“NO ONE CAN BE EXCLUDED FROM GOD’S MERCY.” - POPE …jasonpearson.com/mercyshow.pdf · The Church “has an endless desire to show mercy”. Perhaps we have long since forgotten

SHOW NO MERCY

“NO ONE CAN BE EXCLUDED FROM GOD’S MERCY.”

- POPE FRANCIS

Show No Mercy by Jason Pearson

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Printed in The United States of America.

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without written permission except in the

case of a brief quotation embodied in the

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THANK YOU TO MY FAMILY FOR THE ALL THE CREATIVE SUPPORT & INSPIRATION

HELENA - ANNIKA - EMELIA - ZUZANA - ANDERSON - MELINDA - MOM - DAD

THANK YOU TO THE SPERANZA FOUNDATION

KATHY - JEREMY - LAUREN - JOEY

THANK YOU TO CHRIST CATHEDRAL

ART SHOULD HAVE THE FREEDOM TO AGITATE, INSTIGATE, POKE, PROD AND CHALLENGE YOUR ASSUMPTIONS. THIS SERIES IS NOT AN ACCUSATION BUT A CONFESSION.

I have developed a mental picture that helps

me see my own sin of injustice more clearly.

I imagine that I AM ON AN ISLAND WITH 10

PEOPLE AND God gives me a huge gift-wrapped

package filled with all the food and medicine,

I could possible ever need. Finally, I ask myself

whether God would expect me to hoard it

all for myself or to share it. I also try to

think how the other people on the island

would view me if I kept it all for myself. That

helps me sharpen the focus on what God

expects of us with regard to the poor, since

He has given so many of us more than we need.

— RICHARD STEARNS, PRESIDENT OF WORLD VISION

FROM THE BOOK THE HOLE IN OUR GOSPEL

MERCY CAN BE DEFINED AS “THE DISPOSITION TO BE COMPASSIONATE”

7 C O R P O R A L W O R K S O F M E R C Y

- - - -

f e e d t h e h u n g r y .

T o g i v e d r i n k t o t h e t h i r s t y .

T o c l o t h e t h e n a k e d .

T o h a r b o r t h e h a r b o r l e s s .

T o v i s i t t h e s i c k .

T o r a n s o m t h e c a p t i v e .

T o b u r y t h e d e a d .

7 S P I R I T U A L W O R K S O F M E R C Y

- - - -

T o i n s t r u c t t h e i g n o r a n t .

T o c o u n s e l t h e d o u b t f u l .

T o a d m o n i s h s i n n e r s .

T o b e a r w r o n g s p a t i e n t l y .

T o f o r g i v e o f f e n c e s w i l l i n g l y .

T o c o m f o r t t h e a f f l i c t e d .

T o p r a y f o r t h e l i v i n g a n d t h e d e a d

The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy is a Catholic period

of prayer held from the Feast of the Immaculate

Conception ON December 8, 2015 to the Feast of Christ

the King, November 20, 2016. it is a TIME for remission

of sins and pardon focusing particularly on God’s

forgiveness and mercy. It is an extraordinary Jubilee

because it had not been predetermined long before;

usually ordinary jubilees take place every 25 years. The

2016 Jubilee was first announced by Pope Francis on

March 13, 2015. it was stressed that the Pontiff wishes

the Jubilee to be celebrated not only in Rome but all

around the world.

AT THE END OF THE YEAR OF MERCY HOW ARE YOU DIFFERENT?

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REFLECTIONS ON THE YEAR OF MERCYAM I LIVING A LIFE OF MERCY?

DID I FEED THE HUNGRY?

DID I GIVE DRINK TO THE THIRST?

DID I CLOTHE THE NAKED?

DID I VISIT THE SICK?

DID I RANSOM THE CAPTIVE?

DID I BURY THE DEAD?

DID I INSTRUCT THE IGNORANT?

DID I COUNSEL THE DOUBTFUL?

DID I ADMONISH THE SINNER?

DID I BEAR WRONGS PATIENTLY?

DID I FORGIVE THE OFFENCES WILLINGLY?

DID I COMFORT THE AFFLICTED?

DID PRAY FOR THE LIVING AND THE DEAD?

These are not just pretty pictures. These

are not colorful portraits. Jason Pearson is

a California artist who has something to say.

Pearson has created art for many nota-

bles including David Bowie, Trent Reznor,

Mel Gibson, Gil Scott-Heron and Aphex

Twin. In the fashion industry, his design

has involved work with Cosmopolitan

magazine, Levi Strauss, Tommy Hilfiger,

and Calvin Klein.

Pearson is the co-founder of Blend-

er Magazine which was acquired by

Felix Dennis and Maxim magazine.

Jason has received numerous artistic

awards and his work has been published

in more than 30 books. New York Maga-

zine recognized Pearson as one of their

“digital visionaries.” He was also named to

the Samsung Brain Trust.

Pearson’s work is in private collections

in: Chicago, San Francisco, Dubai, Paris,

New York, and Qatar. It is also featured

in the permanent collections of the Smith-

sonian and Victoria + Albert Museum.

Pearson works actively with strategic

NGOs on human rights and poverty

issues—providing poignant inspiration

for his work.

JASONPEARSON.COM

My greatest fear is that when my kids

are adults they will say to me ... Dad

you knew that these needs existed, you

had the internet, you SHOWED NO MERCY.

you sat in your comfortable chair, driving

your luxury car, eating your gourmet

food, going on expensive vacations like

you were the only thing that existed.

W h a t w i l l m y a n s w e r b e ?

EXTRAORDINARY JUBILEE YEAR OF MERCY - PAINTING SERIES

TEXT EXCERPTS FROM POPE FRANCIS’S BULL OF INDICTION

Mercy 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”. 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.

B U L L O F I N D I C T I O N O F T H E E X T R A O R D I N A R Y J U B I L E E O F M E R C Y

M E R C I F U L F O U N D A T I O N

At the foot of the Cross, Mary, together with

John, the disciple of love, witnessed the words

of forgiveness spoken by Jesus. This supreme

expression of mercy towards those who

crucified him show us the point to which the

mercy of God can reach. Mary attests that the

mercy of the Son of God knows no bounds

and extends to everyone, without exception.

Let us address her in the words of the Salve

Regina, a prayer ever ancient and ever new,

so that she may never tire of turning her

merciful eyes upon us, and make us worthy to

contemplate the face of mercy, her Son Jesus.


M E R C I F U L H O L Y Q U E E N

With our eyes fixed on Jesus and his merciful

gaze, we experience the love of the Most Holy

Trinity. The mission Jesus received from the

Father was that of revealing the mystery of

divine love in its fullness. “God is love” (1 Jn

4:8,16), 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 marginalized, the sick,

and the suffering, are all meant to teach

mercy. Everything in him speaks of mercy.

Nothing in him is devoid of compassion.


M E R C I F U L G A Z E

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. In the present day, as the

Church is charged with the task of the new

evangelization, 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.


M E R C I F U L T R A N S M I S S I O N

In this Holy Year, we look forward to the

experience of opening our hearts to those

living on the outermost fringes of society:

fringes which modern society itself creates.

How many uncertain and painful situations

there are in the world today! How many are

the wounds borne by the flesh of those who

have no voice because their cry is muffled

and drowned out by the indifference of the

rich! During this Jubilee, the Church will be

called even more to heal these wounds, to

assuage them with the oil of consolation,

to bind them with mercy and cure them

with solidarity and vigilant care. Let us

not fall into humiliating indifference or a

monotonous routine that prevents us from

discovering what is new! Let us ward off

destructive cynicism!


M E R C I F U L V O I C E

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because

the Lord has anointed me to bring good tidings

to the afflicted; he has sent me to bind up

the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the

captives, and freedom to those in captivity;

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour” (Is

61:1-2). A “year of the Lord’s favour” or “mercy”:

this is what the Lord proclaimed and this is

what we wish to live now. This Holy Year will

bring to the fore the richness of Jesus’ mission

echoed in the words of the prophet: to bring

a word and gesture of consolation to the

poor, to proclaim liberty to those bound by

new forms of slavery in modern society, to

restore sight to those who can see no more

because they are caught up in themselves, to

restore dignity to all those from whom it

has been robbed.


M E R C I F U L D I G N I T Y

Let us open our eyes and see the misery of

the world, the wounds of our brothers and

sisters who are denied their dignity, and

let us recognize that we are compelled to

heed their cry for help! May we reach out

to them and support them so they can feel

the warmth of our presence, our friendship,

and our fraternity! May their cry become our

own, and together may we break down the

barriers of indifference that too often reign

supreme and mask our hypocrisy and egoism!


M E R C I F U L I N D I F F E R E N C E

Another 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” (Ps 146:7-9)


M E R C I F U L J U S T I C E

OTHER WORK BY JASON PEARSON

T H E P R O B L E M W I T H T H E W O R L D I S M E - S E R I E S

G U N S H O W - S E R I E S

U N S E E N - S E R I E S

M A S H - U P - S E R I E S

After The Fall - HIV Grows Up: Meet the cou-

rageous survivors of the pediatric AIDS epi-

demic that swept Romania and shocked

the world. This is a story that challenges

the true meaning of bravery, mercy and

perseverance, inspiring an audience to rise

against any odds and fight for fullness of

life and dignity no matter the cost. Learn

more & watch the trailer: AfterTheFallFilm.com

after the fall - hiv grows up

A F T E R T H E FA L L F I L M . C O M

Creator / Executive Producer Kathleen Treat’s story.

In 1997, World Vision approached me with a request for fund-ing. Several projects were proposed, but only one stuck out to me. It was a proposal to support a kid’s club in Romania for children who were infected with HIV in the hospitals and insti-tutions in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. The program, started by Venera Batescu, was aimed at providing a safe place for the kids to socialize. They would do crafts together and have outings to the Black Sea or the mountains.

I had been interested and involved in the HIV pandemic for many years already. It was clear to me from the first men-tion that I would be supporting this project. We assumed, in those early days, that the kid’s camp would have a definitive timeline. The children were not expected to live more than 10 years. This was a program that increased the quality of life for these kids while they were still here. There were no long-term goals, no projected outcomes, no strategic initiatives.

I remember visiting Romania for the first time in the fall of 1999. I met Venera at the World Vision office. I met Dr. Matusa in the hospital. The AIDS ward was packed. Dr. Matusa super-vised the children, had school lessons, and fed them all. It was not a hospital—it was a home for these kids. I vividly remem-ber one boy on the brink of death. He was lying on a bench in the schoolroom so that he could be close to his friends. He did not want to die alone in his room.

We visited families and went on field trips with several of the kids. In those days, the parents did not tell the children they were ill. In most families, only one child was infected. It would be the one child that was born into the window of time when contaminated blood was given in hospitals, or had the bad luck of getting a cold during that time, that contracted the disease. We were not allowed to speak of it. The families did not want any of the children to know. It seemed, at that time, to be less about stigma from the outside, and more about let-ting the child have a stress free life in his short time on earth.

I returned in the fall of 2006. In those intervening years, ARV drugs became widely available in Romania. Though many children died, many more were living.

There were several things during the visit that made a great impact on me and led directly to the making of the documentary. The first: the children were now young adults.

The second: not only did they finally KNOW about their disease—they were becoming advocates and activists. They were going on radio shows, passing out safe-sex information on the beaches, speaking with government officials.

I left that trip with one image— a megaphone. I wanted to be a megaphone so that a larger audience could hear this message—the one that they, themselves, were tell-ing—, perhaps even the world. This is where the idea of a documentary first came to be.

It took two years after those first thoughts for the film-ing trip. There were so many issues to deal with—confi-dentiality being chief among them. But filming did hap-pen, and other trips followed before completion of the documentary.

I continue to support these youth in Romania, though the kid’s club has grown and evolved to include schol-arships, vocational training, and other assistance. We could never have imagined, back in 1997, just how stra-tegic the kids club program would be. Through the he-roic dedication of Venera, Dr. Matusa, and the countless other people that give their time and energy to these young adults, a generation is alive and paving the way for other HIV infected youth to be able to dream of full, productive lives.

Sincerely,

Kathleen Treat, Creator/Executive Producer

ABOUT THE DOCUMENTARY: AFTER THE FALL - HIV GROWS UP

THIS ART SHOW MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH A GRANT FROM THE SPERANZA FOUNDATION

The Speranza Foundation gives grants to meet the practical needs of artists

and initiatives that are restoring and inspiring humanity.

We are an ally for people working to make a difference in their field. Through

straightforward and relational grantmaking, we support the practical needs

of outstanding individuals and organizations.

For us, grantmaking is energizing when it’s about more than a financial trans-

action. We’re invested in relationships with our grantees. We stand with them

to support their causes, initiatives and creations - we facilitate meaningful

connections - we think outside the box to bring like-minded people together so

that humanity can be restored and inspired.

Founded in 2008, the Speranza Foundation continues the work and philosophy

of it’s founder Kathy Treat who has given over $6 Million in philanthropic

contributions.

SPERANZAFOUNDATION.COM

These are not just pretty pictures. These are not colorful portraits. Jason Pearson is a California artist who has something to say.

Pearson has created art for many notables including David Bowie, Trent Reznor, Mel Gibson, Gil Scott-Heron and Aphex Twin. In the fashion industry, his design has involved work with Cosmo magazine, Levi Strauss, Tommy Hilfiger, & Calvin Klein.

Pearson is the co-founder of Blender Magazine which was acquired by Dennis Publish-ing. Jason has received numerous artistic awards and his work has been published in more than 30 books. New York Magazine recognized Pearson as one of their “digital visionaries.” He was also named to the Samsung Brain Trust.

Collectors from Paris, Dubai, New York and Hollywood have purchased Pearson’s work. It is also featured in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian and Vic-toria + Albert Museum.

Pearson works actively with strategic NGOs on human rights and poverty issues—providing poignant inspiration for his work.

JasonPearson.com | [email protected]

c r o s s s e c t i o n b o o k s940 CALLE NEGOCIO | No. 175 | SAN CLEMENTE | CA | 92673 | [email protected]

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Documents

“NO ONE CAN BE EXCLUDED FROM GOD’S MERCY.” - POPE …jasonpearson.com/mercyshow.pdf · The Church “has an endless desire to show mercy”. Perhaps we have long since forgotten