Why I Need A Year of Mercy (and Why I'm Excited About It)
It is not unlikely that a large majority of people who inhabit the modern world, and who make even a slight presence in the digital realm, have heard that Pope Francis has declared a Jubilee Year of Mercy. The great jubilee year begins in six days, on December 8. Based on the letter he wrote to announce this jubilee, Misericordiae Vultus (MV), the Holy Father wants the Church and its members to ponder and exhibit the reality of God's mercy in a number of specific ways.
Those who have known me for even a short period of time can sense that I have a deep and pervasive sense of justice. Right is right and I will argue and fight and claw for it to the bitter end, consequences be damned. Right should always supersede everything else, in my estimation. Most people would probably recognize the very same thing, and then gently remind me that the arguments and clawing are not always the right way to make my point. Touché. Right facts might be established, but right relationship might not have been maintained.
Thus, the upcoming year offers an opportunity for me to explore the inseparable relationship between justice and mercy. In his opening letter, the pope writes, "These are not two contradictory realities, but two dimensions of a single reality that unfolds progressively until it culminates in the fullness of love" (MV 20). And he continues: "Mercy is not opposed to justice but rather expresses God's way of reaching out to the sinner, offering him a new chance to look at himself, convert, and believe" (MV 21). That last sentence is profound. Mercy is precisely the way by which God brings sinners back into right relationship with Himself. Yet, I should not fool myself into thinking that God plan first to use me to bring others back to Him by my great arguments and my perpetual fight for Right. Rather, I should realize that God, by His infinite mercy, wants to offer me another chance to examine my own life, convert, and begin the pilgrimage of holiness.
It is only after an individual has encountered the Lord's mercy and been transformed that he can be an instrument of God's mercy for others. So it should be during the upcoming twelve months. "The Church is commissioned," writes the pontiff, "to announce the mercy of God, the beating heart of the Gospel..." (MV 12). Moreover, Francis's deep desire is for a year "steeped in mercy," during which "we go out to every man and woman bringing the goodness and tenderness of God" (MV 5). Indeed, I am called and sent to share the mercy that I have encountered with those who are put in my path on a daily basis, in word and action. By the grace of God, I will be granted the ability to reveal the face of Jesus, which points people directly to the Father (cf. Jn. 14:9).
There are already some specific things to which I look forward during the year. These will be ways that I can learn more about mercy and, more importantly, gaze upon "the face of the Father's mercy" (MV 1). The Gospel of Luke is known in some circles as "the gospel of mercy." The text is replete with instances of "mercy" or "merciful." Therefore, I intend to pray through that Gospel text throughout the year, multiple times if possible.
Specifically, I am eager to pray through the parables of mercy, many of which reside in Luke's gospel account. Among the most notable are parables about a good Samaritan (Lk. 10), a prodigal son and merciful father (Lk. 15), and an unmerciful servant (Mt. 18). As I have read Jesus' parables over the years, they have always been rich with texture and meaning. I can only imagine that pondering them from the many angles of God's infinite mercy will provide new insights and graces for transformation.
About half-way through the jubilee year, the month of May will offer an opportunity to ponder the Mother of Mercy. Pope Francis asks her intercession and protection over the whole year, but thirty-one days devoted to "the sweetness of her countenance" will certainly draw us closer to "the sanctuary of divine mercy" (MV 24) where she resides. To know the mother is to know the blessedness of her Son, and vice versa. This will provide a new and beautiful lens through which to see and ponder all that God has done and continues to do with humanity.
All of that will be beautiful. However, I must confess that growing in knowledge and wisdom is not my primary objective during this holy year. The first and most important reality that can develop is that I become a true child of the Father whose greatest attribute is mercy (cf. MV 9), not just a good student. All of the praying and pondering and learning will be for naught if the people I encounter do not know that my words and actions have their source in the God whose mercies are everlasting (cf. Ps. 136). In the end, the very best thing that can happen in this year is that more people experience more of God's infinite love and less of Derek's stalwart notions of right and wrong.
While reading through the letter, I have begun to feel that Francis, as much as he has written to the universal Church, has written directly to me. It seems that the subtitle, or the secondary motto, of the jubilee ought to be: "...because Derek needs it." I have come to know and realize that this Year of Mercy is an opportune moment to experience the radical transformation of life that God offers. So, I intend to immerse myself in learning, pondering, and displaying the Father's mercy. I know that it will be glorious, even if I don't know all the ways just yet.
Thus, the upcoming year offers an opportunity for me to explore the inseparable relationship between justice and mercy. In his opening letter, the pope writes, "These are not two contradictory realities, but two dimensions of a single reality that unfolds progressively until it culminates in the fullness of love" (MV 20). And he continues: "Mercy is not opposed to justice but rather expresses God's way of reaching out to the sinner, offering him a new chance to look at himself, convert, and believe" (MV 21). That last sentence is profound. Mercy is precisely the way by which God brings sinners back into right relationship with Himself. Yet, I should not fool myself into thinking that God plan first to use me to bring others back to Him by my great arguments and my perpetual fight for Right. Rather, I should realize that God, by His infinite mercy, wants to offer me another chance to examine my own life, convert, and begin the pilgrimage of holiness.
It is only after an individual has encountered the Lord's mercy and been transformed that he can be an instrument of God's mercy for others. So it should be during the upcoming twelve months. "The Church is commissioned," writes the pontiff, "to announce the mercy of God, the beating heart of the Gospel..." (MV 12). Moreover, Francis's deep desire is for a year "steeped in mercy," during which "we go out to every man and woman bringing the goodness and tenderness of God" (MV 5). Indeed, I am called and sent to share the mercy that I have encountered with those who are put in my path on a daily basis, in word and action. By the grace of God, I will be granted the ability to reveal the face of Jesus, which points people directly to the Father (cf. Jn. 14:9).
There are already some specific things to which I look forward during the year. These will be ways that I can learn more about mercy and, more importantly, gaze upon "the face of the Father's mercy" (MV 1). The Gospel of Luke is known in some circles as "the gospel of mercy." The text is replete with instances of "mercy" or "merciful." Therefore, I intend to pray through that Gospel text throughout the year, multiple times if possible.
Specifically, I am eager to pray through the parables of mercy, many of which reside in Luke's gospel account. Among the most notable are parables about a good Samaritan (Lk. 10), a prodigal son and merciful father (Lk. 15), and an unmerciful servant (Mt. 18). As I have read Jesus' parables over the years, they have always been rich with texture and meaning. I can only imagine that pondering them from the many angles of God's infinite mercy will provide new insights and graces for transformation.
About half-way through the jubilee year, the month of May will offer an opportunity to ponder the Mother of Mercy. Pope Francis asks her intercession and protection over the whole year, but thirty-one days devoted to "the sweetness of her countenance" will certainly draw us closer to "the sanctuary of divine mercy" (MV 24) where she resides. To know the mother is to know the blessedness of her Son, and vice versa. This will provide a new and beautiful lens through which to see and ponder all that God has done and continues to do with humanity.
All of that will be beautiful. However, I must confess that growing in knowledge and wisdom is not my primary objective during this holy year. The first and most important reality that can develop is that I become a true child of the Father whose greatest attribute is mercy (cf. MV 9), not just a good student. All of the praying and pondering and learning will be for naught if the people I encounter do not know that my words and actions have their source in the God whose mercies are everlasting (cf. Ps. 136). In the end, the very best thing that can happen in this year is that more people experience more of God's infinite love and less of Derek's stalwart notions of right and wrong.
