As the Year of Mercy
ended, Pope Francis signed an apostolic letter imploring us to continue being
merciful, called Misericordia et Misera. The title can be translated as
"Mercy and Misery". St. Augustine used this expression to explain the episode of the Gospel in which people wanted to stone an adulterous woman and
Jesus forgives her. This letter continues the key themes of Pope Francis,
especially that of Mercy.
Pope introduces his theme
in the first paragraph: “Mercy cannot become a mere parenthesis in the life of
the Church; it constitutes her very existence, through which the profound
truths of the Gospel are made manifest and tangible. Everything is revealed in mercy; everything
is resolved in the merciful love of the Father” (MM 1). “Forgiveness is the
most visible sign of the Father’s love, which Jesus sought to reveal by his
entire life. Every page of the Gospel is
marked by this imperative of a love that loves to the point of forgiveness” (MM
2). From this Francis draws the fact that “none of us has the right to make
forgiveness conditional”. For this to be understood well, two distinctions are
helpful: first, God puts some limits on forgiveness which we must respect as
absolution is not given if someone firmly intends to commit the sin again they
are confessing; second, forgiving does not imply giving free reign as an abused
woman might forgive her ex-husband yet file a restraining order against him.
“Mercy gives rise to joy,
because our hearts are opened to the hope of a new life.” To a technological
and sad culture, the Pope offers an antidote: “All who put aside sadness and
put on joy will live in God” (MM 3). Pope Francis suggests “pastoral conversion”
which is “shaped daily by the renewing force of mercy” (MM 5) as part of the
new evangelization. The footnote explains that “pastoral conversion” is a
conversion of the Church’s ministry to more openness and outreach.
Pope Francis says, “We
are called to celebrate mercy,” and proposes with four ways to do this.
First, “From the
beginning to the end of the Eucharistic celebration, mercy constantly appears
in the dialogue between the assembly at prayer and the heart of the Father” (MM
5)
Second, “Hearing the word
of God” celebrates mercy because, “In the biblical readings, we retrace the
history of our salvation through the proclamation of God’s tireless work of
mercy” (MM 6)
Third, “The Bible is the
great story of the marvels of God’s mercy” (MM 7). In this context he suggests
a “Bible Sunday” every year without further details.
Fourth, “The celebration
of mercy takes place in a very particular way in the Sacrament of Penance and
Reconciliation.” Here, “God shows us the way to turn back to him and invites us
to experience his closeness anew” (MM 8)
Pope also lists the
attributes a priest should have in hearing confessions: “I ask you to be
welcoming to all, witnesses of fatherly love whatever the gravity of the sin
involved, attentive in helping penitents to reflect on the evil they have done,
clear in presenting moral principles, willing to walk patiently beside the
faithful on their penitential journey, far-sighted in discerning individual
cases and generous in dispensing God’s forgiveness” (MM 10). “No law or precept
can prevent God from once more embracing the son who returns to him, admitting
that he has done wrong but intending to start his life anew”. (MM 11)
Paragraph 12 extends two
dispensations:
First, all priests can forgive the sin of abortion. "Given this need, lest any obstacle arise between the request for reconciliation and God’s forgiveness, I henceforth grant to all priests, in virtue of their ministry, the faculty to absolve those who have committed the sin of procured abortion. The provision I had made in this regard, limited to the duration of the Extraordinary Holy Year, is hereby extended, notwithstanding anything to the contrary". But at the same time he wants to restate firmly that abortion is a grave sin, since it puts an end to an innocent life. In the same way, however, he states that there is no sin that God’s mercy cannot reach and wipe away when it finds a repentant heart seeking to be reconciled with the Father. He exhorts every priest, therefore, be a guide, support and comfort to penitents on their journey of special reconciliation.
First, all priests can forgive the sin of abortion. "Given this need, lest any obstacle arise between the request for reconciliation and God’s forgiveness, I henceforth grant to all priests, in virtue of their ministry, the faculty to absolve those who have committed the sin of procured abortion. The provision I had made in this regard, limited to the duration of the Extraordinary Holy Year, is hereby extended, notwithstanding anything to the contrary". But at the same time he wants to restate firmly that abortion is a grave sin, since it puts an end to an innocent life. In the same way, however, he states that there is no sin that God’s mercy cannot reach and wipe away when it finds a repentant heart seeking to be reconciled with the Father. He exhorts every priest, therefore, be a guide, support and comfort to penitents on their journey of special reconciliation.
The second disposition is
extended faculties for confession to the priests of the Society of St. Pius X until
further provisions are made.
Pope Francis encourages
the mercy of consolation where words of hope reach those in pain. We might
suffer pain, “yet God is never far from us at these moments of sadness and
trouble” (MM 13). Mercy is interpersonal: “It is an encounter between two
hearts: the heart of God who comes to meet us and a human heart. The latter is warmed and healed by the former”
(MM 16).
“The social character of
mercy demands that we not simply stand by and do nothing. It requires us to banish indifference and
hypocrisy” (MM 19). He calls for “a culture of mercy” - like John Paul II
called for “a culture of life” - which is “based on the rediscovery of
encounter with others, a culture in which no one looks at another with
indifference or turns away from the suffering of our brothers and sisters. The works of mercy are ‘handcrafted’, in the
sense that none of them is alike” (MM 20). As a conclusion to the Year of
Mercy, Francis tells us, “the Jubilee now ends and the Holy Door is
closed. But the door of mercy of our
heart continues to remain wide open” (MM 16).
