FATHER
LIAM SAYS: The
recent Papal document announcing the Holy Year of Mercy, which begins on 8th
December this year, begins with the words: ‘Jesus is the face of the Father’s
mercy.’ What a wonderful way to describe
who Jesus is. It is so simple and so
profound. Pope Francis is reminding us
that our faith is not so much about what we do but about what God does. It is so important that we give God’s mercy
the central place it deserves. We cannot
focus on God unless we focus on his mercy.
Jesus is seen in the gospels as always emphasising the Father’s mercy. And Pope Francis in calling this Holy Year of
Mercy is very keen to help us to be ever more aware and conscious of the depth
of Our Father’s mercy.
Cardinal Walter Kasper recently wrote a book
entitled ‘Mercy’ which a number of Catholic clergy roundly attacked. Kasper is very determined that the
forthcoming Synod of Bishops should give concrete expression to our belief in
God’s mercy. Rather than attack the Pope
many people who fear the outcome of the Synod direct their fire at people such
as Cardinal Kasper. In defending
Kasper’s book, Pope Francis said: ‘A Church in which the proclamation of God’s
mercy is not foundational, operational and obvious is not being true to its
founder.’
The second paragraph of this document proclaiming
the Holy Year of Mercy spells this out: ‘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.
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 into the eyes of his brothers and sisters on
the path of life. Mercy: the bridge that
connects God and mankind, opening our hearts to a hope of being loved forever
despite our sinfulness.’
Pope Francis reminds us that we must respond to all
the horrors, wars, terrorism and mass starvation of our brothers and
sisters. Mercy makes demands on us. He speaks of the need to open our hearts to those
living on the outermost fringes of society.
‘During the Jubilee, the Church will be called upon even more to heal
those wounds...Let us not fall into humiliating indifference or a monotonous
routine that prevents us from discovering what is new. Let us ward off destructive cynicism. Let us open our eyes and see the misery of
the world, the wounds of our brothers and sisters who are denied their dignity
and let us recognise that we are compelled to heed their cry for help! May we reach out to them and support them so
that 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.’ Pope Francis tells us that Christ’s parables
‘contain a profound teaching for all of us.
Jesus affirms that mercy is not only an action of the Father. It becomes a criteria for ascertaining who
his true children are.’
Papal documents are named after the opening words
in Latin. The document announcing the
Holy Year of Mercy is known as Misericordiae Vultus – the Face of Marcy. The opening sentence bears repetition –
‘Jesus is the face of the Father’s mercy.
’The Holy Year begins on 8th December the fiftieth
anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council. ‘The Church feels a great need to keep this
event alive’, Pope Francis writes.
Many thousands of people are expected to visit
Turin over the coming weeks to view one of Christianity’s most famous and
controversial relics. The Shroud of
Turin has gone on display for the first time in five years. This is a rare chance for people to see close
up the fourteen foot sheet said to be the burial cloth in which the crucified
body of Jesus was placed prior to his body being placed in the tomb. The cloth is usually kept in a sealed
container in a dark chapel next to the Cathedral of St John the Baptist. It has been put on display five times since
1933 but was only shown a few times every century before then. Now for the first time since 2010 visitors
can view the cloth whose true origin is still disputed. This year’s showing commemorates the two
hundredth anniversary of the birth of St John Bosco whose ministry focused on
the poor young people of Turin. Perhaps
Pope Francis might decide to have further scientific tests carried out on the
Shroud. Both of Pope Francis’ parents
were born in Turin before their families emigrated to Buenos Aires.
We thank Gary for his beautiful picture of the
Divine Mercy. We are also grateful to
Madelaine Hutchin for donating her textile art entitled ‘Easter Light’ to our
church.
