Since our Holy Father, Pope
Francis, announced an Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, I have waited with
excited anticipation for its commencement. While I have jokingly quipped that
this celebration marks the commemoration of my nameday for an entire year, in
reality the anxious waiting has been due to the expectation of the graces the
Lord desires to bestow on us, his beloved.
Throughout this year we are invited
by our Holy Mother Church to receive mercy and forgiveness from the Lord, who
is Divine Mercy himself. Furthermore, since we are adopted sons and daughters
of God, we are asked to consider on how we ourselves bestow this same mercy to
others. But, I would like to propose a further reflection on this greatest
attribute of God.
In his proclamation on the Year of
Mercy, Pope Francis defined mercy as “the bridge that connects
God and man, opening our hearts to a hope of being loved forever despite our
sinfulness.” Divine Mercy reveals itself when God loves us. This, I suggest, is
the core of the Divine Mercy message. Therefore, this year is an opportunity
for us to enter into the Heart of Divine Mercy: knowing we are loved.
What does this Heart of Love reveal
to us if we are open to receive it? Our brokenness. Our wounds (from our own
sins or that of others). Our need for healing. Our poverty in prayer. Our
desire for true love. Our want for true happiness. Most of all, this Heart
shows us the love of the Father, who is waiting to embrace us and say, “You are
my beloved.”
As we enter through the Holy Doors
of Mercy throughout the world, may it symbolize for us a passage to the Heart
of Mercy, a running to the arms of the Father. Here at St. Pius X Catholic
Church (Rock Island, IL), we are blessed to be a designated place of such a
pilgrimage. Flanked by two of my favorite saints, Pope Saint John Paul II and
Saint Faustina, I hope that I may be reminded, among many other things, why I
ultimately took my name: because I am loved. I am chosen. I am forgiven. I am
worthy of healing and mercy.
- Sister M. Clementia, FSGM
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