Divine Mercy Members at Congress in Nigeria Urged to “live the prayer”, Embrace Forgiveness

Abuja, 14 August, 2025 / 6:37 PM

Archbishop Matthew Ishaya Audu of the country’s Catholic Archdiocese of Jos has called on members of the Divine Mercy Apostolate in the West African country to embrace the culture of forgiveness and to work hard at promoting their spiritual growth through prayer and living exemplary lives.

Speaking to ACI Africa on Wednesday, August 13, on the sidelines of a three-day national congress of the apostolate, Archbishop Audu urged members to live out the virtues they promote, rather than limiting the devotion to prayers alone.

“Divine Mercy is at the heart of our Christian life. Jesus Christ has shown us an example of showing mercy and forgiveness to one another,” the Nigerian Catholic Archbishop said. 

He added, “As devotees of the Divine Mercy Apostolate, we often pray for God to forgive us our sins and those of the whole world. We are asking God to forgive us and the whole world, but we have refused to forgive one another, and that is where the challenge lies.”

The Local Ordinary of Jos Archdiocese recalled the words of Jesus in the Lord’s Prayer, saying, “There is a place where He said, ‘Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.’ How many of us, sincere inside our hearts, can say, ‘Because I want God to forgive me, I am going to forgive’?”

He cautioned against a mechanical approach to devotion that he said neglects a genuine change of heart.

“Live the prayer, not just say it. It’s not the amount of time you pray. Some of us get up at 3 a.m. in the morning to pray, in the afternoon we pray, but it’s not just saying the prayer. It is living the prayer that matters more,” he said.

Also speaking to ACI Africa at the event, the Catholic Bishop of Nigeria’s Minna Diocese called on members of the Divine Mercy devotion to put into practice the lessons learned from the training seminar, stressing that the program was aimed at strengthening their faith and commitment to the message of Jesus Christ.

“My message is to thank God who has brought all of us together here from the old Kaduna province. We have done this training in the eastern section of Onitsha old province and Lagos old province, so we have come back to our home to do this to strengthen our faith and commitment to the devotion to Divine Mercy,” Bishop Martin Igwemezie Uzoukwu said.

Bishop Uzoukwu explained that the goal was to prepare devotees to return to their local communities and pass on what they had learned. 

“This is to make sure that we train our devotees who will go back home and train their brothers and sisters. All that we are doing in Nigeria about Divine Mercy is going to be meaningful, and it will help all of us to deepen our faith, deepen our program, deepen our commitment to our Lord Jesus Christ and Divine Mercy if we can share the good news of salvation to other people,” he said.

Bishop Uzoukwu, who serves as the national promoter of the Divine Mercy devotion not only in Nigeria, but throughout the continent of Africa, emphasized the essence of the devotion as preparation for eternal life.

“My call is that participants should go back and put into practice what we have learnt. All of us are saints, and that’s what the Bible says. All of us are saints, militant saints. We are still strong, we are still fighting to get back. Our mission is to get to heaven,” he said.

He also recalled the words of Jesus in the revelations to Saint Faustina, saying, “Jesus said, tell my people that I want them to embrace Divine Mercy before I come back. He wants all of us to be in God.”

One of the participants, Felix Amanchukwu, reflected on the impact of the congress, saying, “This congress has opened my eyes to the fact that Divine Mercy is not just about praying the chaplet. It is about becoming an instrument of mercy in my family, parish, and society.”

He added, “Forgiveness is not easy, but I have been challenged to start from my heart. We sometimes work in isolation in our parishes, but here we see that we are part of a wider family with the same mission.”

The three-day training program brought together leaders and promoters of the Divine Mercy Apostolate from the Abuja, Kaduna, and Jos Ecclesiastical Provinces. 

Clergy, religious, and lay promoters gathered for reflection, training, and a renewed commitment to the values of mercy and compassion.