So You Think You Understand Mercy?

From the time it was announced, Catholics welcomed the year of Jubilee, the year of Mercy, with open hearts. We recall Pope Francis saying in Misericordiae Vultus (2015) that mercy “reveals the very mystery of the Most Holy Trinity” and is t … [Read more...]

Drawing Others to Celebrate God’s Mercy Through Storytelling

“Read me just one more story!” Maggie lay snuggled beneath the pink floral quilt, her brown eyes imploring me to continue reading from the big book of fairy tales. “You should be asleep already,” I replied. I gave a half-hearted sigh, tur … [Read more...]

The Year of Mercy and the Eucharist

With great joy the world received Pope Francis’s announcement of an extraordinary Jubilee Year focused on the mercy of God. This event was inaugurated by the Bull, Misericordiae Vultus, or The Face of Mercy. The Almighty showed mercy to t … [Read more...]

Mercy is a Serious Matter

Pope Francis announced a "Holy Year of Mercy" which began on Dec. 8, 2015, and will end on Nov. 20, 2016. Many imagine that a year of mercy means that people can lift their arms up to the heavens, crying out for God's mercy, and a … [Read more...]

Questions Answered

Question: The Pope has declared this year to be a "Year of Mercy." Can you give me an explanation of what mercy is, and how it relates to justice? Answer: The intention of the Pope in declaring this year a “Year of Mercy” seems to enco … [Read more...]

The Power and Powerlessness of Mercy

In seeking to appreciate as well as to imitate the mercy of God—which the Church proclaims in a special way in this Jubilee Year—a concept of “power” would seem, if not contradictory, at least not helpful for our spiritual journey. When we a … [Read more...]

Salesian Reflections on Divine Mercy

St. Francis de Sales’ ideas on divine mercy contained in his Spiritual Conferences, the Treatise on the Love of God and the Introduction to a Devout Life, provide for a most worthy reflection this time of year. You may be content reflecting … [Read more...]

The Prophetic Power and Practice of Jubilee

A Gift of Shalom

Introduction: “Rich with Joy and Peace” St. Luke's description of Jesus' proclamation of His mission tells us that, on a sabbath day in a synagogue in Nazareth, the Lord stood up to read ... “He has sent me ... to proclaim the accep … [Read more...]

About The “Year of Mercy”

December 8, 2015 - November 20, 2016

Pope Francis has declared the period between the recent Feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8, 2015) until the Feast of Christ the King (November 20, 2016), the "Year of Mercy."  Rooting the Church’s renewed focus on Divine Mercy in … [Read more...]

Mother of Mercy

On March 13, 2015, His Holiness Pope Francis announced that on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary—December 8, 2015—the Universal Church would enter an Extraordinary Holy Year of Mercy. Why did his Holiness cho … [Read more...]

The Synod’s End and an Advent Prayer Time for the Church

Pope Francis During Extraordinary Synod of Bishops; Advent wreath.  The Synod on the Family, called by Pope Francis to address: “The vocation and mission of the family in the Church and the contemporary world,” has come to a close. There ha … [Read more...]

Sacred Liturgy: Great Mystery, Great Mercy

Archbishop Peter Richard Kenrick Lecture, Kenrick Glennon Seminary, St Louis, MO, October 8, 2015

Reflecting on the state of divine worship in the Church, I believe that this is a good time for Catholics of the Roman Rite, a very good time. Fifty years after the Second Vatican Council initiated a liturgical reform in the Constitution on … [Read more...]