Year of Mercy

 

​All Souls Day Prayer Service & Mass
Annually on November 2 Catholics remember all the faithful departed, especially one's relatives and friends. Parishioners across the Diocese of Greensburg are invited to join Bishop Edward Malesic during this Year of Mercy for a special diocesan All Souls Day Prayer Service and Mass. This special service and Mass will take place, Wednesday evening, November 2 at St. Peter Parish, Brownsville, and commemorate all the faithful departed. The prayer service will begin at 6:30 p.m., in the cemetery and Mass for the commemoration of All Souls will begin at 7:00 p.m. 

Closing of the Holy Doors
The closing of the Year of Mercy Pilgrimage Doors in our local diocesan churches will take place, Sunday, November 13, as prescribed in the Bull of Indiction. Pope Francis will then close the Year of Mercy, as well as the holy door, at the Vatican November 20.

​Feed the Hungry
We are called to help others obtain their bodily nourishment, especially those in greatest need. Donating to a food pantry or food collections, helping others in need to buy groceries, volunteering at a food bank or soup kitchen, or helping a neighbor in need to cook are all examples of this work of mercy.

Give Drink to the Thirsty
When considering this work of mercy there are two perspectives that we can look at. The first is that many do not have access to clean water, and it is our calling to support efforts of those working towards providing others with clean water for drinking, cooking, cleaning, and bathing. The second perspective is many people in our world have a thirst in their heart. At times people are in search of something to fulfill them. We are called to give them the drink of faith in Jesus Christ by introducing them to him and sharing our lives, our faith, and our joy.

Clothe the Naked
All of us have the need for clothing to provide warmth, protection, and dignity. We are called to provide support to help others in need obtain clothing. We can donate clothes and other goods and products to the Saint Vincent de Paul Society. We can volunteer to assist in these stores. We can organize a clothing drive at our parish or school.

Visit the Imprisoned
In our modern society there are many forms of prisons. Prisons that are physical. Prisons that are emotional. Prisons that hinder our freedom and are put upon us by others. No matter what the circumstance of one's prison, we are called to help prisoners, assist them, visit them, extend the love and mercy of the Lord to them, and work for their protection.

Shelter the Homeless
There are many circumstances that could lead to a person becoming homeless. We are called by Christ to meet these people, understand their circumstances, affirm their worth, and assist them in finding a solution to their circumstances. We can volunteer at a homeless shelter, donate time or money to organizations that build homes for those in need, donate blankets and other resources to homeless shelters, or work with refugees and advocate for those fleeing their homelands due to a lack of peace and security.

Visit the Sick
The sick are often forgotten, lonely, and avoided. Christ calls us to assist and visit those that suffer from illness to offer them comfort, dignity, and love. In addition to visiting the sick we can give blood, volunteer at a nursing home, offer caregivers a break, and bring food to the sick, the lonely, and the forgotten.

Bury the Dead
When someone passes from this life, we have a great opportunity to show those grieving the love, the compassion, and the mercy of God. Visiting the family, attending the funeral Mass, sending a card, being present in a time of grieving, and praying for those who have passed are all ways in which we participate in this work of mercy.

No matter your race, nationality, religion or view of the world, join us in impacting culture and changing the world.

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Admonishing the Sinner
As Catholics we are called to work towards creating a culture that does not accept and glorify sin. All of us fall at times, but it is a work of mercy to not judge others, and guide them to experience the mercy of the Lord and assist them on their journey to salvation.

Instructing the Ignorant
Evangelization, catechesis, faith formation – the church uses large words in describing this work of mercy. What it simply means is that we are called to deepen our faith in Jesus every day and then we must share Him with our family, our friends, and others.

Counseling the Doubtful
We counsel by the way we live our lives of faith – the priority and importance that Jesus and our faith in him play in our lives. We counsel when our actions show God's love. We counsel when we are asked for advice or prayers and we respond by inviting that struggling friend to Mass and the sacraments, or sharing a book or website that helped us get through a difficult time in faith, or just stopping and praying with that friend.

Comforting the Sorrowful
Be open to listening and offering support, comfort, prayers, the love of God, and the resources of the church to those who are dealing with grief, sadness, depression, anger, or a difficult time. "A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who finds one finds a treasure." (Sir 6:14)

Bearing wrongs Patiently
We are called to not have bitterness about the wrongs done to us. We place our hope in our loving God to endure the consequences of another's thoughtlessness or carelessness. In faith we extend a compassionate spirit to those who have hurt us.

Forgiving Injuries
Jesus teaches us that we should forgive as God forgives. We are called to rely on him to have great love and forgiveness for one another and even for our enemies. In forgiving injuries we show others the mercy, love, and compassion of God. 

Praying for the Living and the Dead
Prayer is one of the most powerful ways to support others. We can request mass intentions for those going through a difficult time or a friend or family member who has passed away. We can write down on a list those in need of prayers and remember them each time we pray. It is through prayer that we entrust our cares and concerns for ourselves and others to our merciful God.

​The logo and the motto together provide a fitting summary of what the Jubilee Year is all about. The motto Merciful Like the Father (taken from the Gospel of Luke, 6:36) serves as an invitation to follow the merciful example of the Father who asks us not to judge or condemn but to forgive and to give love and forgiveness without measure (cfr. Lk 6:37-38).

The logo – the work of Jesuit Father Marko I. Rupnik – presents a small summa theologiae of the theme of mercy. In fact, it represents an image quite important to the early Church: that of the Son having taken upon his shoulders the lost soul demonstrating that it is the love of Christ that brings to completion the mystery of his incarnation culminating in redemption. The logo has been designed in such a way so as to express the profound way in which the Good Shepherd touches the flesh of humanity and does so with a love with the power to change one’s life.

One particular feature worthy of note is that while the Good Shepherd, in his great mercy, takes humanity upon himself, his eyes are merged with those of man. Christ sees with the eyes of Adam, and Adam with the eyes of Christ. Every person discovers in Christ, the new Adam, one’s own humanity and the future that lies ahead, contemplating, in his gaze, the love of the Father.
 
The scene is captured within the so called mandorla (the shape of an almond), a figure quite important in early and medieval iconography, for it calls to mind the two natures of Christ, divine and human. The three concentric ovals, with colors progressively lighter as we move outward, suggest the movement of Christ who carries humanity out of the night of sin and death. Conversely, the depth of the darker color suggests the impenetrability of the love of the Father who forgives all.