How will you celebrate the Jubilee?
Pope Francis asks each one of us to celebrate by showing to others the mercy that God constantly extends to all of us. Here are a few things that you can do:
~ Contemplate Mercy
The motto for the Jubilee Year will be “Merciful like the Father.” By contemplating mercy, we begin to see how God gives himself to us and asks nothing in return. Because we are touched by God’s mercy, we can be merciful towards others.
~ Don’t Judge or Condemn
No one can look into another person’s soul. We see only what happens on the surface. Refraining from judgment and condemnation is an act of mercy, because it allows us to accept the good in every person and spare that person suffering caused by our negative attitudes.
~ Forgive
Jesus asks us to forgive others in the same way that we have received forgiveness from God. When we forgive, we release the poison of resentment that builds up inside of us. Forgiveness is an act of mercy for ourselves as well as for the person who hurt us.
~ Listen to God’s Word
To become more merciful, we must listen to the Word of God in Scripture and meditate on the message of God’s mercy. As we grow in our understanding of mercy, we can better incorporate mercy into our lives.
~ Go on a Pilgrimage
Pope Francis hopes that we will make a pilgrimage to a Holy Door in Rome or in our diocese where we can receive special graces granted during the Jubilee Year.
~ Recognize the Need for Mercy
During this year, we are called to recognize human misery in our world and reach out to those in need of mercy. We must find ways to heal wounds, break down barriers of indifference, offer friendship and restore human dignity.
~ Practice the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy
We practice the corporal works of mercy when we feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, heal the sick, visit the imprisoned and bury the dead. We practice the spiritual works of mercy when we counsel the doubtful, comfort the afflicted, forgive offenses, bear patiently all those who do us ill and pray for the living and the dead.
~ Change Our Hearts
The ultimate goal is to help us change our hearts so we can become conduits of mercy.
~ taken from Our Sunday Visito