MY UNCLE'S DEATH - TESTIMONY TO GOD'S MERCY
Posted May, 2000
| My uncle Giorgio in Italy was
diagnosed with cancer in February this year and died a
few weeks ago. When I first found out I knew that I would
need to pray for him everyday because like so many in my
extended family, my uncle, as far as I knew, had not been
practising his faith. I didn't know him very well, having
met him only two years ago when I travelled to Italy for
the first time. I was concerned about his salvation and realised that the best prayer I could say for him was one which relied on God's Mercy. I also sent him one of my blessed objects from Medugorje. I emailed my prayer request to two mailing lists I belong to and very soon, there were a number of people praying for him, including a beautiful lady who prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet for him. For those who are familiar with the devotion to the Divine Mercy Chaplet you will know that Our Lord promised Sr. Faustina to whom He appeared in the 1930's that not only would those who spread the message of His Mercy recieve many graces but so too those for whom God's Mercy is implored. One recent Sunday, after a busy schedule - singing at choir and attending a seminar in the evening, my mother told me my uncle had died. She had tried my mobile but the phone had been off all afternoon. I immediately made the connection - That Sunday was the Second Sunday of Easter which has been declared Mercy Sunday when the Feast of Mercy is celebrated. Why is this significant? Jesus himself explained His desire for the Feast . As Sr. Faustina writes in her diary, "I desire that it be celebrated with great solemnity on the first Sunday after Easter..[that it be] a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. The very depths of my tender mercy are open on that dayI pour out a whole ocean of graces upon souls who will approach the fount of My mercy".(1, 175;2, 138 of Sr. Faustina's Diary - Divine Mercy in My Soul) I found out that my uncle not only died on this day, but that he died probably just after the Mass had been celebrated in St. Peter's and Sr. Saustina was declared a Saint! I knew that God was telling me that my uncle's soul was saved! But that's not all. We found out from my aunt in Italy later that he died with the Holy card of Padre Pio in his hand and that just before Easter he had a dream in which He asked Our Lord if he could celebrate Easter with his family. It seems that the dream was not a coincidence - My uncle died the week after Easter..and on Mercy Sunday. His death has strengthened my trust in the Mercy of God -It is so faithful! |