What Is the Year of Mercy?

Resources and Details

December 8, 2015
By Kathryn Hermes, FSP

Photo credit: KOREA.NET Official page of the Republic of Korea / Foter / CC BYSA
If there is one word that has characterized the pontificate of Pope Francis, it is
the word mercy.
As St. John Paul II before himwho called for a recourse to mercy in this
difficult, critical phase of the history of the Church and of the world (Dives in
Misericordia, 15)Pope Francis has looked out onto todays world situation and
called for a revolution in tenderness.
We see Francis modeling this revolution in his actions, in his gaze, in his words
all of which have captured the imagination of Catholics and non-Catholics alike.
When people ask me for prayers, I hear all kinds of situations in which people are
longing for mercy: the restoration of family relationships, court cases involving
sons and daughters; situations at work that are unfair; the longing to be heard by
another. We long for mercy.
Mercy can be a hard word to swallow. We all want mercy shown to ourselves
when we mess up or even sin, but have you ever noticed how mercy isnt the
first thing that comes to our mind when others sin against us, or cause us
problems, or get in our way? We talk about mercy, but at the same time set up
incredible hurdles to be overcome for someone to show they deserve that
mercy. This creates the terrible situations of hardness, isolation, and sorrow in
our world. Maybe you have felt them yourself?
At the first Angelus message after his election, Francis already gave a us a hint
about how mercy is really what we all need: Feeling mercy, that this word
changes everything. This is the best thing we can feel: it changes the world. A
little mercy makes the world less cold and more just.
And in an Angelus message two years later: There is so much need of mercy
today, and it is important that the lay faithful live it and bring it into different
social environments. Go forth! We are living in the age of mercy, this is the age
of mercy.

And in his 2015 Lenten Message: How greatly I desire that all those places
where the Church is present, especially our parishes and our communities, may
become islands of mercy in the midst of the sea of indifference!
EXTRAORDINARY YEAR OF MERCY
After last Easter , Pope Francis declared an Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy
beginning on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception December 8 of 2015 and
extending to the Feast of Christ the King 2016. Extraordinary Jubilees are great
events in the life of the Church. The custom of calling extraordinary Jubilees
dates back to the XVI century. The last extraordinary Holy Years, which were
celebrated during the previous century, were those in 1933, proclaimed by Pius
XI to celebrate XIX hundred years of Redemption and in 1983, proclaimed by
John Paul II on the occasion of the 1950 years of Redemption.
The Face of Mercy: Buy the Document or Read Online
WHY A YEAR OF MERCY?
In the formal announcement for the Jubilee of Mercy, Pope Francis stated:
Many question in their hearts: why a Jubilee of Mercy today? Simply because the
Church, in this time of great historical change, is called to offer more evident
signs of Gods presence and closeness. This is not the time to be distracted; on
the contrary, we need to be vigilant and to reawaken in ourselves the capacity to
see what is essential. This is a time for the Church to rediscover the meaning of
the mission entrusted to her by the Lord on the day of Easter: to be a sign and an
instrument of the Fathers mercy (cf. Jn 20:21-23). For this reason, the Holy Year
must keep alive the desire to know how to welcome the numerous signs of the
tenderness which God offers to the whole world and, above all, to those who
suffer, who are alone and abandoned, without hope of being pardoned or feeling
the Fathers love. A Holy Year to experience strongly within ourselves the joy of
having been found by Jesus, the Good Shepherd who has come in search of us
because we were lost. A Jubilee to receive the warmth of his love when he bears
us upon his shoulders and brings us back to the Fathers house. A year in which
to be touched by the Lord Jesus and to be transformed by his mercy, so that we
may become witnesses to mercy. Here, then, is the reason for the Jubilee:
because this is the time for mercy. It is the favorable time to heal wounds, a time
not to be weary of meeting all those who are waiting to see and to touch with
their hands the signs of the closeness of God, a time to offer everyone the way of
forgiveness and reconciliation.
WHAT DO WE DO IN A EXTRAORDINARY JUBILEE?
So what do we do in an Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy? Whats going to happen?
How can I access this mercy for myself? How can I experience the Churchs
indulgence, and how can I be a part of this revolution of tenderness?
First of all, the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of New Evangelization is
charged with the worldwide organization of everything that will happen.
But you can begin by reading and reflecting on the very beautiful short
document called a Bull of Indiction titled The Face of Mercy in which Pope Francis
shares with the whole Church his vision of Christs mercy in the world today. The

document also reveals some of the ways in which this mercy will be shared in a
special way throughout the Holy Year with as many as possible:

Holy Doors will be declared as places of pilgrimage to obtain mercy: May

pilgrimage be an impetus to conversion: by crossing the threshold of the
Holy Door, we will find the strength to embrace Gods mercy and dedicate
ourselves to being merciful with others as the Father has been with us
(14). Dioceses will have an opportunity to open a Holy Door, The Door of
Mercy.

Mercy for the poor: We look forward to the experience of opening our
hearts to those living on the outermost fringes of society (15).

Living the works of mercy: It is my burning desire that, during this Jubilee,
the Christian people may reflect on the corporal and spiritual works of
mercy. (15).

An intense celebration of Lent in the parishes in 2016 (17).

Missionaries of Mercy sent by the Pope throughout the world: During Lent
of this Holy Year, I intend to send out Missionaries of Mercy. They will be a
sign of the Churchs maternal solicitude for the People of God, enabling
them to enter the profound richness of this mystery so fundamental to the
faith. There will be priests to whom I will grant the authority to pardon
even those sins reserved to the Holy See, so that the breadth of their
mandate as confessors will be even clearer (18)

Special indulgences for the Jubilee: A Jubilee also entails the granting of
indulgences. This practice will acquire an even more important meaning in
the Holy Year of Mercy (22)

Encounter with Judaism and Islam: I trust that this Jubilee year
celebrating the mercy of God will foster an encounter with [Judaism and
Islam] and with other noble religious traditions; may it open us to even
more fervent dialogue so that we might know and understand one another
better; may it eliminate every form of closed-mindedness and disrespect,
and drive out every form of violence and discrimination (23)

PRAYER FOR THE YEAR OF MERCY

Pontifical Council for the Promotion of New Evangelization
Lord Jesus Christ,
you have taught us to be merciful like the heavenly Father,
and have told us that whoever sees you sees Him.
Show us your face and we will be saved.
Your loving gaze freed Zacchaeus and Matthew from being enslaved by money;
the adulteress and Magdalene from seeking happiness only in created things;
made Peter weep after his betrayal,
and assured Paradise to the repentant thief.
Let us hear, as if addressed to each one of us, the words that you spoke to the
Samaritan woman:
If you knew the gift of God!
You are the visible face of the invisible Father,
of the God who manifests his power above all by forgiveness and mercy:

let the Church be your visible face in the world, its Lord risen and glorified.
You willed that your ministers would also be clothed in weakness
in order that they may feel compassion for those in ignorance and error:
let everyone who approaches them feel sought after, loved, and forgiven by God.
Send your Spirit and consecrate every one of us with its anointing,
so that the Jubilee of Mercy may be a year of grace from the Lord,
and your Church, with renewed enthusiasm, may bring good news to the poor,
proclaim liberty to captives and the oppressed,
and restore sight to the blind.
We ask this through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy,
you who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.
Amen.

The study of spirituality has been a life-long pursuit of Kathryn J.

Hermes, F.S.P. She has an M.T.S. from Weston Jesuit Center for Theological
Studies and an advanced certificate in Scripture. She is the author of Surviving
DepressionA Catholic Approach (now in ten languages), Making Peace with
Yourself15 Steps for Spiritual Healing, Beginning Contemplative Prayer, St.
JosephHelp for Lifes Emergencies, Holding on to Hope, among others. Hermes
is a Daughter of St. Paul. She currently directs Digital Publishing for the
publishing house of the Daughters of St. Paul. She is a spiritual director, offers
presentations on spirituality and depression, and leads retreats.
This post first appeared in the Daughters of St. Paul Pauline Books and Media
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Source: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/pursuedbytruth/2015/12/what-is-theyear-of-mercy-resources-and-details.html