1. PRAYER
Pope Francis' Jubilee Year of Mercy Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ,
you have taught us to be merciful like the heavenly Father,
and have told us that whoever sees you sees Him.
Show us your face and we will be saved.
Your loving gaze freed Zacchaeus and Matthew from being enslaved by money;
the adulteress and Magdalene from seeking happiness only in created things;
made Peter weep after his betrayal,
and assured Paradise to the repentant thief.
Let us hear, as if addressed to each one of us, the words that you spoke to the Samaritan woman:
"If you knew the gift of God!"
You are the visible face of the invisible Father,
of the God who manifests his power above all by forgiveness and mercy:
let the Church be your visible face in the world, its Lord risen and glorified.
You willed that your ministers would also be clothed in weakness
in order that they may feel compassion for those in ignorance and error:
let everyone who approaches them feel sought after, loved, and forgiven by God.
Send your Spirit and consecrate every one of us with its anointing,
so that the Jubilee of Mercy may be a year of grace from the Lord,
and your Church, with renewed enthusiasm, may bring good news to the poor,
proclaim liberty to captives and the oppressed,
and restore sight to the blind.
We ask this through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy,
you who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.
Amen.
- Pope Francis
2. MEDITATION
3. SONG
4. NARRATIVE
One can read the following meditation by Rohr
https://cac.org/daily-meditations/truth-hierarchy-truths-2015-03-03/
Or you can read what AI says what Rohr says about mercy and truth An overview.
- A transactional relationship with God: This mindset projects a toxic image onto God, seeing God as a punishing tyrant or a benevolent figure who must be appeased with good behavior.
- The pursuit of being "right": In this system, people are more concerned with being "right" and performing flawlessly. But since perfection is impossible, this approach inevitably leads to disappointment and resentment.
- Divisive dualism: A dualistic approach separates people into categories of "good" and "bad," creating an "us vs. them" mentality that makes reconciliation nearly impossible.
- Experiencing undeserved mercy: Rohr states, "The great and merciful surprise is that we come to God not by doing it right, but by doing it wrong!". It is only by experiencing deep, unearned mercy that we are freed from the cycle of deserving and deserving punishment. This experience breaks our merit-based thinking and opens us to genuine transformation.
- Healing truth follows mercy: In this view, mercy does not bypass truth but creates the safe space for it. True healing requires accountability and honesty about past harms. As with Jesus' ministry, the path is not condemnation but the restoration of relationship. A person can move toward a truthful reckoning only after experiencing undeserved mercy.
- Truth in a non-dualistic way: Rather than a rigid, legalistic truth, Rohr presents a more mystical and contemplative view. For him, a deeper "Truth" is revealed through experience, paradox, and the integration of opposites, not by settling every question with a simple "yes" or "no".
- Embracing disorder and the "tragic gap": Rohr acknowledges that life is a messy process of "order, disorder, and reorder". In this process, a deeper self emerges that can remain patient and vigilant in what he calls the "tragic gap," holding both good and evil without rushing to judgment. This is a key contemplative practice for living in mercy.
- A "riverbed of mercy": Rohr describes the "God-in-us" as a "riverbed of mercy that underlies all the flotsam and jetsam" of life, patiently receiving and releasing. This contemplative patience is what allows for transformation rather than just punishment.
- A call for collective forgiveness: This framework applies not just to individuals but to all of humanity. Rohr argues that mutual apology, healing, and forgiveness are the only sustainable future for humanity, breaking cycles of bitterness, grudges, and violence.
- True justice is restorative: Rather than demanding retribution, divine justice is restorative. It seeks the healing and reconciliation of all parties involved, including the person causing harm, the person harmed, and the community.
- 5. MEDITATION
A Prayer to be a Vessel of Mercy
Heavenly Father, thank You that by Your Holy Spirit You have bestowed on each of Your children different spiritual gifts, (or just one special gift..) that by Your grace is to be used for the encouragement and edification of the whole body of Christ. Thank You Lord for the way that You have gifted each of us in a very special and precious way, enabling us..by Your grace, to make a unique contribution, to the furtherance of Your plans and purposes in the body of Christ - that HE is all in all. Father, You have given me a special heart of love toward my brothers and sisters in Christ.. and although I am not gifted to teach, or to carry out some of the more overt gifts of the Spirit, I do wonder if You are developing in me the precious gift of encouragement, mercy and love towards my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Lord I pray that if You are taking me down this route, that You would use me as a sanctified vessel, that not only to pour out mercy and love without measure on other people, but that You would use me to encourage others to show the same mercy and forgiveness to their brothers and sisters in the body of Christ - and in the wider world beyond. Lord I know that in and of myself I have nothing that commends me for this special ministry of mercy and edification, for I know that without Christ I can do nothing - but praise God that in Christ I can do all things - for He gives me the strength. May I be pliable clay in the Potter's hand and permit You to shape me into the person that You would have me be and use me in Your way and in Your time to Your praise and glory, in Jesus name I pray,
Amen
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