Pope John Paul II's Canonization

On April 27th, Divine Mercy Sunday, Pope John Paul II will be canonized. I came across this quote by Michelle Borras in Columbia Magazine and thought it perfectly sums up the occasion:

The pope gave Divine mercy the last word in his life. After entrusting everyone and everything into the hands of the Virgin Mary, he wrote in his will and testament, "I . . . ask for prayers, so that God's Mercy may prove greater than my own weakness and unworthiness: 'For with the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption (Ps. 130:7).'"

If we recall nothing else as we watch the enormous crowd fill St. Peter's Square on April 27th - just as it did at John Paul II's unforgettable funeral Mass, only now without a trace of sadness - we can remember this mercy. Ultimately, it is this mystery of God's love that shines through every one of the great pope's insights and, indeed, through his whole life. Everything John Paul II gave to the Church and the world that he so loved was - and is - an expression of this: God, rich in mercy, who gave himself to the world in his only Son.