INTRODUCTION
TO MERCY: POPE FRANCIS PERSPECTIVE
……..….Rev.Fr.Augustine
DADA: Extra ordinary minister of the year of mercy, appointed by pope francis
In Iran, it is standard
practice for families of murder victims to oversee the execution of murderer of
their family member. They are also given the choice to pardon the offender.
Such was the fate of a young man who had already served seven years for killing
17 year old Abdollah Alinejad in a street fight, according to the associated
press.
In May 2014, Semereh
Alinejad watched as a nose was slipped around the neck of Bilal Gheisari,her
son’s killer. This was her chance to have the vengeance she had waited seven years
to have. Instead, she and her husband stepped forward at the last minute and
removed the noose from his neck. Gheisari’s death sentence was commuted and he
will finish serving a 12 year prison sentence instead.
Flying on the wings of
secularized society and the malaise that pervades the world, the long lasting
global economic crisis, the loss humanity, and bloody conflicts that are often
related to religious fanaticism are the obvious symptoms of the need to restore
a sense of mercy, through which harmony can be restored. In this context, the
Holy Father pope Francis declared this year as the year of mercy calling on the
church to vigorously adhere to the mission of acting as witness to mercy.
As a matter of fact the
holy year is therefore the most effective tool that the pope has in his
armament to also engaging the wider community of faithful around the globe in
this mission. With this very outstanding event of mercy in the church the Holy
Father pope Francis put the faithful at the heart of spiritual renewal. So it
is an opportunity for the church to spread an image of God that is conscious of
human limitations and close to life’s difficulties throughout the world: the
church is called upon to proclaim the merciful face of God and make it
perceptible.
So for Pope Francis,
there is more to mercy, it is very wide and intensive because for we to talk of
mercy is to talk of compassion, kindness, clemency and pity. And all these virtues associated with mercy could be sometimes very difficult to practice but
the holy father describe mercy as that ability to be able to forgive from the
bottom of our hearts without considering any external constraints and this was
made evident in the story we heard earlier, forgiveness without recompense,
selfless compassion, for our God is full of mercy and compassionate who is
always ready to forgive offences and by way of extension we were also taught in
the lord’s prayer that “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against
us” which presupposes the fact that if we do not forgive others we also cannot
obtain forgiveness from God.
OVERVIEW
ON THE YEAR OF MERCY
As announced by the
Holy Father Pope Francis, a special Jubilee Year of mercy which began on the 8th
December, 2015 and would finish on 20th November 2016. In his
official letter to the church, misericordia vultus, he says “at times we are
called to gaze even more attentively on mercy so that we may become a more
effective sign of the father’s action in our lives. For this reason I have
proclaimed an extraordinary jubilee of mercy as a special time for the church,
a time when the witness of believers might grow stronger and more effective (MV
3). He goes on to say that the mercy of God is not an abstract idea, but a
concrete reality with which he reveals his love as of that of a father or a
mother, moved to the very depths, out of love for their child.(MV6)
In recent interview,
Francis said the Holy Year is a response to the world’s need for a “revolution of
tenderness” from which “justice and all the rest derives.” “We are used to bad
news, cruel news, and to even bigger atrocities, which offend the name and life
of God,” the pope told Italian magazine Credere. Ending those tragedies
requires a spirit of mercy, he said.
What’s
an (extraordinary) Jubilee Year?
Also called Holy Years,
jubilees normally occur every 25 years. They feature special celebrations and
pilgrimages, calls for conversion and repentance, and the offer of special
opportunities to experience God’s grace through the sacraments, especially
confession. Extraordinary holy years, such as the Holy Year of Mercy, are less
frequent but offer the same opportunities. The last extraordinary jubilee was
called by St. John Paul II in 1983 to mark the 1,950 years after the death of
Jesus. John Paul also led the last holy year, known as the “Great Jubilee,” in
2000. The Year of Mercy called for by Francis is the third “extraordinary”
jubilee since the tradition began 700 years ago.
Why
a Jubilee of Mercy?
The year was
unexpectedly announced by Pope Francis during a penitential service at St.
Peter’s Basilica on March 12. Beginning on the Solemnity of the Immaculate
Conception Dec. 8, it will end on the Solemnity of Christ the King, Nov. 20,
2016. Its motto is, “Compassionate like the Father.” “Let us not forget that
God forgives and God forgives always,” Francis said when announcing the year.
“Let us never be tired of asking for forgiveness.”Having already described his
papacy as a “kairos” of mercy, a New Testament term meaning a privileged moment
in God’s plan of salvation, Francis said the time is ripe for the message of
mercy. “I am convinced that the whole Church - which has much need to receive
mercy, because we are sinners, will find in this jubilee the joy to rediscover
and render fruitful mercy of God, with which we are all called to give
consolation to every man and woman of our time”
THE
MEANING OF THE DOOR OF MERCY
Jesus said “Truly, I am
the door; if any one enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and
find pasture. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” John 10:
7-10
Many are the doors
through which we pass in our lifetime. At birth, we emerged through a gateway
to life and later, we entered the doorway to a new life at our baptism. We have
stood on thresholds and looked forward, sometimes eagerly, sometimes with
hesitation, at opportunities that lay before us. Doorways to new schools, first
homes, tables of friendship, have greeted us along the way. We all know that
eventually we will pass through one final door, the gateway from this life to
eternal life. During the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis invites us to contemplate
the notion of a Holy Door, “a Door of Mercy through which anyone who enters
will experience the love of God who consoles, pardons, and instills hope.
We pass through some
doors to enter holy space where we worship and give praise to God through
sacred rites and private prayer, to encounter God’s love and abundant mercy.
However, we are called not to “build our tent” in this space but to emerge
through those same holy doors sent forth to cross the thresholds of other
sacred doors; doors where we encounter the face of God in the poor and
marginalized, physically or spiritually. We are called to be witnesses to God’s
enduring love and limitless mercy through our own engagement with those who
have not felt that love nor known that mercy from others. In many families,
there is the Epiphany tradition of blessing the doors of our homes and
inscribing them with the initials of what custom says were the names of the
three wise men, “C, B, M,” who came to the home of the Holy Family where the
doors were opened in welcome.
During this Year of
Mercy, like that home in Bethlehem, may our homes and families, the domestic
church, be places of welcome and mercy towards one another and to all who enter
into our homes and lives through Christ our lord. Amen
As Pope Francis has
designated certain church doors in Rome as Doors of Mercy. These churches are
sites where individuals, families and other groups may make a pilgrimage, a
holy journey, seeking, remembering, and receiving God’s mercy. “The practice of
pilgrimage has a special place in the Holy Year, because it represents the
journey each of us makes in this life. Life itself is a pilgrimage, and the
human being is an aviator, a pilgrim travelling along the road, making his way
to the desired destination. Similarly, to reach the Holy Door in Rome or in any
other place in the world, everyone, each according to his or her ability, will
have to make a pilgrimage. This will be a sign that mercy is also a goal to
reach and requires dedication and sacrifice. May pilgrimage be an impetus to
conversion: by crossing the threshold of the Holy Door, we will find the
strength to embrace God’s mercy and dedicate ourselves to being merciful with
others as the Father has been with us.” Through Christ our lord. Amen.
THE
MEANING OF MERCY
We should begin by
noting that there are two kinds of mercy: mercy that is shown by God to man, and
mercy shown by man to others. Of God’s mercy, St. Thomas Aquinas writes that in
every work of God, there is an element of both mercy and justice, signifying
that the two are not opposed to each other. Rather, “God acts mercifully, not
indeed by going against His justice, but by doing something more than justice”
(ST, I, q. 21, a. 3). Thus, when God acts mercifully toward His people, He is
not acting in contradiction to what is due but gives beyond what is due. And,
because “mercy is accounted as being proper to God,” it is not beyond His power
or outside His nature to exercise mercy, but is rather a manifestation of His
omnipotence (ST, II-II, q. 30, a. 4).
In a different section
of the Summa, Aquinas defines mercy as a virtue, which is the mercy shown from
one man to another. He says, “Mercy is heartfelt sympathy for another’s
distress” (ST, II.II, q. 30, a. 1). He goes on to say, Accordingly, the motive
of ‘mercy,’ being something pertaining to ‘misery,’ is, in the first way,
anything contrary to the will’s natural appetite, namely corruptive or
distressing evils, the contrary of which man desires naturally, therefore the
Philosopher says (Rhet. ii, 8), that ‘pity is sorrow for a visible evil,
whether corruptive or distressing.
Therefore, mercy or
pity is felt as the result of an evil that has occurred to another, and we
particularly feel the need for mercy if that ill was brought about by an
accident or against the will of the individual (Ibid). In the next article,
Aquinas argues that the reason for taking pity is a result of the defect in the
person who pities (ST, II.II, q. 30, and a. 2).
We are only capable of
pitying (or having mercy) on others because we recognize the defects within our
own nature. We see that we are sinful and fallen as well, that we ourselves
have experienced suffering as a defect from sin. We know what it is to suffer
because of our fallen nature, and we are therefore able to have mercy on other
sinners as well. Furthermore, for the bestowal of mercy on man by God, the
person must be penitent and show that he is sorry for the defect caused by his
sin. As Aquinas says, “The penitent sinner, by deed and word, shows his heart
to have renounced sin, and in like manner the priest, by his deed and word with
regard to the penitent, signifies the work of God Who forgives sins” (ST , III,
q. 84, a. 1).
We now turn to
“Misericordiae Vultus” the papal bull announcing the “Year of Mercy to
understand mercy in the context of the Jubilee Year. Its opening words are,
“Jesus Christ is the face of the Father’s mercy” (MV 1). Truly, the Incarnate
Son, through taking on human flesh, reveals to us the mercy and love of God the
Father. Pope Francis indicates the purpose of the Jubilee Year when he says,
“At times, we are called to gaze even more attentively on mercy so that we may
become a more effective sign of the Father’s action in our lives” (MV 3).
As such, the kind of
mercy that is the focus for this year is not necessarily God’s mercy, but the
mercy that man shows to others, due to the mercy first bestowed on him by God.
Misericordiae Vultus is
roughly divided into two main parts, the first part describing the mercy of God
as evident in both the Old and New Testament. It focuses on Christ in the New
Testament as the One who reveals God’s mercy to us. As God made man, He reveals
to us the mercy of the Father in a particular way:
In the parables devoted
to mercy, Jesus reveals the nature of God as that of a Father who never gives
up until he has forgiven the wrong and overcome rejection with compassion and
mercy. In them, we find the core of the Gospel and of our faith, because mercy
is presented as a force that overcomes everything, filling the heart with love
and bringing consolation through pardon (MV 9).
Thus, the mercy
described in the Bull is a continual openness of the Father to forgive those
who have trespassed against Him, to beckon the sinner unto Himself. It should
be noted, however, that the Bull contains no reference to the need for
repentance or to faith in God’s mercy on the part of the sinner, which are,
according to Aquinas, necessary for us to receive mercy.
Nevertheless, the focus
of the Bull is to encourage the faithful to show mercy to others, as described
in the second part of the document. The Bull says emphatically, “Mercy is the
very foundation of the Church’s life. All of her pastoral activity should be
caught up in the tenderness she makes present to believers; nothing in her
preaching and in her witness to the world can be lacking in mercy” (MV 10).
Every action of the
Church should reveal mercy: it is at the heart of pastoral ministry to show
mercy to others. Thus, the Church, having this kind of mercy in mind, ought to
be “merciful like the Father,” which are the words used in the Jubilee Year’s
logo an untoward image that ostensibly seeks, however obscurely, to express of
the mercy advocated in the Bull (MV 13). Hence, Francis calls the People of God
not to judge and condemn their neighbors, for such is the action of the jealous
and envious, which means that each individual must “know how to accept the good
in every person and to spare him any suffering that might be caused by our
partial judgment” (MV 14, emphasis added). The pope wishes us to practice this
kind of mercy, especially in this Jubilee Year of Mercy.
Thus far, the mercy
described in the Bull is not the kind of mercy that Aquinas defined. The Bull
speaks of the opening of doors in cathedrals in Rome and around the world to
show the openness of God’s mercy: “the Holy Door will become a Door of Mercy
through which anyone who enters will experience the love of God who consoles,
pardons, and instills hope” (MV 3). Further, “By crossing the threshold of the
Holy Door, we will find the strength to embrace God’s mercy and dedicate
ourselves to being merciful with others as the Father has been with us” (MV
14). Therefore, anyone who wishes anyone
who merely enters the door of the Church can receive the grace and forgiveness
of the Lord. Mercy thus seems to be an opening for love and acceptance, without
reference to or judgment of the sin itself, almost as if there is a fear that,
in judging the sin, we would also be judging the sinner even though mercy only
exists as a result of defects in the human person.
*We must ask ourselves,
then: to whom will these doors be open? Who will receive the mercy of God?
Likewise, to whom shall we, as the Body of Christ, show mercy? We are given a
hint when the document refers to “men and women belonging to criminal
organizations of any kind” and “those who either perpetuate or participate in
corruption” (MV 19). While those are rather vague terms, let us consider those
leaders in our Church who have, we could say, perpetuated or participated in
corruption. If Francis’ purpose is for us to increase our mercy shown to
others, does this mean that we ought to
be merciful to the German bishops, who, by their actions, have made it
clear that they support homosexual
unions, to the point of meeting secretly to discuss making changes to
Church teaching to accommodate such things? Ought we to be merciful to those
prelates in Ireland, who stood by and allowed the legalization of homosexual
unions? Perhaps we should be merciful to the divorced and remarried in the
Catholic Church. We cannot help but compare this understanding of mercy, this
opening of the doors of the Church to sinners, to that of Cardinal Kasper, who
similarly wishes to open wide the way to Communion for those actively living in
grave sin. Considering the state of our Church at the current time, this list
of possible groups to whom we should show mercy without asking for their
repentance is virtually endless.
It is not without
purpose that this Year of Mercy will open on the fiftieth anniversary of the
Second Vatican Council. As is written concerning the council’s intent to make
the Church more accessible to modern man, “The walls which for too long had
made the Church a kind of fortress were torn down and the time had come to
proclaim the Gospel in a new way” (MV 4).
There is no doubt that Francis wishes to
continue this mission of many of the Council Fathers, with the particular
motive of revealing the Church, not as the protector of ancient traditions, but
rather as the warm and welcoming home to which any and all are invited. The
very spirit that caused such great division within the Church in the 1960s will
only be vivified through the “spirit of mercy” advocated in “Misericordiae
Vultus”.
Moreover, we can only
wonder about the intellectual “Missionaries of Mercy” to be sent out by the
Holy See: who will be reconciled with the Church by these men, and in what way
(MV 18)? We have reason to be concerned about the way this novel concept of
mercy, seemingly independent of repentance or docility to God’s Word, may
influence those who are already in tenuous relationships with the Church and the
life of grace. Nevertheless, we must pray for the pope, and ask God to ensure
that this “Year of Mercy” bring sinners back into the Father’s house.
In consideration of the
battle in which the Church is fighting to save even her own doctrines from
destruction, it would seem that we, as the Body of Christ, need the
understanding of mercy as defined by Aquinas and further enunciated by then, Cardinal
Joseph Ratzinger. I quote from a homily given on the eve of his election to the
Chair of St. Peter:
“Christ’s mercy is not
a grace that comes cheap, nor does it imply the trivialization of evil. Christ
carries the full weight of evil and all its destructive force in his body and
in his soul. He burns and transforms evil in suffering, in the fire of his
suffering love. The day of vindication and the year of favor converge in the
Paschal Mystery, in the dead and Risen Christ. This is the vengeance of God: he
himself suffers for us, in the person of his Son. The more deeply stirred we
are by the Lord’s mercy, the greater the solidarity we feel with his suffering
and we become willing to complete in our own flesh ‘what is lacking in the
afflictions of Christ’ (Col 1: 24).
HOW
TO SHOW MERCY
So what does this mean
for us young people? How can we implement the year of Mercy into our everyday
life? After much brainstorming and sleepless nights, I came up with 51 ideas
based off of corporal works of mercy that you can do throughout the year. Some
are easy everyday things; others are something you can do with a group of friends,
youth group, or even as a service project in college. Without further to do
here are 51 ideas for the year of Mercy:
*Feed
the Hungry
You wouldn’t think it,
but feeding the hungry is actually really difficult. One moment you can be
walking down the street and see a homeless man. So you know you finally decide
to do something about it. Because the end of hunger starts with you. Before you
know the homeless man doesn’t want your sandwich and chucks it near your head.
And you find yourself running across the street “why me? Why me?” I’m sure you
all haven’t experienced this. And I bet good majority of you who have had some
really beautiful and heartwarming experience. Of course you can’t let one bad
story stop you forever from feeding the homeless. That’s why I help give some
practical tips to go about feeding the hungry. Get group friends to help make
sack lunches at your local homeless shelter. Have a food kit in your car of
some non-perishable foods. So next time when you’re at red light use that opportunity
to pass out some food. This one is a little unconventional but why not offers
to pay for your friend’s lunch or drink? Start a fundraiser at school to raise
money for your local food shelter. Call around town asking certain soup
kitchens when they serve dinner and get a group of friends or even your family
to help serve dinner once a month. At your local church you can start a food
drive. Parishioners can drop off food at the church and you can take it to your
local food drive. Help serve pancake breakfast with the Knights of Columbus.
*Give
Drink to the Thirsty
So many people in our
world are hurting and unsatisfied. There’s a thirst in our souls that can only
be fulfilled by God. And just as we long for Jesus, He longs for us too. He
thirsts for souls and we can help to bring more and more souls to Him. So for this
Year of Mercy, quench your thirst and dive into your faith and by serving
others and bringing others to Christ. Make a fast for a month of only drinking
water and offer it up for those in need. Donate baby formula to pregnancy help
center. Pass out water bottles for homeless on streets with a note attached
with a bible verse or a simple “you’re loved.” Lead a bible study with your
friends and afterwards all go out for coffee. Take time to meditate on God’s
thirst for souls. And pray for the grace to help bring Him souls. Help pass out
ice cold waters at events, when a neighbor is doing yard work, or even when
you’re Mom or Dad has a long day. Clothe the Naked Not going to lie, but I
totally thought of Miley Cyrus when I was thinking of ideas for clothing the
naked. This one is a more interesting kind of a challenge. Buy hey, I love a
good challenge. Donate old or unused clothes to Goodwill, a thrift store, or a
homeless shelter.
Start a jacket drive at
your local parish or with youth group. Get a group of friends over to your
house and make blankets for local crisis pregnancy center. Pray to St. Martin
and ask him to help live your live up in service to Christ. Learn more about
him here. Pray for the virtue of modesty in your dress. And that you may reflect
Christ and give him glory by what you wear. Go through your closet and simplify
your wardrobe (this one is especially tough just because I’m a clothes addict)
Offer to mend clothing for a local homeless shelter. Go to your local Goodwill
and buy clothes off the rack and donate them to a homeless shelter or give them
to a person experiencing homelessness on the street. This one is my favorite:
go to local garage sales, but some clothes, and send all the clothing to a
foreign mission site. Shelter the Homeless We’ve all seen it, some of us maybe
more than others. I hope that seeing homelessness affects all of us deeply to
see a fellow human with no place to rest their head. Here are some tips that
can help you make a difference in your city: Sign up with your local habitat
for humanity and dedicate one Saturday of the month to help build houses for
the less privileged. I’ve gone out a couple Saturday’s and its super
rewarding. Volunteer to do manual labor
to help in the upkeep of a homeless shelter.
Sign up to become a big
brother or big sister and help mentor a kid whose experienced or maybe still is
homeless. Learn more here .Send a care package to orphanages near you or around
the country. Become pen pals with a child from an orphanage. With your youth group
or college start a fundraiser to help raise money for families that are looking
to adopt. Every little bit helps and goes a long way. Plan to attend a mission
trip in the USA or somewhere around the world and further your intention to
help the homeless and help build homes on your mission trip. Go to Goodwill or
garage sales and find old umbrellas and pass them out to the homeless.
Visit the Sick as
Christians we’re called to get out of our comfort zone and get comfortable with
being uncomfortable. Sometimes that means risking our own comfort to serve
Jesus in the sick and dying. Volunteer your time at your local children’s
hospital and spend some quality time reading or playing games with the kids and
their families. Another great volunteering opportunity is to visit the elderly
at a nursing home. My college takes three trips out the different nursing homes
every week. And it’s super popular amongst the students. The elderly are so
lonely and are very needy for human interaction. So just knowing that you can
be that person who brings a little bit of joy into their life is super
rewarding. Send flowers or even a card to someone you know in the hospital. If
you have a family member or a friend who’s at home due to being sick. Shoot
them a text and ask if you can bring over some soup, ice cream or my personal
favorite their favorite order from Chipotle Or I mean I guess you can just go
visit them and give them company. Find out who are the homebound at your local
parish and help bring the Eucharist to them. (Make sure you consult with your
parish first.) Whenever you’re in a group of your peers, look for someone who
may be struggling internally, who may be afflicted on the inside, and go over
and talk to them and let them know you care about them.
*Visit
the Imprisoned
Now this one is
interesting. Ever since I was a little kid this act of mercy interested me the
most. Because the idea of going to a prison and visiting the imprisoned blew my
mind. I didn’t even know it was possible. Second, how does one even go about
this? I mean hello its a little strange “Yeah Mom I’ll be back in time for
dinner. But first I’m going to spend some time with people in prison.” Anyways
as I’ve gotten older I figured out some pretty practical tips for high schools
and college kids looking to practice this act of mercy. Find out if your local
prison offers a bible study if it does find out how you can be involved. If it
doesn’t ask your parents if it’s okay if you lead one yourself at the local
prison. Help out with Communion or saying the readings at your local prison
when they offer Mass there. Get a group of friends to write letters full of
encouragement and hope for your local prison. Find ways to help local families
you have a loved one in prison. Donate unused or old bibles to the prison. Ask
to help mentor a teen in juvenile prison. Offer to babysit for a young mom who
may feel “stuck” in her house all day with young ones.
*Bury
the Dead
Obviously the idea of
death is terrifying. But as Christian people we don’t need to fear death
because we have a risen Christ who died for our sins, so that we may live in
paradise with Him forever and ever. *Cue Matt Maher’s “Amen” song*. Because we
have the Resurrection we’re a Resurrection people and we must not let death
overrule us with fear or anxiety. Make sure that when a loved one has passed
away to do your very best to attend the funeral or wake. It’s very important we
celebrate their life here on earth and that we pray for the repose of their soul.
Volunteer at a hospice program. Find ways to help a local family in your parish
that is grieving over a loved one. Whether it’s by cooking a dish for them to
eat, or if it’s helping by babysitting. Pray outside of an abortion clinic and
pray for the souls of the precious babies who lost their lives. Help fundraise
money for families who can’t afford to have a nice funeral for their loved one.
Volunteer your time to help a Widow or Widower with housework or yard work. Try
to visit cemeteries of your family members or friends who have died and pray
for the repose of their souls. Next time you drive by a cemetery instead of
holding your breath. Say this prayer: Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And
let the perpetual light shine upon them. And may the souls of all the faithful
departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
As you can see all
these ideas and acts of mercy are super doable and at the same time
challenging. I really want to say that we were given this year of mercy for a
reason. Don’t let the graces of this liturgical year go to waste. Use
everything you’ve got to glorify Him! Now go forth my dear people of God and
make Pope Francis and your Mother church proud.
REFRENCES:
THE
GOOD NEWS BIBLE
THE
PARABLE OF MERCY “Pastoral Resources for living the Jubilee”
Our Sunday visitor Publishing Division, our Sunday visitor, Inc., 200 Noll
Plaza, Huntington, 2015.
THE
SAINTS IN MERCY “Pastoral Resources for living the Jubilee”
Our Sunday visitor Publishing Division, our Sunday visitor, Inc., 200 Noll
Plaza, Huntington, 2015.
THE
JUBILEE OF MERCY “Guide to the extraordinary Holy Year
December 8, 2015-November 20, 2016, Lozzi Roma publication, 2015
Lifeteen.com/blog/51-creative-ways-to-show-mercy-this-year.
THE
PSALMS OF MERCY “Pastoral Resources for living the Jubilee”
Our Sunday Visitor publishing Division, Huntington, 2015
THE
CORPORAL AND SPIRITUAL WORKS OF MERCY “Pastoral Resources for living the
Jubilee” Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division, Huntington, 2015.
VERONICAARNTZCATHOLICLIFE,FEATURED,THECHURCH:www.onepeterfive.com/toward-a-catholic-understanding-of-mercy/
