cumouc REPORTER Published on National Catholic Reporter (http://ncronline.org) The multiple audiences for the Year of Mercy Thomas Reese | Dec. 17, 2015 Faith and Justice Holy Year of M From the beginning of his papacy, Pope Francis? homilies and speeches have emphasized ?mercy [1]? as a common theme. As aresult, it was no surprise when he declared that the church would celebrate a holy year of mercy this year ‘The year of mercy is directed at three audiences: individuals in the church, clergy, and the world Every persons experience of God?s mercy is unique and personal. ‘When Francis was asked in the famous 2013 interview [2], 7Who is Jorge Mario Bergoglio?? he replied: 71 am a sinner. This is the most accurate definition. It is not a figure of speech, alliterary genre. I am a sinner? He went on to acknowledge that he is ?a bit astute,? adaptable, and 2a bit naive, but "the best summary, the one that comes more from the inside and I feel most trues this: I am a sinner whom the Lord has looked upon.” And, he said, 71 always felt my motto, Miserando aque Eligendo [by having mercy and by choosing Him], was very true for me? I must admit that while I was very edified by the pope?s response, itis not the answer I would give to this question, My own experience with scruples in my youth does not encourage me to go down the path of dwelling on my sinfulness, Perhaps I am also rejecting the decades of hellfire preaching that saw fear and guilt as the path to redemption. But the simple fact is that my sheltered upbringing in the 1950s and my entrance into a Jesuit novitiate right out of high school did not provide many opportunities for great sins. I was always jealous of Mary Magdalene and the prodigal son, for as Jesus said of the sinful women in Luke [3], *many sins have been forgiven, hence, she hhas shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little. As aresult, I tended to identify with the older brother rather than the prodigal son in the parable. My sins were less blatant and more insidious. So it took me longer to recognize with Francis, that I was a sinner. Itis also very easy for us in the contemporary world to psychologize away our sinfulness by understanding that ‘we are shaped by our heritage and our environment, which is the way I would describe Original Sin, We can neither take all the credit for our achievements nor all the blame for our failures, Once I had a better understanding of my sins, I realized they are so deeply imbedded in me that I will never get rid of them, It will be a lifelong struggle which I will not win, At that point, I was finally ready for Gods mercy because I finally had to acknowledge that I could not save myself. 7This is who I am God, take it or leave it.? And he took it In the year of mercy, we are all called to look into our hearts and recognize our sinfulness and our need forGod?s mercy. But this is not a year of sad reflection on our sinfulness, rather it is a year of rejoicing that God?s mercy is gratuitous and overwhelming. Mercy is not eamed. Itis given ‘The second audience for the year of mercy is the clergy, Francis has insisted that the first words of evangelization must be God?s love and mercy, not alist of rules and regulations. This is the message that people should hear first and most frequently from the clergy, not only during the year of mercy, but always As a priest, I am convinced that when people leave the confessional, they should be smiling not crying. If there are tears, they should be tears of joy. During a TV interview, I met a young producer who had been inspired by Francis and her fiancée to give the church a second chance. After going to church for awhile, she decided to go to confession. Luckily, her boyfriend wamed her that going to confession was like playing Russian roulette, Unluckily, she got the bullet from a priest who chewed her out for avoiding confession for 10 years. He should have simply said, 7Welcome home.? ‘She was hoping to meet someone like Francis, and instead she met his polar opposite. There will be no ?Francis effect? if people do not met someone like Francis in their local parish Other than sexual abuse, I think that confessional abuse is the worse sin a priest can commit. Vulnerable people come into the confessional looking for the kind and merciful Jesus, and they get a mean, insensitive ogre. Granted the secrecy of the confessional, itis impossible to monitor what priests say in confession, but bishops need to hear from the faithful who have been badly treated in confession, Some priests should not be allowed in the confessional. A priest stands in the place of Christ in the confessional, not as a fierce judge, but as a compassionate healer. This is what Francis means when he says that the church should be like a field hospital In the Gospels, Jesus never got mad at sinners. He only got mad at the Pharisees and the So same, He speaks constantly of mercy, but harshly condemns clericalism. bes. Francis is the ‘The third audience for the year of mercy is the world. Itis noteworthy that Francis started the year of mercy early in the Central Affican Republic by opening the holy door in the Bangui cathedral [4]. Francis recognizes that the only path to peace is through mercy, mutual forgiveness, and reconciliation. Whether itis in our families, our neighborhoods, our nation, or the world, without forgiveness and reconciliation there will be no peace. This appears naive to those who think every crime must be avenged, every problem has a military solution. But millennia of experience shows that such philosophies simply result in unending fighting and strife. ‘The year of mercy reminds us that mercy is not only shown by God. It should also be shown by us. We who have experienced mercy must in tum grant it to others. Jesus maile this very clear in the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35 [5]) who is punished by his master for not forgiving a fellow servant after he himself had been forgiven. ?So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.? Mercy, however, does not ignore justice. 7True mercy, the mercy God gives to us and teaches us, demands justice, it demands that the poor find the way to be poor no longer,? Francis told Jesuit Refugee Services on Sept, 10, 2013[6]. 7It asks us, the church,7 he continued, Pit asks the institutions ? to ensure that no one ever again stand in need ofa soup kitchen, of makeshiftlodgings, of a service of legal assistance in order to have his legitimate right recognized to live and to work, to be fully a person.? ‘The year of mercy has started. Mercy should be part of our DNA as Christians, something we practice 24/7. Francis has raised it up during this year to remind us ofits centrality to the Gospel message of Jesus and therefore its need to be central to our lives as Christians. [Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese is a senior analyst for NCR and author of Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization ofthe Catholic Church. His email address is treesesj@ncronine org [7].] Editor's note: We can send you an email alert every time Thomas Reese's column, Faith and Justice [8], is posted. Go to this page and follow directions: Email alert sign-up [9]. Source URL (retrieved on 12/18/2015 - 08:42): hitp://ncronline org/blogs/faith-and-justice/multiple-audiences- vyear-mercy Links: [1] http://ncronline.org/blogs/all-things-catholic/one-word-describe-pope-francis-papacy-date [2] http://americamagazine org/pope-interview [3] http:/Awww.nsccb.org/bibleluke/7 [4] http://ncronline.org/inews'vatican/amid-armored-tanks-francis-urges-war-tom-central-aftican-republic-start- new-chapter [5] http://www nsccb.org/biblefmatthew/18 (6) https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2013/september/documents/papa- francesco_20130910_centro-astali, htm! (7) mailtortreesesj@ncronkine.org [8] http:/ncronkine.org/blogs/faith-and-justice [9] http://ncrontine.orgiemail-alert-signup