Objawienia prywatne jako wyzwanie duszpasterskie

Abstract

Private revelations, still occurring today, are difficult to verify. The analysis of these phenomena, the accompanying circumstances and the consequences lead to the conclusion that generally they are a challenge in a pastoral work. They should be analysed and used in this perspective. This thesis is justified by John Paul II’s apostolic activity to spread the cult of the Divine Mercy. He based his attempts on the recognition of ‘the signs of the time’ which were the pastoral value and meaning of the cult, not on the revelations experienced by St. Faustina. This phenomenon is even more clearly visible in the pastoral mission of the Blessed Rev. M. Sopocko. From the very beginning he treated St. Faustina’s revelations as an inspiration for a new interpretation of the meaning and pastoral value of the cult of the Divine Mercy in the Church’s life. He was not only concerned with the verification of St. Faustina’s experiences and he never saw them as a condition necessary to spread the apostolate of the Divine Mercy. What he noticed was the saving dimension of the truth of God’s mercy. Besides purely religious motives supporting the cult, he also noticed that the idea of mercy meets the requirements of a lost individual, teaches him to trust, strengthens his hope and serves the building of peace. In his attempts to approve the cult he applied to the above and developed those thoughts in his publications on the Divine Mercy and its cult. It was more important for him to seek the pastoral context and spiritual benefit of the cult than considering the message coming from St. Faustina’s revelations. He treated the forms of the cult revealed to St. Faustina as a special religious practice to be evaluated by the Church authorities.