As the Year of Mercy begins on the Solemnity of the
Immaculate Conception, December 8, with much anticipation it has been striking
my heart of the great gift of the Lord’s mercy. How beautiful it is that Jesus,
Mercy Incarnate, comes to us! He comes to each of us. To you and to me! He
reaches down as the Good Samaritan to pick us up.
One of my favorite meditations of the Good Samaritan is
written by Fr. Brian Bransfield where he identifies our Lord Jesus as the Good
Samaritan. He describes how He is reaching down from Heaven to Earth to heal
and bind our wounds, then carries us, and brings us to the inn of mercy
entrusting us to Holy Mother Church. At the end of this parable, Jesus asks who
the neighbor was and upon the teacher of the law proclaiming the mercy of the
Good Samaritan He says “Go, and do likewise.” Go forth and be merciful, you who
have first received mercy from Jesus! Espoused to Jesus I have been thinking
more deeply about how we as religious are the brides of Mercy, entrusted with
all those He brings to us to care for, to listen to, and to make the Lord’s
merciful love visible. During this Year of Mercy I invite you to ask the Lord
each day to send you those most in need of His mercy. May each encounter be an
opportunity to offer the gift of mercy, which Jesus longs to pour out to every
person. May you allow Jesus to heal you with His mercy, especially during this
Advent season, and may you hear His voice saying to you, “Go, and do likewise!”
- Sister M. Caterina, FSGM
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