Year of Mercy Reflection

Friday, Mar. 18, 2016

In this Year of Mercy, my Daddy keeps coming to mind. 

When my parents fell in love, Daddy agreed to a Catholic wedding and that the children would be raised Catholic, but demanded that Mama never talk religion to him. Daddy really wasn’t anti-religious; it was just that during the Depression leaders in his family church regularly berated the congregation, saying they would never be recognized by God if they did not tithe. Mama, while baptized as a baby, was not raised Catholic; she did her own spiritual journey while in nursing school, so she understood Daddy’s position. 

Over the years, helping his children with their homework for school and religious education classes caused Daddy to explore the faith. In time, he became a Catholic of great faith, but he always told his children that God’s Church is run by human beings, at their best and at their worst.  

Both Daddy and Mama had strong messages.  Mama said, “There is no one in the world better than you, [pause, pause, pause] and you are not better than anyone else in the world.” 

Daddy, a career Army officer, always told me, “Never put down a sergeant or his family.”  

I translated this to never judge someone based on rank, color or creed. 

Daddy’s most loved Catholic precept was in social justice. During the 1980s, he would invite anyone and everyone to his table to learn to speak and read English. He started each session with the Lord’s Prayer in Spanish, and then prayed again in English.  

During this Year of Mercy, we learn and meditate about mercy and how it affects us, both within us and in this world. Personally, I feel we must hold God’s peace and mercy within us before we can share messages and actions with the world. And, as we meditate, we often find mercy and values come from our upbringing.