Models of Mercy for Mission Month of October

In this Holy Year of Mercy, Pope Francis pleads with us, “Let us open our eyes and see the misery of the world, the wounds of our brothers and sisters who are denied their dignity, and let us recognize that we are compelled to heed their cry for help! May we reach out to them and support them so they can feel the warmth of our presence, our friendship, and our fraternity! May their cry become our own, and together may we break down the barriers of indifference that too often reign supreme and mask our hypocrisy and egoism!” Missioners from our archdiocese wish to share these examples of God’s mercy at work that we hope will inspire you and your parish: ♦ “For me, mercy through my work is not passing judgement to those with a past and to give them a sense of hope for the future. …I have worked with those who have trafficked themselves and those who steal from others as a mean of survival. One must stop to think what has happened to them to lose their sense of dignity or shame so they can do what they do. For the most part, their past is that of horror and their sense of the future is that of always looking over their backs out of fear. In my work as a missioner and now as a counselor, it is as moment of transfiguration for me to witness their journey of the forgiveness of themselves and seeing a light of their own goodness.” Anh Vu, former Maryknoll Lay Missioner served in Vietnam, now in Cincinnati. ♦ "In late July one of our active Catholic families learned while they were shopping for school clothes in Albuquerque that their home burnt to the ground. We notified our parishioners, there was a gasp in church when we informed them. They have received an apartment from Navajo Housing and I’ve learned they are now supplied with furniture, clothing, etc. by our parishioners. Just one example of mercy concerning our parish community.” Gilbert Schneider, OFM, serving in Arizona. ♦ “I understand mercy as loving, caring kindness. In my mission, my main ministry is with indigenous peoples in the Amazon jungle. Greedy land grabbers who only consider the immense Amazon rainforest as a source of wealth do not see or acknowledge even the existence of the Indians, much less their rights. The Indians consider the forest, the river, the swamps and all creatures in them as their ‘relatives’ whom they love and respect. They care for one another and for all the creatures of Mother Nature. We who are privileged to live with these peoples not only to see them, but we also love them and stand with them, be it in a blockade to protect the forest or in the courtroom to defend their constitutional rights. We publish their stories and bring their cause to light so that they become visible. We do not do it for them, rather with them.” Sr. Rebeca Spires, SNDdeN serving in Brazil. There are so many stories of mercy being shared by missioners all around the world, and even right here in our own country. These men and women, ordained, religious, and lay, are committed to recognizing the misery and wounds of the poor in our midst and are compelled to help them in their need. May each of us open our eyes to the needs of the poor and find ourselves “compelled to heed their cry for help.” Dr. Mike Gable – Director, Mission Office, Archdiocese of Cincinnati

COMMIT TO DOING A CORPORAL OR SPIRITUAL ACT

OF MERCY EVERY WEEK. MAKE TIME IN YOUR CALENDAR AND

DO IT!

REFLECT ON HOW “DOING MERCY” HAS CHANGED

YOUR HEART.

OCTOBER: MARY, MOTHER OF MERCY

October 1: Catholic Charities of Southwest Ohio Centennial Celebration and Champions of Mercy Awards Ceremony at Cintas Center, Xavier University, 6:00pm Basket Raffle Preview followed by dinner at 7:00pm, music and the awards presentation. For more information and to RSVP, go to: http://www.ccswoh.org/championofmercy/ October 23: World Mission Sunday. Please give generously in your parish to the important work of missionaries all over the world. If you want more information about short or long term mission ministry, in the U.S. or abroad, contact: Dr. Mike Gable at: mission@catholiccincinnati.org

Mercy Is Standing In Truth I was raised in a Catholic family. My parents’ conscious decision to raise my brothers and me in the faith took its form in the literal “practice” of the faith. We were taught, and the faith was shared practically in our home. Simple but regular family prayer, mass, celebration of the sacraments and, most importantly, the day to day practical witness to the faith was lived out through our mother and father. Flash forward to my life as a young adolescent. Coming out of the intentionally insulated world of a strong Catholic family, I took on the role of rebel. I in no way resembled what my parents had envisioned as their son. I became hostile to the faith giving priority to my personal lifestyle choices. Juxtapose that to the ongoing witness of my parents. As much as I appeared to reject the faith and engage in rebellious, often dangerous behavior, they never abandoned hope. In contrast to what I had become, they continued to see me as who I really was. They spoke the truth to me in love and steadfastly lived in witness to the faith. Earlier this year at the Northern Catechetical Leaders Conference, Archbishop Dennis Schnurr presented some key thoughts on the practical application of mercy with regard to our witness (evangelization) and teaching (catechesis) of the faith. He presented the concept that the practice of teaching and giving witness to the faith, essentially inviting others to embrace Christ and His church, are in themselves a mercy. He pointed to this saying, “Above all, it is merciful to speak the truth in love, as St. Paul urged (cf. Eph 4:15), and as every catechist (read: teacher, parent) must.” In this Year of Mercy there are those who point to our societal departure from faith and claim that somehow the church has missed the boat. They propose that the teachings of our church should somehow change or “get with the times” and that somehow this is how we accept people “where they are at.” Practically, this takes shape in the suggestion that the church cease to teach that marriage is between a man and woman or gender is something other than a biological reality or some other prevailing wind of our age. They would suggest that which the church teaches as sin should be set aside. The claim is that somehow this is mercy. The words of Archbishop Schnurr ring true in contrast to the call to abandon our convictions. He shared, "To [speak the truth in love] in the twenty-first century means swimming against the current of relativism, and it is by no means easy or comfortable. It presents many challenges." What if my parents had simply “accepted” my behavior during my time of rebellion? What if they had told me the behavior was OK because that is just who I was? What kind of mercy would that be? Thank God they did not! My parents never abandoned their principles grounded in faith or their unconditional love even as I challenged them to the core! In time, as God heard the prayers of loving parents for their son, like the prodigal son, I returned to the home where the light of truth still burned brightly. Lovingly, my parents embraced me and reintroduced me to the one who had been behind the scenes all the while. As I followed their lead, I discovered Jesus and the truth of church teaching, through the doors of true mercy.

Linking the faithful teaching and witness to the faith, whether by parent, teacher, priest, colleague or friend in this year of mercy, Archbishop Schnurr concludes: “We must continue to propose a personal relationship with Jesus Christ in His Church as the healing balm for a world increasingly infected by a toxic secularism and mind-numbing relativism… To respond with generosity to God’s call to invite everyone into a deeper relationship with Christ is greatest mercy of all. This is also justice because those entrusted to our care are entitled to no less.”

May God bless you! Matt Wielgos – Communications Coordinator, Office of Evangelization and Catechesis, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Dayton Office

Imitating Mary, Mother of Mercy

For the people of Dominica, caring for one another is grounded in the sense of community. It’s part of their faith, part of the Caribbean culture. For instance, the bus drivers , who own their own 15-seater transports, know their “regulars” - the elderly women who shop for food in the capital city, the school children, mothers with small children, and the men with jobs in town. ♦ It is time to go home. As we pass a “bread depot” where fresh bread is available, the call comes out from some passengers, “Jeffers (our bus driver today), can we stop for bread?” Jeffers stops, goes to each of the open windows, collects the money, and shortly after emerges from the shop and distributes the bread. When an elderly woman reaches her home with a load of groceries or packages, he stops, helps her down the steps, takes her bags and places them by her door. When, at the end of the day, we are asked to “squeeze up” so one more can get on the bus, it can be really hot, but everybody knows that we are all tired and want to get home, so people don’t generally complain. ♦ Incidents like these have taught me much about mercy and understanding, taking time to do a little something to make life easier for one another. ♦ As I return to life in the USA, I hope I don’t forget these pieces of life that are part of the fabric of life in Dominica; that I don’t forget that people are more important than my daily schedules, and that putting up with life’s irritations and discomfort for the sake of others can be life-giving moments, for me and for building a merciful community. – Sr. Mary Gallagher, SC

Street life in Dominica To read more mission reflections on mercy, go to: http://www.catholiccincinnati.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Mission-Reflections-on-Mercyx1.pdf