Bulletin Columns for the Jubilee of Mercy in the Diocese of Grand Rapids On the following pages you will find several bulletin articles written by Father Chuck Cunniff, CSP. Father Cunniff is a Paulist Father who serves as associate pastor of St. Luke University Parish. When we learned that he created a series of articles on the Year of Mercy, he offered to share them with parishes. The columns are written in a question and answer format. This means you can easily adapt them depending on how much space you have. The first two would work best if published Nov. 29, Dec. 6 or 13. They may require slight editing. The other two columns will work in weeks thereafter.
Column 1 of 5 This column could be published Nov. 29 or Dec. 6, with slight editing. Happy New Year (of Mercy)! Today is the First Sunday of Advent, and a new liturgical year in the Christian calendar. This New Year brings with it an almost year-long event that can offer significant impact upon believers and nonbelievers alike. Last April, on the Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday) Pope Francis announced that the Roman Catholic Church would begin an Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy on Dec. 8, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and that it would continue until the Feast of Christ the King, Nov. 20, 2016. Why mercy? In the second paragraph of Misericordiae Vultus (The Face of Mercy), the Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy Pope, Francis wrote: We need constantly to contemplate the mystery of mercy. It is a wellspring of joy, serenity, and peace. Our salvation depends on it. Mercy: the word reveals the very mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. Mercy: the ultimate and supreme act by which God comes to meet us. Mercy: the fundamental law that dwells in the heart of every person who looks sincerely into the eyes of his brothers and sisters on the path of life. Mercy: the bridge that connects God and man, opening our hearts to the hope of being loved forever despite our sinfulness. (MV, par. 2) Why begin on Dec. 8 rather than the First Sunday of Advent? This liturgical feast day recalls God s action from the very beginning of the history of mankind. After the sin of Adam and Eve, God did not wish to leave humanity alone in the throes of evil. And so he turned his gaze to Mary, holy and immaculate in love (cf. Ephesians 1:4), choosing her to be the Mother of man s Redeemer. When faced with the gravity of sin, God responds with the fullness of mercy. Mercy will always be greater than any sin, and no one can place limits on the love of God who is ever ready to forgive. (MV, par. 3) What impact will this have? At times we are called to gaze even more attentively on mercy so that we may become a more effective sign of the Father s action in our lives. For this reason I have proclaimed an Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy as a special time for the Church, a time when the witness of believers might grow stronger and more effective. (MV, par. 3) Pope Francis expressed his hopes of what this year will accomplish in a letter to Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization. for all believers (this) is a true moment of encounter with the mercy of God. The Holy Father mentions making a pilgrimage to a Door of Mercy ; of rediscovering the corporal and spiritual works of mercy; and opening our lives to the freedom, the indulgence of God s love for us. When we allow God s love and mercy to touch us through those efforts, we will be able to offer personal and corporate witness of that very same mercy to the world around us. Next week: What is a Holy Door of Mercy? This is the first in a series of articles written for the Sunday bulletin of St. Luke University Parish by Fr. Chuck Cunniff, CSP. It is used here with permission. Fr. Chuck is the Associate Pastor at St. Luke University Parish and the Catholic Campus Minister at Grand Valley State University in Allendale.
Column 2 of 5 This column needs to be published the week after the one above. Or it could be combined with that column. Column 2 of 5 The Year of Mercy 2016: Enter a Gateway of God s Love Father Chuck Cunniff of St. Luke University Parish is sharing with the parishes of our diocese information about this special Jubilee of Mercy. This columns is one in a series. What is a Holy Door of Mercy? If this were a normal Jubilee Year, which occurs every 25-50 years, a specifically designated door in the four papal basilicas in Rome is literally opened. These doors, such as the northernmost entrance to the Papal Basilica of St. Peter are sealed against normal use. They are opened only during a Jubilee year. If someone desired to participate in a Jubilee Year, they would have to travel to the Vatican. However, Pope Francis has made this Year of Mercy an extraordinary one - not at the usual time and called specifically by the Pope. As part of this Year of Mercy, the Pope has decreed that every Cathedral or church of significance have a Door of Mercy to which people can make a pilgrimage. On the Third Sunday of Advent (Sunday, Dec. 13), Bishop Walkowiak will open a Door of Mercy at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew during the 10 a.m. Mass. With a Door of Mercy in a location that is more accessible than Rome, each of us, as an individual and as a parish, has the opportunity to make a pilgrimage and enter the Door of Mercy through which anyone who enters will experience the love of God who consoles, pardons, and instils hope. (MV, par. 3) There are other venues as part of this Jubilee Year of Mercy. Stay tuned! This article was written for the Sunday bulletin of St. Luke University Parish by Fr. Chuck Cunniff, CSP. It is used here with permission. Fr. Chuck is the Associate Pastor at St. Luke University Parish and the Catholic Campus Minister at Grand Valley State University in Allendale.
Column 3 of 5 The Year of Mercy 2016: A Time for Pilgrimage Father Chuck Cunniff of St. Luke University Parish is sharing with the parishes of our diocese information about this special Jubilee of Mercy. This columns is one in a series. What is pilgrimage? While many think of pilgrimage as a physical journey, there is definitely a religious component to these journeys. Our pilgrimage may not be long or arduous, but the journey of personal conversion and acceptance of God s indulgent mercy can take place, nevertheless. The practice of pilgrimage has a special place in the Holy Year, because it represents the journey each of us makes in this life. Life itself is a pilgrimage, and the human being is a traveler, a pilgrim travelling along the road, making his way to the desired destination. Similarly, to reach the Holy Door in Rome or in any other place in the world, everyone, each according to his or her ability, will have to make a pilgrimage. This will be a sign that mercy is also a goal to reach and requires dedication and sacrifice. May pilgrimage be an impetus to conversion: by crossing the threshold of the Holy Door, we will find the strength to embrace God s mercy and dedicate ourselves to being merciful with others as the Father has been with us. (MV, par. 14) What can we do? I suggest that these be done in the order offered, in order to allow God s mercy to flow through and affect our words and actions. Celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation no matter how long it has been since your last confession. Allow God s love and mercy to become part of your life Be aware of and participate in the Corporal Works of Mercy o feed the hungry o give drink to the thirsty o clothe the naked o welcome the stranger o heal the sick o visit the imprisoned o bury the dead Be aware of and participate in the Spiritual Works of Mercy o counsel the doubtful o instruct the ignorant o admonish sinners o comfort the afflicted o forgive offences o bear patiently those who do us ill o pray for the living and the dead Organize or participate in your parish s pilgrimage to the Door of Mercy at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew There will be other venues as part of this Jubilee Year of Mercy. Stay tuned! This article was written for the Sunday bulletin of St. Luke University Parish by Fr. Chuck Cunniff, CSP. It is used here with permission.
Year of Mercy Column 4 of 5 This column could be published Dec. 27, Jan. 3 or 10 with slight editing of the first sentence.. Make a New Year s Mercy Resolution The Season of Christmas is almost over. A New Year has begun. What can we do? As you have seen in earlier articles, all sorts of possibilities are available for us to participate in the Jubilee Year of Mercy. I suggest that these opportunities be done in the order offered, in order to allow God s mercy to flow through and effect our words and actions. Celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation no matter how long it has been since your last confession. Allow God s love and mercy to become part of your life Be aware of and participate in the Corporal Works of Mercy o feed the hungry o give drink to the thirsty o clothe the naked o welcome the stranger o heal the sick o visit the imprisoned o bury the dead Be aware of and participate in the Spiritual Works of Mercy o counsel the doubtful o instruct the ignorant o admonish sinners o comfort the afflicted o forgive offences o bear patiently those who do us ill o pray for the living and the dead Organize or participate in your parish s pilgrimage to the Door of Mercy at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew There will be other venues as part of this Jubilee Year of Mercy. Stay tuned! This article was written for the Sunday bulletin of St. Luke University Parish by Fr. Chuck Cunniff, CSP. It is used here with permission. Fr. Chuck is the Associate Pastor at St. Luke University Parish and the Catholic Campus Minister at Grand Valley State University in Allendale.
Column 4 of 5 The Year of Mercy 2016: God s forgiveness knows no bounds Father Chuck Cunniff of St. Luke University Parish is sharing with the parishes of our diocese information about this special Jubilee of Mercy. This columns is one in a series. Aren t indulgences part of a Jubilee Year? When speaking about this, the Holy Father brings a new understanding to this traditional aspect of a Jubilee Year. A Jubilee also entails the granting of indulgences. This practice will acquire an even more important meaning in the Holy Year of Mercy. God s forgiveness knows no bounds. In the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God makes even more evident his love and its power to destroy all human sin. Reconciliation with God is made possible through the paschal mystery and the mediation of the Church. Thus God is always ready to forgive, and he never tires of forgiving in ways that are continually new and surprising. Nevertheless, all of us know well the experience of sin. We know that we are called to perfection (cf. Mt 5:48), yet we feel the heavy burden of sin. Though we feel the transforming power of grace, we also feel the effects of sin typical of our fallen state. Despite being forgiven, the conflicting consequences of our sins remain. In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, God forgives our sins, which he truly blots out; and yet sin leaves a negative effect on the way we think and act. But the mercy of God is stronger even than this. It becomes indulgence on the part of the Father who, through the Bride of Christ, his Church, reaches the pardoned sinner and frees him from every residue left by the consequences of sin, enabling him to act with charity, to grow in love rather than to fall back into sin. The Church lives within the communion of the saints. In the Eucharist, this communion, which is a gift from God, becomes a spiritual union binding us to the saints and blessed ones whose number is beyond counting (cf. Rev 7:4). Their holiness comes to the aid of our weakness in a way that enables the Church, with her maternal prayers and her way of life, to fortify the weakness of some with the strength of others. Hence, to live the indulgence of the Holy Year means to approach the Father s mercy with the certainty that his forgiveness extends to the entire life of the believer. To gain an indulgence is to experience the holiness of the Church, who bestows upon all the fruits of Christ s redemption, so that God s love and forgiveness may extend everywhere. Let us live this Jubilee intensely, begging the Father to forgive our sins and to bathe us in his merciful indulgence. (MV, par. 22) How do I receive an indulgence of the Jubilee Year of Mercy? On September 1, 2015, Pope Francis wrote to Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, about the reception of the Jubilee Indulgence. He wrote It is important that this moment (a pilgrimage to a Holy Door) be linked, first and foremost, to the Sacrament of Reconciliation and to the celebration of the Holy Eucharist with a reflection on mercy. It will be necessary to accompany these celebrations with the profession of faith and with prayer for me and for the intentions that I bear in my heart for the good of the Church and of the entire world. The Jubilee Indulgence is not limited to just those who are able to go on pilgrimage. The Holy Father continued in his letter Additionally, I am thinking of those for whom, for various reasons, it will be impossible to enter the Holy Door, particularly the sick and people who are elderly and alone, often confined to the home. For them it will be of great help to live their sickness and suffering as an experience of closeness to the Lord who in the mystery of his Passion, death and Resurrection indicates the royal road which gives meaning
to pain and loneliness. Living with faith and joyful hope this moment of trial, receiving communion or attending Holy Mass and community prayer, even through the various means of communication, will be for them the means of obtaining the Jubilee Indulgence. My thoughts also turn to those incarcerated, whose freedom is limited. The Jubilee Year has always constituted an opportunity for great amnesty, which is intended to include the many people who, despite deserving punishment, have become conscious of the injustice they worked and sincerely wish to re-enter society and make their honest contribution to it. May they all be touched in a tangible way by the mercy of the Father who wants to be close to those who have the greatest need of his forgiveness. They may obtain the Indulgence in the chapels of the prisons. May the gesture of directing their thought and prayer to the Father each time they cross the threshold of their cell signify for them their passage through the Holy Door, because the mercy of God is able to transform hearts, and is also able to transform bars into an experience of freedom. In times past, to receive an indulgence required people to be involved in often-rigorous actions. Pope Francis opens our lives to God s love when he offers the Church in this Jubilee Year to rediscover the richness encompassed by the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. The experience of mercy, indeed, becomes visible in the witness of concrete signs as Jesus himself taught us. Each time that one of the faithful personally performs one or more of these actions, he or she shall surely obtain the Jubilee Indulgence. Hence the commitment to live by mercy so as to obtain the grace of complete and exhaustive forgiveness by the power of the love of the Father who excludes no one. The Jubilee Indulgence is thus full, the fruit of the very event which is to be celebrated and experienced with faith, hope and charity. I heard something about an indulgence for the deceased. How is that possible? All of us, individually and as a community at Mass, pray for the deceased. Pope Francis continues that tradition and in light of his new perspective of what the Jubilee Indulgence is all about, wrote Furthermore, the Jubilee Indulgence can also be obtained for the deceased. We are bound to them by the witness of faith and charity that they have left us. Thus, as we remember them in the Eucharistic celebration, thus we can, in the great mystery of the Communion of Saints, pray for them, that the merciful Face of the Father free them of every remnant of fault and strongly embrace them in the unending beatitude. There will be other venues as part of this Jubilee Year of Mercy. Stay tuned! This article was written for the Sunday bulletin of St. Luke University Parish by Fr. Chuck Cunniff, CSP. It is used here with permission. Fr. Chuck is the Associate Pastor at St. Luke University Parish and the Catholic Campus Minister at Grand Valley State University in Allendale.