Appeal For Financial Support Of My
Project To Help The Disadvantaged
And The Marginalized In
Canada And Poland
Each of us is a unique human being simultaneously functioning as a marvelous whole on four planes (in the four dimensions): physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. The spiritual plane is the highest and the most important plane of our existence. In other words, we are a unity of body and soul and need nutritious food for both body and soul. To emphasize the complex nature of a human being some people describe a human being as a “spiritual body” or an “embodied soul” and say that a human being is a miracle.
Every human being in his or her heart has a natural desire for goodness, truth and love. If we really want to help suffering people effectively resolve their health problems we should look at them from a wholistic perspective. We should be aware that illness affects the functioning of the whole (body-mind-spirit or body-soul) person. We should treat the whole (body-mind-spirit or body-soul) suffering person, not merely his or her symptoms. We should work with the suffering person (not client) in the spirit of truth and unconditional love – at the heart to heart level. We should also be aware that the healing process of the whole (body-mind-spirit or body-soul) person is an integral part of human life.
I would like to work with people traditionally defined as “the disadvantaged” who live in Canada (in GTA – Greater Toronto Area) and in Poland. I am a wholistic health care practitioner and I would like to help them effectively resolve their health problems. To realize my project I need financial support. I would like to run my project for 5 - 7 years or longer. I think that to carry out my project I need 150,000 – 200,000 Canadian dollars.
I am looking for a person of goodwill who will finance my project. In other words, I would like that we work together as a team helping poor people in need – you will provide the financial support and I will do the work. I will do my best to run my project at the lowest possible cost and to make it as much effective as possible. For example, I will be able to get natural remedies and supplements, which will be needed to start and facilitate the healing process of the disadvantaged, at a wholesale price. It means that the cost of these products will be about 80 % lower than the prices at which they are sold at health food stores or pharmacies. I will keep a detailed record of all expenses related to my project.
In exchange for financial support of my project I would like to offer the donor spiritual support. If you finance my project I will pray for you and your family – I will say the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for you and your family every day for the next 5 - 7 years. It is a very powerful prayer given by Jesus to Sister Faustina in the first half of the 20th century.
I. In the Letter of St James we read:
“The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” (Jas 5: 16)
II. In the Gospel of St Luke Jesus says that we “should always pray and never give up”. (Lk 18: 1)
III. In the Gospel of St Matthew Jesus says:
“Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Mt 7: 7-11)
*
“Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive.” (Mt 21: 22)
IV. Jesus says to Sister Faustina (Sister Faustina’s “Diary.” Divine Mercy in My Soul):
“The prayer of a humble and loving soul disarms the anger of My Father and draws down an ocean of blessings.” (320)
*
“Say unceasingly the chaplet that I have taught you. Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death. Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite mercy.” (687)
*
“The souls that say this chaplet will be embraced by My mercy during their lifetime and especially at the hour of their death.” (754)
*
“Oh, what great graces I will grant to souls who say this chaplet; the very depths of My tender mercy are stirred for the sake of those who say the chaplet. Write down these words, My daughter. Speak to the world about My mercy; let all mankind recognize My unfathomable mercy. It is a sign for the end times; after it will come the day of justice. While there is still time, let them have recourse to the fount of My mercy; let them profit from the Blood and Water which gushed forth for them.” (848)
*
“My daughter, encourage souls to say the chaplet which I have given to you. It pleases Me to grant everything they ask of Me by saying the chaplet. When hardened sinners say it, it will fill their souls with peace, and the hour of their death will be a happy one.
Write this for the benefit of distressed souls; when a soul sees and realizes the gravity of its sins, when the whole abyss of the misery into which it immersed itself is displayed before its eyes, let it not despair, but with trust let it throw itself into the arms of My mercy, as a child into the arms of its beloved mother. These souls have a right of priority to My compassionate Heart, they have first access to My mercy. Tell them that no soul that has called upon My mercy has been disappointed or brought to shame. I delight particularly in a soul which has placed its trust in My goodness.
Write that when they say this chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as the just Judge but as the merciful Savior.” (1541)
*
“Through the chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with My will.” (1731)
Every human being in his or her heart has a natural desire for goodness, truth and love. If we really want to help suffering people effectively resolve their health problems we should look at them from a wholistic perspective. We should be aware that illness affects the functioning of the whole (body-mind-spirit or body-soul) person. We should treat the whole (body-mind-spirit or body-soul) suffering person, not merely his or her symptoms. We should work with the suffering person (not client) in the spirit of truth and unconditional love – at the heart to heart level. We should also be aware that the healing process of the whole (body-mind-spirit or body-soul) person is an integral part of human life.
I would like to work with people traditionally defined as “the disadvantaged” who live in Canada (in GTA – Greater Toronto Area) and in Poland. I am a wholistic health care practitioner and I would like to help them effectively resolve their health problems. To realize my project I need financial support. I would like to run my project for 5 - 7 years or longer. I think that to carry out my project I need 150,000 – 200,000 Canadian dollars.
I am looking for a person of goodwill who will finance my project. In other words, I would like that we work together as a team helping poor people in need – you will provide the financial support and I will do the work. I will do my best to run my project at the lowest possible cost and to make it as much effective as possible. For example, I will be able to get natural remedies and supplements, which will be needed to start and facilitate the healing process of the disadvantaged, at a wholesale price. It means that the cost of these products will be about 80 % lower than the prices at which they are sold at health food stores or pharmacies. I will keep a detailed record of all expenses related to my project.
In exchange for financial support of my project I would like to offer the donor spiritual support. If you finance my project I will pray for you and your family – I will say the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for you and your family every day for the next 5 - 7 years. It is a very powerful prayer given by Jesus to Sister Faustina in the first half of the 20th century.
I. In the Letter of St James we read:
“The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” (Jas 5: 16)
II. In the Gospel of St Luke Jesus says that we “should always pray and never give up”. (Lk 18: 1)
III. In the Gospel of St Matthew Jesus says:
“Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Mt 7: 7-11)
*
“Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive.” (Mt 21: 22)
IV. Jesus says to Sister Faustina (Sister Faustina’s “Diary.” Divine Mercy in My Soul):
“The prayer of a humble and loving soul disarms the anger of My Father and draws down an ocean of blessings.” (320)
*
“Say unceasingly the chaplet that I have taught you. Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death. Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite mercy.” (687)
*
“The souls that say this chaplet will be embraced by My mercy during their lifetime and especially at the hour of their death.” (754)
*
“Oh, what great graces I will grant to souls who say this chaplet; the very depths of My tender mercy are stirred for the sake of those who say the chaplet. Write down these words, My daughter. Speak to the world about My mercy; let all mankind recognize My unfathomable mercy. It is a sign for the end times; after it will come the day of justice. While there is still time, let them have recourse to the fount of My mercy; let them profit from the Blood and Water which gushed forth for them.” (848)
*
“My daughter, encourage souls to say the chaplet which I have given to you. It pleases Me to grant everything they ask of Me by saying the chaplet. When hardened sinners say it, it will fill their souls with peace, and the hour of their death will be a happy one.
Write this for the benefit of distressed souls; when a soul sees and realizes the gravity of its sins, when the whole abyss of the misery into which it immersed itself is displayed before its eyes, let it not despair, but with trust let it throw itself into the arms of My mercy, as a child into the arms of its beloved mother. These souls have a right of priority to My compassionate Heart, they have first access to My mercy. Tell them that no soul that has called upon My mercy has been disappointed or brought to shame. I delight particularly in a soul which has placed its trust in My goodness.
Write that when they say this chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as the just Judge but as the merciful Savior.” (1541)
*
“Through the chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with My will.” (1731)
We are all brothers and sisters in one big
human family
There are many suffering people in the world who need help to effectively resolve their health problems. For some of them obtaining effective help is very difficult or almost impossible because of unfavorable circumstances, especially with regard to financial or social difficulties. In other words, their economic or social situation is the main barrier which prevents them from getting effective help. They live not only in the Third World countries but also in the First World countries, e.g. in Canada and the United States. They often feel powerless, helpless and worthless. They often suffer social exclusion – they are often rejected by society and they lose faith in themselves and in other people. Some of them feel sad or depressed; some of them become homeless. We may say that they are often paralyzed by their problems – they do not know how to get out of the vicious circle and how to resolve their problems, such as health, effectively.
There are various reasons why people are poor or homeless – often it is not their fault. They should not be despised, rejected or condemned, but should be treated with respect and love because they are our brothers and sisters. Pope Francis reminds us that we are all children of one heavenly Father, we belong to the same great human family and we share a common destiny. I think that any suffering person, regardless of his or her financial situation, should be offered effective help. We should define his or her problems properly and do our best to resolve them effectively.
We should remember that we have been created to love and to be loved, and that in the evening of life we will be judged on love.
We should also realize that any time we do good it always returns to us 10-fold or even more.
By financing my project you will also contribute to building the civilization of life, the civilization of truth and love, the civilization of mercy.
I. In the Book of Proverbs we read:
“The godly can look forward to a reward, while the wicked can expect only judgment.
Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.” (Prov 11: 23-25)
II. In the Gospel of St Matthew Jesus says:
“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. […]
Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” (Mt 25: 40, 45)
III. Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski says:
“People say: «Time is money» but I tell you: «Time is love».”
IV. Mother Teresa says:
“The greatest disease of mankind is the absence of love.”
V. John Paul II says:
“The message of merciful love needs to resound forcefully anew. The world needs this love. The hour has come to bring Christ’s message to everyone: to rulers and the oppressed, to those whose humanity and dignity seem lost in the mysterium iniquitatis [the mystery of iniquity]. The hour has come when the message of Divine Mercy is able to fill hearts with hope and to become the spark of a new civilization: the civilization of love.” (Kraków-Błonia, Poland, August 18, 2002)
VI. Francis says:
“Do not fall into the terrible trap of thinking that life depends on money and that, in comparison with money, anything else is devoid of value or dignity. This is nothing but an illusion! We cannot take money with us into the life beyond. Money does not bring us happiness.” (“The Name of God is Mercy”)
*
“By welcoming a marginalized person whose body is wounded and by welcoming the sinner whose soul is wounded, we put our credibility as Christians on the line. Let us always remember the words of Saint John of the Cross: ’In the evening of life, we will be judged on love alone.’ “ (“The Name of God is Mercy”)
*
“I urge you to serve Jesus crucified in every person who is emarginated, for whatever reason; to see the Lord in every excluded person who is hungry, thirsty, naked; to see the Lord present even in those who have lost their faith, or turned away from the practice of their faith, or say that they are atheists; to see the Lord who is imprisoned, sick, unemployed, persecuted; to see the Lord in the leper – whether in body or soul - who encounters discrimination! We will not find the Lord unless we truly accept the marginalized! May we always have before us the image of Saint Francis, who was unafraid to embrace the leper and to accept every kind of outcast. Truly, dear brothers, the Gospel of the marginalized is where our credibility is at stake, is discovered and is revealed!” (Holy Mass with the new Cardinals, Vatican Basilica, February 15, 2015)
*
“The light of the Gospel guides all who put themselves at the service of the civilization of love.” (Pope Francis@Pontifex, June 2, 2015)
human family
There are many suffering people in the world who need help to effectively resolve their health problems. For some of them obtaining effective help is very difficult or almost impossible because of unfavorable circumstances, especially with regard to financial or social difficulties. In other words, their economic or social situation is the main barrier which prevents them from getting effective help. They live not only in the Third World countries but also in the First World countries, e.g. in Canada and the United States. They often feel powerless, helpless and worthless. They often suffer social exclusion – they are often rejected by society and they lose faith in themselves and in other people. Some of them feel sad or depressed; some of them become homeless. We may say that they are often paralyzed by their problems – they do not know how to get out of the vicious circle and how to resolve their problems, such as health, effectively.
There are various reasons why people are poor or homeless – often it is not their fault. They should not be despised, rejected or condemned, but should be treated with respect and love because they are our brothers and sisters. Pope Francis reminds us that we are all children of one heavenly Father, we belong to the same great human family and we share a common destiny. I think that any suffering person, regardless of his or her financial situation, should be offered effective help. We should define his or her problems properly and do our best to resolve them effectively.
We should remember that we have been created to love and to be loved, and that in the evening of life we will be judged on love.
We should also realize that any time we do good it always returns to us 10-fold or even more.
By financing my project you will also contribute to building the civilization of life, the civilization of truth and love, the civilization of mercy.
I. In the Book of Proverbs we read:
“The godly can look forward to a reward, while the wicked can expect only judgment.
Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.” (Prov 11: 23-25)
II. In the Gospel of St Matthew Jesus says:
“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. […]
Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” (Mt 25: 40, 45)
III. Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski says:
“People say: «Time is money» but I tell you: «Time is love».”
IV. Mother Teresa says:
“The greatest disease of mankind is the absence of love.”
V. John Paul II says:
“The message of merciful love needs to resound forcefully anew. The world needs this love. The hour has come to bring Christ’s message to everyone: to rulers and the oppressed, to those whose humanity and dignity seem lost in the mysterium iniquitatis [the mystery of iniquity]. The hour has come when the message of Divine Mercy is able to fill hearts with hope and to become the spark of a new civilization: the civilization of love.” (Kraków-Błonia, Poland, August 18, 2002)
VI. Francis says:
“Do not fall into the terrible trap of thinking that life depends on money and that, in comparison with money, anything else is devoid of value or dignity. This is nothing but an illusion! We cannot take money with us into the life beyond. Money does not bring us happiness.” (“The Name of God is Mercy”)
*
“By welcoming a marginalized person whose body is wounded and by welcoming the sinner whose soul is wounded, we put our credibility as Christians on the line. Let us always remember the words of Saint John of the Cross: ’In the evening of life, we will be judged on love alone.’ “ (“The Name of God is Mercy”)
*
“I urge you to serve Jesus crucified in every person who is emarginated, for whatever reason; to see the Lord in every excluded person who is hungry, thirsty, naked; to see the Lord present even in those who have lost their faith, or turned away from the practice of their faith, or say that they are atheists; to see the Lord who is imprisoned, sick, unemployed, persecuted; to see the Lord in the leper – whether in body or soul - who encounters discrimination! We will not find the Lord unless we truly accept the marginalized! May we always have before us the image of Saint Francis, who was unafraid to embrace the leper and to accept every kind of outcast. Truly, dear brothers, the Gospel of the marginalized is where our credibility is at stake, is discovered and is revealed!” (Holy Mass with the new Cardinals, Vatican Basilica, February 15, 2015)
*
“The light of the Gospel guides all who put themselves at the service of the civilization of love.” (Pope Francis@Pontifex, June 2, 2015)
Spiritual aspects of my project
Please reflect deeply on the following quotations and then look at my project in the light of them.
1. In the Book of Psalms we read:
“The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always accuse, nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.
For he knows how we were made; he remembers that we are dust.
As for mortals, their days are like grass; they flourish like a flower of the field;
for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.
But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. […]
Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.” (Ps 103: 8-18, 22)
*
“Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful.” (Ps 116: 5)
*
“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.” (Ps 145: 8-9)
2. In the Book of Proverbs we read:
“The godly can look forward to a reward, while the wicked can expect only judgment.
Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.” (Prov 11: 23-25)
3. In the Gospel of St Matthew Jesus says:
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” (Mt 5: 7-8)
*
“Not everyone who says to me, ’Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” (Mt 7: 21)
*
“For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister…” (Mt 12: 50)
*
“ ’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ’You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Mt 22: 37-40)
*
“Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family [to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters], you did it to me. […]
Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” (Mt 25: 40, 45)
4. In the Gospel of St Luke Jesus says:
“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Lk 6: 31)
*
“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” (Lk 6: 35-36)
*
“From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.” (Lk 12: 48)
5. In the Gospel of St Matthew Jesus says:
“Be careful not to practise your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honoured by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Mt 6: 1-4)
*
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money [wealth].” (Mt 6: 24)
*
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Mt 6: 19-21)
*
“Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (Mt 19: 23-24)
6. In the Gospel of St Mark Jesus says:
“And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” (Mk 8: 36-37)
7. In the Letter of St James we read:
“For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.” (Jas 2: 26)
8. In the First Letter of St John we read:
“Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.” (1 Jn 3: 18)
*
“Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. […]
God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. […]
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because he [God ] first loved us. Those who say, ’I love God,’ and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.” (1 Jn 4: 7-8, 16, 18-20)
9. In the First Letter to the Corinthians St Paul writes:
“If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but I do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. […]
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor 13: 1-10, 12-13)
10. Jesus says to Sister Faustina (Sister Faustina’s “Diary.” Divine Mercy in My Soul):
“My love deceives no one.” (29)
*
“Proclaim that mercy is the greatest attribute of God. All the works of My hands are crowned with mercy.” (301)
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“True greatness of the soul is in loving God and in humility.” (427)
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“I desire that you live according to My will, in the most secret depths of your soul.” (443)
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“Love fills up the abyss that exists between My greatness and your nothingness.” (512)
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“I find pleasure, not in large buildings and magnificent structures, but in pure and humble heart.” (532)
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“My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy.” (699)
*
“My love and mercy knows no bounds.” (718)
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“I desire that you be entirely transformed into love and that you burn ardently as a pure victim of love...” (726)
*
“My daughter, you give Me most glory by patiently submitting to My will, and you win for yourself greater merit than that which any fast or mortification could ever gain for you. Know, My daughter, that if you submit your will to Mine, you draw upon yourself My special delight. This sacrifice is pleasing to Me and full of sweetness. I take great pleasure in it; there is power in it.” (904)
*
“I cannot punish even the greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to My compassion, but on the contrary, I justify him in My unfathomable and inscrutable mercy.” (1146)
*
“My daughter, write that the greater the misery of a soul, the greater its right to My mercy; [urge] all souls to trust in the unfathomable abyss of My mercy, because I want to save them all. On the cross, the fountain of My mercy was opened wide by the lance for all souls - no one have I excluded!” (1182)
*
“Only the humble soul is able to receive My grace. I favour humble souls with My confidence.” (1220)
*
“I am Love and Mercy Itself. There is no misery that could be a match for My mercy, neither will misery exhaust it, because as it is being granted – it increases. The soul that trusts in My mercy is most fortunate, because I Myself take care of it.” (1273)
*
“Know that as often as you come to Me, humbling yourself and asking My forgiveness, I pour out a superabundance of graces on your soul, and your imperfection vanishes before My eyes, and I see only your love and your humility. You lose nothing but gain much...” (1293)
*
“The greatest misery does not stop Me from uniting Myself to a soul, but where there is pride, I am not there.” (1563)
*
“My daughter, I reward you for the purity of your intention which you had at the time when you acted. My Heart rejoiced that you had My love under consideration at the time you acted, and that in so distinct a way; and even now you still derive benefit from this; that is, from the humiliation. Yes, My child, I want you to always have such great purity of intention in the very least things you undertake.” (1566)
*
“My daughter, even if you were to speak at one and the same time in all human and angelic tongues, even then you would not have said very much, but on the contrary, you would have sung in only a small measure the praises of My goodness – of My unfathomable mercy.” (1605)
*
“Be always merciful as I am merciful. Love everyone out of love for Me, even your greatest enemies, so that My mercy may be fully reflected in your heart.” (1695)
*
“You know what love demands: one thing only, reciprocity...” (1770)
11. John Paul II encourages us to open wide the doors for Christ:
“Brothers and sisters do not be afraid to welcome Christ and accept His power. Help the Pope and all those who wish to serve Christ and with Christ’s power to serve the human person and the whole of mankind. Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ. To this saving power open the boundaries of States, economic and political systems, the vast fields of culture, civilization and development. Do not be afraid. Christ knows ’what is in man’. He alone knows it.” (The inauguration of his Pontificate, St. Peter’s Square, October 22, 1978)
*
“Christ by His Grace is capable of changing man, ennobling human nature, transforming it, raising [uplifting] man; and not only man but also whole human communities, families and whole nations.” (Castel Gandolfo, July 26, 1986)
12. In part VII of his second encyclical “Dives in misericordia” (Latin for “Rich in mercy”), published in 1980, John Paul II writes that we not only receive and experience the mercy of God, but that we are also called to practice mercy towards others:
“Jesus Christ taught that man not only receives and experiences the mercy of God, but that he is also called ’to practice mercy’ towards others: ’Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.’ (Mt 5: 7) The Church sees in these words a call to action, and she tries to practice mercy. All the beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount indicate the way of conversion and of reform of life, but the one referring to those who are merciful is particularly eloquent in this regard. Man attains to the merciful love of God, His mercy, to the extent that he himself is interiorly transformed in the spirit of that love towards his neighbor.
This authentically evangelical process is not just a spiritual transformation realized once and for all: it is a whole lifestyle, an essential and continuous characteristic of the Christian vocation. It consists in the constant discovery and persevering practice of love as a unifying and also elevating power despite all difficulties of a psychological or social nature: it is a question, in fact, of a merciful love which, by its essence, is a creative love. In reciprocal relationships between persons merciful love is never a unilateral act or process. Even in the cases in which everything would seem to indicate that only one party is giving and offering, and the other only receiving and taking (for example, in the case of a physician giving treatment, a teacher teaching, parents supporting and bringing up their children, a benefactor helping the needy), in reality the one who gives is always also a beneficiary. In any case, he too can easily find himself in the position of the one who receives, who obtains a benefit, who experiences merciful love; he too can find himself the object of mercy.”
Emphasizing that “merciful love” constitutes the messianic message of the Gospel, he then writes:
“If Paul VI more than once indicated the ’civilization of love’ as the goal towards which all efforts in the cultural and social fields as well as in the economic and political fields should tend, it must be added that this good will never be reached if in our thinking and acting concerning the vast and complex spheres of human society we stop at the criterion of ’an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth’ (Mt 5: 38) and do not try to transform it in its essence, by complementing it with another spirit. Certainly, the Second Vatican Council also leads us in this direction, when it speaks repeatedly of the need to make the world more human, and says that the realization of this task is precisely the mission of the Church in the modern world. Society can become ever more human only if we introduce into the many-sided setting of interpersonal and social relationships, not merely justice, but also that ’merciful love’ which constitutes the messianic message of the Gospel.
Society can become ’ever more human’ only when we introduce into all the mutual relationships which form its moral aspect the moment of forgiveness, which is so much of the essence of the Gospel. Forgiveness demonstrates the presence in the world of the love which is more powerful than sin. Forgiveness is also the fundamental condition for reconciliation, not only in the relationship of God with man, but also in relationships between people. A world from which forgiveness was eliminated would be nothing but a world of cold and unfeeling justice, in the name of which each person would claim his or her own rights vis-a- vis others; the various kinds of selfishness latent in man would transform life and human society into a system of oppression of the weak by the strong, or into an arena of permanent strife between one group and another.”
13. John Paul II says that today the world has become the arena of the struggle between the civilization of life and the civilization of death:
“With the eyes of faith we can see with particular clarity the infinite value of every human being. The Gospel, by proclaiming the Good News of Jesus, announces also the Good News of man, of his great dignity, and teaches sensitivity concerning man. Because every man, insofar as he has a spiritual soul, is ’capable of God’. The Church, in defending the right to life, is making a broader appeal, a universal one which obliges all men and women. The right to life is not a question of ideology, not only a religious right; it is a human right. The most fundamental human right! God says: ’You shall not kill!’ (Ex 20: 13). This commandment is at one and the same time a basic principle and a norm of the moral code written in the conscience of every human being.
The measure of civilization, a universal and permanent measure which includes all cultures, is its relationship with life. A civilization which rejected the defenceless would deserve to be called a barbarian civilization, even though it had great successes in the field of economics, technology, art and science. […]
Dear Brothers and Sisters, support life. I address this appeal to all my fellow countrymen, regardless of each one’s religious convictions. I address it to all people, without excluding anyone. From this place, I repeat once more what I said in October last year: ’A nation which kills its own children is a nation without a future’. Therefore a general mobilization of consciences and a joint ethical effort is necessary in order to put into action the great strategy of the defence of life. Today the world has become the arena of the battle for life. The struggle between the civilization of life and the civilization of death continues. This is why the building of the ’culture of life’ is so important: the creation of cultural works and models which will emphasize the grandeur and dignity of human life; the establishment of scientific and educational institutions which will promote a true vision of the human person, of conjugal and family life: the creation of environments which will embody in everyday life the merciful love which God grants to every person, especially those who are suffering, weak or poor.” (Kalisz, Poland, June 4, 1997)
14. John Paul II encourages us to build the civilization of love:
“The message of merciful love needs to resound forcefully anew. The world needs this love. The hour has come to bring Christ’s message to everyone: to rulers and the oppressed, to those whose humanity and dignity seem lost in the mysterium iniquitatis [the mystery of iniquity]. The hour has come when the message of Divine Mercy is able to fill hearts with hope and to become the spark of a new civilization: the civilization of love.” (Kraków-Błonia, Poland, August 18, 2002)
15. John Paul II emphasizes that today’s world greatly needs God’s mercy:
“How greatly today’s world needs God’s mercy! In every continent, from the depth of human suffering, a cry for mercy seems to rise up. Where hatred and the thirst for revenge dominate, where war brings suffering and death to the innocent, there the grace of mercy is needed in order to settle human minds and hearts and to bring about peace. Wherever respect for life and human dignity are lacking, there is need of God’s merciful love, in whose light we see the inexpressible value of every human being. Mercy is needed in order to ensure that every injustice in the world will come to an end in the splendour of truth.” (St. Peter’s Square, April 30, 2000)
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“As a gift to humanity, which sometimes seems bewildered and overwhelmed by the power of evil, selfishness and fear, the Risen Lord offers his love that pardons, reconciles and reopens hearts to love. It is a love that converts hearts and gives peace. How much the world needs to understand and accept Divine Mercy!”
(Fragment of John Paul II’s last message on Divine Mercy to suffering humanity read by Archbishop Leonardo Sandri to the faithful in St Peter’s Square on the Divine Mercy Sunday, April 3, 2005)
In another English translation this fragment of John Paul II's last message on Divine Mercy to suffering humanity runs as follows:
“To humanity, which at times seems to be lost and dominated by the power of evil, selfishness, and fear, the risen Lord offers the gift of his love that pardons, reconciles and opens the soul to hope. It is a love that converts hearts and brings peace. How much the world needs to understand and accept Divine Mercy!”
16. Francis talks about man’s material poverty and spiritual poverty:
“As you know, there are various reasons why I chose the name of Francis of Assisi, a familiar figure far beyond the borders of Italy and Europe, even among those who do not profess the Catholic faith. One of the first reasons was Francis’ love for the poor. How many poor people there still are in the world! And what great suffering they have to endure! After the example of Francis of Assisi, the Church in every corner of the globe has always tried to care for and look after those who suffer from want [poverty], and I think that in many of your countries you can attest to the generous activity of Christians who dedicate themselves to helping the sick, orphans, the homeless and all the marginalized, thus striving to make society more humane and more just.”
He continues:
“But there is another form of poverty! It is the spiritual poverty of our time, which afflicts the so-called richer countries particularly seriously. It is what my much-loved predecessor, Benedict XVI, called the ’tyranny [dictatorship] of relativism’, which makes everyone his own criterion and endangers the coexistence of peoples. And that brings me to a second reason for my name. Francis of Assisi tells us we should work to build peace. But there is no true peace without truth! There cannot be true peace if everyone is his own criterion, if everyone can always claim exclusively his own rights, without at the same time caring for the good of others, of everyone, on the basis of the nature that unites every human being on this earth.”
He then says that it is impossible to build true bonds of friendship between people without God:
“In this work, the role of religion is fundamental. It is not possible to build bridges between people while forgetting God. But the converse is also true: it is not possible to establish true links with God, while ignoring other people. Hence it is important to intensify dialogue among the various religions, and I am thinking particularly of dialogue with Islam. At the Mass marking the beginning of my ministry, I greatly appreciated the presence of so many civil and religious leaders from the Islamic world. And it is also important to intensify outreach to non-believers, so that the differences which divide and hurt us may never prevail, but rather the desire to build true links of friendship between all peoples, despite their diversity.
Fighting poverty, both material and spiritual, building peace and constructing bridges: these, as it were, are the reference points for a journey that I want to invite each of the countries here represented to take up. But it is a difficult journey, if we do not learn to grow in love for this world of ours. Here too, it helps me to think of the name of Francis, who teaches us profound respect for the whole of creation and the protection of our environment, which all too often, instead of using for the good, we exploit greedily, to one another’s detriment.” (Audience with the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See, March 22, 2013)
17. Stating that poverty is a scandal in the world, Francis encourages us to open our hearts to solidarity with our neighbors and actions inspired by true love to address poverty in today’s world:
“I would like to ask all those who have positions of responsibility in economic, political and social life, and all men and women of goodwill: let us be ’protectors’ of creation, protectors of God’s plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment.” (The inauguration of his Pontificate, March 19, 2013)
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“To love God and neighbor is not something abstract, but profoundly concrete: it means seeing in every person the face of the Lord to be served, to serve him concretely. And you are, dear brothers and sisters, the face of Jesus.” (Address during Visit at the Homeless Shelter “Dono Di Maria,” May 21, 2013)
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“The times talk to us of so much poverty in the world and this is a scandal. Poverty in the world is a scandal. In a world where there is so much wealth, so many resources to feed everyone, it is unfathomable that there are so many hungry children, that there are so many children without an education, so many poor persons. Poverty today is a cry.” (Meeting with students of Jesuit Schools, June 7, 2013)
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“Poverty calls us to sow hope. […] Poverty is the flesh of the poor Jesus, in that child who is hungry, in the one who is sick, in those unjust social structures.” (Meeting with Students of Jesuit Schools, June 7, 2013)
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“Among our tasks as witnesses to the love of Christ is that of giving a voice to the cry of the poor.” (Address to the Archbishop of Canterbury, June 14, 2013)
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“A way has to be found to enable everyone to benefit from the fruits of the earth, and not simply to close the gap between the affluent and those who must be satisfied with the crumbs falling from the table, but above all to satisfy the demands of justice, fairness and respect for every human being.” (Address to the Food and Agricultural Organization, June 20, 2013)
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“ ’A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another’ (Jn 13: 34-35). This is the good news that demands from each one a step forward, a perennial exercise of empathy, of listening to the suffering and the hopes of others, even those furthest away from me, and walking the demanding path of that love which knows how to give and spend itself freely for the good of all our brothers and sisters.” (2014 World Day of Peace Message, January 1, 2014)
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“Moreover, if on the one hand we are seeing a reduction in absolute poverty, on the other hand we cannot fail to recognize that there is a serious rise in relative poverty, that is, instances of inequality between people and groups who live together in particular regions or in a determined historical-cultural context. In this sense, effective policies are needed to promote the principle of fraternity, securing for people – who are equal in dignity and in fundamental rights – access to capital, services, educational resources, healthcare and technology so that every person has the opportunity to express and realize his or her life project and can develop fully as a person.” (2014 World Day of Peace Message, January 1, 2014)
18. In his book “The Name of God is Mercy” Francis says that no one can put a limit on God’s mercy and that there are no situations we cannot get out of:
“The Church Fathers teach us that a shattered heart is the most pleasing gift to God. It is the sign that we are conscious of our sins, of the evil we have done, of our wretchedness, and of our need for forgiveness and mercy.”
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“We need to remember and remind ourselves where we come from, what we are, our nothingness.”
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“The fragility of our era is this, too: we don’t believe that there is a chance for redemption; for a hand to raise you up; for an embrace to save you, forgive you, pick you up, flood you with infinite, patient, indulgent love; to put you back on your feet. We need mercy.”
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“Justice on its own is not enough. With mercy and forgiveness, God goes beyond justice, he subsumes it and exceeds it in a higher event in which we experience love, which is at the root of true justice.”
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“There are no situations we cannot get out of, we are not condemned to sink into quicksand, in which the more we move the deeper we sink. Jesus is there, his hand extended, ready to reach out to us and pull us out of the mud, out of sin, out of the abyss of evil into which we have fallen. We need only be conscious of our state, be honest with ourselves, and not lick our wounds. We need to ask for the grace to recognize ourselves as sinners. The more we acknowledge that we are in need, the more shame and humility we feel, the sooner we will feel his embrace of grace. Jesus waits for us, he goes ahead of us, he extends his hand to us, he is patient with us. God is faithful. Mercy will always be greater than any sin, no one can put a limit on the love of the all-forgiving God. Just by looking at him, just by raising our eyes from ourselves and our wounds, we leave an opening for the action of his grace. Jesus performs miracles with our sins, with what we are, with our nothingness, with our wretchedness.”
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“The most important thing in the life of every man and every woman is not that they should never fall along the way. The important thing is always to get back up, not to stay on the ground licking your wounds. The Lord of mercy always forgives me; he always offers me the possibility of starting over. He loves me for what I am, he wants to raise me up, and he extends his hand to me. This is one of the tasks of the Church: to help people perceive that there are no situations that they cannot get out of. For as long as we are alive it is always possible to start over, all we have to do is let Jesus embrace us and forgive us.”
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“God is a careful and attentive father, ready to welcome any person who takes a step or even expresses the desire to take a step that leads home. He is there, staring out at the horizon, expecting us, waiting for us. No human sin -- however serious -- can prevail over or limit mercy.”
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“God awaits us with open arms; we need only to take a step toward him like the Prodigal Son. But if, weak as we are, we don't have the strength to take that step, just the desire to take it is enough.”
19. In this book Francis emphasizes that we should be ministers of God’s mercy and reminds us of the protocol for which we will all be judged in the evening of life:
“People are looking for someone to listen to them. Someone willing to grant them time, to listen to their dramas and difficulties. This is what I call the ’apostolate of the ear,’ and it is important. Very important. I feel compelled to say to confessors: talk, listen with patience, and above all tell people that God loves them.”
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“The more conscious we are of our own wretchedness and our sins, the more we experience the love and infinite mercy of God among us, the more capable we are of looking upon the many ’wounded’ we meet along the way with acceptance and mercy.”
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“We are called to serve Christ the Crucified through every marginalized person. We touch the flesh of Christ in he who is outcast, hungry, thirsty, naked, imprisoned, ill, unemployed, persecuted, in search of refuge. That is where we find our God, that is where we touch the Lord. Jesus himself told us, explaining the protocol for which we will all be judged: ’whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did it for me’ (Matthew 25: 40).”
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“By welcoming a marginalized person whose body is wounded and by welcoming the sinner whose soul is wounded, we put our credibility as Christians on the line. Let us always remember the words of Saint John of the Cross: ’In the evening of life, we will be judged on love alone.’ “
20. In the same book Francis also says that money does not make us happy:
“Do not fall into the terrible trap of thinking that life depends on money and that, in comparison with money, anything else is devoid of value or dignity. This is nothing but an illusion! We cannot take money with us into the life beyond. Money does not bring us happiness.”
21. Francis says that mercy is Jesus’ most powerful message:
“And Jesus has this message for us: mercy. I think – and I say it with humility – that this is the Lord’s most powerful message: mercy. It was he himself who said: ’I did not come for the righteous’.... ’I came for sinners’ (Mk 2: 17).” (St Anna’s Church in the Vatican, March 17, 2013)
22. Francis says that God’s mercy toward us is linked to our mercy toward our neighbour:
“Following Jesus does not mean taking part in a triumphal procession! It means sharing his merciful love, entering his great work of mercy for each and every man and for all men. The work of Jesus is, precisely, a work of mercy, a work of forgiveness and of love! Jesus is so full of mercy!
And this universal pardon, this mercy, passes through the Cross. Jesus, however, does not want to do this work alone: he wants to involve us too in the mission that the Father entrusted to him.” (Reflection before the Angelus prayer, St Peter’s Square, September 8, 2013)
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“… God’s mercy toward us is linked to our mercy toward our neighbour; when this is lacking, also that of not finding room in our closed heart, He cannot enter. If I do not thrust open the door of my heart to the poor, that door remains closed. Even to God. This is terrible. […]
In order to convert, we must not wait for prodigious events, but open our heart to the Word of God, which calls us to love God and neighbour. The Word of God may revive a withered heart and cure it of its blindness. The rich man [in the parable of the rich man and the poor Lazarus (cf. Lk 16: 19-31)] knew the Word of God, but did not let it enter his heart, he did not listen to it, and thus was incapable of opening his eyes and of having compassion for the poor man. No messenger and no message can take the place of the poor whom we meet on the journey, because in them Jesus himself comes to meet us: ’as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me’ (Mt 25: 40), Jesus says. Thus hidden in the reversal of fate that the parable describes lies the mystery of our salvation, in which Christ links poverty with mercy.” (Reflection on poverty and mercy made during general audience in St. Peter’s Square, May 18, 2016)
23. Francis says that we will not find the Lord unless we truly accept the marginalized:
“I urge you to serve Jesus crucified in every person who is emarginated, for whatever reason; to see the Lord in every excluded person who is hungry, thirsty, naked; to see the Lord present even in those who have lost their faith, or turned away from the practice of their faith, or say that they are atheists; to see the Lord who is imprisoned, sick, unemployed, persecuted; to see the Lord in the leper – whether in body or soul - who encounters discrimination! We will not find the Lord unless we truly accept the marginalized! May we always have before us the image of Saint Francis, who was unafraid to embrace the leper and to accept every kind of outcast. Truly, dear brothers, the Gospel of the marginalized is where our credibility is at stake, is discovered and is revealed!” (Holy Mass with the new Cardinals, Vatican Basilica, February 15, 2015)
24. Francis emphasizes that the whole (body-soul) suffering person should be treated:
“Along with the work of spiritual mercy in prayer groups, St. Pio desired an extraordinary corporal work of mercy: the ’Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza’ [ ’Home for Relief of the Suffering’ – a private hospital in San Giovanni Rotondo, founded by Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina], inaugurated 60 years ago. He wanted it to be not just an excellent hospital, but a ’temple of science and of prayer’. Indeed, ’human beings always need something more than technically proper care. They need humanity. They need heartfelt concern’ (Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est, n. 31). This is so important: to treat for the disease, but above all to care for those who are ill. Both are important but they are two different things: treat the disease and the one who is sick. It can happen that, while the wounds of the body are treated, the wounds of the soul may worsen, and these are slower to detect and often difficult to heal. Even the dying, sometimes seemingly unconscious, take part in the prayer offered with faith by their side, and they entrust themselves to God, to his mercy. I remember the death of a priest friend. He was an apostle, a man of God. But he had been in a coma for a long time, a long time.... The doctors were saying: ’we don’t know how he is still managing to breathe’. Another priest friend came in, approached him and spoke to him. He heard him. ’Let the Lord take you. Let yourself go forward. Have faith, trust in the Lord’. And with these words, he let himself go in peace. So many people are in need, so many sick people, may they be spoken to, may they be caressed, may they be given the strength to bear their illness or go to meet the Lord. They need to be helped to entrust themselves to the Lord. I am so grateful to you and to those who serve the sick with competence, love and faith. Let us ask for the grace to recognize the presence of Christ in those who are sick and suffering; as Padre Pio said again and again, ’the sick person is Jesus’. The sick one is Jesus. He or she is the flesh of Christ.” (Jubilee for the Padre Pio Prayer Groups, St. Peter’s Square, February 6, 2016)
25. Referring to the healing of a man blind since birth by Jesus, described in the Gospel of St John (9: 1-41), Francis talks about physical blindness and inner (spiritual) blindness. He emphasizes that while the man blind from birth gradually draws near to the light, the doctors of the law, despite their knowledge, go into the opposite direction – they sink deeper and deeper into the inner (spiritual) blindness. (Reflection before the Angelus prayer in St Peter's Square, March 30, 2014)
26. Francis says that when we shut our eyes in the face of sickness and disability we fail to understand the real meaning of life. Emphasizing that happiness can be attained only if we are capable of loving, he states that the world becomes better when human solidarity, mutual acceptance and respect increase:
“Each of us, sooner or later, is called to face – at times painfully – frailty and illness, both our own and those of others. How many different faces do these common yet dramatically human experiences take! Yet all of them directly raise the pressing question of the meaning of life. Our hearts may quietly yield to cynicism, as if the only solution were simply to put up with these experiences, trusting only in our own strength. Or we may put complete trust in science, thinking that surely somewhere in the world there is a medicine capable of curing the illness. Sadly, however, this is not always the case, and, even if the medicine did exist, it would be accessible to very few people.
Human nature, wounded by sin, is marked by limitations. We are familiar with the objections raised, especially nowadays, to a life characterized by serious physical limitations. It is thought that sick or disabled persons cannot be happy, since they cannot live the lifestyle held up by the culture of pleasure and entertainment. In an age when care for one’s body has become an obsession and a big business, anything imperfect has to be hidden away, since it threatens the happiness and serenity of the privileged few and endangers the dominant model. Such persons should best be kept apart, in some ’enclosure’ – even a gilded one – or in ’islands’ of pietism or social welfare, so that they do not hold back the pace of a false well-being. In some cases, we are even told that it is better to eliminate them as soon as possible, because they become an unacceptable economic burden in time of crisis. Yet what an illusion it is when people today shut their eyes in the face of sickness and disability! They fail to understand the real meaning of life, which also has to do with accepting suffering and limitations. The world does not become better because only apparently ’perfect’ people live there – I say ’perfect’ rather than ’false’ – but when human solidarity, mutual acceptance and respect increase. How true are the words of the Apostle: ’God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong’ (1 Cor 1: 27)!” (Jubilee of the Sick and Disabled celebrated, St. Peter’s Square, June 12, 2016)
27. Francis called 2016 the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy (the Jubilee Year of Mercy, the Year of Mercy). It commenced on December 8, 2015 (the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception) and concluded on November 20, 2016 (the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe).
We should look at the Year of Mercy as an invitation to love, to be kind and to have unbounded generosity. By calling 2016 the Year of Mercy Francis offered people the opportunity to encounter the infinite (unfathomable, bottomless, inscrutable, inconceivable) mercy of God. Francis says that the Year of Mercy is a response to the world’s need for a “revolution of tenderness” from which “justice and all the rest derives”. He also says: “We are used to bad news, cruel news, and to even bigger atrocities, which offend the name and life of God” and emphasizes that ending those tragedies requires a spirit of mercy.
Francis tweets (Pope Francis@Pontifex):
“The Jubilee Year of Mercy reminds us that God is waiting for us with open arms, just like the father of the prodigal son.” (November 29, 2015)
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“May the Jubilee of Mercy bring us all closer to God’s goodness and love!” (December 8, 2015)
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“The Jubilee is the party to which Jesus invites us all, without excluding anyone.” (May 18, 2016)
28. In the Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy Francis reminds us that God's mercy and human mercy can transform our lives, our relationships, and our abilities to embrace and and experience all of life.
Francis says that mercy reveals the very mystery of the Most Holy Trinity and is the bridge that connects the Triune God and man:
“1. Jesus 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’ (Eph 2: 4), after having revealed his name to Moses as ’a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness’ (Ex 34: 6), has never ceased to show, in various ways throughout history, his divine nature. In the ’fullness of time’ (Gal 4: 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 Father (cf. Jn 14: 9). Jesus of Nazareth, by his words, his actions, and his entire person reveals the mercy of God.
2. We need constantly to contemplate the mystery of mercy. It is a wellspring of joy, serenity, and peace. Our salvation depends on it. Mercy: the word reveals the very mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. Mercy: the ultimate and supreme act by which God comes to meet us. Mercy: the fundamental law that dwells in the heart of every person who looks sincerely into the eyes of his brothers and sisters on the path of life. Mercy: the bridge that connects God and man, opening our hearts to the hope of being loved forever despite our sinfulness.”
Francis says that God manifests His omnipotence particularly by exercising mercy:
“6. ’It is proper to God to exercise mercy, and he manifests his omnipotence particularly in this way’. 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 …’ 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’ (Ps 103: 3-4). 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). Here are some other expressions of the Psalmist: ’He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds… The Lord lifts up the downtrodden, he casts the wicked to the ground’ (Ps 147: 3, 6). 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.”
Francis reminds us that God’s mercy endures forever:
“7. ’For his mercy endures forever.’ This is the refrain that repeats after each verse in Psalm 136 as it narrates the history of God’s revelation. By virtue of mercy, all the events of the Old Testament are replete with profound salvific import. Mercy renders God’s history with Israel a history of salvation. To repeat continually ’for his mercy endures forever,’ as the psalm does, seems to break through the dimensions of space and time, inserting everything into the eternal mystery of love. It is as if to say that not only in history, but for all eternity man will always be under the merciful gaze of the Father.”
Francis says that mercy is a key word that indicates God’s action towards us and that we are called to be merciful to each other:
“9. In the parables devoted to mercy, Jesus reveals the nature of God as that of a Father who never gives up until he has forgiven the wrong and overcome rejection with compassion and mercy. We know these parables well, three in particular: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the father with two sons (cf. Lk 15: 1-32). In these parables, God is always presented as full of joy, especially when he pardons. In them we find the core of the Gospel and of our faith, because mercy is presented as a force that overcomes everything, filling the heart with love and bringing consolation through pardon.
From another parable, we cull an important teaching for our Christian lives. In reply to Peter’s question about how many times it is necessary to forgive, Jesus says: ’I do not say seven times, but seventy times seven times’ (Mt 18: 22). He then goes on to tell the parable of the ’ruthless servant,’ who, called by his master to return a huge amount, begs him on his knees for mercy. His master cancels his debt. But he then meets a fellow servant who owes him a few cents and who in turn begs on his knees for mercy, but the first servant refuses his request and throws him into jail. When the master hears of the matter, he becomes infuriated and, summoning the first servant back to him, says, ’Should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ (Mt 18: 33). Jesus concludes, ’So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart’ (Mt 18: 35).”
He continues:
“This parable contains a profound teaching for all of us. Jesus affirms that mercy is not only an action of the Father, it becomes a criterion for ascertaining who his true children are. In short, we are called to show mercy because mercy has first been shown to us. Pardoning offences becomes the clearest expression of merciful love, and for us Christians it is an imperative from which we cannot excuse ourselves. At times how hard it seems to forgive! And yet pardon is the instrument placed into our fragile hands to attain serenity of heart. To let go of anger, wrath, violence, and revenge are necessary conditions to living joyfully. Let us therefore heed the Apostle’s exhortation: ’Do not let the sun go down on your anger’ (Eph 4: 26). Above all, let us listen to the words of Jesus who made mercy an ideal of life and a criterion for the credibility of our faith: ’Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy’ (Mt 5: 7): the beatitude to which we should particularly aspire in this Holy Year.
As we can see in Sacred Scripture, mercy is a key word that indicates God’s action towards us. He does not limit himself merely to affirming his love, but makes it visible and tangible. Love, after all, can never be just an abstraction. By its very nature, it indicates something concrete: intentions, attitudes, and behaviours that are shown in daily living. The mercy of God is his loving concern for each one of us. He feels responsible; that is, he desires our wellbeing and he wants to see us happy, full of joy, and peaceful. This is the path which the merciful love of Christians must also travel. As the Father loves, so do his children. Just as he is merciful, so we are called to be merciful to each other.”
Referring to the teaching of John Paul II, Francis emphasizes that today’s world needs the mercy of God:
“11. 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. 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. 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 (cf. Gen 1: 28). 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’.
Furthermore, 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’. This teaching is more pertinent than ever and deserves to be taken up once again in this Holy Year. Let us listen to his words once more: ’The Church lives an authentic life when she professes and proclaims mercy – the most stupendous attribute of the Creator and of the Redeemer – and when she brings people close to the sources of the Saviour’s mercy, of which she is the trustee and dispenser’.”
Francis emphasizes that we should be merciful like our heavenly Father:
“14. […] Merciful like the Father, therefore, is the ’motto’ of this Holy Year. 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. What 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’ (Ps 70: 2)! 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.
15. 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! 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!”
He continues reminding us that in the evening of life we will be judged on love:
“It is my burning desire that, during this Jubilee, the Christian people may reflect on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. It will be a way to reawaken our conscience, too often grown dull in the face of poverty. And let us enter more deeply into the heart of the Gospel where the poor have a special experience of God’s mercy. Jesus introduces us to these 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: to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, heal the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead. 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 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 (cf. Mt 25: 31-45). 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. In 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. 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’.”
Francis sys that God goes beyond justice with His mercy and forgiveness:
“21. […] 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. 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 envelopes 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 every one who has faith may be justified’ (Rom 10: 3-4). God’s justice is his mercy given to everyone as a grace that flows from the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 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.”
29. Emphasizing that we should be missionaries of the Gospel, Francis encourages us to bring about a culture of mercy and put ourselves at the service of the civilization of love.
Francis tweets (Pope Francis@Pontifex):
“We must not believe the Evil One when he tells us that there is nothing we can do in the face of violence, injustice and sin.” (March 24, 2013)
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“God is so merciful toward us. We too should learn to be merciful, especially with those who suffer.” (July 17, 2013)
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“Mercy is the true power that can save humanity and the world from sin and evil.” (October 7, 2013)
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“We cannot give up in the face of evil. God is Love and he has defeated evil through Christ’s death and resurrection.” (October 18, 2013)
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“We are all sinners. But God heals us with an abundance of grace, mercy and tenderness.” (October 28, 2013)
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“To be saints is not a privilege for the few, but a vocation for everyone.” (November 21, 2013)
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“Holiness doesn’t mean doing extraordinary things, but doing ordinary things with love and faith.” (December 5, 2013)
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“It is not enough to say we are Christians. We must live the faith, not only with our words, but with our actions.” (January 20, 2014)
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“Do not be afraid! Open the doors to Christ!” (May 3, 2014)
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“We will never be disillusioned or lose our way if we are guided by God.” (May 22, 2014)
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“To live by faith means to put our lives in the hands of God, especially in our most difficult moments.” (May 23, 2014)
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“There is never a reason to lose hope. Jesus says: 'I am with you until the end of the world' ”. (June 19, 2014)
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“It is by God’s mercy that we are saved. May we never tire of spreading this joyful message to the world.” (August 17, 2014)
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“Let us allow God to fill our hearts with his goodness and mercy.” (March 17, 2015)
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“We Christians are called to go out of ourselves to bring the mercy and tenderness of God to all.” (April 25, 2015)
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“The light of the Gospel guides all who put themselves at the service of the civilization of love.” (June 2, 2015)
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“How wonderful it is to proclaim to everyone the love of God which saves us and gives meaning to our lives!” (June 3, 2015)
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“We are all sinners. Let us be transformed by God’s mercy.” (August 8, 2015)
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“Open your heart to mercy! Divine mercy is stronger than the sins of men.” (March 3, 2016)
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“Before the spiritual and moral abysses of mankind, only God’s infinite mercy can bring us salvation.” (April 28, 2016)
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“If our hearts and actions are inspired by charity, by divine love, then our communication will be touched by God’s own power.” (May 13, 2016)
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“To communicate with mercy means to help create a healthy, free and fraternal closeness among the children of God.” (May 14, 2016)
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“The world needs the courage, hope, faith and perseverance of Christ’s followers.” (May 17, 2016)
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“We are stewards, not masters of our earth. Each of us has a personal responsibility to care for the precious gift of God’s creation.” (May 30, 2016)
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“The tenderness of God is present in the lives of all those who attend the sick and understand their needs, with eyes full of love.” (June 10, 2016)
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“Being Christian involves joining one’s own life, in all its aspects, to the person of Jesus and, through Him, to the Father.” (June 22, 2016)
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“If God is present in our life, the joy of bringing the Gospel will be our strength and our happiness.” (June 28, 2016)
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“Anyone who performs works of mercy is not afraid of death.” (July 29, 2016)
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“We have come into the world in order to leave a mark.” (July 30, 2016)
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“Jesus is calling you to leave your mark on life: one that transforms your own life and the lives of others.” (July 30, 2016)
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“God counts on you for who you are, not for what you have. You are valuable in His eyes and your value is priceless.” (July 31, 2016)
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“Jesus speaks to you every day. Let His Gospel become yours and let Him be your ’navigator’ on life’s journey!” (July 31, 2016)
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“We oppose hatred and destruction with goodness. We live in societies of different cultures and religions, but we are brothers and sisters.” (August 7, 2016)
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“May people see the Gospel in our lives: in our generous and faithful love for Christ and our brothers and sisters.” (August 13, 2016)
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“Mercy does not just mean being a ’good person’ nor is it mere sentimentality. It is the measure of our authenticity as disciples of Jesus.” (August 21, 2016)
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“May God’s mercy towards us move us to be merciful towards our neighbors.” (August 29, 2016)
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“Serving with love and tenderness those who are in need helps us to grow in humanity.” (August 31, 2016)
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“Let us imitate Mother Teresa who made works of mercy the guide of her life and the path towards holiness.” (September 3, 2016)
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“God is always moved to compassion whenever we repent.” (September 7, 2016)
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“To offer today’s world the witness of mercy is a task from which none of us can feel exempted.” (September 8, 2016)
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“The Lord presents himself each day and knocks at the door of our heart.” (September 9, 2016)
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“The Word of God can revive a hardened heart.” (September 11, 2016)
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“As Christians, we are called to be missionaries of the Gospel.” (September 18, 2016)
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“Mercy can truly contribute to the building up of a more humane world.” (September 19, 2016)
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“The more we let ourselves be enveloped by the love of God, the more our lives are renewed.” (September 22, 2016)
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“God never tires of offering His forgiveness each time we ask for it.” (September 23, 2016)
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“The world needs concrete signs of solidarity, especially before the temptation of indifference.” (September 25, 2016)
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“In the brother we help we recognize the face of God which no one sees anymore.” (September 26, 2016)
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“God is not known through grand ideas and extensive study, but rather through the littleness of a humble and trusting heart.” (October 1, 2016)
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“The poor and weak are the flesh of Christ, who call upon Christians of every confession.” (October 1, 2016)
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“God changes the world by transforming our hearts. When God finds an open and trusting heart, he can work wonders there.” (October 2, 2016)
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“It is by loving that the God-who-is-Love is proclaimed to the world.” (October 6, 2016)
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“May nothing keep you from growing in friendship with God.” (October 17, 2016)
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“The sick, the poor, as well as the unborn, are all made in the image of God and worthy of the highest respect.” (October 21, 2016)
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“ ’Do not be afraid! Open wide the doors for Christ!’ – Saint John Paul II, 22 October 1978.” (October 22, 2016)
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“Prophecy is saying that there is something truer, more beautiful, greater, of greater good to which we are all called.” (November 7, 2016)
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“Dear Friends, never forget that in our encounter with people in need we meet Jesus himself.” (November 11, 2016)
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“If you want to find God, seek him where he is hidden: in the neediest, the sick, the hungry, the imprisoned.” (November 13, 2016)
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“In a world which has been damaged by the virus of indifference, the works of mercy are the best antidote.” (November 14, 2016)
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“If every one of us, every day, does a work of mercy, there will be a revolution in the world!” (November 15, 2016)
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“It is not enough to experience God’s mercy in one’s life; whoever receives it must also become a sign and instrument for others.” (November 17, 2016)
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“If you want a heart full of love, be mercifull [sic].” (November 18, 2016)
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“May the balm of mercy reach everyone, both believers and those far away, as a sign that the Kingdom of God is already present in our midst!” (November 20, 2016)
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“How much I desire that the years to come will be full of mercy, so that every person can experience the goodness and tenderness of God!” (November 22, 2016)
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“Jesus calls us to be bearers of joy and consolation as his merciful witnesses.” (November 29, 2016)
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“We are all called to go out as missionaries and bring the message of God’s love to every person in every area of life.” (December 3, 2016)
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“Everyone can help bring about a culture of mercy, in which no one looks at another with indifference.” (January 11, 2017)
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“Let us imitate the attitude of Jesus toward the sick: he [sic] takes care of everyone, He shares their suffering and opens their hearts to hope.” (January 31, 2017)
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“Let us follow in the footsteps of Christ, especially by dedicating ourselves to our brothers and sisters in need.” (April 5, 2017)
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“Jesus comes to save us; we are called to choose his way: the way of service, of giving, of forgetfulness of ourselves.” (April 11, 2017)
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“God makes His most beautiful flowers grow among the driest stones.” (May 18, 2017)
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“We are called to live not as one without others, above or against others, but with and for others.” (May 22, 2017)
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“Let us allow ourselves to be humbly led by the Holy Spirit in order to avoid taking the wrong road and closing our hearts.” (June 4, 2017)
30. Mother Teresa says:
“Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.”
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“Even the rich are hungry for love, for being cared for, for being wanted, for having someone to call their own.”
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“The greatest disease in the West today is not TB or leprosy; it is being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love. There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread but there are many more dying for a little love. The poverty in the West is a different kind of poverty – it is not only a poverty of loneliness but also of spirituality. There’s a hunger for love, as there is a hunger for God.”
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“The spiritual poverty of the West is greater than ours. […] You, in the West, have millions of people who suffer such terrible loneliness and emptiness. […] They feel unloved and unwanted. These people are not hungry in the physical sense, but they are in another way. They know they need something more than money, yet they don’t know what it is. What they are missing, really, is a living relationship with God.”
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“The greatest disease of mankind is the absence of love.”
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“The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.”
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“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
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“I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things.”
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“Intense love does not measure, it just gives.”
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“The success of love is in the loving – it is not in the result of loving. Of course it is natural in love to want the best for the other person, but whether it turns out that way or not does not determine the value of what we have done.”
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“In loving one another through our works we bring an increase of grace and a growth in divine love.”
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“We must know that we have been created for greater things, not just to be a number in the world, not just to go for diplomas and degrees, this work and that work. We have been created in order to love and to be loved.”
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“I’m just a little pencil in the hand of a writing God sending a love letter to the world.”
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“It is not the magnitude of our actions, but the amount of love that is put into them that matters.”
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“At the hour of death when we come face-to-face with God, we are going to be judged on love; not how much we have done, but how much love we put into the doing.”
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“Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.”
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“Prayer makes your heart bigger, until it is capable of containing the gift of God himself. Prayer begets faith, faith begets love, and love begets service on behalf of the poor.”