BY: BRIAN SMITH, MS, MA, MDiv
LEADER: The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy gives us unique opportunity to reflect on how our Catholic health care ministry is an extension of God's healing mercy. The motto for the Jubilee year, Merciful Like the Father, taken from the Gospel of Luke, invites us to follow the example of the Father who asks us not to judge or condemn but to forgive and to give love and forgiveness without measure.
READER 1: (Readings from Pope Francis' reflections on the Year of Mercy)
We need constantly to contemplate the mystery of mercy. It is a wellspring of joy, serenity and peace. Our salvation depends upon it.
READER 2: 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.
LEADER: Let us enter into this special time of grace asking that God's mercy will move us to look with eyes of mercy toward all whom we encounter.
PSALM 103 (Prayed responsively by alternating sides)
Side 1
Bless the Lord, my soul; all my being, bless his holy name!
Bless the Lord, my soul; and do not forget all his gifts,
Side 2
Who pardons all your sins, and heals all your ills,
Who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with mercy and compassion. Who fills your days with good things, so your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
Side 1
The Lord does righteous deeds, brings justice to all the oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses, to the Israelites his deeds.
Merciful and gracious is the Lord, slow to anger, abounding in mercy.
Side 2
He will not always accuse, and nurses no lasting anger. He has not dealt with us as our sins merit, nor requited us as our wrongs deserve.
Side 1
For as the heavens tower over the earth, so his mercy towers over those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our sins from us.
Side 2
As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. For he knows how we are formed, remembers that we are dust.
QUESTIONS FOR QUIET REFLECTION:
- How does the Jubilee of Mercy speak to you personally?
- What possibilities does the Jubilee offer for those of us who work in Catholic health care?
PRAYER
ALL: Father, your love is impenetrable and your mercy knows no bounds.
May this Extraordinary Jubilee be a time for us to enter more deeply into the mystery of your divine mercy.
Help us experience your healing love in our own lives and in the lives of our loved ones.
Let our experience of your mercy compel us to go out in search of others who long to know your limitless love.
May the work we do in Catholic health care be a true extension of your healing mercy. We ask this in your holy name. Amen.
“Prayer Service,” a regular department in Health Progress, may be copied without prior permission.