DECEMBER 8, 2015 TO NOVEMBER 20, 2016

Bishop’s Message

Jubilee Year of Mercy

We need constantly

to contemplate the mystery of

mercy.

It is a wellspring of joy,

serenity, and peace.

Pope Francis

Bull of Indiction

On December 8, 2015, Pope Francis invites us to enter into a Holy

Year, that of Mercy. In normal times, the next Holy Year would only

take place in 2025. This is why this Jubilee is described as extraordi-

nary.

You might say "Why has the Pope decreed this Jubilee?" Because we

are living in difficult times, because the world has a great need to

rehear that God loves each of His children. Because the world needs

to rediscover the face of the Father "Father of mercies and God of all

consolation”. Because we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the

conclusion of the second Ecumenical Vatican Council.

So, we have the opportunity to experience a special year in which God

will be our companion on the journey. This year must be experienced as a long pilgrimage where

we will seek the Father's merciful face and where we will exercise acts of mercy.

My wish is that by the end of the Holy Year (November 20, 2016), we can express our apprecia-

tion for this extraordinary time of grace that was given to us. So let’s make sure that throughout

the year, we take time to entrust all of humanity, the whole cosmos to the Lord so that He can

spread His mercy and encourage us to build a better world. Like the Pope, I would like for this

extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy to stimulate in us the desire to go and meet the others, offering

them the kindness and the tenderness of God. I pray that all people, believers or not, may be giv-

en a chance to experience the balm of mercy as a sign of the Kingdom of God already present in

our midst.

Merciful like the Father

A Year of Mercy What is Mercy?

We tend to define mercy as compassion or

sympathy, but mercy has a much deeper

meaning. It is more than just a feeling toward

someone. Being merciful is entering into the

misery of another. It is to feel the other’s pain,

it is to see through the other’s eyes, to root

yourself in the other’s heart and thoughts. We

can be merciful because God is Mercy. "The

Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger

and abounding in steadfast love.The Lord is

good to all, and his compassion is over all that

he has made." (Psalm 144 (145) 8 and 9) The

more we understand how God himself has

been merciful to us, the more we will become

merciful.

There are many examples of God's mercy in

the Old Testament: the conversion of the

people of Nineveh, the experience of Noah's

ark, Exodus, Job...and in the New Testament,

Jesus continuously spreads His mercy to those

around him. The early Christians followed his

example. Entire generations have since walked

in their steps and even today the Church's

social doctrine encourages us to show mercy

to our brothers and sisters of all races.

Why a Year of Mercy?

Because Pope Francis wants to mark the

50th anniversary of the closing of the

Second Vatican Ecumenical Council. This

Council was a turning point in the life of

the Church. The Council Fathers realized

that it was necessary to speak to the world

at that time of God in a more

understandable way. The protective walls

that stifled the Church were brought down.

Dialogue with our Christian brothers was

opened. Interfaith relationships were

begun. The time had come to proclaim the

Good News in a new way. The Church

sought to be a visible sign of the Father's

love in the world. The Church, once again,

became conscious that she must lead men

and women to the source of Mercy of

which she is both the recipient and the

giver.

Our contemporary world needs to hear that

each and every person is loved by the

Father despite any failings and that no sin,

no matter how serious, will deprive one of

that love.

Then Jesus said, “There was a

man who had two sons. The

younger of them said to his fa-

ther, ‘Father, give me the share

of the property that will belong

to me.’ So he divided his prop-

erty between them. A few days

later the younger son gathered

all he had and traveled to a dis-

tant country, and there he

squandered his property in dis-

solute living.

When he had spent everything,

a severe famine took place

throughout that country, and he

began to be in need. 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. He would gladly have

filled himself with the pods that

the pigs were eating; and no one

gave him anything. 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!

I will get up and go to my fa-

ther, and I will say to him,

“Father, I have sinned against

heaven and before you; I am no

longer worthy to be called your

son; treat me like one of your

hired hands.”’ 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. Then the son

said to him, ‘Father, I have

sinned against heaven and be-

fore you; I am no longer worthy

to be called your son.’ But the

father said to his slaves,

‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the

best one—and put it on him; put

a ring on his finger and sandals

on his feet. And get the fatted

calf and kill it, and let us eat and

celebrate; 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. He called

one of the slaves and asked

what was going on. He replied,

‘Your brother has come, and

your father has killed the fatted

calf, because he has got him

back safe and sound.’ Then he

became angry and refused to go

in. His father came out and be-

gan to plead with him. 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

What is the the Divine Mercy?

Devotion to the Divine Mercy is based on the diaries of Saint Faustina Kowalska to whom Christ appeared on a number of occasions. Her writings allow for a much deeper understand-ing of God’s love and mercy. We are encouraged to pray daily that God's Divine Mercy enter our lives and that Jesus provide us everything we need to become instruments of mer-cy for others.

We celebrate the feast of St. Faustina on October 5th and the Divine Mercy on the first Sunday after Easter Sunday.

The Parable of the Prodigal Son

given me even a young goat so

that I might celebrate with my

friends. But when this son of

yours came back, who has de-

voured your property with pros-

titutes, you killed the fatted calf

for him!’ Then the father said

to him, ‘Son, you are always

with me, and all that is mine is

yours. 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.’”

How can I personally live out a Year of

Mercy?

An extraordinary Jubilee year, such as the one we are

about to embark upon, is in many ways part of our

pilgrimage here on earth. It is an opportunity to

further our personal conversion such that we grow

more and more in the image and likeness of God. We

can do this by performing corporal works of mercy.

Feeding the hungry.

Giving drink to the thirsty.

Providing clothes to those who have none.

Housing the homeless.

Visiting the sick and those in prison.

Burying the dead.

We can also perform spiritual works of mercy.

Teaching the unenlightened.

Counselling those who doubt.

Warning sinners.

Comforting the afflicted.

Forgiving others.

Praying for the living and the dead.

The above are recommendations that Jesus himself

has asked of us.

It is not necessary to perform extraordinary works.

Some days it can be as simple as allowing someone

to go ahead of us in line, to be more patient with a

child, to offer help to a neighbor, a smile, or a hello

to a passerby. Small acts of kindness that can cheer

and even change someone's life.

We can also live this year by accepting that others

may act towards us with mercy. We must learn to

give but we must also learn to receive. When we do,

we allow another to be the instrument through which

God reaches out to us in our misery, comforts us, and

heals us.

Prayer for the Year of Mercy

Lord Jesus Christ, you have taught us to be merciful like the heavenly Father, and have told us that whoever sees you sees Him. Show us your face and we will be saved. Your loving gaze freed Zacchaeus and Matthew from being enslaved by money; the adulteress and Magdalene from seeking happiness only in created things; made Peter weep after his betrayal, and assured Paradise to the repentant thief. Let us hear, as if addressed to each one of us, the words that you spoke to the Samaritan woman: “If you knew the gift of God!” You are the visible face of the invisible Father, of the God who manifests his power above all by forgiveness and mercy: let the Church be your visible face in the world, its Lord risen and glorified. You willed that your ministers would also be clothed in weakness in order that they may feel compassion for those in ignorance and error: let everyone who approaches them feel sought after, loved, and forgiven by God. Send your Spirit and consecrate every one of us with its anointing, so that the Jubilee of Mercy may be a year of grace from the Lord, and your Church, with renewed enthusiasm, may bring good news to the poor, proclaim liberty to captives and the oppressed, and restore sight to the blind. We ask this of you, Lord Jesus, through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy; you who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.

Living Out Mercy Daily

Jésus-Christ

est le visage

de la

miséricorde

du Père.

The Official Logo The motto for the Jubilee Year, "Merciful Like the Father” (taken from the Gospel of Luke, 6:36) serves as an invitation to follow the merciful example of the Father who asks us not to judge or condemn but to forgive and to give love and forgiveness without measure.

The logo depicts Jesus carrying the lost son. It has been designed in such a way so as to express the profound way in which the Good Shepherd touches the flesh of humanity and does so with a love with the power to change one’s life. Through this love, man is being called to conversion. Christ transforms him forever. One particular feature worthy of note is that while the Good Shepherd, in his great mercy, takes humanity upon himself, his eyes are merged with those of man. Christ sees with the eyes of man, and man with the eyes of Christ. Seeing one’s fellow through the eyes of Christ, is also seeing him through the eyes of the Father. It is offering our brother, our sister a look of love and mercy.

The scene is captured within the so called mandorla (the shape of an almond), a figure quite important in early and medieval iconography, for it calls to mind the two natures of Christ, divine and human. The three concentric ovals, with colors progressively lighter as we move outward, suggest the movement of Christ who carries humanity out of the night of sin and death and into the light.

heart, whereas justice comes

from the head. Jesus asks us

to go beyond the strict

requirements of the law, to

see further, through the eyes

of our heart as He always

has. Mercy is not contrary to

justice, but it illustrates how

God treats the sinner,

offering him a new

opportunity to repent, to

convert, to believe. Justice

and mercy go beyond the

borders of the Church, they

invite us to enter into

dialogue with the Jewish

people, the first to have been

chosen to become the people

of God, with Muslims for

whom God is called

Merciful, Compassionate,

with all people who seek the

truth.

Pope Francis

The Bull Misericordiae Vultus What are the highlights of the message of the Pope?

The bull Misericordiae

Vultus can be divided into

four parts:

A. Mercy: The law of the

heart - When God created

man, he breathed into his

nostrils. An image that allows

us to understand that God has

placed in each of us a deep

desire to pursue happiness, to

seek Him who is the true

source of happiness. Then

God sent His Son, who

revealed to us His face.

Through His Word, His

gestures, His attitude, Jesus

revealed to us the Father's

mercy. The Church, which

we are, must also spread the

medicine of mercy to the

world by being patient,

benevolent, indulgent and

kind to all.

B. Mercy: A concrete idea,

the pillar of the Church - God

is patient and merciful. It can

not be otherwise without

ceasing to be God.

Throughout the Bible, we

discover events that

demonstrate God’s patience

and mercy towards His

people. God loves His

children with both a paternal

and maternal love. It is a

visceral love, a deep

tenderness, compassion, and

forgiveness...Jesus is also

nothing but love. Everything

about Him speaks of mercy.

He does not lack

compassion. Mercy is also

the distinguishing mark of

Christians. It is through

mercy that God recognizes

us as His children.

Everything we do as a

Church and as a person must

be to be marked by mercy.

Without mercy, the Church

cannot exist. Mercy is the

pillar of the Church.

C. Mercy and Forgiveness:

The Church’s very

credibility is seen in how she

shows merciful and

compassionate love. Her

words and gestures must

convey mercy so as to

penetrate the heart of people

and encourage them to find

their way back to the Father.

To achieve this, we must be

silent and listen to God’s

Word. Mary is the perfect

role mode, she who listened

to the Word, meditated upon

it, discovered the will of God

and fulfilled it.

We must see our lives as a

pilgrimage, a constant call to

conversion. To achieve our

goal, we must allow

ourselves to be enveloped by

the mercy of God and in turn

we must become merciful,

avoiding judgment through

the corporal and spiritual

works of mercy.

D. Mercy and Justicie:

...to break through the

dimensions of space and

time, inserting everything

into the eternal mystery of

love. Mercy is written on the

Jesus Christ is the face

of the Father’s mercy.