Year of Mercy begins on Mary's Feast - Dec. 8, 2015

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Recently I was asked why the Pope chose to begin this Special Year of Mercy on Dec. 8 and not at the beginning of the Church Year (First Sunday of Advent) or even at the beginning of the calendar year (Jan 1). My initial thought was simply because the Immaculate Conception was the “beginning of God’s utmost Mercy in sending Jesus to us, born of a woman”.
However, I decided to check the website of the Jubilee Year of Mercy to see if there was any other reason, and I discovered that this Dec. 8 is the 50th Anniversary of the close of Vatican II.

This year’s Feast of the Immaculate Conception holds for us great hope for God’s Mercy continuing to come to us through Mary. If you would like to read more about the Year of Mercy see HERE

 

[friardchips]

“This woman has truly encountered the Lord. In silence, she opened her heart; in sorrow, she showed repentance for her sins; by her tears, she appealed to divine goodness to receive forgiveness. For her there will be no judgment but that which comes from God, and this is the judgment of mercy. The hero of this encounter is certainly love, a mercy which goes beyond justice.”

Hi Maria-Christi. From the homily, this sentence I quoted from your link is very Christian, very Catholic, in the truest sense.

 

[Joe_5859]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Recently I was asked why the Pope chose to begin this Special Year of Mercy on Dec. 8 and not at the beginning of the Church Year (First Sunday of Advent) or even at the beginning of the calendar year (Jan 1). My initial thought was simply because the Immaculate Conception was the “beginning of God’s utmost Mercy in sending Jesus to us, born of a woman”.
However, I decided to check the website of the Jubilee Year of Mercy to see if there was any other reason, and I discovered that this Dec. 8 is the 50th Anniversary of the close of Vatican II.

This year’s Feast of the Immaculate Conception holds for us great hope for God’s Mercy continuing to come to us through Mary. If you would like to read more about the Year of Mercy see HERE

Yes, the Year of Faith began on the 50th anniversary of the opening of Vatican II and now the Year of Mercy begins on the 50th anniversary of the close of Vatican II. Faith & mercy. Two things I always need more of!

 

[MariaChristi]

"This woman has truly encountered the Lord. In silence, she opened her heart; in sorrow, she showed repentance for her sins; by her tears, she appealed to divine goodness to receive forgiveness. For her there will be no judgment but that which comes from God, and this is the judgment of mercy. The hero of this encounter is certainly love, a mercy which goes beyond justice."

Hi Maria-Christi. From the homily, this sentence I quoted from your link is very Christian, very Catholic, in the truest sense.

Thanks for your reply, FC,

Concerning that beautiful description the Pope used in his homily, I also read :

Pope Francis recently recommended Dante’s tripartite epic poem *The Divine Comedy *as a fitting “spiritual guide” for the upcoming Year of Mercy…Dante’s trilogy is deeply imbued in a world-shattering vision of God’s mercy in action, of His redemptive grace saving souls who will accept it.

Pope Francis, in announcing the Year of Mercy, likewise focused on the role of repentance in receiving God’s mercy, reflecting on the story of the sinful woman who anointed Jesus’s feet (Lk 7:36-50). He emphasized its two themes of “love and judgment”—two themes around which the Divine Comedy revolves. “In sorrow she showed repentance for her sins,” says Francis, “by her tears, she appealed to divine goodness to receive forgiveness. For her there will be no judgment but that which comes from God, and this is the judgment of mercy … a mercy which goes beyond justice.”

That, in a nutshell, is why Dante is perfect reading for the Year of Mercy: Dante believes any sinner, no matter how lost, can be completely healed by God’s mercy. Receiving mercy should ignite in us a fire of love, of longing to see His face, ( taken from article, “The Pope, the Poet, and the Year of Mercy” see HERE

It is worth noting also the Pope’s closing words in his announcement:

Let us henceforth entrust this Year to the Mother of Mercy, that she turn her gaze upon us and watch over our journey: our penitential journey, our year-long journey with an open heart, to receive the indulgence of God, to receive the mercy of God.

 

[MariaChristi]

Yes, the Year of Faith began on the 50th anniversary of the opening of Vatican II and now the Year of Mercy begins on the 50th anniversary of the close of Vatican II. Faith & mercy. Two things I always need more of!

Thanks for your reply, Joe,

Yes, faith and mercy are two things we are ALL in need of, it seems to me.

May God increase in us deeper faith, hope and above all charity as we repent sincerely of our sins and seek His Merciful Love to fill us and enable us to be people of mercy to others. By His Grace, may we bring the Good News of Jesus as our Mother Mary first brought Him to the world, and by her prayers continues to bring Him to all in need.

Mary, Mother of Mercy, pray for us.