Year of Mercy Reflection
Friday, May. 13, 2016
By Special to the Intermountain Catholic
(Editor’s note: During the Year of Mercy, the Intermountain Catholic will publish a short reflection each week written by a variety of Catholics in the Diocese of Salt Lake City: priests, deacons, religious, seminarians, Utah Catholic Schools teachers/principals, lay ecclesial ministers, religious education teachers and others. We hope you enjoy these, and that they give insight into the myriad ways mercy can be incorporated into everyday life.)
When we hear the word “mercy” usually we think of God, and that only he can be merciful. But we forget that God practices his mercy through us; when we open our hearts and let him act on them, many of us are instruments that he uses here on earth to practice his mercy with humanity.
In this Year of Mercy, Pope Francis invites us to reflect on how to be merciful like the Father and go beyond our routines, the comfort of our homes and our busy days to help others and also practice mercy.
St. Philip Neri dreamed of going as a missionary to Asia to help and serve others in the name of Jesus Christ, but when he found out all the needs around him, he started to practice mercy and he realized that he did not need to go that far to help and serve others.
Brothers and sisters, today I invite you to imitate this saint and seek what you have around you and where you can help in our community, not only materially, but also morally and spiritually.
Our time is precious and God knows it, but it’s more precious when we share it with those in need. There is always plenty to do for others and you do not always need money to help those in need. God has given each of us different talents to share and so we can live better in community, helping each other. There are many times when we get discouraged and we forget that we possess talents that can help to improve the lives of others. By the grace of God there are many people in the world who practice mercy, and you can be one of them. Today is the time to be merciful like the Father.
Karen Rivera
St. Francis of Assisi Parish
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