Towards a New Imagination of Mercy
What is the new imagination of mercy? The term new imagination of mercy comes from the Apostolic Letter of Saint John Paul II - Novo Millennio Ineunte, issued at the end of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000. At the end of this document, the Holy Father invites all the faithful of the Church to show mercy in accordance with Christ's command. In his Gospel, Saint Matthew presents the image of the last judgment in the context of Jesus' question about the testimony of mercy towards God, who in our neighbors was hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, a stranger or a prisoner (cf. Mt 25: 35-36).
Evangelical mercy is still in force, even more, because the spectrum of poverty expands endlessly if we add to its old forms new ones, often also affecting groups of materially rich people, who are also threatened by despair arising from the sense of meaninglessness of life, the danger of drug addiction, abandonment in old age and illness, social degradation or discrimination. Faced with this situation, the Christians must learn to express their faith in Christ by reading the hidden call that he addresses to them from the world of poverty.
In the Apostolic Letter “Novo Millennio Ineunte”, the Holy Father wrote: In our own time, there are so many needs which demand a compassionate response from Christians. Our world is entering the new millennium burdened by the contradictions of an economic, cultural and technological progress which offers immense possibilities to a fortunate few, while leaving millions of others not only on the margins of progress but in living conditions far below the minimum demanded by human dignity. How can it be that even today there are still people dying of hunger? Condemned to illiteracy? Lacking the most basic medical care? Without a roof over their heads? The scenario of poverty can extend indefinitely, if in addition to its traditional forms we think of its newer patterns. These latter often affect financially affluent sectors and groups which are nevertheless threatened by despair at the lack of meaning in their lives, by drug addiction, by fear of abandonment in old age or sickness, by marginalization or social discrimination. (nr 50).
Today we need a new imagination of mercy. The Holy Father referred to this message in his homily on August 18, 2002 in Kraków:"Man attains to the merciful love of God, his mercy, to the extent that he himself is interiorly transformed in the spirit of that love towards his neighbor" (Dives in misericordia, No. 14). On this path, may we rediscover ever more profoundly the mystery of Divine Mercy and live it in our daily lives! […] What is needed today is — as I called it in my Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte — "a new ‘creativity’ in charity" (No. 50). […] May the message of God’s mercy be reflected always in works of human mercy! […] This "creativity in charity" is needed to provide material and spiritual assistance to neglected children; to refrain from turning one’s back on the boy or girl who have gotten lost in the world of addiction or crime; to give advice, consolation, spiritual support to those engaged in an internal struggle with evil. May this "creativity" never be lacking when a needy person pleads: "Give us this day our daily bread!". Thanks to brotherly love, this bread will not be lacking. "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy" (Mt 5:7).” (Homily, Krakow, 2002, Nr. 8)
Therefore, we have been obliged to proclaim God's Mercy with a passionate word and the practice of mercy. Mercy should appear first in the imagination and in the heart because what passes through the human imagination, what lives in it, affects the heart, thinking, attitudes and choices. The new imagination of mercy is a new, evangelical outlook on ourselves and those around us. Encouraging us to follow God in His mercy and to shape such an attitude in relationships between people, Saint John Paul II pointed out with particular emphasis on the most important contemporary signs of the times that need to be noticed and taking appropriate solutions for the good of the community and every citizen.
Shaping a new imagination of mercy is life-long awareness of the material and spiritual needs of our neighbors, both close and distant. It should draw from the wisdom revealed in Sacred Scripture, especially in Christ's Gospel, the teaching of the Church and the message of Faustina, handed over to her by Christ, and included in the Diary. A very important element of the new imagination of mercy is the importance of the social teaching of the Church, which is a tool of evangelization in building the community on the foundation of justice, merciful love and peace. It is essential that the exploration of God's Mercy shape our relations to others in need. We should therefore act in such a way that the poor feel at home in every Christian community. The mercy of words should therefore be constantly confirmed by the mercy of deeds.
From the very beginning of her existence, the Church taught the faithful to be sensitive to the needs of their neighbors and tried to help the poor in a communal way. Hospitals, nurseries for the elderly, orphanages, shelters for the homeless, Lenten alms, are just some examples of charity work that fulfilled Christ's commandment of love. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we find a catalog of the soul and corporal works of mercy that Christians undertake to help others. Therefore, one must " feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, visit the imprisoned, or ransom the captive, bury the dead."
Nowadays, in the face of new kinds of material and spiritual poverty, this is not enough. To the catalog of old poverty, modernity adds the new: unemployment, homelessness, social rejection, addictions, lack of meaning and joy in life, new diseases, contempt for old age and physical weakness. We must look for new forms of helping the lost, helpless, rejected, misunderstood, losers, and strangers.
A new imagination of mercy is needed. Its essence is not so much what we can offer, what to share with the needy, what to devote to them but our affectionate look on them and our being with them. It is about the inner dimension of the gesture of mercy. What is its essence? The love with which we are ready to serve others. Only when a Christian's heart is filled with love for God and gratitude for His gifts and with love to our neighbor, created in God's image and being a child of God, only then we can speak of Christian mercy. It is not simply philanthropy, a gesture of pity for the poor, but a sign of brotherhood and love in Christ. The new imagination of mercy allows every human being, especially a poor one to be seen as our neighbor. It helps to provided assistance which will become a gesture of mutual gift.
Until Tomorrow
fr. george
Novena to St. Joseph - Day Seven - St. Joseph, Pure of Heart
Dear St. Joseph,
I said I want to be a saint, and saints need to be pure not only of body but of soul. Regarding purity of body, St. Joseph, guard me, protect me, and defend me from temptations against purity. I rely on you, St. Joseph. Do not let me fall. Do not let my eyes or thoughts wander. If they do, please bring them back to Jesus. I trust in you, St. Joseph. You lived purely with Mary in the midst of her beauty. Help me to see the beauty of others with your own pure vision. If I fall, help me to find God's mercy and free me from any bondage to such sin. Regarding purity of intentions, help me do everything not to please myself or others but to please God alone. Give me this grace as my dear spiritual father. I trust in you, St. Joseph.
Saint Joseph, Pure of Heart, please lend me your own purity of heart.