Pope of Mercy proclaims Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy

Francis has been called the pope of mercy ever since his election on
March 13, 2013. He has frequently proclaimed to the world the God of mercy,
who wants to save people, not to condemn them. It was the central theme of his
first Mass for the public in the Church of Sant' Anna in the Vatican on March 17,
2013, and of his midday talk to the almost half million people who gathered in
and around St Peter's Square that same day, when he praised Cardinal Walter
Kasper's book on the topic of mercy. It is a theme that has surfaced again and
again in his talks and homilies throughout the past two years. i

Pope Francis has declared an Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, December 8, 2015November 20, 2016. As described by Joshua McElwee, A jubilee year is called by the church to
receive blessing and pardon from God, and remission of sins. The Catholic Church has called
jubilee years every 25 or 50 years since the year 1300, and has also called special jubilee years
from time to time, known as extraordinary jubilee years. ii
As a child with four brothers and one sister, my next of kin and I scrapped perhaps more
than normal. I remember my parents saying at one point that they were at wits end as to how to
prevent the two of us from fighting with each other nearly every day. When we moved to our
new home in Fond du Lac and passed the Courthouse for the first time, I told my brother that he
should get used to that building because I would be dragging him to court because of all of the
fights that he had started.
By the time that I was a junior in high school, and having a very difficult time with a cruel
assistant manager at my first job, it was this same brother who befriended me before this mean
supervisor. To this day, he is usually the first person I call or email when I have run into a
situation for which I really need someone to talk to. How did our relationship evolve from one of
plaintiff and defendant to close confidant? How did we move come to realize each others gift of
being merciful?
It is hard, if not impossible, to comprehend the message of God without receiving grace
from the sacraments and inspiration from prayer and the reading of scripture. It is no wonder that
Pope Francis writes, Let us place the sacrament of reconciliation at the center once more in
such a way that it will enable people to touch the grandeur of Gods mercy with their own hands.
For every penitent, it will be a source of true interior peace. iii The Holy Father also invites us to

reflect on key lessons from scripture during the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. What does Luke
6:36-38a have to say about mercy? Be compassionate, as your Father is compassionate. Do not
judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Pardon,
and you shall be pardoned. Give, and it shall be given to you. Pope Franciss own commentary
on this passage bears direct quoting:
The Lord asks us above all not to judge and not to condemn. If anyone
wishes to avoid Gods judgment, he should not make himself the judge of his
brother or sister. Human beings, whenever they judge, look no farther than the
surface, whereas the Father looks into the very depths of the soul. How much
harm words do when they are motivated by feelings of jealousy and envy! To
speak ill of others puts them in a bad light, undermines their reputation and
leaves them prey to the whims of gossip. To refrain from judgment and
condemnation means, in a positive sense, to know how to accept the good in
every person and to spare him any suffering that might be caused by our partial
judgment, our presumption to know everything about him. But this is still not
sufficient to express mercy. Jesus asks us also 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 with
immense generosity.iv
Furthermore, Pope Francis challenges us to more intentionally practice and make permanent
the corporal works of mercy--to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the
stranger, heal the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead--and spiritual works of mercy --to counsel
the doubtful, instruct the ignorant, admonish sinners, comfort the afflicted, forgive offences, bear
patiently those who do us ill, and pray for the living and the dead--during the Jubilee. v

Br. Steve Herro, O. Praem.

Pastoral Associate, St. Clare Parish

i Gerard OConnell, Pope Francis declares a jubilee year of mercy, America Magazine,
March 11, 2015, pp. 8-9
ii Joshua McElwee, Pope declares jubilee ear of mercy, National Catholic Reporter, March
27, 2015, p. 1+
iii Pope Francis, Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, April 11, 2015,
#17.
iv Ibid, #14.
v Ibid., #15.