Reflection: One Shepherd, One King, One Divine Will

In the silent, steady pulse of March 28, 2026, the liturgy pulls back the veil on the chaotic theater of the world. As we stand in the fifth week of Lent, the scriptures do not merely recount history; they prophesy our current moment.

We look out at a world stage defined by “general confusion,” political tremors, persistent shadows of division, and a social landscape that often feels like a fragmented mirror. Yet, the Word of God for today strikes a singular, resonant chord: unity under the One King.

The Prophecy of Gathering: Ezekiel and the Psalm

The first reading from Ezekiel 37:21-28 is a divine manifesto for the end of division. God promises to take His people from among the nations where they have been scattered and bring them to their own land. Most strikingly, He declares:

“I will make them one nation… and one king shall be king over them all; they shall be no longer two nations.”

This is not a mere geopolitical restructuring. It is a spiritual restoration. In 2026, as we see nations grappling with social fractures and the “madness of war,” Ezekiel reminds us that human efforts to unify through treaties or power will always falter. True unity is a work of the Sanctifier.

God promises a “covenant of peace,” an eternal bond where His sanctuary—His presence—dwells among us forever. This is the promise of the 1,000 years of peace: a time when the “idols and filthy practices” of a secularized world are washed away by a Divine cleansing.

The Good Shepherd

The Responsorial Psalm (Jeremiah 31) echoes this with the tender imagery of the Shepherd:

“He who scattered Israel will gather him and guard him as a shepherd guards his flock.”

In an age of shifting global leadership, the Psalm anchors us: our security is not in a policy, but in a Person. The ransom has been paid; the mourning is being turned into joy.

The Gospel: The Price of Unity

In John 11:45-56, the tension reaches its breaking point. The raising of Lazarus has forced a choice. The Sanhedrin, fearing the Romans and the loss of their “place and nation,” plots the death of the Author of Life. Caiaphas, the High Priest, utters a prophecy he does not fully comprehend:

“It is better for you that one man should die instead of the people.”

St. John clarifies that Jesus died not just for the nation, but “to gather into one the dispersed children of God.” Here is the Great Paradox of 2026: while the world seeks unity through exclusion or force, Christ achieves it through the Cross. The Cross is the only “vertical” that can unite the “horizontal” fractures of humanity. It is our only salvation.

Echoes from the Diary of St. Faustina

Sister Faustina, the Apostle of Divine Mercy, was told by Jesus that her mission was to prepare the world for His final coming. In her Diary, the themes of today’s readings find a modern, urgent voice. Jesus told her:

“Under the Old Covenant I sent prophets to My people with thunderbolts. Today, I am sending you with My mercy to the whole of mankind” (Diary, 1588).

Just as Ezekiel spoke of God cleansing His people from idols, Jesus tells Faustina that Mercy is the only way to the “Covenant of Peace.” Faustina writes:

“Mercy is the flower of love; God is love, and mercy is His deed” (Diary, 651).

In our current world, which feels like it is teetering on the edge of the “Day of Justice,” Faustina’s writings act as a bridge. Jesus warned her that before He comes as the Just Judge, He comes as the King of Mercy. The “sign in the heavens” she describes—the darkness followed by the Great Light of the Cross—is the ultimate fulfillment of John’s Gospel. The Cross is the light that will “light up the earth for a period of time” before the end (Diary, 83).

St. Tutilo: The Art of the Divine

Today we also remember St. Tutilo, the 10th-century monk of St. Gall. He was a master of many disciplines: a painter, musician, and architect. Although he lived over a thousand years before the invention of the internet, his life offers a profound lesson for our modern world.

Today, many are obsessed with creating a “digital footprint” and “making a name” for themselves through constant visibility. Tutilo, by contrast, was a “giant in strength” who “shrank from publicity.” He used his manifold talents for one purpose: the glory of the King.

Beauty as a Bridge

Tutilo understood a fundamental spiritual truth: beauty leads to contemplation. When we encounter something truly beautiful—whether a chant, a sculpture, or a cathedral—our souls are naturally lifted from the mundane to the eternal. Tutilo used his God-given talents as a bridge, and his work has undoubtedly brought countless souls to God over the centuries by providing a sensory window into the Divine.

This same principle is why the Divine Mercy Shrine has been designed with such breathtaking beauty. It is not for the sake of luxury, but to create a sacred space where the aesthetic harmony reflects the harmony of God’s Mercy. The shrine is a “sanctuary of the heart” made visible, allowing pilgrims to step away from the noise of 2026 and simply be with God in a place that mirrors His glory.

Through beauty, Tutilo taught us how to gaze upon the face of the King.

The Divine Will and the 1,000 Years of Peace

Finally, we look to the “Third Fiat” through the servant of God Luisa Piccarreta. Luisa’s writings on the Divine Will offer a breathtaking perspective on our 2026 reality. Jesus explained to her that every 2,000 years, He renews the world. The first was the Deluge; the second was His Incarnation; and the third, which we are living through, is the Renewal of the Divine Will.

Jesus told Luisa:

“Now we are around the third two thousand years, and there shall be a third renewal. This is the reason for the general confusion: it is nothing other than the preparation of the third renewal” (Volume 12, Jan 29, 1919).

Though the world stage looks like a “shipwreck caused by the storm,” we are promised that the Era of the human will is ending, and the Era of the Divine Will—the 1,000 years of peace—is emerging. This is not a “last days” of despair, but the birth pangs of a new dawn where the prayer “Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven” is finally fulfilled.

Meditation for Today

• Visualize: Close your eyes and visualise the world as it is today: a map of scattered sheep, anxious and divided.

• The Center: Now, see the Cross planted in the center of the earth. It is not a symbol of defeat, but a magnetic pole drawing all things to itself.

• The Voice: Hear the voice of the One Shepherd calling your name. He is not far off; He is the “One King” reigning from the throne of your own heart.

• The Question: Ask yourself: In what areas of my life am I still “two nations”? Where is my human will fighting against the Divine Will? Surrender: Offer the “general confusion” of your thoughts to the “Covenant of Peace.” Breathe in the Mercy that St. Faustina promised; breathe out the creative praise that St. Tutilo sang. You are a child of the King, and the Kingdom is coming.

A Prayer of Thanksgiving

Eternal Father, We thank You for the Word that anchors us in 2026. Thank You for being our One Shepherd when the world offers many false guides. We thank You for the Cross, our only hope and certain salvation.

Thank You for the witness of St. Faustina, reminding us that Your Mercy is an ocean without a shore. Thank You for St. Tutilo, who showed us how to weave beauty into the fabric of faith without seeking the world’s applause. And thank You for the promise of Your Divine Will, the “Fiat” that will usher in the 1,000 years of peace.

Gather us, cleanse us, and make us one, so that the world may know that You are the Lord, the Sanctifier, reigning forever and ever.

Amen.