“Be merciful just as your Father is Merciful.” - Luke 6:36
This Tuesday, December 8th is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and the beginning of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, declared by Pope Francis earlier this year. How fitting it is that we begin this Year of Mercy celebrating the birth of the one who brought the ultimate example of mercy and salvation into this world. The Year of Mercy then will conclude on the celebration of the Solemnity Of Christ the King on November 20, 2016.
“Dear brothers and sisters, I have thought about how the Church can make clear its mission of being a witness of mercy. It’s a journey that starts with a spiritual conversion… I am convinced that the whole Church will be able to find in this Jubilee the joy of rediscovering of making fruitful the mercy of God, with which we are all called to give consolation to every man and woman of our time,” said Pope Francis.
What does a Year of Mercy mean for us? First, let’s look at the Scripture passage for the Year of Mercy, from the Gospel writer, Luke who is known as “the evangelist of mercy.”
“But to you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount. But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.
Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” - Luke 6:27-36
The specific Scripture verse Pope Francis is asking us to reflect on this year is “Be merciful just as your Father is merciful.” Pope Francis is calling us to a deep desire for conversion, “It is indeed my wish that the Jubilee be a living experience of closeness of the Father, whose tenderness is almost tangible, so that the faith of every believer may be strengthened and thus testimony to it be ever more effective.”
There are many things that you can do throughout this Year of Mercy. One is to make a pilgrimage to a Holy Door. The tradition of the Holy Door dates back to the days of public penance. Instead of receiving immediate absolution after the Sacrament of Reconciliation as we do today, the penitent who had completed their penance would re-enter the Church through a special holy door to symbolize their repentance and recommitment to follow Christ. Most of us will not be able to travel to Rome to visit the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica, so other Churches and Cathedrals around the world and the United States have been named as sites of pilgrimage, including seven sites in our Dioceses.
Through this calling to repentance the Sacrament of Confession is being offered more often throughout all parishes. St. Charles will offer Confession Wednesday evenings at 6pm beginning December 9th. Pope Francis asks us to pray for him and for the good of the Church and the world. God’s mercy excludes no one. “He is truly “rich in mercy” and extends it abundantly upon appeal to Him with a sincere heart.”
He is also asking for a renewed discovery of the Spiritual and Corporeal Works of Mercy. The Corporal Works of Mercy include: Feeding the Hungry, Giving Drink to the Thirsty, Clothing the Naked, Sheltering the Homeless, Visiting the Sick and Imprisoned and Burying the Dead. The Spiritual Works of Mercy are Instructing the Ignorant, Counseling the Doubtful, Comforting the Afflicted, Admonishing the Sinner, Bearing wrongs patiently, forgiving offences willingly, and praying for the living and the dead.
This Year of Mercy picks a specific work of mercy that fits your gifts. How can you use those gifts to serve those in your community and in our Church? This weekend is a great opportunity to explore that calling by attending our Open House in the gym. You are invited to learn about the many opportunities and organizations St. Charles Borromeo offers to the community. Come discover how “We are Called” to serve during this Year of Mercy.
Finally, Pope Francis said, mercy “is the best thing we can feel: it changes the world. A little mercy makes the world less cold and more just. We need to understand properly this mercy of God, this merciful Father who is patient.”
-Jen DeCoster