Original image of Divine Mercy by Eugene Kazimierowski (1934)

Dear Friends,

This month the Church honors two twentieth-century Polish saints whose impact has spread well beyond the borders of their native land: Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska (October 5), and Pope Saint John Paul II (October 22). Many of you have read Divine Mercy in My Soul, the diary of Saint Faustina, who recorded the visions and conversations with Our Lord that she experienced between her entrance into consecrated life in 1925 and her death in 1938. Saint John Paul was one of hundreds of millions who have been deeply influenced by the profound message of Divine Mercy that Saint Faustina communicated to the world, and the last day of his earthly life was the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday.

It is very easy, I think, to misunderstand the mercy of the Lord. At times, we might think that mercy is something that must be earned: if I just pray enough, or do enough penance, I can convince God to forgive me. Or we can be deceived that God's mercy is unattainable: this time, I've gone too far, or sinned too much, and I have to figure things out on my own before God will have me back. It can even seem that I have to trick God into being merciful: as long as I can hide or distract his attention away from my sins, I might be able to obtain His mercy before He notices that I'm not actually worthy of it.

Of course, Divine Mercy is a free, gracious gift that flows from the heart of the Savior, and can't be earned. There are no limits to God's mercy: over and over the Word of God reminds us that "His mercy endures forever" (Psalm 136) and that "every sin ... will be forgiven," as long as we do not reject forgiveness (cf. Matt 12:31). And the Act of Faith reminds us of the truth that God "can neither deceive nor be deceived," so there can be no tricking God into being merciful. His omniscience is as perfect as His mercy.

In fact, God's perfect mercy flows from His perfect knowledge. When someone offends me, all I tend to see is the offense, my hurt, and my desire for justice. When I offend God, all I tend to notice is my guilt and my shame. But the perfect omniscience of God sees everything! He sees and understands, not just the sin I have committed, but all the reasons that it happened. He knows all the habits I have formed, all the assumptions I have made about myself and others, all the things I've done and that have been done to me or around me, that go a long way to explaining what happened. He comprehends, not only my guilt and shame, but my weaknesses, and my desires to do what is right, and the concupiscence that makes it easy and attractive to do what is wrong. He hears and knows all the prayers I have said, and all the prayers that have been said for me. He knows me perfectly, and He loves me perfectly because He knows me, not because I'm fooling Him.

Saint John tells us that "God is love" (1 John 4:8) and Saint Paul says that "love is patient and kind ... love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (1 Cor 13:4,7). This is what Divine Mercy is and does. Of course, 1 Corinthians 13 is not only a description of God's love and mercy, but also an examination of conscience for each of us. The Lord's new commandment is "that you love one another as I have loved you" (John 15:12). The key for us in this regard is to pursue our Goals together relying on the help of Divine Grace and Divine Mercy. When we are "pure of heart" (as well as soul, mind and body), we "shall see God" (Matt 5:8), and we shall see what God sees when He looks at us and at our neighbor. We will be able not only to receive Divine Mercy, but to bear witness to It in our lives, and to share It with our brothers and sisters, even those who have offended us.

May the "Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of Mercy for us" be a source of inspiration and confidence as you pursue the Goals of our apostolate in your daily life, and grow in knowing and being known by the Source of that great gift of Divine Mercy.

We invite all Courage and EnCourage members to participate in our new online chat groups! Chat groups are a great way to remain connected with your brothers and sisters in Christ — you can share stories, anecdotes, and prayer requests; ask questions; and, most importantly, support one another in living out the goals of Courage and EnCourage.

We are moving away from our current online forum to an external chat group which will allow all our users to more easily interact with and support one another.

If you are already in our Forum, please visit your forum(s) for a join link. If you have not already received an email or notice from us about it, watch your inbox for more information about how to join us in our new space.

If you are not a part of our online community but wish to be, click here to register and join us in our new chat group(s)!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the office.

Given that October is the month of the Holy Rosary, our staff at Courage headquarters has been gathering to pray the Rosary each day. Our prayers are offered for the intentions of all members of the Courage and EnCourage family. On the remaining Wednesdays in October, you can join us via Facebook Live. Please pray with us wherever you are, and know that you are with us in spirit!

During the last week of September, our director, Father Philip Bochanski, and our Spanish coordinator, Rosanna Goñi, traveled to Peru to help conduct a course called "Accompanying Persons with Same-Sex Attractions, in the Light of Truth and Mercy" in response to an invitation by Archbishop Javier del Rio of the Archdiocese of Arequipa. Pictured below is Father's morning presentation, in Spanish, to over 120 priests. In the evenings, there were close to 600 laity, religious, and seminarians in attendance.

Albums of photos of the event on the archbishop's Facebook page: here and here

At a recent retreat for catechists in the Southwest Urban Deanery of the Archdiocese of San Antonio, Father Richard Samour presented a workshop entitled "Sexuality in God's Plan and the Courage Apostolate." Father Samour is the chaplain for multiple San Antonio Courage and EnCourage groups in both Spanish and English as well as for an online Spanish Encourage group. He was pleased to have this opportunity to present the teachings of the Church about same-sex attractions with clarity and charity to an audience of nearly 300 clergy, religious, directors of religious education, and catechists.

Because of their experience in our apostolate, Courage chaplains are specially equipped to share their insights with others who are eager to learn how to strike the balance of being supportive of those who face the challenges of living with same-sex attractions without condoning choices that are opposed to God's plan. Keep us posted on what you are doing in your own diocese to spread the Good News.

Christ the Bridegroom is a Byzantine Catholic women's monastic community located in rural northeastern Ohio. They produced a marvelous multi-faceted reflection on the gift of chastity that applies not just to those who have taken a vow of celibacy, but to everyone.

"Recieve the Gift" is on our "Friends of Courage" playlist

Visit our YouTube channel

By Julie A. on behalf of the women of Courage:

The final installment of the four-part series on "Seven Characteristics of Authentic Male Friendship," written by a Courage member, has been posted on The Upper Room blog. Here's an excerpt from Part 2:

Read "Authentic Male Friendship" Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Many EnCourage families are finding themselves divided like never before, not only about their loved ones' choices related to their same-sex attractions or gender identity discordance, but about politics, approaches to COVID-19, and more. Therapist, Alison Ricciardi, founder of CatholicTherapists.com, offers sound guidance on how to use "buffers and bridges" to reestablish the connection with loved ones.

Rossana Goñi-Cuba, the Spanish coordinator for Courage Internacional, was featured in two episodes of FORMED Ahora (FORMED Now):

These videos are available for free to those who belong to one of the thousands of parishes that have subscriptions to FORMED and to those who have individual subscriptions.

Courage Internacional website in Spanish

Father Philip Bochanski, Executive Director of Courage International, was invited to make a contribution to Fidelitas: Journal of The Fellowship of Catholic Scholars (Canada), which he titled "Embracing the Challenges of Friendship: A Critique of 'Making Room for Siblings in the Spirit'." His essay is a response to an essay by Brett G. Fawcett. Father writes:

Like many faithful Catholics, Brett Fawcett, has read carefully the Responsum ad dubium that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith published in 2021, explaining why the Church cannot provide rituals of blessing to solemnize same-sex unions between people who share a sexual relationship like that of married spouses. …

In his essay, "Making Room for Siblings in the Spirit," Mr. Fawcett … suggests that the fact that the CDF does not mention emotional relationships between people who experience same-sex attractions, and are together for that reason, but who are committed to avoiding sexual intimacy with each other, may mean that blessings for these couples are permissible. His essay then discusses the forms that such a blessing could take, and advocates for their adoption.

Read Fr. Bochanski's "Embracing the Challenges of Friendship" (start on p. 43)

Read the CDF's Responsum ad dubium about blessing same-sex relationships