Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I greet you in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. This is not only a penitential season, it is a time of renewal, an invitation to grow deeper in love with Jesus Christ. Our celebration of “24 hours for the Lord” was a great outpouring of grace through Adoration of the Eucharist, prayer and Confession. Penance in its conversion, turning towards truth, goodness, and beauty, Jesus the fullness of God’s revelation.
One March 13, Pope Francis announced an Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy saying, “Dear brothers and sisters, I have thought about how the Church can make clear its mission of being a witness of mercy. It’s a journey that starts with a spiritual conversion. For this reason I have decided to declare an Extraordinary Jubilee that has the mercy of God at its center. It will be a Holy Year of Mercy.”
The Holy Year’s theme is Luke 6:36, in which Jesus tells his disciples, “Be merciful as your Father is merciful.” Pope Francis said, “I am convinced that the whole Church will be able to find in this Jubilee the joy of rediscovering and making fruitful the mercy of God, with which we are all called to give consolation to every man and every woman of our time.” This event is designed to widen access to the Sacrament of Confession by having parishes open their doors for extended periods with priests available to those who come.
The Jubilee will open on Dec. 8 – the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception – and will close Nov. 20, 2016 the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. It coincides with the 50th anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council in 1965.
In Hebrew tradition, the Jubilee was every 50 years to restore equality. Families who had lost property and personal freedom regained them. The wealthy were reminded that their Israelite slaves would again be their equals. The Catholic tradition of the Holy Year began with Pope Boniface VIII in 1300. It is a year of forgiveness of sins and the punishment merited by our sins. It is a year for reconciliation between enemies, conversion and receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Pope Francis has said, “Mercy is the best thing we can feel: it changes the world. A little mercy makes the world less cold and more just. We need to understand properly this mercy of God, this merciful Father who is so patient.”
I invite you to encounter the fullness of Mercy, Jesus Christ, through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This is an opportunity for you to receive pardon and to be filled with graces that enable you to grow in holiness, to be more patient and grow in generosity. We are experiencing miracles of healing and conversion through Adoration of the Eucharist, which moves people to return to Confession after 10-12-15-20 and even 40 years. Generosity flows from being loved by God from our mother’s womb. Love moves us to desire to be generous to the Church, because we want to participate in her mission of making present the mercy of God and proclaiming the Gospel to our children and those who are searching for this love beyond all understanding.
Peace in Christ, Fr. Paul