The
image that heads this post has been designed for the Jubilee Year of Mercy by Fr
Marko Rupnik, a Slovenian Jesuit.
Mercy
is a two way process, something that is on occasion ours to give and something
we might at times be fortunate enough to receive. The circumstances when mercy
is exercised are many and varied. One common thread is the matter of waiving a
right to action, renouncing what is ours to expect as an act of clemency to
another.
How will the Church be a sign of mercy in the
Jubilee year? It will not be enough
to declare a Jubilee without our showing mercy in a real and recognisable
manner, mercy offered to others, whatever their faith or nationality and mercy
given to our own.
Our
voices should be raised whenever mercy is pleaded for those who are persecuted,
where evident injustice gives rise to unjust treatment or threat to life. Where
those who are voiceless through circumstance, our voice might be the only one
they have. On their behalf we must call for mercy. The success of our call may
be limited as was the case with the plea for mercy over the recent Indonesian
executions, but still we have the responsibility in conscience to make it.
For
those whose marriages founder, we should be there, not to critically admonish,
but to sustain through anguish. Given the culture of the West, it always
surprises me that so many marriages survive the stress and strain of living. To
lose the stability of a relationship, often entered into at an immature age, and
later to find solace with another, is a painful experience. That loneliness is
only enhanced when sacramental exclusion is subsequently imposed on individuals.
The mercy of the shepherd is denied to the very sheep of the flock who are in
need of mercy.
The recent Tablet article – Year of Mercy
to make mission a priority- (
May 9th 2015
) mentions various Jubilee occasions to be held during the
year. In June there will be a celebration for priests. Fine, a worthy
celebration for the Church to recognise, but what of those many priests who in
recent times have had to set aside their public ministry after the love for a
woman led to marriage? It would be
merciful to invite them to resume their priestly ministry within their Christian
faith and for the good of the people.
The
Jubilee for families, celebrated when the Synod gathers in October, is the
centre point of the year. It will be shown fit for purpose if it shows mercy
where pastoral mercy is required.
May
we all be merciful as the Father of us all is merciful, let it begin with me.
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