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God’s Name is Mercy

GOD’S NAME IS MERCY

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CONTENTS PAGE God’s Name is Mercy............................................... Pope Francis......................................1 The Infinite Goodness of God ............................... Fr. Martin Barta..................................2 The Joy of God........................................................... Pope Francis......................................4 Gospel of St. Luke Chapter 15..........................................................................................6 The Parable of the Prodigal Son .......................... Pope Benedict XVI............................8 The Parable of the Lost Sheep.............................. Pope Benedict XVI......................... 10 The Mercy of God is a concrete reality............... Pope Francis................................... 12 The Mission of Jesus................................................ Pope Francis................................... 13 The Works of Mercy

........................................... Pope Francis................................... 14

Suffering and the Mystery of being Human....... Pope Benedict XVI......................... 15 Mercy is the foundation of the Church’s life....... Pope Francis................................... 16 In Syria hoping like Job...................................................................................................... 18 Staying despite Everything in Sudan and Burundi.................................................... 20 Be Merciful .................................................................. Pope Francis................................... 22 A Mother forgives her Son’s Killer......................... A Daily Mail reporter....................... 24 Justice and Mercy..................................................... Pope Francis................................... 26 The Mystery of Forgiveness.................................... Pastor Richard Wurmbrand.......... 30 Prodigal Sons and Daughters................................ Johannes Freiherr Heereman........ 32 Editor: Jürgen Liminski. Publisher: Kirche in Not / Ostpriesterhilfe, Postfach 1209, 61452 Königstein, Germany.

De licentia competentis auctoritatis ecclesiasticae. Printed in Ireland - ISSN 0252-2535. www.acn-intl.org

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GOD’S NAME IS MERCY

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Dear Friends,

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esus Christ is the face of the Father’s mercy. These words might well sum up the mystery of the Christian faith. Mercy has become living and visible in Jesus of Nazareth, reaching its culmination in him.

The Father, ‘rich in mercy’2, after having revealed His name to Moses as ‘a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness’3, has never ceased to show, in various ways throughout history, His divine nature.

In the ‘fullness of time’4, when everything had been arranged according to His plan of salvation, He sent His only Son into the world, born of the Virgin Mary, to reveal His love for us in a definitive way. Whoever sees Jesus sees the Father5. Jesus of Nazareth,

by His words, His actions, and His entire person6 reveals the mercy of God. We need constantly to contemplate the mystery of mercy. It is a wellspring of joy, serenity, and peace. Our salvation depends on it.

In Christ

Pope Francis

A chairde, lease remember in your daily prayers the many millions of refugees and displaced peoples around the world who continue to suffer miserably as they flee the brutality of war, exploitation, profiteering and abuse of power.

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Your prayers are needed and God is waiting to hear from you and He will bless you for them.

Beir Beannacht

J F Declan Quinn Director, Aid to the Church in Need (Ire)

YEAR OF MERCY

8th December 2015 - 20th November 2016

1 Extracted from Pope Francis ‘Misericordiae Vultus’ Paragraphs 1 and 2.

2 Eph 2:4 3 Ex 34:6 4 Gal 4:4 5 Gal 4:4 6 Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation Dei Verbum, 4

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GOD’S NAME IS MERCY

THE INFINITE GOODNESS OF GOD Dear Friends, n December 8, 2015 – the feast of the Immaculate Conception – exactly 50 years after the end of the Second Vatican Council, the Church will enter through the symbolic Holy Door in Saint Peter’s into the Extraordinary Year of Mercy. However, for millions of refugees the door to a better future in their own homeland appears to be firmly closed.

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doors of Paradise and cried out in a loud voice, ‘I want to come home!’

But it was only the Second Eve, she who was without spot or stain and full of grace, the Immaculata, who was permitted to open the door of Paradise from within.

For a growing number of people the basics ur Lady was homeless in Beththey need for a truly dignified human life lehem, bore the Divine Child in a seem to be beyond their reach. In countstable and laid Him in a manger, less ways the dignity of so many people and then had to flee has been tarnished and with Joseph and the ensnared by sin. The Child to Egypt. ThereOur every deed must dignity of the human fore it is she who, as person, that was so bear witness to the our Mother, has the insistently called for by infinite goodness of God! privilege of bringing the Second Vatican us home.

Council, is imperilled today. Man has become a stranger to himself. But God Today, millions of people are fleeing the still waits for him to come to his senses and brutality of war, profit and power. They are searching for a place where they can live return home. in peace. There is a great wave of solidarity here, in God’s merciful gaze, he in many countries. Yet without the help of will once more find his true dignity the Immaculata, their exile will never end. and peace. An old legend tells how In her, God’s mercy has been given withAdam, grown old and grey at the end of out measure.

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his long life, was seized by a deep homesickness. He set out on the road to the lost Paradise. On arriving there, with his last remaining strength he rattled on the closed

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For it is not simply a matter of being kindhearted and showing solidarity, as though to say: ‘As long as everyone is happy...’ We

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don’t need a God of mercy for that. The reason we need the unfathomable mercy of God is that otherwise we will be living beneath our dignity and so will be putting our true happiness at risk. The mercy of God insists unwaveringly on the true nobility of man. That is why the French philosopher Emmanuel Levinas writes: ‘God does not shower material goods upon us, but urges us to goodness, which is better than all the material goods we can receive.’ ear Friends, God has become Man. And so every one of our deeds must bear witness to this infinite goodness of God. As Jesus said to Saint Faustina,

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‘Announce, my daughter, that I am all Love and Mercy. The soul who approaches Me with confidence will be filled with such an abundance of graces that he will be unable to contain them within himself but will radiate them to other souls.’

A blessed Christmas feast and a joyful New Year in 2016 to you all.

Father Martin M. Barta, Spiritual Assistant

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THE JOY OF GOOD -

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hapter 15 of the Gospel of Luke contains three parables of mercy: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and then the longest of them, characteristic of St Luke, the parable of the father of two sons, the ‘prodigal’ son and the son who believes he is ‘righteous’, who believes he is saintly.

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The whole Gospel, all of Christianity, is here.

Mercy is the true force that can save man and the world from the ‘cancer’ that is sin, moral evil, spiritual evil. Only love fills the void, the negative chasms that evil opens in hearts and in history. Only love can do this, and this is God’s joy.

All three of these parables speak of the joy of God. God is joyful. This is interesting: God is joyful! And what is the joy of God?

esus is all mercy, Jesus is all love: He is God made man. Each of us, each one of us, is that little lost lamb, the coin that was mislaid; each one of us is that son who has squandered his freedom on false idols, illusions of happiness, and has lost everything.

The joy of God is forgiving. The joy of a shepherd who finds his little lamb; the joy of a woman who finds her coin; it is the joy of a father welcoming home the son who was lost, who was as though dead and has come back to life, who has come home.

7 St Peter’s Square, Sunday 15 September 2013.

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But God does not forget us, the Father never abandons us. He is a patient father, always waiting for us. He respects our freedom, but He remains faithful forever.

And when we come back to Him, He

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welcomes us like children into His house, for He never ceases, not for one instant, to wait for us with love. And His heart rejoices over every child who returns. He is celebrating because He is joy. God has this joy, when one of us sinners goes to Him and asks His forgiveness.

What is the danger? It is that we presume we are righteous and judge others. We also judge God, because we think that He should punish sinners, condemn them to death, instead of forgiving. So ‘yes’ then we risk staying outside the Father’s house.

Like the older brother in the parable, who rather than being content that his brother has returned, grows angry with the father who welcomes him and celebrates.

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f in our heart there is no mercy, no joy of forgiveness, we are not in communion with God, even if we observe all of his precepts, for it is love that saves, not the practice of precepts alone. It is love of God and neighbour that brings fulfilment to all the Commandments. And this is the love of God, his joy: forgiveness. He waits for us always! Maybe someone has some heaviness in his heart: ‘But, I did this, I did that...’ He expects you. He is your father: He waits for you always!

save ourselves and save the world. In reality, only the justice of God can save us. And the justice of God is revealed in the Cross: the Cross is the judgement of God on us all and on this world.

But how does God judge us? By giving His life for us. Here is the supreme act of justice that defeated the prince of this world once and for all; and this supreme act of justice is the supreme act of mercy. Jesus calls us all to follow this path: ‘Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful’ (Lk 6:36).

I now ask of you one thing. In silence, let’s all think... everyone think of a person with whom we are annoyed, with whom we are angry, someone we do not like. Let us think of that person and in silence, at this moment, let us pray for this person and let us become merciful with this person.

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If we live according to the law ‘an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth’, we will never escape from the spiral of evil. The evil one is clever, and deludes us into thinking that with our human justice we can 5

GOD’S NAME IS MERCY

GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE CHAPTER 15

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The Parable of the Lost Sheep Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him.2 And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’

So he told them this parable: 4 ‘Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.” 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance’.

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The Parable of the Lost Coin “Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9 When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbours, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ 10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

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The Parable of the Prodigal and His Brother Then Jesus said, ‘There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.” So he divided his property between them. 13 A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and travelled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. 14 When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need.

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So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. 16 He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. 17 But when he came to himself he said, “How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.’”

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So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him.

21 Then the son said to him, “Father, I have 20

8 New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE).

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sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.”22 But the father said to his slaves, “Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a r i n g on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24 for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!” And they began to celebrate.

‘Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. 27 He replied, “Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.” 28 Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. 29 But he answered his father, “Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends.

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But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!” 31 Then the father said to him, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.

32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.”’

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A REFLECTION ON THE PARABLE OF THE PRODIGAL SON - POPE BENEDICT XVI 9

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all time.

his passage from St. Luke (15:1132). constitutes a meeting point of the spirituality and the literature of

In fact, what would our culture, art, and more generally, our civilisation be without this revelation of a God who is a Father full of mercy? It does not cease to move us and every time that we hear it or read it is always able to suggest new meanings to us.

Above all, this evangelical text has the power to speak to us of God, to make us know his face, better yet, his heart.

After Jesus has told us about the merciful Father, things are not as they were before.

9 St Peter’s Square, 14 March 2010.

Now we know God: he is our Father, who out of love created us free and endowed with conscience, who suffers when we are lost and celebrates when we return. Because of this, the relationship with him is built through a story that is analogous to what happens to every child with their parents: At the beginning the child depends on them; then he asserts his own autonomy; and in the end — if there is a positive development — he arrives at a mature relationship based on reconciliation and authentic love.

In these stages we can also read moments of man’s journey in his relationship with God. There can be a phase that is like childhood: a religion moved by need, by dependency.

Little by little as man grows and emancipates himself, he wants to liberate himself from this submission and become free, adult, able to rule himself and make his own decisions in an autonomous way, thinking he can do without God. ortunately, God does not dispense with his fidelity and, even if we distance ourselves from him and are lost, he continues to follow us with his love, forgiving our mistakes and speaking within us to our conscience to recall us to himself. In the parable, the two sons behave in opposite ways: The younger one leaves and falls further and further, while the other one remains at home, but he too has an immature relationship with the Father;

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Available online at acnireland.org

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in fact, when the younger brother returns, the older one is not happy like the Father, but becomes angry and does not want to enter the house. The two sons represent two immature ways to relate to God: rebellion and infantile obedience. oth of these immature ways of relating to God are overcome by the experience of mercy. Only through experiencing forgiveness, recognising ourselves as loved by a gratuitous love — that is greater than our misery, but also greater than our justice — we finally enter into a truly filial and free relationship with God.

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Dear Friends, let us meditate on this parable. Let us see ourselves in the two sons, and above all let us contemplate the heart of the Father. Let us throw ourselves into his arms and let ourselves be regener• ated by his merciful love.

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A REFLECTION ON THE PARABLE OF THE LOST SHEEP - POPE BENEDICT XVI 10

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he Word of God with the parable of the Lost Sheep presents us once again with a fundamental, ever fascinating theme of the Bible; it reminds us that God is the Shepherd of humanity. This means that God wants life for us, He wants to guide us to good pastures where we can be nourished and rest. He does not want us to be lost and to perish, but to reach the destination of our journey which is the fullness of life itself. This is what every father and mother desires for their children: their good, their happiness and their fulfilment.

In Luke’s Gospel Jesus presents himself as the Shepherd of the lost sheep of the House of Israel. He beholds the people, so to speak, with a ‘pastoral’ gaze. For example, the Gospel says: As he disembarked, ‘He

saw a great throng, and He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things’ (Mk 6:34). Jesus embodies God the Shepherd with His manner of preaching and His works, caring for the sick and sinners, for those who are ‘lost’ (cf. Lk 19:10), in order to bring them back to safety through the Father’s mercy. mong the ‘lost sheep’ that Jesus rescued there was also a woman called Mary, a native of the village of Magdala on the Sea of Galilee, who for this reason was known as ‘Magdalene’.

Luke the Evangelist says that Jesus cast out seven demons from her (cf. Lk 8:2), that is, He saved her from total enslavement to the Evil One.

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In what does this profound healing which God works through Jesus consist? It consists in true, complete peace, brought about by the inner reconciliation of the person, as well as in every other relationship: with God, with other people and with the world.

Indeed, the Evil One always seeks to spoil God’s work, sowing division in the human heart, between body and soul, between the individual and God, in interpersonal, social and international relations, 10 Castel Gandolfo Sunday, 22 July 2012.

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as well as between human beings and creation.

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he Evil One sows discord; God creates peace. Indeed, as St Paul says, Christ is our peace, he who made us both one and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh (cf. Eph 2:14).

In order to carry out this work of radical reconciliation Jesus the Good Shepherd had to become a Lamb, ‘the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world’ (Jn 1:29). Only in this way could he keep the marvellous promise of the Psalm: ‘Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me / all the days of my life; / and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord / for ever’ (Ps 23[22]:6). ear friends, these words make our heart beat fast for they express our deepest desire, they say what we are made for: life, eternal life!

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These are the words of those who, like Mary Magdalene, have experienced God in their life and know his peace.

They are words truer than ever on the lips of the Virgin Mary, who already lives for eternity in the pastures of Heaven where the Shepherd-Lamb led her.

Mary, Mother of Christ our peace, pray for us!

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THE MERCY OF GOD IS A REALITY -

POPE FRANCIS 11

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t is proper to God to exercise mercy, and He manifests His omnipotence particularly in this way’.12 Saint Thomas Aquinas’ words show that God’s mercy, rather than a sign of weakness, is the mark of His omnipotence. For this reason the liturgy, in one of its most ancient collects, has us pray: ‘O God, who reveal your power above all in your mercy and forgiveness…’13 Throughout the history of humanity, God will always be the One who is present, close, provident, holy, and merciful.

‘Patient and merciful.’ These words often go together in the Old Testament to describe God’s nature. His being merciful is concretely demonstrated in His many actions throughout the history of salvation where His goodness prevails over punishment and destruction.

In a special way the Psalms bring to the fore the grandeur of His merciful action: ‘He forgives all your iniquity, He heals all your diseases, He redeems your life from the pit, He crowns you with steadfast love and mercy’.14

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nother psalm, in an even more explicit way, attests to the concrete signs of His mercy: ‘He executes justice for the oppressed; He gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.

The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the sojourners, He upholds the widow and the fatherless; but the way of the wicked He brings to ruin.’ 15 Here are some other expressions of the Psalmist: ‘He heals the broken-hearted, and binds up their wounds… The Lord lifts up the downtrodden; He casts the wicked to the ground.’ 16 In short, the mercy of God is not an abstract idea, but a concrete reality with which he reveals His love as of that of a father or a mother, moved to the very depths out of love for their child. It is hardly an exaggeration to say that this is a ‘visceral’ love. It gushes forth from the depths naturally, full of tenderness and compassion, indulgence and mercy.

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11 Pope Francis ‘Misericordia Vultus’ Paragraph 6.

12 Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, II-II, q. 30. a. 4.

13 XXVI Sunday in Ordinary Time. This Collect already appears in the eighth century among the euchological texts of the Gelasian Sacramentary (1198).

14 Ps 103:3-4 15 Ps 146:7-9 16 Ps 147:3, 6

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THE MISSION OF JESUS -

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he mission Jesus received from the Father was that of revealing the mystery of divine love in its fullness.

‘God is love’18, John affirms for the first and only time in all of Holy Scripture. This love has now been made visible and tangible in Jesus’ entire life. His person is nothing but love, a love given gratuitously. The relationships He forms with the people who approach Him manifest something entirely unique and unrepeatable.

The signs He works, especially in favour of sinners, the poor, the marginalised, the sick, and the suffering, are all meant to teach mercy. Everything in Him speaks of mercy.

Nothing in him is devoid of compassion.

Jesus, seeing the crowds of people who followed Him, realised that they were tired and exhausted, lost and without a guide, and He felt deep compassion for them. 19 On the basis of this compassionate love He healed the sick who were presented to Him20, and with just a few loaves of bread and fish He satisfied the enormous crowd.21 What moved Jesus in all of these situations was nothing other than mercy, with which He read the hearts of those He encountered and responded to their deepest need.

When He came upon the widow of Nain taking her son out for burial, He felt great compassion for the immense suffering of this grieving mother, and He gave back her son by raising him from the dead. 22 After freeing the demoniac in the country of the Gerasenes, Jesus entrusted him with this mission: ‘Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how He has had mercy on you’.23 he calling of Matthew is also presented within the context of mercy. Passing by the tax collector’s booth, Jesus looked intently at Matthew. It was a look full of mercy that forgave the sins of that man, a sinner and a tax collector, whom Jesus chose – against the hesitation of the disciples – to become one of the Twelve.

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Saint Bede the Venerable, commenting on this Gospel passage, wrote that Jesus looked upon Matthew with merciful love and chose him: miserando atque eligendo (by having mercy and by choosing). This expression impressed me so much that • I chose it for my episcopal motto.

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Extracted from Pope Francis ‘Misericordia Vultus’ Paragraph 8 1 Jn 4:8,16 19 cf. Mt 9:36 20 cf. Mt 14:14 cf. Mt 15:37 22 cf. Lk 7:15 23 Mk 5:19 cf. Homily 22: CCL, 122, 149-151

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THE WORKS OF MERCY -

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esus introduces us to the Works of mercy in His preaching so that we can know whether or not we are living as His disciples. Let us rediscover these corporal works of mercy: • • • • • • •

feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, heal the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead.

And let us not forget the spiritual works of mercy: to • • • • • • •

counsel the doubtful, instruct the ignorant, admonish sinners, comfort the afflicted, forgive offences, bear patiently those who do us ill, and pray for the living and the dead.

We cannot escape the Lord’s words to us, and they will serve as the criteria upon which we will be judged: whether we have • • • • •

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fed the hungry and given drink to the thirsty, welcomed the stranger and clothed the naked, or spent time with the sick and those in prison. 26

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Moreover, we will be asked • if we have helped others to escape the doubt that causes them to fall into despair and which is often a source of loneliness; • if we have helped to overcome the ignorance in which millions of people live, especially children deprived of the necessary means to free them from the bonds of poverty; • if we have been close to the lonely and afflicted; • if we have forgiven those who have offended us and have rejected all forms of anger and hate that lead to violence; • if we have had the kind of patience God shows, who is so patient with us; and • if we have commended our brothers and sisters to the Lord in prayer. n each of these ‘little ones’, Christ himself is present. His flesh becomes visible in the flesh of the tortured, the crushed, the scourged, the malnourished, and the exiled… to be acknowledged, touched, and cared for by us.

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Let us not forget the words of Saint John of the Cross: ‘as we prepare to leave this life, we will be judged on the basis of love’. 27 • 25 Edited and extracted from Pope Francis Misericordia Vultus paragraph 15 26 cf. Mt 25:31-45 27 Words of Light and Love, 57.

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SUFFERING AND THE MYSTERY OF BEING HUMAN - POPE BENEDICT XVI 28

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oday what people have in view is eliminating suffering from the world.

For the individual, that means avoiding pain and suffering in whatever way.

Yet we must also see that it is in this very way that the world becomes very hard and very cold. Pain is part of being human.

Anyone who really wanted to get rid of suffering would have to get rid of love before anything else, because there can be no love without suffering, because it always demands an element of self-sacrifice, because, given temperamental differences and the drama of situations, it will always bring with it renunciation and pain.

Love itself is a passion, something we endure. In love we experience first a happiness, a general feeling of happiness. Yet at the same time, we are taken out of our comfortable tranquillity and have to let ourselves be reshaped.

If we say that suffering is the inner side of love, we then also understand • why it is so important to learn how to suffer–and • why the avoidance of suffering renders • someone unfit to cope with life.

When we know that the way of love – this exodus, this going out of oneself – is the true way by which man becomes human, then we also understand that suffering is the process through which we mature.

• Anyone who has inwardly accepted suffering becomes more mature and more understanding of others, becomes more human.

• Anyone who has consistently avoided suffering does not understand other people; he becomes hard and selfish.

28 An excerpt from God and the World: A Conversation with Peter Seewald (Ignatius Press, 2002), by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, pages 332-36, 333.

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MERCY IS THE VERY FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH’S LIFE - POPE FRANCIS 29

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ercy is the very foundation of the Church’s life. All of her pastoral activity should be caught up in the tenderness she makes present to believers; nothing in her preaching and in her witness to the world can be lacking in mercy. The Church’s very credibility is seen in how she shows merciful and compassionate love.

The Church ‘has an endless desire to show mercy’.30 Perhaps we have long since forgotten how to show and live the way of mercy. The temptation, on the one hand, to focus exclusively on justice made us forget that this is only the first, albeit necessary and indispensable step. But the Church needs to go beyond and strive for a higher and more important goal.

On the other hand, sad to say, we must admit that the practice of mercy is waning in the wider culture. In some cases the word seems to have dropped out of use.

However, without a witness to mercy, life becomes fruitless and sterile, as if sequestered in a barren desert.

The time has come for the Church to take up the joyful call to mercy once more. It is time to return to the basics and to bear the weaknesses and struggles of our brothers and sisters. Mercy is the force that reawakens us to new life and instils in us the courage to look to the future with hope. ere let us not forget the great teaching offered by Saint John Paul II in his second Encyclical, Dives in Misericordia, which at the time came unexpectedly, its theme catching many by surprise. There are two passages in particular to which I would like to draw attention.

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First, Saint John Paul II highlighted the fact that we had forgotten the theme of mercy in today’s cultural milieu: ‘The present-day mentality, more perhaps than that of people in the past, seems opposed to a God of mercy, and in fact tends to exclude from life and to remove from the human heart the very idea of mercy.

29 Extracted from Pope Francis ‘Misercordia Vultus’ Paragraphs 10 and 11 30 Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 24.

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The word and the concept of “mercy” seem to cause uneasiness in man, who, thanks to the enormous development of science and technology, never before known in history, has become the master of the earth and has subdued and dominated it. 31 This dominion over the earth, sometimes understood in a one-sided and superficial way, seems to have no room for mercy…

And this is why, in the situation of the Church and the world today, many individuals and groups guided by a lively sense of faith are turning, I would say almost spontaneously, to the mercy of God’. 32 urthermore, Saint John Paul II pushed for a more urgent proclamation and witness to mercy in the contemporary world: ‘It is dictated by love for man, for all that is human and which, according to the intuitions of many of our contemporaries, is threatened by an immense danger. The mystery of Christ… obliges me to proclaim mercy as God’s merciful love, revealed in that same mystery of Christ. It likewise obliges me to have recourse to that mercy and to beg for it at this difficult, critical phase of the history of the Church and of the world’. 33 ... 34

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n the present day, as the Church is charged with the task of the new evangelisation, the theme of mercy needs to be proposed again and again with new enthusiasm and renewed pastoral action. It is absolutely essential for the Church and for the credibility of her message that she herself live and testify to mercy. Her language and her gestures must transmit mercy, so as to touch the hearts of all people and inspire them once more to find the road that leads to the Father.

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The Church’s first truth is the love of Christ.

The Church makes herself a servant of this love and mediates it to all people: a love that forgives and expresses itself in the gift of oneself. Consequently, wherever the Church is present, the mercy of the Father must be evident. …Wherever there are Christians, everyone should find an oasis of mercy.

•

The Church is commissioned to announce the mercy of God, the beating heart of the Gospel, which in its own way must penetrate the heart and mind of every person.

The Spouse of Christ must pattern her behaviour after the Son of God who went out to everyone without exception.

31 cf. Gen 1:28 32 No. 2.

33 Saint John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Dives in Misericordia, 15.

34 Ibid, 13

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IN SYRIA HOPING, LIKE JOB

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t the moment, things remain quiet in Latakia. Here, in this Maronite diocese in northwest Syria, the war has not yet intruded into their everyday lives.

That is why most of the Christians have fled here – into the welcoming arms of Bishop Antoine Chbeir.

He became Bishop of Latakia just six months ago. On the border of his new diocese the war is still raging. Every day more refugees arrive, both Christians and Muslims. With a population of over 50,000 faithful it is the largest Maronite diocese in the country.

In Damascus there are just 3,000, and in Aleppo 1,000 Catholics of this Eastern Church, which has always been in full

His church is still standing, but that’s about all. Bishop Antoine.

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communion with Rome. Yet despite all the problems, Bishop Antoine remains hopeful.

He did his doctoral thesis on Job, the ‘man of suffering’ who loses everything, yet through his humility and trust in God has everything restored to him again. ‘The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord’, says Job in the face of his trials. ishop Antoine could give lectures about the meaning of suffering. But he prefers to convey this meaning in a direct and human manner. He prays together with the faithful; and he visits them in the war-torn regions on the edge of the diocese, in Homs and in Hama, where Islamists made a point of shooting at every cross they saw. In many of the churches

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An army of love in Latakia: Bishop Antoine and his priests are counting on your Mass offerings.

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they do not have even the barest essentials – chalices, a crucifix, liturgical vestments…

‘I was 13 years old when the war in Lebanon began. Ever since then I have been familiar with the uncertainty and insecurity of daily life – whether there was anything to eat, or whether there were snipers hiding on the rooftops, whether a car bomb would go off or a government would fall.’ e later moved from the relative security of his village in Lebanon to the town of Tartus. Living in the midst of the refugees’ misery, he still seeks God, just like Job. ‘From this economic and human catastrophe God will draw a spiritual treasure’, he says, adding that, even on weekdays, his cathedral is full; on Sundays people can barely find a place.

‘The people are constantly praying, both before and after Holy Mass; mostly the Rosary’, he tells us. They pray for peace and for help to be able to stay on in their own country.

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Bishop Antoine’s first concern is for his priests and for the refugees. In many parishes, he tells us, the priests ‘have neither money nor even a roof over their heads. Often not even a bed or a bathroom’. As for the refugees, they need bread and clothing. ‘Hungry stomachs have no ears’, he says, quoting a well-known Syrian proverb.

The small allowance of €140 a month that he tries to give his priests is not enough

from them to both live on and support the parishes. And he can only rarely afford to give them this much. Six of his 32 priests are sick or elderly; the income of the diocese covers just 2% of the costs. The people in his parishes generally have to manage on just €2 a day. They have nothing to spare for their priests. It is an impossible situation – just like in the Book of Job. ut Bishop Antoine is counting on God’s Mercy, counting on the Eucharist. He has asked us for Mass offerings. He is offering to give talks on the New and the Old Testament, as there is nothing else he can offer.

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But we have no need to hear his talks to know what God wills and what the bishop, his priests and the refugees actually need – active deeds of mercy.

•

For now at least, she can pray in security and peace: To Thee do we cry...

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GOD’S NAME IS MERCY

STAYING DESPITE EVERYTHING IN SUDAN AND BURUNDI

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undreds of thousands are flooding into Europe, fleeing war, persecution or economic hardship. And they are being helped. But what about the victims of war and persecution who stay on in their home countries – like those in Sudan or Burundi? They must not be forgotten during this global crisis.

Most of the Christians in Sudan have known little else but war for decades. Nonetheless, they are still dreaming of, and hoping for, a better future in their own country. The Comboni Sisters and Fathers are helping them to stay faithful to the motto of their founder and first bishop in Khartoum, Saint Daniel Comboni (1831-1880): ‘Save Africa through Africa’. The path to a better future is through education. Just as specialist education is necessary for the various different professions, so too specialist knowledge is also necessary to live out the faith, especially in an Islamic environment.

Barely escaped with their lives: refugees in South Sudan.

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hristian teachers are needed to provide religious instruction in the Comboni schools. Sudan’s Islamic government certainly won’t help. At present 77 students are being trained at the Brother Sergi College, 27 of them are young women. For so many Catholic schoolchildren they are a saving grace, since if the Church does not provide Catholic teaching, they will have to attend Islamic religious teaching, and this has already cost many their faith. We have promised aid towards the cost of training these teachers.

28 of these future teachers come from South Sudan, where bitter warfare is still raging.

And many of the 3,600 pupils attending the six boys’ and girls’ schools likewise come from the South, while others are refugees from Darfur or the Nubian mountains. Their families have sought shelter in the archdiocese of Khartoum, which now helps over one million Catholic faithful. In fact the arch-

Burundi: they found refuge in a Catholic school.

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diocese is simply overwhelmed by these numbers, but there will not be any help from the state or from the local authorities. We have promised a contribution to support their schools during the current academic year – so that hope may have a future. eanwhile, in South Sudan around 70,000 Christians in the Diocese of Malakal are facing hunger and starvation after being driven from their villages by the fighting. Once again, the Comboni Sisters and Fathers are working tirelessly to help them. They need help to purchase millet, particularly for the children and old people.

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Similarly, in the small nation of Burundi in the heart of Africa, there is a danger

that the refugees and the uprooted will be forgotten.

The political crisis that erupted in the spring of 2015 has led to violent unrest, bordering on civil war. Hundreds of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands have fled their homes, roughly 200,000 have gone abroad. Chaos is spreading. Once again it is the Church that is striving to give shelter to the homeless. The national bishops’ conference has appealed for help. Along with other aid agencies, ACN is helping their work. As Christmas approaches, the people of Burundi need to experience the merciful love of Mother Church. There is no greater act of mercy than the Incarnation • of the God of Love.

HELPING THE SISTERS TO HELP OTHERS

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ou are helping the Little Daughters of Mary Immaculate in Cuba. They are so grateful to you for the help you have given them for a vehicle. But they are far, far too modest to tell you about all their devotion and hard work.

However, one Cuban sister has written to tell us, ‘These sisters from Mexico have left their families, their homeland, their work in hospitals and care homes in order to provide their ministry of loving service to the poor here among the sick, the elderly and the families. The

joy with which they serve the people, and so restore them to their sense of human dignity, is truly impressive.’

Like Christ, they do not hesitate, she adds, but ‘take up the cloth and wash the feet of others’. They are doers; their love is shown by their deeds. And many are the deeds they perform – thanks to your help.

•

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BE MERCIFUL -

POPE FRANCIS 35

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uke the Evangelist reminds us of the teaching of Jesus who says, ‘Be merciful just as your Father is merciful’. 36 It is a programme of life as demanding as it is rich with joy and peace. Jesus’s command is directed to anyone willing to listen to His voice. 37 In order to be capable of mercy, therefore, we must first of all dispose ourselves to listen to the Word of God. This means rediscovering the value of silence in order to meditate on the Word that comes to us. In this way, it will be possible to contemplate God’s mercy and adopt it as our lifestyle.

35 Extracted from Pope Francis ‘Misericordia Vultus’ Paragraphs 13 and 14 36 Lk 6:36 37 cf. Lk 6:27 38 Lk 6:37-38 39 Ps 70:2

The practice of pilgrimage represents the journey each of us makes in this life. Life itself is a pilgrimage, and the human being is a viator, a pilgrim travelling along the road, making his way to the desired destination.

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he Lord Jesus shows us the steps of the pilgrimage to attain our goal: ‘Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back’. 38 The Lord asks us above all not to judge and not to condemn. If anyone wishes to

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

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avoid God’s judgement, he should not make himself the judge of his brother or sister. Human beings, whenever they judge, look no farther than the surface, whereas the Father looks into the very depths of the soul.

In mercy, we find proof of how God loves us. He gives His entire self, always, freely, asking nothing in return. He comes to our aid whenever we call upon Him.

To refrain from judgement and condemnation means, in a positive sense, to know how to accept the good in every person and to spare him any suffering that might be caused by our partial judgment, our presumption to know everything about him.

hat a beautiful thing that the Church begins her daily prayer with the words, ‘O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me’ 39 The assistance we ask for is already the first step of God’s mercy toward us.

He comes to assist us in our weakness.

And His help consists in helping us accept His presence and closeness to us. Day after day, touched by His compassion, we also can become compassionate towards others.

•

ut this is still not sufficient to express mercy. Jesus asks us also to forgive and to give. To be instruments of mercy because it was we who first received mercy from God. To be generous with others, knowing that God showers his goodness upon us with immense generosity.

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39 Ps 70:2

Read Pope Francis’

MISERICORDIAE VULTUS THE FACE OF MERCY on acnireland.org

MISERICORDIAE VULTUS THE FACE OF MERCY

by Pope Francis

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GOD’S NAME IS MERCY

A MOTHER FORGIVES HER SON’S KILLER40

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mother whose only child was shot dead has shown the ultimate forgiveness - by inviting her son’s killer to live next door.

Mary Johnson, 59, now lives in the apartment adjoining the home of 34-year-old Oshea Israel and they share a porch.

In February 1993, Mrs Johnson’s son, Laramiun Byrd, 20, was shot in the head by 16-year-old Israel after an argument at a party in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Israel, who was involved with drugs and gangs, was tried as an adult and sentenced to 25 and a half years. He served 17 before being released.

He now lives back in the neighbourhood where he grew up - next door to the mother of the young man he murdered.

Mrs Johnson said she originally wanted justice and to see Israel locked up for what he had done.

She said: ‘My son was gone. I was angry and hated this boy, hated his mother. ‘[The murder] was like a tsunami. Shock. Disbelief. Hatred. Anger. Hatred. Blame. Hatred. I wanted him to be caged up like the animal he was.’

She decided to found a support group and counselled mothers whose children had been killed and encouraged them to reach out to the families of their murderers, who were victims of another kind.

‘Hurt is hurt, it doesn’t matter what side you are on,’ she said.

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ERCY: Mary Johnson, 59, said forgiving Oshea Israel doesn’t diminsh what he did

Then just a few years ago, the 59-year-old teacher and devout Christian, asked if she could meet Israel at Minnesota’s Stillwater state prison. She said she felt compelled to see if there was a way in which she could forgive her son’s killer.

Mary holding portrait of her son, Laramiun Byrd

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40 Source: DAILY MAIL REPORTER 8 June 2011

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Israel admits he still struggles with the extraordinary situation he finds himself in.

Grave stone of Laramiun Byrd who was shot and killed by Oshea Israel.

At first he refused but then nine months later, changed his mind. Israel said he was shocked by the fact she wanted to meet him.

He said: ‘I believe the first thing she said to me was, “Look, you don’t know me. I don’t know you. Let’s just start with right now.’’ ’ The pair met regularly after that. When Israel was released from prison around 18 months ago, Mrs Johnson introduced him to her landlord - who with her blessing, invited Israel to move into the building.

He said: ‘I haven’t totally forgiven myself yet, I’m learning to forgive myself.

And I’m still growing toward trying to forgive myself.’ Israel now hopes to prove himself to the mother of the man he killed.

He works at a recycling plant during the day and goes to college at night. He says he’s determined to payback Mrs Johnson’s clemency by contributing to society.

He visits prisons and churches to talk about forgiveness and reconciliation. Mrs Johnson often joins him and they tell their • story together.

Mrs Johnson and Israel are now close friends, a situation that she puts down to her strong religious beliefs but says she also has a selfish motive. She said: ‘Unforgiveness is like cancer. It will eat you from the inside out.’

‘It’s not about that other person, me forgiving him does not diminish what he’s done. Yes, he murdered my son - but the forgiveness is for me.’

Mary Johnson even wears a necklace with a two-sided locket - on one side are photos of herself and her son; the other has a picture of Israel.

Oshea Israel and Mary Johnson on following his release from prison.

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GOD’S NAME IS MERCY

JUSTICE AND MERCY - POPE FRANCIS

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he relationship between justice and mercy are not two contradictory realities, but two dimensions of a single reality that unfolds progressively until it culminates in the fullness of love.

Justice is a fundamental concept for civil society, which is meant to be governed by the rule of law. Justice is also understood as that which is rightly due to each individual.

In the Bible, there are many references to divine justice and to God as ‘judge’. In these passages, justice is understood as the full observance of the Law and the behaviour of every good Israelite in conformity with God’s commandments.

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Such a vision, however, has not infrequently led to legalism by distorting the original meaning of justice and obscuring its profound value. To overcome this legalistic perspective, we need to recall that in Sacred Scripture, justice is conceived essentially as the faithful abandonment of oneself to God’s will.

For His part, Jesus speaks several times of the importance of faith over and above the observance of the law. It is in this sense that we must understand His words when, reclining at table with Matthew and other tax collectors and sinners, He says to the Pharisees raising objections to Him, ‘Go and learn the meaning of “I desire mercy not sacrifice”. I have come not to call the righteous, but sinners’ 42

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aced with a vision of justice as the mere observance of the law that judges people simply by dividing them into two groups – the just and sinners – Jesus is bent on revealing the great gift of mercy that searches out sinners and offers them pardon and salvation.

One can see why, on the basis of such a liberating vision of mercy as a source of new life, Jesus was rejected by the Pharisees and the other teachers of the law. In an attempt to remain faithful to the law, they merely placed burdens on the shoulders of 41 Adapted from Pope Francis ‘Misericordia Vultus’ Paragraph 20 42 Mt 9:13

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others and undermined the Father’s mercy.

The appeal to a faithful observance of the law must not prevent attention from being given to matters that touch upon the dignity of the person.

The appeal Jesus makes to the text from the book of the prophet Hosea – ‘I desire love and not sacrifice’ 43 – is important in this regard. Jesus affirms that, from that time onward, the rule of life for His disciples must place mercy at the centre, as Jesus Himself demonstrated by sharing meals with sinners. Mercy, once again, is revealed as a fundamental aspect of Jesus’ mission.

This is truly challenging to His hearers, who would draw the line at a formal respect for the law. Jesus, on the other hand, goes beyond the law; the company He keeps with those the law considers sinners makes us realise the depth of His mercy.

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he Apostle Paul makes a similar journey. Prior to meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus, he dedicated his life to pursuing the justice of the law with zeal.44 His conversion to Christ led him to turn that vision upside down, to the point that he would write to the Galatians: ‘We have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of the law, because by works of the law shall no one be justified’. 45 Paul’s understanding of justice changes radically. He now places faith first, not justice. Salvation comes not through the observance of the law, but through 44 6:6 45 cf. Phil 3:6 46 2:16

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GOD’S NAME IS MERCY

faith in Jesus Christ, who in His death and resurrection brings salvation together with a mercy that justifies. God’s justice now becomes the liberating force for those oppressed by slavery to sin and its consequences. God’s justice is His mercy. 47

from God and lost the faith of their forefathers. According to human logic, it seems reasonable for God to think of rejecting an unfaithful people; they had not observed their pact with God and therefore deserved just punishment: in other words, exile.

ercy is not opposed to justice but rather expresses God’s way of reaching out to the sinner, offering him a new chance to look at himself, convert, and believe.

The prophet’s words attest to this: ‘They shall not return to the land of Egypt, and Assyria shall be their king, because they have refused to return to me’.48 And yet, after this invocation of justice, the prophet radically changes his speech and reveals the true face of God: ‘How can I give you up, O Ephraim! How can I hand you over, O Israel! How can I make you like Admah!

How can I treat you like Zeboiim! My heart recoils within me, my compassion grows warm and tender. I will not execute my fierce anger, I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come to destroy’. 49

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The experience of the prophet Hosea can help us see the way in which mercy surpasses justice. The era in which the prophet lived was one of the most dramatic in the history of the Jewish people. The kingdom was tottering on the edge of destruction; the people had not remained faithful to the covenant; they had wandered

aint Augustine, almost as if he were commenting on these words of the prophet, says: ‘It is easier for God to hold back anger than mercy’.50 And so it is. God’s anger lasts but a moment, His mercy forever.

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If God limited himself to only justice, he would cease to be God, and would instead be like human beings who ask merely that the law be respected. But mere justice is not enough.

47 cf. Ps51:11-16 48 Hos 11:5

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PERSECUTED & FORGOTTEN A report on Christians oppressed for their Faith

Experience shows that an appeal to justice alone will result in its destruction. This is why God goes beyond justice with His mercy and forgiveness.

Yet this does not mean that justice should be devalued or rendered superfluous.

On the contrary: anyone who makes a mistake must pay the price. However, this is just the beginning of conversion, not its end, because one begins to feel the tenderness and mercy of God. God does not deny justice. He rather envelops it and surpasses it with an even greater event in which we experience love as the foundation of true justice.

We must pay close attention to what Saint Paul says if we want to avoid making the same mistake for which he reproaches the Jews of his time: ‘For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law, that everyone who has faith may be justified’. 51

Available to read online at acnireland.org

od’s justice is His mercy given to everyone as a grace that flows from the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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Thus the Cross of Christ is God’s judgement on all of us and on the whole world, because through it He offers us the certitude of love and new life.

• 49 11:8-9 50 Homilies on the Psalms, 76, 11.

51 Rom 10:3-4.

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THE MYSTERY OF FORGIVENESS

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- PASTOR RICHARD WURMBRAND 53

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y former fellow-prisoner the Romanian-Orthodox Deacon John Stanescu, suffered in jail for his faith.

Colonel Albon, director of the slave labour camp, was informed that someone had dared to preach in a cell. He entered the cell carrying a cane and demanded to know the culprit. When no one responded, he said, ‘Well, then all will be flogged.’

He commenced at one end of the cell, and there was the usual yelling and rising in tears. When he came to Stanescu, he said, ‘Not ready yet? Strip this minute!’

Stanescu replied, ‘There is a God in heaven, and He will judge you.’

With this, his fate was sealed. He would surely be beaten to death. But just at that moment, a guard entered the cell and said, 52 Adapted from ‘With My own eyes’ by Richard Wurmbrand accessed at http://kmknapp.blogspot.co.uk/2004/07/greatmystery-of-forgiveness.html 53 Richard Wurmbrand (March 24, 1909 – February 17, 2001) was a Romanian Christian minister of Jewish descent. He was a youth during a time of anti-Semitic activity in Romania, but it was in 1948, 10 years after becoming a Christian and daring to publicly say that Communism and Christianity were not compatible, that he experienced imprisonment and torture for his beliefs. After serving five years (1959-1964) of a second prison sentence, he was ransomed for $10,000. His colleagues in Romania urged him to leave the country and work for religious freedom from a location less personally dangerous. After spending time in Norway and England, he and his wife Sabina, who had also been imprisoned, emigrated to America and dedicated the rest of their lives to publicising and helping Christians who are persecuted for their beliefs

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‘Colonel, you are called urgently to the office. Some generals have come from the Ministry.’

Albon left, saying to Stanescu, ‘We will see each other again soon.’ However, the generals arrested the colonel (Communists hate and jail each other for no reason), and after an hour Albon was back in the cell, this time as a prisoner.

Many inmates jumped to lynch him. Now Stanescu defended the defeated enemy with his own body, receiving many blows himself as he protected the torturer from the flogged prisoners. Stanescu was a real priest.

Later I asked him, ‘Where did you get the power to do this?’ e replied, ‘I live Jesus ardently. I always have Him before my eyes.

I also see Him in my enemy. It is Jesus who keeps him from doing even worse things. Beware of a faith without a cross!’

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‘When I was in jail I fell very, very sick. I had tuberculosis of the whole surface of both

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lungs and four vertebra were attacked by tuberculosis. I also had intestinal tuberculosis, diabetes, heart failure, jaundice, and other sicknesses I can’t even remember. I was near to death.

At my right hand was an Orthodox priest by the name of Iscu. He was Abbot of a monastery. This man, perhaps in his 40’s, had been so tortured he was near to death.

But his face was serene. He spoke about his hope of heaven, about his love of Christ, about his faith. He radiated joy.

On my left side was the Communist torturer who had tortured this priest almost to death. He had been arrested by his own comrades.

And so it happened that the Communist torturer who had tortured this priest nearly to death had been tortured nearly to death by his comrades. And he was dying near me. His soul was in agony. uring the night he would awaken me saying, “Pastor, please pray for me.

I can’t die, I have committed such terrible crimes.”

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Then I saw a miracle. I saw the agonising priest calling two other prisoners. And leaning on their shoulders, slowly, slowly he walked past my bed, sat on the bedside of his murderer, and caressed his head --- I will never forget this gesture. I watched a murdered man caressing his murderer!

That is love --- he found a caress for him.

The priest said to the man, “You were young; you did not know what you were doing. I love you with all my heart.” But he did not just say the words. You can say “love,” and it’s just a word of f o u r letters. But he really loved. “I love you with all my heart.” hen he went on, “If I who am a sinner can love you so much, imagine Christ, Who is Love incarnate, how much He loves you! And all the Christians whom you have tortured, know that they forgive you, they love you, and Christ loves you. He wishes you to be saved much more than you wish to be saved. You wonder if your sins can be forgiven. He wishes to forgive your sins more than you wish your sins to be forgiven.

He desires for you to be with Him in heaven.

He is Love. You only need to turn to Him and repent.”

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In this prison cell in which there was no possibility of privacy, I overheard the confession of a murderer to the one he had murdered. Life is more thrilling than a novel --- no novelist has ever written such a thing. The murdered --- near to death --received the confession of the murderer.

The murdered one gave absolution to his murderer.

They prayed together, embraced each other, and the priest went back to his bed.

Both men died that same night. It was Christmas Eve. •

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GOD’S NAME IS MERCY

PRODIGAL SONS AND DAUGHTERS Dear Friends,

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hen I reflect on mercy, I think of Pope Francis, and of the fact that we need a new approach in the Church.

We must try again to draw closer to people and to their real needs. The topic of mercy also reminds me always of Rembrandt’s painting of the Prodigal Son. It shows us how God really is: ready at every moment for a new start.

But our merciful Father does not want us merely to meditate on beautiful old paintings, but rather to go out ourselves and embrace the prodigal sons and daughters of our times, to draw them in, to offer them protection and shelter and a new beginning.

Again, when I think about mercy, I immediately think also of ACN and of you, our faithful benefactors.

What a wonderful community this is, in which mercy is writ large! aily, we are reminded that you are not indifferent to the suffering of the poorest people. Instead you ensure that the suffering Church can experience genuine Christian solidarity.

In you we find those Christians for whom Pope Francis longs: ‘How greatly I desire a Church for the poor!’

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My heartfelt thanks to you for this.

Johannes Freiherr Heereman, Executive President of ACN International

WHERE TO SEND YOUR CONTRIBUTION FOR THE CHURCH IN NEED Please use the Freepost envelope.

Aid to the Church in Need, 151 St. Mobhi Road, Glasnevin, Dublin 9.

(01) 837 7516

info@acnireland.org

www.acnireland.org

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IBAN IE32 BOFI 9005 7890 6993 28 BIC BOFI IE2D If you give by standing order, or have sent a donation recently, please accept our sincere thanks. This MIRROR is for your interest and information.

Registered Charity Numbers: (RoI) 9492 (NI) XR96620.

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SO GRATEFUL...

So grateful I am an 8th grader at a Catholic school.

I have done some research on what you guys do and I am so grateful, whether it’s feeding the poor or even standing up to terrorists. I do not have money to give you, but I will pray for you every day and ask God to protect you from all evil.

A young benefactor in the USA Consecrated for mission This year on the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary I took my vows as a consecrated virgin. As a bride of Christ I am committed to following Him in poverty, and so I am giving you the money I received on the occasion, as Mass offerings.

This is the greatest possible gift for me, the greatest of miracles. At the same time I am in union with my persecuted brothers and sisters, and can give comfort and courage to needy priests and share in the Church’s mission for the greater glory of God. A religious sister in France I have told my Guardian Angel My name is Patricia. I am eight years old and will soon make my First Holy Communion. I am sending you the money that I have earned by selling home-made bracelets and rosaries. I want it to go to the children in Syria and Iraq, who have nothing, only the Child Jesus. I love you very much, and I have told my guardian angel, who is called Raphael, to look after them well.

A young girl in Spain

...THANK YOU AMDG Dear Friends, Thanks to your help we are able to collaborate with thousands of others in bringing the Word of God to millions of souls in need.

Thank you for being a , a Witness to Hope and a ‘little light’ in the darkness. Our world needs our light, our families need our light.

May the Good Lord continue to bless you and all who are dear to you for the love you are showing to the least of all God’s children.

In Christ,

J F Declan Quinn Director, Aid to the Church in Need (Ire) PS. Remember, God’s name is Mercy.

‘OUR EVERY DEED MUST BEAR WITNESS TO THE INFINITE GOODNESS OF GOD!’ ACN Spiritual Assistant

‘There are two things we need most at the moment – mercy, and more mercy!’

Barely escaped with their lives: refugees in Syria.

Barely escaped with their lives: refugees in South Sudan.

THE MIRROR IS AVAILABLE TO READ AT ACNIRELAND.ORG

Aid to the Church in Need

Aid to the Church in Need

MIRROR

MIRROR

God’s Name is Mercy

God is only a prayer away

GIVE JOY, GIVE HOPE

Aid to the Church in Need

Aid to the Church in Need

GO REBUILD MY CHURCH

Go rEbuild my church

Go rEbuild my church

GIVE JOY, GIVE HOPE 15 - 6

15 - 8

15 - 5