JUBILEE YEAR OF MERCY

BE MERCIFUL FR VICTOR EMMANUEL, S.J

BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO ARE POOR IN SPIRIT THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVENBLESSED ARE THOSE WHO MOURN, THEY SHALL BE COMFORTEDBLESSED ARE THE GENTLE, THEY SHALL POSSES THE LANDBLESSED ARE THOSE WHO HUNGER AND THIRST FOR JUSTICE, FOR THEY SHALL BE SATISFIED

BLESSED ARE THE MERCIFUL FOR THEY SHALL FIND MERCYBLESSED ARE THOSE WITH A PURE HEART, FOR THEY SHALL SEE GODBLESSED ARE THOSE WHO WORK FOR PEACE, THEY SHALL BE CALLED CHILDREN OF GODBLESSED ARE THOSE WHO ARE PERSECUTED FOR THE CAUSE OF JUSTICE, FOR THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEAN

We need constantly to contemplate the mystery of mercy. It is a wellspring of joy, serenity, and peace. Our salvation depends on it. Mercy: the word reveals the very mystery of the Most Holy Trinity.

The mission Jesus received from the Father was that of revealing the mystery of divine love in its fullness. God is love (1 Jn 4:8,16), John affirms for the first and only time in all of Holy Scripture. This love has now been made visible and tangible in Jesus entire life. His person is nothing but love, a love given FREELY.

The relationships he forms with the people who approach him manifest something entirely unique and unrepeatable. The signs he works, especially in favour of sinners, the poor, the marginalized, the sick, and the suffering, are all meant to teach mercy. Everything in him speaks of mercy. Nothing in him is devoid of compassion.

HEALING THE SICK

The widow of Nain taking her son out for burial,

16

Feeding the poor

17

FREEING THE DEMONIAC

18

EATING WITH TAXCOLLECTORS

19

RELATING WITH SINNERS

20

LOST SHEEP

21

LOST SHEEP

22

LOST COIN

LOST SON

24

Do not let the sun go down on your anger (Eph 4:26). Above all, let us listen to the words of Jesus who made mercy an ideal of life and a criterion for the credibility of our faith: Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy (Mt 5:7): the beatitude to which we should particularly aspire in this Holy Year.

He does not limit himself merely to affirming his love, but makes it visible and tangible. Love, after all, can never be just an abstraction. By its very nature, it indicates something concrete: intentions, attitudes, and behaviours that are shown in daily living. The mercy of God is his loving concern for each one of us.

He feels responsible; that is, he desires our wellbeing and he wants to see us happy, full of joy, and peaceful. 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

Mercy is the very foundation of the Churchs 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. The Churchs very credibility is seen in how she shows merciful and compassionate love

But the Church needs to go beyond and strive for a higher and more important goal. On the other hand, sad to say, we must admit that the practice of mercy is waning in the wider culture. In some cases the word seems to have dropped out of use. However, without a witness to mercy, life becomes fruitless and sterile, as if sequestered in a barren desert.

I HAVE NOTEARS,THEREISONLYPAIN

The time has come for the Church to take up the joyful call to mercy once more. It is time to return to the basics and to bear the weaknesses and struggles of our brothers and sisters. Mercy is the force that reawakens us to new life and instils in us the courage to look to the future with hope.

MS SINDUTAI SAPKAL-PUNE

MS KS SAROJA

40

MS PRITHI PATKAR

41

MS NEELAM-HARYANA

42

MS SUNITHA KRISHNAN

44

KMR KALYANA SUNDARAM

MR PARAMESWARAM AND CHOODAMANI

MR HARAKCHAND SAVLA

48

MR DASHRATH MANJHI

49

MR BISWAS BAIGA TRIBES

Merciful like the FatherIn mercy, we find proof of how God loves us. He gives his entire self, always, freely, asking nothing in return. He comes to our aid whenever we call upon him

56

57

59

SYRIA REFUGEE CAMP- ZAATARI

60

May we reach out to them and support them so they can feel the warmth of our presence, our friendship, and our fraternity! May their cry become our own, and together may we break down the barriers of indifference that too often reign supreme and mask our hypocrisy and egoism!

I desire love and not sacrifice is important in this regard. Jesus affirms that, from that time onward, the rule of life for his disciples must place mercy at the centre, as Jesus himself demonstrated by sharing meals with sinners.

Meals with sinners.

66

Mercy, once again, is revealed as a fundamental aspect of Jesus mission. This is truly challenging to his hearers, who would draw the line at a formal respect for the law. Jesus, on the other hand, goes beyond the law; the company he keeps with those the law considers sinners makes us realize the depth of his mercy.

68

FRIEND OF SINNERS

MERCY IN ACTION

Mercy: the ultimate and supreme act by which God comes to meet us.

Mercy: the fundamental law that dwells in the heart of every person who looks sincerely into the eyes of his brothers and sisters on the path of life.

Mercy: the bridge that connects God and man, opening our hearts to the hope of being loved forever despite our sinfulness.

AM I A UNITING FORCE IN MY COMMUNITY AND IN MINISTRY?AM I REFLECTING THE FORGIVNESS OF GOD TO OTHERS?DO MY PRESENCE MAKE PEOPLE HAPPY?DO I EMENATE THE COMPASSION IN MY APOSTOLATE?WHAT MORE CAN I DO TO IMPROVE MY CONCERN FOR OTHERS?

JUBILEE PRAYER FOR MERCYLoving GodHelp Us Live Out In Our Daily Lives The Mercy Which You Consistantly Extend To All Of Us. As You Cast Open The Doors Of Your Heart To Us May We Respond With Urgency To Proclaim Your Mercy To Others.May We Always Be Credible Witnesses To Mercy, Professing It And Living It As The Core Of The Revelation Of Jesus Christ.

JUBILEE PRAYER FOR MERCYMay We Never Tire Of Extending Mercy, And Be Ever Patient In Offering Compassion And Comfort.May We Become The Voice Of Every Man And Woman, And Repeat Confidently Without End:Be Mindful Of Your Mercy, O Lord, And Your Steadfast Love, For They Have Been From Of Old (Ps 25:6)

79