veneration of the Divine mercy, with a special review of the life of and the historical context in which the saint lived. Next, it critically evaluates theological debates on the issue of material and formal object of the venerationof the Divine mercy and it offers the authors´ own position on this issue. The article makes it clear that the central element of the veneration of the Divine mercy is to awaken and develop the attitude of trust in a believer, which does not only consist in the actualisation of the virtue of hope, nor is it limited in terms of some specific acts, but is, primarily, a theological attitude that incorporates all three theological virtues. This is the habitus of believers, formed by three theological virtues, including humility and contrition. Special forms of veneration are, in that sense, merely external means that ought to help a believer to develop that habitus, because without it this external means lose their spiritual value. The second important element of the veneration is the works of mercy. On the basis the saint´s opus it becomes clear that she is not satisfied with only spiritual and physical acts of mercy, but extends the works of mercy in order to include prayer, word, and satisfaction.
Keywords
Divine mercy; trust; private prophetic revelations; acts of mercy; Divine attributes; veneration; satisfaction
Hrčak ID:
174466
URI
Publication date:
7.2.2017.
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