The Year of Mercy ended on the 20th of November 2016, the Feast of Christ the King. It started on the 8th of December last year, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. When the year was opened all the faithful, also religious as individuals and as communities, entered with great enthusiasm, with concrete proposals and dreams of how they wanted this Year of Mercy to affect and change their lives and mission.
“Be merciful as the Father,” Pope Francis reminded us in his writing Misericordiae Vultus. In the Bible we find an impressive image of God being compassionate and merciful. This image can be contemplated by means of the works of his two hands:
The one hand is his faithful presence with those who suffer since the time of his people’s slavery in Egypt (Ex 3:7-8). Whenever they find themselves weak and helpless, God addresses them through his prophets’ words of consolation and assures them of his tender closeness: “Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you” (Is 49:15). This is confirmed with the last words of Jesus to the disciples of all times in Matthew’s Gospel: “…behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Mat 28:20). It is an expression of a profound solidarity, when, for example, Jesus in his encounter with Paul on his way to Damascus says: “…why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4). Jesus, the “face of the Father’s mercy” (MV 1), identifies himself with his suffering brothers and sisters.
The other hand of the merciful God is his forgiveness. The whole history of Israel is carried forward by God’s forgiveness. In Jesus it is shown even more concretely. To Peter’s question about how many times it is necessary to forgive, Jesus introduces a measure of “seventy times seven times” (Mat 18:22), unlimited in practice, recalling the utterance of Lamech, son of Cain, who swore to avenge himself to a similarly endless extent (Gen 4:24). Mercy shown through forgiveness becomes the very vocation of disciples, just as Paul suggests to the Romans: “Do not be conquered by evil but conquer evil with good” (Rom 12:21); and Jesus confirms this in the parable of the “ruthless servant” (Mat 18:23-35). At times how hard it seems to forgive!
Pope Francis affirms in Misericordiae Vultus: “And yet pardon is the instrument placed into our fragile hands to attain serenity of heart…” (MV 9). And then he summarises: “… in Sacred Scripture, mercy is a key word that indicates God’s action towards us. He does not limit himself merely to affirming his love, but makes it visible and tangible. Love, after all, can never be just an abstraction. By its very nature, it indicates something concrete: intentions, attitudes, and behaviours that are shown in daily living. This is the path which the merciful love of Christians must also travel. As the Father loves, so do his children. Just as he is merciful, so we are called to be merciful to each other” (MV 9).
“The Year of Mercy ends but not the need for mercy,” a senior confrere tells me during one of my visits. He knows what he is talking about, having been born during the time of the war, being a refugee and migrant, and then growing up starting with nothing outside his home country. “The amount of hurts human beings can bring to each other seems to know no limits,” the confrere continues, “looking at the on-going wars and all the sufferings they cause, the growing refugee crisis, the political and financial turmoil in many countries, the trend towards emerging nationalism in the political arena, the widening gap between the rich and the poor, the tragedy of human trafficking, the environmental disasters, and the list goes on”.
“Sometimes we are the Samaritan but oftentimes we need the Samaritan ourselves,” the same confrere continues. Did I, did we, forgive all whom I/ we wanted to forgive? Did those who forgive me/us receive the kind of forgiveness I/we hoped to receive? Did I/we manage to forgive ourselves, others and God? Did I/ we accept wholeheartedly the forgiveness of others and God? Did I/we show mercy to all those who needed mercy and did I/we experience it ourselves to the extent that I/ we really needed it?
The forthcoming XVIII General Chapter in 2018 invites us as Divine Word Missionaries to go to our roots and to renew our commitment to God’s mission. Looking at the five aspects of our religious missionary life, the genuine practice of mercy and compassion could lead to a profound conversion in various ways. In the context of initial and on-going FORMATION, conversion faces the challenge of changing habits. In our SPIRITUALITY, there might be a need for conversion to a new, more biblical image of God. LEADERSHIP requires conversion to taking responsibility seriously and to serving wholeheartedly. Talking about COMMUNITY, conversion is needed for what we have and do in common rather than what we merely do alone. And then in line with FINANCES, there is a need for conversion to transparency and solidarity.
Pope Francis writes: “How much I desire that the year to come will be steeped in mercy, so that we can go out to every man and woman, bringing the goodness and tenderness of God! May the balm of mercy reach everyone, both believers and those far away, as a sign that the Kingdom of God is already present in our midst!” (MV 5) Is this not an inspiring and genuine task of mission? Maybe this desire of Pope Francis can also become ours in the forthcoming years in our journey of spiritual renewal.
This article first appeared in Arnoldus Nota and is republished here with permission.
Photograph: The SVD Father-General, Fr Heinz Kuluke, is pictured during his previous assignment as a missionary to the Philippines, providing medical care for children and families.