The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy

Pope Francis has declared an Extraordinary Jubilee Year starting on Dec 8 2015, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and ending on Nov 20, 2016, the Feast of Christ the King, our namesake. The theme is mercy. Since Francis has become pope, he has very much focused on a compassionate, forgiving, merciful Church. He has change the emphasis from condemning to forgiving. Although he has not changed doctrine or rules, he has changed the approach of the Church to a more pastoral role, one where the care of the soul is more important than rigidly following rules. After all, we are all sinners and make mistakes. As Jesus says to the accusers of the adulterous woman in John 8:7 “Let the one who is without sin be the first to cast a stone.” But he also says to that same woman, “go and sin no more.” I think of another phrase that Jesus uses in Mark 14:38, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” We are all sinners and make mistakes. Because of that we have to rely on the mercy and forgiveness of God. One of my deaconate classmates who is Portuguese always said, “There is only one requirement to be a member of the Catholic Church – to be a sinner.”

I spent twenty-seven years in the military before I entered training to become a deacon. People often say that that seems like a big change in my life. My response is that both are similar in many ways. Both have their rules and regulations to follow, both have the hierarchy you have to deal with (including the higher authority), and both require discipline. So I tend to be a rule follower while at the same time pushing the edge of the rules, maybe in defiance of having to follow rules. Being a fighter pilot, you tend to live on the edge because that is what makes you better. I feel like I have a very strong sense of what is right and what is wrong. But I also have a huge grey area. I can almost always see both sides of a situation where someone has had a transgression. I don’t like to make judgments although I have to admit I probably make too many of them, especially where my family is concerned. There are many people I know whose lifestyles I don’t agree with, but we all have to deal with the consequences of our actions. Sometimes loving, compassionate concern will lead a person closer to God than judgmental admonishment.



Pope Francis has written an extensive document, “The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy,” where he states that the Church’s “very credibility is seen in how she shows merciful and compassionate love.” "Perhaps we have long since forgotten how to show and live the way of mercy," writes Francis. "The time has come for the Church to take up the joyful call to mercy once more." "Mercy is the force that reawakens us to new life and instills in us the courage to look to the future with hope." Francis outlines what everyone needs to make on their own pilgrimages. “The Lord asks us above all not to judge and not to condemn.” “If anyone wishes to avoid God’s judgment , he should not make himself the judge of his brother or sister.”

Francis also notes that Dec 8, 2015, the beginning of the Jubilee Year, marks the 50th anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council. He is obviously emphasizing the living out the year in a spiritual, grace-filled renewal in the spirit that the Second Vatican Council engendered. We look forward to the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. Let us never tire of asking of asking for forgiveness.

Peace,
Deacon Greg Beckel