Talk on “The Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy” (8 Dec, 2015 – 20 Nov, 2016) 23 August, 2016
Jesus Christ is the face of the Father’s mercy. Whoever sees Jesus, sees the Father (John 14:9). Jesus of Nazareth, by his words, his actions, and his entire person ( Dei Verbum , no.4) reveals the mercy of God ( MV , no.1).
MERCY ( MV , no.2): 1. Reveals the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. 2. The ultimate supreme act by which God comes to meet us. 3. The fundamental law that dwells in the heart of every person who looks sincerely into the eyes of his brothers and sisters. 4. The bridge that connects God and man, opening our hearts to the hope of being loved despite our sinfulness.
“God is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Exodus 34:6). God has never ceased to show, in various ways throughout history, his divine nature…The Father “rich in mercy” (Ephesians 2:4).
THE NATURE OF GOD “Patient and merciful” . In the Old Testament, God’s many actions throughout the history of salvation demonstrates His goodness prevails over punishment and destruction. (Psalm 103:3-4): “He forgives all your iniquity, he heals all your diseases, he redeems your life from the pit, he crowns you with steadfast love and mercy”
THE NATURE OF GOD (Psalm 146:7-9): “He executes justice for the oppressed; he gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the sojourners, he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.”
THE NATURE OF GOD The mercy of God is not an abstract idea, but a concrete reality with which he reveals his love to us as that of a father or a mother, moved to the very depths out of love for their child ( MV , no.6)
THE NATURE OF GOD (Psalm 136): Praise the Lord, for he is good; for his mercy endures for ever. Praise the God of gods; for his mercy endures for ever. Praise the Lord of Lords; for his mercy endures for ever. Who alone has done great wonders; for his mercy endures for ever.
THE NATURE OF GOD Who skilfully made the heavens; for his mercy endures for ever. Who spread the earth upon the waters; for his mercy endures for ever. Who made the great lights; for his mercy endures for ever. The sun to rule the day; for his mercy endures for ever.
THE NATURE OF GOD The moon and the stars to rule the night; for his mercy endures for ever. Who struck down the firstborn of Egypt; for his mercy endures for ever. And led Israel from their midst; for his mercy endures for ever.
THE NATURE OF GOD With mighty hand and outstretched arm; for his mercy endures for ever. Who split in two the Red Sea; for his mercy endures for ever. And led Israel through its midst; for his mercy endures for ever. But swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea; for his mercy endures for ever.
THE NATURE OF GOD Who led the people through the desert; for his mercy endures for ever. Who struck down great kings; for his mercy endures for ever. Slew powerful kings; for his mercy endures for ever. Sihon, king of the Amorites; for his mercy endures for ever.
THE NATURE OF GOD Og, king of Bashan; for his mercy endures for ever. And made their lands a heritage; for his mercy endures for ever. A heritage for Israel, his servant; for his mercy endures for ever. The Lord remembered us in our low estate; for his mercy endures for ever.
THE NATURE OF GOD Freed us from our foes; for his mercy endures for ever. And gives bread to all; for his mercy endures for ever. Praise the God of heaven; for his mercy endures for ever.
The mission Jesus received from the Father was that of revealing the mystery of divine love in its fullness, “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16). This love is made visible and tangible in Jesus’ entire life. The signs he works for sinners, the poor, the marginalised, the sick & the suffering, are meant to teach mercy. ( MV , no.8)
What moved Jesus in many of his ministries is mercy, where he reads the hearts of the people and responded to their deepest needs. Through this, Jesus reveals the nature of God as a Father who never gives up until he has forgiven the wrong and overcome rejection with compassion and mercy.
In these parables, we find the core of the Gospel and our faith: mercy overcomes everything, filling the heart with love and bringing consolation through pardon ( MV , no. 9).
TO PARDON: We are called to show mercy because mercy has first been shown to us. Pardoning offences becomes the clearest expression of merciful love, and for us Christians it is an imperative from which we cannot excuse ourselves. Pardon is the instrument placed in our fragile hands to attain serenity of heart. To let go of anger, wrath, violence, and revenge are necessary conditions to living joyfully. “Do not let the sun go down on your anger” (Ephesians 4:26).
TO PARDON:
TO PARDON: “It’s war, we don’t have to be afraid to say this … a war of interests, for money, resources. I am not speaking of a war of religions. Religions don’t want war. The others want war.” (Pope Francis) The Catholic Church can take up no weapons other than those of prayer and brotherhood among people of goodwill. (Archbishop Dominique Lebrun)
TO PARDON: In Sacred Scripture, mercy is a key word that indicates God’s action towards us…makes it visible and tangible… indicates something concrete: intentions, attitudes, and behaviours that are shown in daily living. This is the path which the merciful love of Christians must also travel. As the Father loves, so do his children. Just as he is merciful, so we are called to be merciful to each other. ( MV , no. 9)
PERSONAL REFLECTION: 1. Am I able to love my spouse and children whole heartedly, being patient and merciful to them? 2. Am I able to pardon those who have wronged or hurt me? 3. Do I have unresolved anger in me, done violence in words and deeds, and being revengeful? What can I begin to do to let these go that I may live more joyfully in the peace, love and mercy of God?
CHURCH AS AGENTS OF MERCY: Mercy is the foundation of the Church’s life. All of her pastoral activity should be caught up in the tenderness she makes present to believers. ( MV , no. 10) The Church’s very credibility is seen in how she shows merciful and compassionate love. The Church “has an endless desire to show mercy” ( Evangelii Gaudium , no. 24)
CHURCH AS AGENTS OF MERCY: The Church is commissioned to announce the mercy of God, the beating heart of the Gospel. Her language and her gestures must transmit mercy, so as to touch the hearts of all people and inspire them once more to find the road that leads to the Father. ( MV , no. 12)
REFLECTION & SHARING: 1. Personally, have I shown mercy and compassion to others through my language and gestures, that have touched and inspired them to go back to the Father? 2. Has my ministry shown mercy and compassion to others through our language, gestures and activities, that have touched and inspired them to go back to the Father?
CHURCH AS AGENTS OF MERCY: To be capable of mercy, we must therefore first of all dispose ourselves to listen to the Word of God. This means rediscovering the value of silence in order to meditate on the Word that comes to you. In this way, it will be possible to contemplate God’s mercy and adopt it as our lifestyle. ( MV , no.13)
Pilgrimage represents the journey each of us makes in this life. 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 Holy Door ( MV, 14).
Passing through this Holy Door of Mercy means: (a) freedom to choose Jesus & leave our sins behind; (b) professing that Jesus Christ is Lord.
PILGRIMAGES: The Lord Jesus shows us the steps of the pilgrimage to attain our goal: “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemned not, and you will not be condemned; Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you; good measures, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back” (Luke 6:37-38).
OUR PILGRIMAGE (MV , no.14) : 1. To refrain from judgement & condemnation, means to know how to accept the good in every person and to spare him/her any suffering caused by our partial judgement and presumption. 2. But this is still not sufficient to express mercy. Jesus asks us to forgive and to give. To be instruments of mercy because it was we who first received mercy from God. To be generous with others, knowing that God showers his goodness upon us.
CHURCH AS AGENTS OF MERCY: Opening of our hearts to those living on the outermost fringes of society: fringes which modern society itself creates (misery of the world, wounds of our brothers and sisters who are denied their dignity, those who have no voice drowned out by the indifference of the rich!) The Church is called to heal these wounds, to give them the oil of consolation, to bind them with mercy and cure them with solidarity and vigilant care.
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