A Word from Your Pastor - November 6

Dear Parishioners:

As we come to the close of the Year of Mercy, it is time to review what we have learned this past year.  God is a God of Mercy.  In my estimation, this teaches us one simple truth: God is approachable.  We can draw near to Him, no matter what our own condition may be.  

If we are in a good relationship with God and we are not conscious of any grave situation that might keep us from Him, He shares with us His desire to draw close to others.  We are invited to be merciful to others and to do whatever we can to be a worthy “ambassador” for God.  When others reject us, we do not reject them.  Instead, we wait, patiently, for them to be ready to open to us again.  At times, this will mean being willing to overlook faults and offenses against us.  Always, it will mean being ready to forgive, to show mercy as God does.  In short, Mercy means allowing God to be recognized as the God of Mercy through our witness.

If we are aware of grave sin, some reality that makes us distant from God and His Church, Mercy means we can draw close to God and trust in Him to be loving and forgiving, waiting with open arms, willing to bring us back.  Sacramental Reconciliation is available to us through Confession.  There is no unforgivable sin except the sin of not believing that we can be forgiven.  This is the “sin against the Holy Spirit” – the attitude that does not give the Spirit room to act.  All we have to do is to ask for Mercy and to allow that Mercy to penetrate our hearts.

To enter into Mercy is to enter into a living relationship with God that has practical consequences.  Mercy – received and given – sets us free.  We are able to be close to God and others because of the fact that Mercy creates room for growth and change.  Mercy sustains us and changes our very way of being, because it is a quality of God.  It allows us truly to become ourselves.

The Year of Mercy will come to its official close with the Solemnity of Christ the King, November 20.  What will you take with you as the year ends?  How have you been changed by Mercy?