Mercy is key to the life of faith, Pope Francis says

Vatican City, Apr 23, 2017 / 03:45 am

On Divine Mercy Sunday Pope Francis said mercy is essential in living the Christian life, because it not only allows us to understand ourselves and God better, but it also prompts us to recognize and help those in need.

 "Let us never forget that mercy is the keystone of the life of faith, and concrete way with which we give visibility to the Resurrection of Jesus," the Pope said April 23.

Mercy, he said, is understood as a true awareness of "the mystery" that the Church is living, particularly during the Easter season.

Not only is mercy understood in various ways such as through the senses, intuition and reason, but we can also become aware of it through an act of mercy that we personally experience, he said, adding that "this opens the door of the mind to better understand the mystery of God and of our personal existence."

"It makes us understand that violence, resentment and revenge have no meaning, and the first victim is whoever lives these sentiments, because it deprives them of their own dignity," he said.

Additionally, mercy also allows us to open the door of our hearts and draw close to those who are "alone and marginalized," recognizing those in need and finding the right words to say to comfort them.

"Mercy warms the heart and makes it sensitive to the needs of our brothers with sharing and participation," Francis said, explaining that in the end, mercy "commits everyone to being instruments of justice, reconciliation and peace."

Pope Francis spoke to pilgrims during his Sunday Regina Coeli address on Divine Mercy Sunday, the first Sunday after Easter. The Regina Coeli is traditionally prayed instead of the Angelus throughout the liturgical Easter season.

In his brief speech, the Pope noted now the Sunday after Easter in the past was referred to as "in albis," meaning "in white," as a reminder of the white garments worn by those who had come into the Church on Easter Sunday.

In the time after Easter, he said, Sunday takes on "an even more illuminating" aspect, especially considering the previous traditional custom in which the garment would be worn by the person for the entire week after their baptism until the following Sunday, when they began their new life in Christ and the Church.

Francis then pointed to how the Sunday after Easter was later designated as Divine Mercy Sunday by Pope Saint John Paul II during the Jubilee year 2000.

"It was a beautiful institution!" he said, noting that his own Extraordinary Jubilee for Mercy concluded just a few months ago, on the Nov. 20, 2016, Solemnity of Christ the King.

In wake of the Jubilee, Divine Mercy Sunday "invites us to take up with strength the grace that comes from the mercy of God," he said, noting that in the day's Gospel from John, Jesus appears to his disciples in the upper room, and gives them the message: "As the Father has sent me, so I also send you."

After saying this, Jesus then entrusts them with a special task, telling them "receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven."

"This is the meaning of the mercy that is presented to us on the day of the Resurrection of Jesus as forgiveness of sins," Pope Francis said, explaining that the Risen Christ gave his Church as a first task "his same mission of bringing to all the concrete announcement of forgiveness."

Francis said this commission is a visible sign of Christ's mercy, which brings both peace of heart and the joy of a renewed encounter with the Lord.

He closed his address praying that Mary, the Mother of Mercy, would "help us to believe and live all of this with joy," and led pilgrims in praying the Regina Coeli.

The Pope then greeted pilgrims from various countries around the world, giving a special shout-out to Spain, where yesterday the priest Fr. Luis Antonio Rosa Ormières was proclaimed a Blessed, and to all youth who had been confirmed or are currently candidates for Confirmation.

He then thanked everyone who sent him messages wishing him a happy Easter before asking for prayers and giving his blessing.