Pope Francis began the Holy Year of Mercy on the
feast of Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He calls it a new
era, and he urges each of us to travel this path of mercy. We can all follow
the example of Jesus. He lived a very merciful life by healing the sick, giving
sight to the blind, and feeding the hungry. The Diocese of Scranton's Door of Mercy was opened by Bishop Joseph C. Bambera on Sunday, December 13, 2015 at the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Scranton at the 10 a.m. Mass.
The corporal
works of mercy:
-feed
the hungry
-give
drink to the thirsty
-clothe
the naked
-shelter
the homeless
-visit
the sick
-visit
those in prison
-bury
the dead
The
spiritual works of mercy:
-instruct
the ignorant
-counsel
the doubtful
-admonish
the sinner
-comfort
the sorrowful
-forgive
the injuries
-bear
wrongs patiently
-pray
for the living and the dead
Our
Sunday Visitor, the largest English-language Catholic publishing company in the
world, has come up with eight ways in which we can all become even more
merciful.
-Dare
to really care
-Don’t
judge
-Avoid
gossip
-Refuse
to retaliate
- Don’t
turn away
-Cultivate
little kindnesses
-Accept
mercy from others
-Pray
for mercy
We
pray this year of Mercy will allow all of us to become more merciful in our own
lives and bring God’s mercy to others.