Pope Francis Calls Us to the Year of Mercy

Rome, Italy – Today, on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the Jubilee Year of Mercy begins!

“I have decided to announce an Extraordinary Jubilee which has at its centre the mercy of God. It will be a Holy Year of Mercy. We want to live in the light of the word of the Lord: “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (cf. Lk 6:36). And this especially applies to confessors! So much mercy!

This Holy Year will commence on the next Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and will conclude on Sunday, 20 November 2016, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe and living face of the Father’s mercy.” – Pope Francis

From Superior General Brother Robert Schieler, FSC – Generalate, Rome

My dear Brothers, Lasallians, students, former students and parents,

Greetings from your Motherhouse.

On December 8^th we will celebrate a significant event here in Rome. On that day, Pope Francis will inaugurate the Special Jubilee Year of Mercy and he will open the Holy Door at Saint Peter’s Basilica. By this act, Pope Francis says, that door will become “a door of mercy through which anyone who enters will experience the love of God who consoles, pardons, and instills hope.”

The Special Jubilee Year of Mercy brings us back to the fundamental truths of our faith we learned as children; namely, to practice the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. We should take this opportunity to recall the corporal works: to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, heal the sick, visit the imprisoned and bury the dead. They go hand in hand with the spiritual works: to counsel the doubtful, instruct the ignorant, admonish sinners, comfort the afflicted, forgive offenses, bear patiently those who do us ill, and pray for the living and the dead.

As Lasallian, Brothers and Partners, we are Ministers of God and Ambassadors of Jesus Christ and, as such, it is our duty to be instruments of mercy. The corporal works of mercy are at the heart of the Christian life. When we engage in our respective ministries, when we as teachers and students participate in community service and outreach programs, when we advocate for justice for the poor and the oppressed, when we visit the sick and welcome the stranger and the refugee, we manifest God’s loving mercy.

For the full letter click here >

For Your Reflection

In our newly revised Rule we say that “school curricula are marked by their concern for the promotion of justice and peace, and the integrity of creation” (Rule 17.1). How can we ensure that our educational centers become a powerful instrument of showing mercy and compassion to our neighbor, and, at the same time, challenge the unjust structures and policies that dehumanize the poor, migrants, and youth?
In our own Gospel journeys, which character do we identify with in the Parable of the Good Samaritan? What invitations do we hear from the Lord? What conversion is required of us and our Lasallian communities? Saint John Baptist de La Salle wrote that, “God expects you to touch hearts” (Med. 193.3). As you meditate on the Parable of the Good Samaritan, what kind of Gospel adventure do you find yourself called to in order to touch hearts?

We invite you as Lasallians in our educational mission to learn more about the Year of Mercy, and consider prayerful action over this coming year!