DECEMBER 8, 2015 TO NOVEMBER 20, 2016
Bishop’s Message
Jubilee Year of Mercy
We need constantly
to contemplate the mystery of
mercy.
It is a wellspring of joy,
serenity, and peace.
Pope Francis
Bull of Indiction
On December 8, 2015, Pope Francis invites us to enter into a Holy
Year, that of Mercy. In normal times, the next Holy Year would only
take place in 2025. This is why this Jubilee is described as extraordi-
nary.
You might say "Why has the Pope decreed this Jubilee?" Because we
are living in difficult times, because the world has a great need to
rehear that God loves each of His children. Because the world needs
to rediscover the face of the Father "Father of mercies and God of all
consolation”. Because we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the
conclusion of the second Ecumenical Vatican Council.
So, we have the opportunity to experience a special year in which God
will be our companion on the journey. This year must be experienced as a long pilgrimage where
we will seek the Father's merciful face and where we will exercise acts of mercy.
My wish is that by the end of the Holy Year (November 20, 2016), we can express our apprecia-
tion for this extraordinary time of grace that was given to us. So let’s make sure that throughout
the year, we take time to entrust all of humanity, the whole cosmos to the Lord so that He can
spread His mercy and encourage us to build a better world. Like the Pope, I would like for this
extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy to stimulate in us the desire to go and meet the others, offering
them the kindness and the tenderness of God. I pray that all people, believers or not, may be giv-
en a chance to experience the balm of mercy as a sign of the Kingdom of God already present in
our midst.
Merciful like the Father
A Year of Mercy What is Mercy?
We tend to define mercy as compassion or
sympathy, but mercy has a much deeper
meaning. It is more than just a feeling toward
someone. Being merciful is entering into the
misery of another. It is to feel the other’s pain,
it is to see through the other’s eyes, to root
yourself in the other’s heart and thoughts. We
can be merciful because God is Mercy. "The
Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger
and abounding in steadfast love.The Lord is
good to all, and his compassion is over all that
he has made." (Psalm 144 (145) 8 and 9) The
more we understand how God himself has
been merciful to us, the more we will become
merciful.
There are many examples of God's mercy in
the Old Testament: the conversion of the
people of Nineveh, the experience of Noah's
ark, Exodus, Job...and in the New Testament,
Jesus continuously spreads His mercy to those
around him. The early Christians followed his
example. Entire generations have since walked
in their steps and even today the Church's
social doctrine encourages us to show mercy
to our brothers and sisters of all races.
Why a Year of Mercy?
Because Pope Francis wants to mark the
50th anniversary of the closing of the
Second Vatican Ecumenical Council. This
Council was a turning point in the life of
the Church. The Council Fathers realized
that it was necessary to speak to the world
at that time of God in a more
understandable way. The protective walls
that stifled the Church were brought down.
Dialogue with our Christian brothers was
opened. Interfaith relationships were
begun. The time had come to proclaim the
Good News in a new way. The Church
sought to be a visible sign of the Father's
love in the world. The Church, once again,
became conscious that she must lead men
and women to the source of Mercy of
which she is both the recipient and the
giver.
Our contemporary world needs to hear that
each and every person is loved by the
Father despite any failings and that no sin,
no matter how serious, will deprive one of
that love.
Then Jesus said, “There was a
man who had two sons. The
younger of them said to his fa-
ther, ‘Father, give me the share
of the property that will belong
to me.’ So he divided his prop-
erty between them. A few days
later the younger son gathered
all he had and traveled to a dis-
tant country, and there he
squandered his property in dis-
solute living.
When he had spent everything,
a severe famine took place
throughout that country, and he
began to be in need. So he went
and hired himself out to one of
the citizens of that country, who
sent him to his fields to feed the
pigs. He would gladly have
filled himself with the pods that
the pigs were eating; and no one
gave him anything. But when he
came to himself he said, ‘How
many of my father’s hired hands
have bread enough and to spare,
but here I am dying of hunger!
I will get up and go to my fa-
ther, and I will say to him,
“Father, I have sinned against
heaven and before you; I am no
longer worthy to be called your
son; treat me like one of your
hired hands.”’ So he set off and
went to his father.
But while he was still far off,
his father saw him and was
filled with compassion; he ran
and put his arms around him
and kissed him. Then the son
said to him, ‘Father, I have
sinned against heaven and be-
fore you; I am no longer worthy
to be called your son.’ But the
father said to his slaves,
‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the
best one—and put it on him; put
a ring on his finger and sandals
on his feet. And get the fatted
calf and kill it, and let us eat and
celebrate; for this son of mine
was dead and is alive again; he
was lost and is found!’ And they
began to celebrate.
“Now his elder son was in the
field; and when he came and
approached the house, he heard
music and dancing. He called
one of the slaves and asked
what was going on. He replied,
‘Your brother has come, and
your father has killed the fatted
calf, because he has got him
back safe and sound.’ Then he
became angry and refused to go
in. His father came out and be-
gan to plead with him. But he
answered his father, ‘Listen! For
all these years I have been
working like a slave for you,
and I have never disobeyed your
command; yet you have never
What is the the Divine Mercy?
Devotion to the Divine Mercy is based on the diaries of Saint Faustina Kowalska to whom Christ appeared on a number of occasions. Her writings allow for a much deeper understand-ing of God’s love and mercy. We are encouraged to pray daily that God's Divine Mercy enter our lives and that Jesus provide us everything we need to become instruments of mer-cy for others.
We celebrate the feast of St. Faustina on October 5th and the Divine Mercy on the first Sunday after Easter Sunday.
The Parable of the Prodigal Son
given me even a young goat so
that I might celebrate with my
friends. But when this son of
yours came back, who has de-
voured your property with pros-
titutes, you killed the fatted calf
for him!’ Then the father said
to him, ‘Son, you are always
with me, and all that is mine is
yours. But we had to celebrate
and rejoice, because this brother
of yours was dead and has come
to life; he was lost and has been
found.’”
How can I personally live out a Year of
Mercy?
An extraordinary Jubilee year, such as the one we are
about to embark upon, is in many ways part of our
pilgrimage here on earth. It is an opportunity to
further our personal conversion such that we grow
more and more in the image and likeness of God. We
can do this by performing corporal works of mercy.
Feeding the hungry.
Giving drink to the thirsty.
Providing clothes to those who have none.
Housing the homeless.
Visiting the sick and those in prison.
Burying the dead.
We can also perform spiritual works of mercy.
Teaching the unenlightened.
Counselling those who doubt.
Warning sinners.
Comforting the afflicted.
Forgiving others.
Praying for the living and the dead.
The above are recommendations that Jesus himself
has asked of us.
It is not necessary to perform extraordinary works.
Some days it can be as simple as allowing someone
to go ahead of us in line, to be more patient with a
child, to offer help to a neighbor, a smile, or a hello
to a passerby. Small acts of kindness that can cheer
and even change someone's life.
We can also live this year by accepting that others
may act towards us with mercy. We must learn to
give but we must also learn to receive. When we do,
we allow another to be the instrument through which
God reaches out to us in our misery, comforts us, and
heals us.
Prayer for the Year of Mercy
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 of you, Lord Jesus, 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.
Living Out Mercy Daily
Jésus-Christ
est le visage
de la
miséricorde
du Père.
The Official Logo The motto for the Jubilee Year, "Merciful Like the Father” (taken from the Gospel of Luke, 6:36) serves as an invitation to follow the merciful example of the Father who asks us not to judge or condemn but to forgive and to give love and forgiveness without measure.
The logo depicts Jesus carrying the lost son. It has been designed in such a way so as to express the profound way in which the Good Shepherd touches the flesh of humanity and does so with a love with the power to change one’s life. Through this love, man is being called to conversion. Christ transforms him forever. One particular feature worthy of note is that while the Good Shepherd, in his great mercy, takes humanity upon himself, his eyes are merged with those of man. Christ sees with the eyes of man, and man with the eyes of Christ. Seeing one’s fellow through the eyes of Christ, is also seeing him through the eyes of the Father. It is offering our brother, our sister a look of love and mercy.
The scene is captured within the so called mandorla (the shape of an almond), a figure quite important in early and medieval iconography, for it calls to mind the two natures of Christ, divine and human. The three concentric ovals, with colors progressively lighter as we move outward, suggest the movement of Christ who carries humanity out of the night of sin and death and into the light.
heart, whereas justice comes
from the head. Jesus asks us
to go beyond the strict
requirements of the law, to
see further, through the eyes
of our heart as He always
has. Mercy is not contrary to
justice, but it illustrates how
God treats the sinner,
offering him a new
opportunity to repent, to
convert, to believe. Justice
and mercy go beyond the
borders of the Church, they
invite us to enter into
dialogue with the Jewish
people, the first to have been
chosen to become the people
of God, with Muslims for
whom God is called
Merciful, Compassionate,
with all people who seek the
truth.
Pope Francis
The Bull Misericordiae Vultus What are the highlights of the message of the Pope?
The bull Misericordiae
Vultus can be divided into
four parts:
A. Mercy: The law of the
heart - When God created
man, he breathed into his
nostrils. An image that allows
us to understand that God has
placed in each of us a deep
desire to pursue happiness, to
seek Him who is the true
source of happiness. Then
God sent His Son, who
revealed to us His face.
Through His Word, His
gestures, His attitude, Jesus
revealed to us the Father's
mercy. The Church, which
we are, must also spread the
medicine of mercy to the
world by being patient,
benevolent, indulgent and
kind to all.
B. Mercy: A concrete idea,
the pillar of the Church - God
is patient and merciful. It can
not be otherwise without
ceasing to be God.
Throughout the Bible, we
discover events that
demonstrate God’s patience
and mercy towards His
people. God loves His
children with both a paternal
and maternal love. It is a
visceral love, a deep
tenderness, compassion, and
forgiveness...Jesus is also
nothing but love. Everything
about Him speaks of mercy.
He does not lack
compassion. Mercy is also
the distinguishing mark of
Christians. It is through
mercy that God recognizes
us as His children.
Everything we do as a
Church and as a person must
be to be marked by mercy.
Without mercy, the Church
cannot exist. Mercy is the
pillar of the Church.
C. Mercy and Forgiveness:
The Church’s very
credibility is seen in how she
shows merciful and
compassionate love. Her
words and gestures must
convey mercy so as to
penetrate the heart of people
and encourage them to find
their way back to the Father.
To achieve this, we must be
silent and listen to God’s
Word. Mary is the perfect
role mode, she who listened
to the Word, meditated upon
it, discovered the will of God
and fulfilled it.
We must see our lives as a
pilgrimage, a constant call to
conversion. To achieve our
goal, we must allow
ourselves to be enveloped by
the mercy of God and in turn
we must become merciful,
avoiding judgment through
the corporal and spiritual
works of mercy.
D. Mercy and Justicie:
...to break through the
dimensions of space and
time, inserting everything
into the eternal mystery of
love. Mercy is written on the
Jesus Christ is the face
of the Father’s mercy.