Merciful like the Father

Pope Francis will open the Door of Mercy on December 8, 2015. Aside from being the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, that day is also the fiftieth anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council which torn down the walls of the Church for a new proclamation of the Gospel. We are exhorted “to gaze even more attentively on mercy so that we may become a more effective sign of the Father’s action in our lives” (MV 3).

How can we concretely live the Jubilee year of mercy? Pope Francis offers us some concrete practices for us to grow more in witnessing God’s mercy. We may move from prayer to personal enrichment through the pastoral resources he prepared. We can be missionaries of mercy and volunteer for the Jubilee. We may do pilgrimage to the Holy Door of Mercy in our local churches and cathedrals and become penitents in order to gain indulgences. We need to exercise the corporal and spiritual works of mercy and refrain from judging, but be generous and forgiving.

We turn to our Mother of Mercy “so that all of us may rediscover the joy of God’s tenderness” (MV 24).