If there is a trademark topic, revisited time and time again by our current Pope, Francis, it is probably Mercy. Remember that he instituted a “Jubilee Year of Mercy” not so long ago. The motto, if you recall, was “Merciful like the Father.”
He will likely never stop preaching and teaching about mercy because it is, after all, the “beating heart of the Gospel” (para- graph 97) He certainly had a lot to say about it last week in his letter on holiness, “Gaudete et Exsultate”, which translated into English means “Rejoice and Be Glad.” In it, he gives practical advice on how to live holy lives, and everything he says is directly inspired by the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.
“Holiness is not about swooning in mystic rapture,” writes Pope Francis (par. 96). It’s about doing the very specific things Jesus instructed us to do, namely, learning to see Him in the faces of those who suffer, who are weak and wounded and most rejected.
If I encounter a person sleeping outdoors on a cold night, I can view him or her as an annoy- ance, an idler, an obstacle in my path, a troubling sight, a problem for politicians to sort out, or even a piece of refuse cluttering a public space. Or I can respond with faith and charity, and see in this person a human being with a dignity identical to my own, a creature in nitely loved by the Father .. .
(Gaudete et Exsultate, par. 98)
“Be merciful, because your Father in heaven is merciful.” (Luke 6:36)
The Holy Father also proposes a test (see par.105).
So let’s take some time today to consider it honestly and prayerfully:
How is my life being “transformed by mercy”?
Am I a true child of the Father, whose heart is for mercy? Am I a true child of the Church, whose foundation is mercy?
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At the end of our lives, when we have to answer for what we have done, the criteria for judgment will be—well, for that, let’s go directly to the Gospel of Matthew–in Jesus’ own words:
“I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me” (Matthew 25: 35-36).
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Karidat is occupied with the corporal works of mercy in the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa. To learn more about some of the pressing needs within our community and perhaps how you might be able to respond, call 234-6981 during regular business hours, or simply contact your parish priest.