Plenary 2020

UNDER FIVE WEEKS LEFT

“To stand here, five weeks from the end of this pivotal opening phase, it is both exciting and humbling to have heard from such large numbers of people and for them to have shared their stories of faith and hope, but also their stories of despair and heartbreak.

“Each of those stories is valuable and meaningful. So will be the stories we receive between now and Ash Wednesday.”

Plenary Council facilitator Lana Turvey-Collins said those stories will determine the themes and topics the Council will explore, leading to a “Listening and Discernment” phase that will start around the middle of 2019.

Plenary Post, Edition 13 – pages 4

Broken Bay to use 2019 as Year of Discernment

by Daniel Ang, director of the Broken Bay Office for Evangelisation

This Year of Discernment will invite us to become sensitive to the presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit – the Spirit who enables us to be faithful to Jesus in the present and who continually invites greater life in our future, abundance where there is poverty, communion where there is division, hope where there is despair, possibility where there is seeming limitation.

As it has been said, when the Spirit breaks in there comes the hope of a new day and the courage and strength to move toward it.

Our dedication to dialogue and discernment as a part of Plenary Council 2020 will express our conviction that God is at work in world history, in the events of our life, in the people we encounter and those who share life with us.

[W]e are called to listen to what the Spirit suggests to us and to discern the movement of God, so we can choose and accomplish the good that God wants.

To view the whole article go to https://gallery.mailchimp.com/9d4348a071b7eaca33e0f72a7/files/3a654d3d-bede-4c62-84d3-222b9390efc9/Daniel_Ang_BBN_February.pdf

Plenary Post, Edition 13 – pages 3-4

“Five weeks left for listening and Dialogue phase”

¹ In the eight months since the Listening and Dialogue period commenced at Pentecost, more than 40,000 people have either made a submission or participated in a group discussion that culminated in a submission.

“Given it’s more than 80 years since the last Plenary Council in Australia and given, too, the changes in the Church and society since then, it was impossible to know how many people would take part in this historic process,” Archbishop Costelloe said.

“To stand here, five weeks from the end of this pivotal opening phase, it is both exciting and humbling to have heard from such large numbers of people and for them to have shared their stories of faith and hope, but also their stories of despair and heartbreak.

“Each of those stories is valuable and meaningful. So will be the stories we receive between now and Ash Wednesday.”

Lana Turvey-Collins, the Plenary Council facilitator, said the Christmas period, as expected, saw another spike in the number of responses

² Most of those people have a strong connection with the Church and with parish life, though significant numbers of people from other Christian traditions or other faith traditions are also considering the question: “What do you think God is asking of us in Australia at this time?”

Click here to view the full article 

¹ Cathnews.com ² Plenary Post, Edition 12 – Page 1

Plenary Council opens new lines of communications

In her weekly column, the vice chancellor of pastoral ministries at the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle has written about the Plenary Council’s ability to change the way people in the Church relate with one another.

“I am convinced that the process of the Plenary Council is inviting people to deep listening and dialogue. It is about inviting people to share their story, and in that storytelling to begin to enter into relationships, just as Jesus did,” Teresa Brierley wrote in her Tuesdays with Teresa column earlier this month.

“My own experience of the Plenary gatherings in the diocese has caused me to believe that this process, of sharing stories, asking questions and deep reflection on what future God is calling us toward, is inspirational and worthwhile.

“It takes great integrity and courage to speak from the heart about lived experiences of faith, the place of God in our lives and of our engagement with the Church.”

The full article can be views at http://mnnews.today/opinion-comment/2018/36229-tuesdays-with-teresa-deep-listening-and-trust/

Plenary Post, Edition 12 – Page 6-7

Women’s leadership could be focus for Council

Maeve Heaney VDMF, director of the Australian Catholic University’s Xavier Centre for Theological Formation, has told a group of Catholic leaders that the Plenary Council provides an opportunity to again consider the pivotal role of women in the Church.

Dr Heaney, along with other leaders from the Church and from the corporate world, was a member of a panel discussing the topic of “Women and Leadership in the Church”. She said it was a good time to talk about women’s leadership from a theological perspective, pointing to Pope Francis’ call in Evangelii Gaudium for pastors and theologians to reflect upon “the possible role of women in decision-making in different areas of the Church’s life”.

“The aim is a thoughtful, inclusive, perhaps challenging but essential conversation around women’s presence in leadership in ecclesial circles that might help shape a way forward in our journey towards the 2020 Plenary Council in the awareness that we belong to one another. We are members of one another,” Dr Heaney said.

Click here to read more about the gathering

Plenary Post, Edition 12 – Page 5

Speaking boldly sounds good — but it doesn’t happen easily

by Fr Noel Connolly SSC, Plenary Council Facilitation Team

As we prepare for the Plenary Council 2020, we are being encouraged to speak boldly and to share what is in our hearts. One of my concerns is that I do not think it is easy to know what is deep in our hearts and it is even more difficult to express it adequately. Also speaking is an art, and it is learnt only with practice.

People who have not been encouraged to speak up for decades will probably speak clumsily, angrily or shallowly the first time around. It is only over time that we eventually learn what we most deeply want to say.

I suspect most of us do not know what we really want. We know our immediate, shallow and superficial desires, but most of the time we are too busy and distracted to recognise our deepest desires

Read Fr Noel’s full article 

Plenary Post, Edition 11 – Page 4

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Much of the focus for the Plenary Council so far has been on the primary question that the Council is considering: “What do you think God is asking of us in Australia at this time?” That is the first of three pieces of stimulus that people are invited to reflect upon when making a submission to the Council.

More than 21,000 voices have now contributed to this phase of the three-year process, and that number is growing quickly as more young people, families, priests and parishioners, school staff and students, agency leaders and staff, men and women working for the Church in dioceses and many other groups of people continue to listen to one another’s stories of their faith, God in their lives and their encounters with the Church.

Topics that are passionately and frequently raised include leadership and governance within the Church, the place and role of women, the importance of young people, the living tradition, liturgy and music, the priesthood and other vocations, inclusion and welcome, the sacramental life of the Church, ecology and creation, and social justice. The infographic below provides some insight into the current content and statistics of responses the Plenary Council team are receiving.

Plenary Post, Edition 11 – Page 1

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I have been putting thoughts and ideas before you for several months. These thoughts have been in the Bulletin each week or on our web page under Plenary.

Now is the time and also your opportunity to have some input into what the bishops of Australia are asking of us.

“LISTEN TO WHAT THE SPIRIT IS SAYING”

“WHAT DO YOU THINK GOD IS ASKING OF US IN AUSTRALIA AT THIS TIME”

I would like as many people as possible to make a comment. Ask family members, particularly Catholics not attending Mass or not involved in the parish. Their comments may be why they don’t attend anymore. This is what the Bishops want to hear so if possible it can then be addressed in the future.

We don’t need names but the comments or suggestions we will send off to the Plenary Council and we will also send a copy to our diocese.

People may write their responses on the cards supplied if they wish, otherwise post to the parish or leave them in the box in the church.

You ask what sort of things we would be asking?

ONLY EXAMPLES

• Do more for Social Justices – refugees etc
• What could we do in the liturgy to encourage more people to Mass
• How could we encourage our youth to be more involved.
• With fewer going to Reconciliation what about more opportunity of the 3^rd
• Create a better understanding of the Scriptures
• How to overcome the lack of clergy when overseas priests is not the answer long term.
• Role & status of the Laity

This is where good suggestions will be realised when a few sit around together over a cup of coffee talking about the church: what they have experienced, why they don’t attend, why others don’t, who is hurting and why?

Then jot down these thoughts.

Fr Michael Morley

I have been putting thoughts and ideas before you for several months. These thoughts have been in the Bulleting each week or on our web page under Plenary.

Now is the time and also your opportunity to have some input into what the bishops of Australia are asking of us.

“Listen to what the Spirit is Saying”

“What do you think God is asking of us in Australia at this time?”

At this stage take a card and write your response on it and return it next week.

We will also have the opportunity to fill in a card during Mass next weekend 9^th December.

Fr Michael

30th November 2018

Catholic Church ‘open for business’ in Townsville

Townsville Bishop Tim Harris has called for local business leaders to help the Catholic Church discern the way forward by introducing them to the Plenary Council 2020 process in the inaugural “Bishop’s Breakfast”. Bishop Harris, who used the gathering of 185 people to outline the major contribution the Church makes to the community through education, parish life and ministries, also encouraged those in attendance to consider how the Church continues to be that force for good. “Mindful of where our Church is at present and the challenges it faces, what do you think the Church needs to hear at this critical juncture?,” he asked.  “The Bishops of Australia, of which I am one, also believe that together we are on a journey of listening to God by listening to one another, which means that if we are going to remain in ‘business’, then we need to be open to new ways for new times. “As Bishop of this local Church of Townsville, I’ve been ‘listening’ since I arrived and in the midst of listening, I’ve also made decisions – I hope informed decisions – to ensure that things keep moving. The realities of this Diocese are becoming known to me and the fact that the Diocese is in ‘listening’ mode is being further assisted by the Plenary Council lead-up, which is all about ‘listening’ too.”

Plenary Post, Edition 10 – November 1, 2018 – page 6

Realising the dream of Vatican II
by Fr Noel Connolly SSC, Plenary Council Facilitation Team

The bishops at Vatican II deliberately changed the order of chapters in their Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium. Instead of beginning “from the top”, with the hierarchy, they began with a chapter on “the People of God”.

That is what unites us. We – Pope, bishops, priests and laity – are all members of the people of God. In a people of God theology, the “ontological gap” between clergy and laity dissolves. Our unity comes from our sense of being the people of God on mission. Such a vision can nourish among us great enthusiasm and hope, energy and equality. We are collaborating in something much larger than ourselves: God’s life and mission in the world.

In the past year, since being appointed to the Plenary Council Facilitation Team, I returned to studying the history and theology of Vatican II. I am frequently surprised at the treasures it contains which we have yet to mine and develop.

Through our Plenary Council, we may make the dreams of Vatican II more real in Australia.

Read Fr Noel’s full article here.

Plenary Post, Edition 10 – November 1, 2018 pgs 4&5

21 November 2018

Executive Committee plans push to Ash Wednesday

Among the presentations to the Committee was an explanation of how people’s stories, shared through their responses on the Plenary Council website, will shape the agenda for the Council sessions in 2020 and 2021.

Trudy Dantis and Stephen Reid from the National Centre for Pastoral Research described the quantitative and qualitative analysis that is being undertaken to assess the more than 1000 submissions that have already been received.

The Committee also heard that submissions have been evolving as more groups engage in the Listening and Dialogue encounter, with many of the responses being more focused on God when they have been shaped by the prayerful consideration that is outlined in the Listening and Dialogue process.

Plenary Post, Edition 9 – October 4, 2018 – page 7

Plenary Council depends on us and on God

by Archbishop Christopher Prowse of Canberra and Goulburn

St Ignatius of Loyola is attributed to have said: “Pray as if everything depends on God, work as if everything depends on you.”

I thought of this Ignatian gem many times since we have begun in the Archdiocese our Listening and Dialogue sessions as part of our journey to the Australian Plenary Council of 2020/2021.

My initial observation so far is that we have struggled to truly answer the essential question of these sessions: “What do you think God is asking of us in Australia at this time?”

Pragmatic Australians seem to move too quickly to the “everything depends on us” aspect, without truly pondering on the other vital dimension that “everything depends on God”.

I believe finding the balance between those two poles is the vital challenge. This is a task of deep conversion. It requires a true humble and docile listening to what “God is asking of us in Australia at this time”.

Plenary Post, Edition 9 – October 4, 2018 – page 6

What happens to my story after I’ve shared it?

Online and postal responses are being collected and collated by the National Centre for Pastoral Research. A team highly skilled in social and pastoral research and qualitative analysis, led by Dr Trudy Dantis, receives and keeps every individual response.

Early in 2019, Dr Dantis and her team will begin a deep analysis – a methodical “listening” to all responses. The stories that have been shared, the questions that have been asked and the reflections on “What do you think God is asking of us in Australia at this time?” will be read and analysed. The team will use both quantitative and qualitative methods for their analysis. In this process, in order to read without bias, the responses are separated from the person’s name and organisation or any other details that might identify the source of the response.

Plenary Post, Edition 9 – October 4, 2018 – page 5

Let’s Start the Conversation

Last Saturday over 45 people attended the Plenary Council 2020 facilitation training at St Brendan’s. The session was led by Cathy Jenkins who works in the Archbishop’s Office for Evangelisation, Melbourne. Cathy is a very passionate and inspiring speaker and brought the question of “What do you think God is asking of us in Australia at this time?” to life for us.

This question is something we can have as a general conversation with our friends and family in informal settings, and then we can submit a summary of the discussions to the Plenary Council team at www.plenarycouncil.catholic.org.au.

There are many ways we can have informal discussions

• Face to face and one on one
• Small groups with a leader
• Coffee Mornings
• Via Facebook comments
• Filling in a card and collating the responses

Here at Sacred Heart, we are going to start the conversation by asking you to think about the question over the coming week and then next week fill in your response on the Plenary Council 2020 postcard, or on a sheet of paper and drop it in the box – you don’t have to put your name on it. We will then collate the responses and each week we will review a topic in the bulletin and ask for your feedback.

If you would like to start this conversation with your families and friends, there is a very helpful booklet that has been designed to help facilitate the discussion. Copies are in the Narthex.

If you have any questions, please talk to Fr Michael or anyone in the Parish Office.

Mary Connelly-Gale

26th October 2018

Maitland-Newcastle trains Council animators

The Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle has just completed a series of meetings to inform locals about the Plenary Council process and the upcoming Diocesan Synod, which is due to take place in 2019 and 2021.

The 15 meetings, which ran between August 21 and September 9, have also served to train people to lead listening and dialogue encounters through the area. The Plenary Council’s listening and dialogue encounters, which nationally will help to shape the agenda for the Council, will also guide preparations for the Diocesan Synod.

“Animators will have a key role to play in, first, ensuring as many conversations as possible take place across the Diocesan community and, second, in helping maximise the number of people in our Diocese who participate in this extremely important process,” said Teresa Brierley, the diocesan director pastoral ministries.

“Feedback from these conversations will be recorded on the Plenary Council’s website to ensure our voices contribute to both the Plenary Council and the Diocesan Synod,” she added.

Click here to read more about the Maitland-Newcastle preparation.

Plenary Post, Edition 8 – September 12, 2018

Plenary 2020

During the In-Service last week, one evening we had Cathy Jenkins speak to us. She is the facilitator for the Melbourne archdiocese. She spoke about what is happening around the parishes with many at different stages of invovlement in the process. This also reflected the difficulties of getting people invovled.

I had heard people say “What they would like to change?” I think this is not the word to use. The Bishops are not asking us to ‘change’ things. The question put to us is “What do you think God is asking of us in Australia at this time?”

The word ‘change’ can have negative connotations by saying that something wasn’t right so change it. Things are right in their time. We are asked to reevaluate, look again, what is the Australian scene presently does it require us to move on.Also the question says in Australia not in the Catholic Church or my parish. We need to know what the question is asking.

Fr Michael Morley

12^th October 2018

WHAT IS GOD ASKING OF US IN AUSTRALIA AT THIS TIME?

Group Leader:  We now have the opportunity to share our initial responses to the Plenary question.  Before we do so, we recognise that we all come from different experiences and backgrounds.  As such, certain responses may contradict one another or challenge our own viewpoints.

In the spirit of respectful listening and dialogue, we ask that we respect the following:

• While someone is speaking, we do not interrupt.
• We speak only from our own viewpoint, not seeking to correct or challenge another’s stance, but to offer our own position.  Phrases like: “I think differently. . . ” or “In my opinion . . . ” may help.
• Sometimes, if there are strong emotions, or if we need to allow others to speak, we are asked at this time to give our permission for the group leader to politely interrupt.  Is that okay?

Our voices are important.  Let us speak boldly and with passion, and listen with an open and humble heart.

ACTION IS NEED TO RESTORE PEOPLE’S TRUST

In an interview with the influential Catholic magazine America, Archbishop Mark Coleridge has said that the Catholic Church in Australia needs to be ready to reform itself if it is to restore the trust of the lay faithful and the society.

In the article published last week, Archbishop Coleridge echoed words of Pope Francis in calling for a more synodal Church and a Church that listens more closely.

“We need that combination of passion and commitment to act.  But patience, given that it will take time”, he said.

“The only thing that I can see that will restore trust is action . . . a willingness to act no matter what the cost.”

WHEN WE SPEAK TO EACH OTHER, WE CAN ALL LEARN  

Pope Benedict, shortly before he resigned, warned us that “the laity should not be considered as collaborators with the clergy, but as the people truly co-responsible for the life of the Church”.

Many lay people are freed and invigorated when they feel we clerics are genuinely listening and are inviting them to participate in an adult way.  They love their Church and want to be involved and have their say.  They have theological and pastoral insights that don’t occur to us, the clerics.

The Plenary Council provides us with an opportunity and a process to draw close to one another, to share vulnerably and fully – people, priests and bishops – that will help us to become a listening Church and help develop a culture of relatedness, freedom, co-responsibility and hope.

Fr Noel Connolly SSC

PLENARY COUNCIL CALLS US TO BE PROPHETIC

by Teresa Brierley, Vice Chancellor Pastoral Ministries, Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle

I think the invitation to participate in the Australian Plenary Council of 2020 is inviting us to have the courage to take part while carrying our wounds, pain, grief, despair and loss. When we are weak, we are strong.

God is calling us, like Ezekiel, to be prophetic, to hear the voice of the Spirit and to respond with humility, patience, hope, faith and love. It is a response from the heart that is being sought to the question: What do you think God is asking of us in Australia at this time?

This question invites us into contemplation, deep listening and prayer.

14^th September 2018

WE NEED A MISSIONARY CHURCH, RATHER THAN A PERFECT CHURCH

As I travel around Australia promoting the Plenary Council, I encounter both scepticism and hope.  The most frequent question is “will the bishops listen?”  At the same time there is a reservoir of hope in people.  They love the Church want to be part of its future.  They want to talk and they want to be listened to.

My hope is that we can build a Church in which lay men and especially women can play their rightful role in the ministry and governance of the Church, and where we can learn to trust one another – bishops and all the people of God.

But in recent weeks I have been giving more thought to the question posed for the Council: “What do you think God is asking for us in Australia at this time time?”  The question refers to Australia, not to the Church.  The Plenary Council is not just for our Church, but for our country.  Even if we were to come up with a transformed Church, if the country does not benefit, we will have ‘failed’.  We will have failed because we will have failed to be Church.   

Fr Noel Connolly SSC Plenary Council Facilitation Team

PLENARY COUNCIL COORDINATING COMMITTEE

Bishop Les has appointed a plenary coordinating committee (PCC) in our Diocese to assist parishes and groups in their preparation for and participation in the Plenary Council.  We have had two meetings and I anticipate there will be 2-3 meetings this year.

The key task of the committee is to facilitate the process, rather than control the process.

The aim of committee is to provide resources and advice to parishes, groups and individuals as they consider the primary invitation to our Church at this time: what do you think God is saying to the church in Australia now?

PLENARY COUNCIL 2020 – 2021

Geraldton give Plenary Council a boost

The Diocese of Geraldton in Western Australia reflected on key questions that will help shape the Church locally but also helped frame its involvement with the Plenary Council at its recent diocesan conference.

The conference, which drew its theme “Lamp for the Steps and Light for the Way: Listen to God and each other as we light the way forward” from Psalm 118, considered three questions: Where do you see signs of hope in our community?; Where can we “be more” for our community? What resources and support can we draw upon to “be more”?

Leaders from across many parts of the diocese – geographically and in terms of ministry – took part in the conference, as well as students and staff from the Nagle Catholic College community.

To read more on the Geraldton conference click here

Fr Michael

“Curiosity Corner” Lana Turvey-Collins

The question for today is….

 How is a Plenary Council different from a Synod?

 Both gatherings can be influential for the Church.

A Plenary Council is the highest form of gathering of a local Church and has legaslitaive and governance authority. The decisions made at the Council become binding for the Catholic Church in Australia. A Synod does not have this legalative and governance authority.

 Plenary Council offers a chance for the Church to rediscover its relevance. By Sr. Mary Fermio RSJ and Sr. Audrey Thomson RSJ

 The invitation to take part in the Plenary Council offers all in the Church a wonderful opportunity to be in dialogue with all Catholics-lay, Religious and clerics-across Australia. It can enable all to have a voice in determining how we can restore relevance to the Church in our society-a relevance which has been tarnished and greatly diminished by scandals, cover-ups and other factors which have caused many to feel alienated and without hope.

Fr Michael

Importance of Lay Participation

A recently-published document from the International Theological Commission has emphasised the place of lay people as key contributors to decision-making within the Catholic Church, creating a more “synodal” Church.

Synodality in the Life of the Church, published last month with the approval of Pope Francis, said the lived experience of lay people can inform the Church and Catholic leaders in their work.

Lay people are the “immense majority of the People of God and we have much to learn from their participation in the various expressions of the life and mission of church communities, of popular piety and of general pastoral care, as well as from their specific expertise in various fields of cultural and social life”, the document said.

It goes on: “This is why consulting them is indispensable in starting the process of discernment within the framework of synodal structures.  It is therefore necessary to overcome obstacles represented by a lack of formation and recognised forums in which they lay faithful can express themselves.

Are we really ready to listen deeply to one another?  Lana Turvey-Collins

Primarily, when I am with groups of people, we have been doing the Listening and Dialogue Encounter together. It has been both encouraging and troubling to hear people share stories of their faith and experiences of the Church with one another and with me. I am encouraged by the strength of faith and the sheer resilience of faith-filled people throughout the Church.

I encourage every person to be a part of this process. You don’t need to wait; you can be involved now. It is from your stories, and the questions you raise, that the agenda for the Plenary Council will be shaped. All people connected with the Catholic Church in Australia are invited to speak freely, to share from your heart about your experience of faith and the Church, and listen deeply with an open and humble heart to the stories of others. The listening is the challenging part. Listening deeply can transform our hearts and minds. The lives of those who listened to Jesus were changed forever.

Let’s reflect and pray about this for a couple of weeks, talk amongst ourselves and then with a few interested people we can have a meeting and see where the Spirit is taking us, here at Sacred Heart Tatura.

Fr Michael

PLENARY 2020

I have mentioned on our Bulletin this weekend that we need to discern what the Spirit is saying to the Church in Australia but also to ourselves in Tatura.

The Council are asking us to speak boldly and for compassion to listen with open and humble hearts.

We will have the opportunity to build the agenda for the Plenary Council together.  Hopefully, in the midst of dialogue, we will hear God’s voice.

We all have thoughts and ideas of what the church or parish needs to do; how to help the youth, build community, with more people involved while seeing the need of celebrating Eucharist, how do we become a vibrant parish?

Hopefully we will have enough people who will be willing and passionate about our parish to come together for dialogue, understanding and hope.

Fr Michael Morley

WHEN WE MEET IN ADELAIDE, WE WON’T BE DOING SOMETHING NOVEL 

The last Plenary Council was held in Sydney more than 80 years ago and was made up entirely of bishops and priests.  This time, at least one-third of the delegates will be lay.  It will also have world significance because Australia will be the first country to hold a Plenary Council with an open agenda.

It will be watched by Churches all around the world.

In a way, our Plenary Council will seem new, but it will not be something completely novel.

Ever since the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15), most decisions of substance rested in the hands of councils or synods.

WHY ARE WE HAVING A PLENARY COUNCIL IN 2020?

There are many reasons for having a Plenary Council for the Catholic Church in Australia:  Pope Francis has invited the local church to dialogue; the contemporary society of Australia has changed significantly; and the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has been a significant and influential event that requires deep consideration and response.

When the Australian Catholic Bishops announced the decision to hold a Plenary Council, Archbishop Mark Coleridge said that “the Church is no the presence in our society it once was.  We need to make a measure of that and make decisions accordingly.  The culture in which we have to proclaim the Gospel is very different to what it was even 20 or 30 years ago.”

PLENARY PREP NEEDS US TO LISTEN DEEPLY TO ONE ANOTHER – Lana Turvey-Collins

On Pentecost Sunday, we launched the first stage of preparing the Plenary Council agenda: open Listening and Dialogue Encounters.  This process invites you to speak about whatever is in your heart and mind and respond to the question: “What do you think God is asking of us in Australia at this time?”  Then you can submit your responses online.  We are trying to listen to God through listening to the stories and experiences of another person.  It asks us to face the questions that trouble us, to share our sorrows and fears and our hopes and joys, to dialogue through difference and discover where the Spirit is leading us.

PLENARY COUNCIL – POPE FRANCIS’ MESSAGE

Pope Francis has approved the Australian Bishops’ decision to hold a Plenary Council in Australia in 2020 and 2021.  It is a significant moment for the Church in Australia to

make decisions about the future.

To prepare for the Plenary Council, all of God’s people are invited to reflect on the question:  “What do you think God is asking of us in Australia at this time?”

 Find out more about the Plenary Council 2020 at the new website, now online: www.plenarycouncil.catholic.org.au

PLENARY 2020 COUNCIL

What is a Plenary Council?

A Plenary Council is the highest formal gathering of all local churches in a country. Our Plenary Council 2020 is being held so that we can dialogue about the future of the Catholic Church in Australia.

At Pentecost, we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church and pray for a new outpouringof the Spirit upon us all.

Today we launch the journey towards the Australian Church’s Plenary 2020 Council!

Plenary 2020 will be a journey of listening to God and listening to one another, with all Australians invited to enagage in an open and inclusive process of listening, dialogue and discernment about the future of the Church in Australia.  The Plenar webssite has information and resources that will be regularly updated.

http://plenarycouncil.catholic.org.au/

“I hope that all communities will devote the necessary effort to advancing along the path of a pastoral and missionary conversion which cannot leave things as they presently are.”

Pope Francis EG27

Misericordiae Vultus

After the sin of Adam and Eve, God did not wish to leave humanity alone in the throes of evil. So he turned his gaze to Mary, holy and immaculate in love (cf. Eph 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. I will have the joy of opening the Holy Door on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. On that day, the Holy Door will become a Door of Mercy though which anyone who enters will experience the love of God who consoles, pardons, and instils hope.

The Mystery of Mercy

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 out hearts to a hope of being loved forever despite our sinfulness.

Francis, Bishop of Rome Servant of the Servants of God to all who read this letter grace, mercy and peace.

Jesus Christ is the face of the Father’s mercy.  These words might well sum up the mystery of the Christian Faith.  Mercy has become living and visible in Jesus of Nazareth, reaching its culmination in him.  The Father, “rich in mercy” (Eph 2:4), after having revealed his name to Moses as “a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Ex 34:6), has never ceased to show, in various ways throughout history, his divine nature.  In the “fullness of time” (Gal 4:4), when everything had been arranged according to his plan of salvation, he sent his only Son into the world, born of the Virgin Mary, to reveal his love for us in a definitive way.  Whoever sees Jesus sees the Father (cf. Jn 14:9).  Jesus of Nazareth, by his words, his actions, and his entire person reveals the mercy of God.

One of the reasons religion does not seem to speak powerfully to people today is that we are affluent, powerful and self-sufficient.  We do not really need others and certainly not God.  But self-sufficiency can quickly become self-righteousness and can isolate us from others.

Francis challenges us, “Sometimes we are tempted to be that kind of Christian who keeps the Lord’s wounds at arm’s length.  Yet Jesus wants us to touch human misery, to touch the suffering flesh of others.  He hopes that we will stop looking for those personal or communal niches which shelter us from the reality of other people’s lives and know the power of tenderness.  Whenever we do so, our lives become wonderfully complicated and we experience intensely what it is to be a people, to be part of a people.”  (#270)

A redeemed, happy and merciful man

Today the word “sinner” is seen as an essentially negative word.  Very few of us would describe ourselves as “sinners”.  We feel we have given up all that guilt and shame for a more positive spirituality.  However, Francis’ emphasis on sinner is not of the guilty and self-preoccupied kind.  It is a realisation of his radical need for God and for others.

As Christians we know that God loves us as we are, not as we would wish to be.  He loves even the things we are ashamed of and wish had never been.

That is what frees us and releases the lover in us.  Paradoxically it is only “sinners” who know their own vulnerability who can feel compassion for those who suffer and are in need.

Only people who themselves need mercy can enter into the world of wounded persons in need of understanding, forgiveness and love.

Stories will open up our hearts

The German sociologist, Max Weber once defined a prophet as someone who spoke to the hopes and fears of his people. It is critical that we preachers know and love our people.  That is not always easy but the first step is to know the mystery of god in us.

People do not want from us “the disjointed transmission of a multitude of doctrines”, but our “message has to concentrate on the essentials, on what is most beautiful, most grand, most appealing and at the same time most necessary.”  Fundamentally what people want to know is the experience of God that sustains us and gives us hope despite our fears.

People’s suffering

When people’s suffering is great our only pastoral response is often silence.  It is not a personally satisfying response but it may be the most helpful and the best way to reveal the beauty of God.  It does not take away all our questions or our feelings of powerlessness.  But perhaps we have to learn to trust that silence is more attractive and powerful because it is more true and convincing than easy answers given too quickly.  In compassion and silence we are allowing God the freedom to save in God’s way.

“Jesus wants envangelisers who proclaim the Good News not only with word, but above all by a life transfigured by God’s presence.”

Asking too much

Maybe we are asking too much of ourselves, trying for an answer when silence, respect and compassion are all that is needed.  I am reminded of a report from the Synod on New Evangelisation, Archbishop Tagle of Manila said, “for the Church to be a place where people meet God, it needs to learn three things from the example of Jesus: humility, respect for others, and silence . . . The Church must discover the power of silence . . . Confronted with the sorrows, doubts and uncertainties of people, she cannot pretend to give easy solutions.  In Jesus, silence becomes the way of attentive listening, compassion and prayer.  It is the way to truth.”

For Francis the answer is mercy

“The Church, guided by the Gospel of mercy and by love of mankind, hears the cry for justice and intends to respond to it with all her might.”  We just have to respond honestly with tenderness and mercy.  We do not always need words.

The patience to listen and to serve is more important than preaching.  Elsewhere Francis asks, “Do you want to convince someone to be a Catholic? No, no, no!  You are to meet him, he is your brother!  That is enough.  And you are to help him; everything else will be done by Jesus, the Holy Spirit does this.”

Trusting God and the power of silence

Recently I read an article by Paulo Suess, a German priest/missiologist who lives in Brazil.  He claimed that Pope Francis was asking his fellow Bishops, “How can you fearlessly navigate the streets of the contemporary world if your driver’s licence is expired, your vision limited and your street maps out of date?”  That is exactly how many of us feel living in a secular and plural world where religion is greeted by many with apathy rather than anger.  I often feel lost and wonder if my street map is out of date, as I struggle to articulate a Gospel that is meaningful and relevant to modern Australia.  What can we do?

The right time, will produce good fruit

Archbishop Victor Fernandez, a close colleague of Pope Francis from Buenos Aires, when asked how would Francis feel about the Synod, said, “I’d say it’s quite possible that the Pope wouldn’t be too worried if this Synod doesn’t produce anything extraordinary or if it isn’t greeted with great applause.  Because he has always believed that time is greater than space, that the important things brew slowly over time, and that the important thing is to initiate processes rather than force decisions.  And that these, at the right time, will produce good fruit.”

Inspiring Vision

He dreams of a Church with room for everyone not just the perfect, the holy and the approved.  With his emphasis on mercy and healing wounds he is stressing the importance of pastoral flexibility and realism in walking with Christians through their (and our) imperfect lives.

Pope’s dream for the Church

Pope Francis dreams of the Church as a “Mother with an open heart” or “the Church is called to be the house of the Father, with doors always wide open . . . The Eucharist, although it is the fullness of sacramental life, is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak”.

Pope says the Church must be a place of mercy

For the Pope, “the Church must be a place of mercy freely given, where everyone can feel welcomed, loved, forgiven and encouraged to live the good life of the Gospel.”

It will be wonderful when those in society who today feel they are far from God, and would not expect a welcome in the Church, start to think of the Church as a place where they will be “welcomed, loved, forgiven and encouraged to live the good life of the Gospel.”

Pope Francis’ message for Advent

Pope Francis, welcomed Advent with a message encouraging us to let go of worldly distractions and to remain focused on God and on strengthening our relationship with Him.

Pope Francis implored us to remain vigilant and watchful throughout the Advent season and to keep our hearts filled with prayer and concern for others.

“The watchful person is one who, in the noise of the world, does not let themselves be overwhelmed by distraction or superficiality, but lives in a full and conscious way, with concern above all for others,” the Holy Father, Pope Francis said.

He added that, by maintaining this attitude of attentiveness, we cannot help but become acutely aware “of the tears and necessity of our neighbour and we can also welcome the human and spiritual qualities and capacities”. In being attentive, an individual “also turns to the world, trying to counteract indifference and the cruelty of it, rejoicing in the treasures of beauty that also exist and must be preserved”.

Pope Francis went on to remind us all that the Advent season is an opportunity “to welcome the Lord who comes to meet us, to verify our desire for God, to look ahead and prepare ourselves for the return of Christ”.

Now that Advent is upon us, Pope Francis’ message serves as an important reminder of the true meaning of Christmas – celebrating the birth of Christ.

Rules make us harsh judges

Pope Francis reminds us that “rules make us harsh judges” and that mercy is the greatest of the virtues, since all the others revolved around it and, more than this, it makes up for their deficiencies.

What “the Church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful; it needs nearness, proximity.  I see the church as a field hospital after battle.”  We are to heal wounds not to exacerbate them with our criticisms and demands.

Inspiring Vision

Pope Francis told the Bishops of Brazil, mission is not about winning an argument.  “Only the beauty of God can attract.”  God’s way is through enticement, allure.” In The Joy of the Gospel, Francis uses the word “joy” 45 times, “beautiful” 26 times and the word “attract” a surprising 25 times.  He clearly wants the Church and we Christians to present a beautiful, positive and joyful face.

Do Christians know too much about God?

Some years ago I read an article by a Sister from Hong Kong that I found thought-provoking.  The Sister had attended a meeting of religious leaders in China and was impressed by a Taoist Holy Man.  Towards the end of the meeting she asked him what he thought of Christians.  He replied, “I think you Christians know too much about God.”  Now Chinese philosophers are famous for their thought-provoking, enigmatic statements but that statement did make me think.  I believe what the Holy Man was saying was, you Christians are doctrine rich but contemplation poor.  You know so much about God but do you know God?  You know so much that there is hardly anything left to wonder about.  You have lots of doctrine but do you know the mystery that is God.

Pope Francis calls for discernment

Pope Francis’ call for discernment will require a deeper faith and new skills and structures.  It will be a challenge to Dioceses and Episcopal Conferences to discern for themselves the signs of the times and plan for the future.  We will have to develop new structures for listening, consulting and deciding that involves everyone.  This will involve structures such as national and diocesan Synods.  At the moment we do not have such structures in the Australian Church.  There have only been four national synods in our history and the last one was in 1937.  One for Australia in 2020 – new hope.

The role of success, power and riches in shaping our minds and hearts

Many of us are working class by birth but education and financial success have made us middle class in lifestyle, interests and recreation.  The real demands of justice and of the spiritual life only become clearer in personal contact and practical involvement.  We must take seriously the role of success, power and riches in shaping our minds and hearts.  It is important that we have personal contact with the poor for otherwise it is almost impossible to see with their eyes or hear with their ears.

Inspiring Vision

True to form, Francis insists that the first step is to draw close to the poor so that we might have the “smell of the sheep”.  “It is essential to draw near to new forms of poverty and vulnerability , in which we are called to recognise the suffering of Christ…. I think of the homeless, the addicted, refugees, indigenous peoples, the elderly who are increasingly isolated and abandoned, and many others.  Migrants present a particular challenge for me, since I am the pastor of a Church without frontiers, a Church which considers herself mother to all.”

Draw near to the poor

Pope Francis in The Joy of the Gospel uses the words “poor” and “poverty” 91 times.  The special place of the poor, the need to include the poor and the necessity of working to eliminate the structural causes of poverty are central themes in his vision of mission.  In fact he goes so far as to warn us, “Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor.  God’s voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good fades.”

A Pope who wants to talk with us

“Unless we train ministers capable of warming people’s hearts, of walking with them in the night, of dialoguing with their hopes and disappointments, of mending their brokenness, what hope can we have for our present and future journey?”

Climate as a common good

The climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all.  At a global level, it is a complex system linked to many of the essential conditions for human life.  A very solid scientific consensus indicates that we are presently witnessing a disturbing warming of the climatic system.  In recent decades this warming has been accompanied by a constant rise in the sea level and, it would appear, by an increase of extreme weather events, even if a scientifically determinable cause cannot be assigned to each particular phenomenon.  Humanity is called to recognise the need for changes of lifestyle, production and consumption, in order to combat this warming or at least the human causes which produce or aggravate it.  I this true that there are other factors (such as volcanic activity, variations in the earth’s orbit and axis, the solar cycle), yet a number of scientific studies indicate that most global warming in recent decades is due to the great concentration of greenhouse gasses (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxides and others) released mainly as a result of human activity.  Concentrated in the atmosphere, these gases do not allow the warmth of the sun’s rays reflected by the earth to be dispersed in space.  The problem ism aggravated by a model of development based on the intensive use of fossil fuels, which is at the heart of the worldwide energy system.  Another determining factor has been an increase in changed uses of the soil, principally deforestation for agricultural purposes.

Pollution, waste and the throwaway culture

Some forms of pollution are part of people’s daily experience.  Exposure to atmospheric pollutants produces a broad spectrum of health hazards, especially for the poor, and causes millions of premature deaths.  People take sick, for example, from breathing high levels of smoke from fuels used in cooking or heating.

There is also pollution that affects everyone, caused by transport, industrial fumes, substances which contribute to the acidification of soil and water, fertilisers, insecticides, fungicides, herbicides and agrotoxins in general.

Technology, which, linked to business interests, is presented as the only way of solving these problems, in fact proves incapable of seeing the mysterious network of relations between things and so sometimes solves one problem only to create others.

Pope Francis asks for a new dialogue on how we are shaping the planet

I urgently appeal, then, for a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet.

We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all.

The worldwide ecological movement has already made considerable progress and led to the establishment of numerous organisations committed to raising awareness of these challenges.

Regrettably, many efforts to seek concrete solutions to the environmental crisis have proved ineffective, not only because of powerful opposition but also because of a more general lack of interest.

Obstructionist attitudes, even on the part of believers, can range from denial of the problem to indifference, nonchalant resignation or blind confidence in technical solutions.

We require a new and universal solidarity.  As the bishops of Southern Africa have stated:  Everyone’s talents and involvement are needed to redress the damage caused by human abuse of God’s creation”.  All of us can cooperate as instruments of God for the care of creation, each according to his or her own culture, experience, involvements and talents.

Pope decries ‘relentless exclusion’

Pope Francis has voiced strong support for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Addressing the UN General Assembly in 2015, the Pope said the misuse and destruction of the environment is accompanied by a “relentless process of exclusion”.

“In effect, a selfish and boundless thirst for power and material prosperity leads both to the misuse of available natural resources and to the exclusion of the weak and disadvantaged.

“Economic and social exclusion is a complete denial of human fraternity and a grave offence against human rights and the environment.

“The poorest are those who suffer most from such offences, for three serious reasons: they are cast off by society; forced to live off what is discarded; and suffer unjustly from the abuse of the environment.

“They are part of today’s widespread and quietly growing ‘culture of waste’.”

Referring to the need for effective solutions, Pope Francis said the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is an important sign of hope that the Paris Conference on Climate Change will secure fundamental and effective agreements.

The Pope called on government leaders to take concrete steps to preserve and improve the natural environment and thus end the phenomenon of social and economic exclusion, “with its baneful consequences”: human trafficking, the marketing of human organs and tissues, the sexual exploitation of boys and girls, drug and weapons trade, terrorism and international organised crime.

Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew joint statement

“We urgently appeal to those in positions of social and economic, as well as political and cultural, responsibility to hear the cry of the earth and to attend to the needs of the marginalised, but above all to respond to the plea of millions and support the consensus of the world for the healing of our wounded creation.  We are convinced that there can be no sincere and enduring resolution to the challenge of the ecological crisis and climate change unless the response is concerted and collective, unless the responsibility is shared and accountable, unless we give priority to solidarity and service.”

My appeal

The urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change.  The Creator does not abandon us; he never forsakes his loving plan or repents of having created us.  Humanity still has the ability to work together in building our common home.  Here I want to recognise, encourage and thank all those striving in countless ways to guarantee the protection of the home we share.  Particular appreciation is owed to those who tirelessly seek to resolve the tragic effects of  environmental degradation on the lives of the world’s poorest.  Young people demand change.  They wonder how anyone can claim to be building a better future without thinking of the environmental crisis and the sufferings of the excluded.

Laudato Si

Saint Francis, faithful to Scripture, invites us to see nature as a magnificent book in which God speaks to us and grants us a glimpse of his infinite beauty and goodness.  “Through the greatness and the beauty of creatures one comes to know by analogy their maker” (Wis 13:5); indeed, “his eternal power and divinity have been made known through his works since the creation of the world” (Rom 1:20).  For this reason, Francis asked that part of the friary garden always be left untouched, so that wild flowers and herbs could grow there, and those who saw them could raise their minds to God, the Creator of such beauty.  Rather than a problem to be solved, the world is a joyful mystery to be contemplated with gladness and praise.

Message of his holiness Pope Francis for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2017

Dear Brothers and Sisters, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.” (Mk 9:37; cf. Mt 18:5; Lk 9:48; Jn 13:20).

With these words, the Evangelists remind the Christian community of Jesus’ teaching, which both inspires and challenges. This phrase traces the sure path which leads to God; it begins with the smallest and, through the grace of our Saviour, it grows into the practice of welcoming others.

To be welcoming is a necessary condition for making this journey a concrete reality: God made himself one of us. In Jesus God became a child, and the openness of faith to God, which nourishes hope, is expressed in loving proximity to the smallest and the weakest.

Charity, faith and hope are all actively present in the spiritual and corporal works of mercy, as we have rediscovered during the recent Extraordinary Jubilee.

Pope Francis

I do not want to write this Encyclical without turning to that attractive and compelling figure, whose name I took as my guide and inspiration when I was elected Bishop of Rome.  I believe that Saint Francis is the example par excellence of care for the vulnerable and of an integral ecology lived out joyfully and authentically.

He is the patron saint of all who study and work in the area of ecology, and he is also much loved by non-Christians.

He was particularly concerned for God’s creation and for the poor and outcast.

He loved, and was deeply loved for his joy, his generous self-giving, his openheartedness.  He was a mystic and a pilgrim who lived in simplicity and in wonderful harmony with God, with others, with nature and with himself.

He shows us how inseparable the bond is between concern for nature, justice for the poor, commitment to society, and interior peace.

Pope Francis on care for our Common Home

“Laudato Si’, mi’ signore” – “Praise be to you, my Lord”.  In the words of this beautiful canticle, Saint Francis of Assisi reminds us that our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us.

“Praise be to you, my Lord, through our Sister, Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produces various fruit with coloured flowers and herbs”.

Pope Francis ‘Wish’ List

1. Don’t gossip
2. Finish your meals
3. Make time for others
4. Choose the ‘more humble’ purchase
5. Meet the poor ‘in the flesh’
6. Stop judging others
7. Befriend those who disagree
8. Make commitments, such as marriage
9. Make it a habit to ‘ask the Lord’
10. Be happy

Climate Change

“They did not ask for the seas to rise.  Not once did they call for their land to slowly wash away with the changing tide.

We pray that together we can bring real change to help, not hurt our world.

We must not forget the grave social consequences of climate change.  It is the poorest who suffer the worst consequences.”  Pope Francis

A prayer for Pope Francis

Dear Lord,

We rejoice in the life and spirit of Pope Francis.  We thank You for his courage, his energy, his humility.

We thank You for Your continued guidance of our Church, and we pray You continue to extend your blessings to all your faithful.

We ask that You be with Francis now, as he embarks on a great undertaking, shepherding, stewarding, and renewing the flock as he guides us through turbulent times.

Amen

What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?

Pope Francis

Creator of heaven and earth, we praise You
for the gift of Mother Earth, its splendour
and beauty; a common home for us all;
You entrusted us with its care; we are
humbled by this honour.
We recognise Father, the changes needed in
our world.
We seek your help!

What are we seeing?

• 2016 was by far the hottest year ever recorded.
• Each month more heat and extreme weather records are broken.
• Climate change is the single biggest challenge to ending extreme poverty and adds to stresses of inequality and conflict.

This article from Caritas is expressing the urgency of our world in an environmental crisis.  Yet as Pope Francis mentions in Laudate Si, 50 years ago Pope St John XXlll wrote his encyclical Pacem in Terris showing his concerns.  Eight years later, Pope Paul Vl wrote on how we were exploiting nature.  Then St John Paul LL became increasingly concerned with this issue.  So our Popes over many years have been pro-active in warning us of the precious world we have been gifted with and we need to heed the warning.

Pope Francis

“For many, many years – well over 20 years – we’ve asked world leaders to take action, to hear our voice, to stop polluting the atmosphere.  The truth of it is, we just can’t wait any longer.” Pope Francis has a way to say something or use Scripture to put out his message in such a simple way but you can’t refute it. “Love does no wrong to a neighbour.”  Romans 13:10

Climate Change – the poorest suffer the worst consequences

Pope Francis is well aware of the seriousness of this dilemma facing many especially the poor. “Every morning we wake up and see the Pacific ocean.  It surrounds our home, our island.  But right now, the ocean is pretty much in our living room.  Unless something changes, many of our homes are going to be lost to sea level rise . . . ”  Amelia Ma’afu, CEO of Caritas Tonga (Caritas Australia’s sister agency) It is the low lying islander people such as in Tonga as Amelia mentions above and why Pope Francis says to all: “We must not forget the grave social consequences of climate change.  It is the poorest who suffer the worst consequences.” Pope Francis

LAUDATO SI

The Year of Mercy has sadly come to an end but the Pope has left the doors open in so many areas for us to keep expanding our vision to see what else we can do? One of the most challenging areas has been the launch of Laudato Si.  We are now able to combine what we understand in the Scriptures and apply it in practical terms to our environment. The Pope has called this document – Our Common Home.  The title itself means that we are all responsible and are called upon to do something, not leave it to someone else or think the problem is beyond us personally. Some of the quotes and prayers from the document are worthy of our reflection if not our response. “The world’s poor, though least responsible for climate change, are most vulnerable and already suffering its impact . . . When we mistreat nature, we also mistreat human beings.”  Pope Francis Maybe an explanation of climate change would help to set the scene.  This is through Caritas: What is Climate Change? Climate change refers to the changing average weather patterns over time. These changes are caused by both natural and human factors. Climate change is linked to the increase in greenhouse gases in the earth’s atmosphere.

YEAR OF MERCY CONCLUDES The Jubilee Year of Mercy declared by Pope Francis will come to a close on 20 November this year. The doors of Saint Peter’s Basilica will close to conclude the Jubilee of Mercy in November. But we as Catholics are called to keep the metaphorical doors of mercy open, the doors of our minds and hearts and homes. When the Holy Year of Mercy began, at the “Presentation of the Jubilee,” Pope Francis said, “I have decided to announce an Extraordinary Jubilee which has at its centre the mercy of God. It will be a Holy Year of Mercy. We want to live in the light of the word of the Lord: ‘Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful’ (cf. Lk 6:36).” With the start of a new liturgical year, Pope Francis’ Jubilee Year of Mercy will come to an end. The official end of the Holy Year of Mercy is November 20. The purpose of this Holy Year of Mercy has been to highlight the importance of being merciful to one another, as God is to us. Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Matthew 5:7). The Holy Year of Mercy presented a wonderful opportunity to catechists and families: time to focus on and practice the virtue of mercy in our daily lives. Mercy is the caring for the needs of people’s minds, hearts, and lives. It means to share in God’s forgiveness and love. As Catholics we are always called to be merciful as God is merciful. The Holy Year of Mercy has presented a special opportunity to learn about and practice mercy in our own lives, homes, classrooms, and communities. The closing of the doors of Saint Peter’s Basilica is an opportunity for all of us to remember to not close our hearts and continue to be merciful to one another.

Religions called to bear ‘the merciful love of God to a wounded and needy humanity

Authentic religions help people understand that they are, in fact, loved and can be forgiven and are called to love and forgive others, Pope Francis has said. “We thirst for mercy, and no technology can quench that thirst,” the Pope told Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh and other religious leaders. “We seek a love that endures beyond momentary pleasures, a safe harbour where we can end our restless wanderings, an infinite embrace that forgives and reconciles,” the Pope told the leaders during an audience at the Vatican. The leaders were in Rome for a conference on religions and mercy organised by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the International Dialogue Centre, which was founded in 2012 by Saudi Arabia, Austria and Spain with the support of the Holy See. “Sadly,” the Pope said, “not a day passes that we do not hear of acts of violence, conflict, kidnapping, terrorist attacks, killings and destruction. It is horrible that at times, to justify such barbarism, the name of a religion or the name of God himself is invoked. “May there be clear condemnations of these iniquitous attitudes that profane the name of God and sully the religious quest of mankind,” he said. Religions are called to bear “the merciful love of God to a wounded and needy humanity,” he said, and to be “doors of hope helping to penetrate the walls erected by pride and fear.” Mercy, Pope Francis told the group, is the foundation of every authentic religion. It is the truest revelation of who God is, but also “the key to understanding the mystery of man, of that humanity which, today too, is in great need of forgiveness and peace.” While many people seem to prefer living as if God does not exist, the Pope said he believes that underneath human bravado, there is a “widespread fear that it is impossible to be forgiven, rehabilitated and redeemed from our weaknesses.” The Catholic Church’s Year of Mercy, which will close on November 20, was meant to help people understand that God’s mercy and forgiveness are accessible to all and that, experiencing God’s mercy, they are called in turn to forgive and show mercy to others, he said. Professing faith in God’s mercy, he said, means very little unless one backs up that profession with actions of love, service and sharing. Engaging in interreligious dialogue and encouraging one’s faithful to meet and get to know their neighbours of other religions are part of preaching mercy, he said. Dialogue helps eliminate “closed-mindedness and disrespect, and drives out every form of violence and discrimination.” Dialogue “is pleasing to God and constitutes an urgent task,” he said, because it responds to the need to make peace in societies and, “above all to the summons to love which is the soul of all authentic religion.” “To bow down with compassionate love before the weak and needy is part of the authentic spirit of religion, which rejects the temptation to resort to force, refuses to barter human lives and sees others as brothers and sisters, and never mere statistics,” the Pope said. Pope Francis also insisted that the mercy believers are called to share also must be extended to the Earth, “which we are called to protect and preserve from unbridled and rapacious consumption.” Religious leaders, he said, must educate their members in the religious obligation of respect for the world God created and encourage “a simpler and more orderly way of life in which the resources of creation are used with wisdom and moderation, with concern for humanity as a whole and for coming generations, not simply the interests of our particular group and the benefits of the present moment.”

SAINT THAT SHOWED GREAT MERCY

Pope Francis has said, “A little mercy makes the world less cold and more just.” St. Pio Who can doubt the example of mercy in action in St. Pio of Pietrelcina? Through as many as 12 hours in the confessional every day, Padre Pio practiced mercy to countless repentant sinners, offering them forgiveness and conversion. As St. John Paul II said of him, “Padre Pio was a generous dispenser of Divine Mercy.” Yet he saw his own need of it, stating, “Jesus continues to love me and to draw me closer to himself. He has forgotten my sins, and I would say that he remembers only his own mercy. Each morning, he comes into my heart and pours out all the effusions of his goodness.”

DON’T RUN AWAY FROM THE NEEDY

A culture of “comfort” often leads people to become closed in on themselves, Pope Francis said today. He therefore called on believers and people of good will to take personal responsibility for the needs of their neighbors, instead of “running away.” The Pope’s appeal came at the Wednesday general audience in St. Peter’s Square, as he continued his final series of catecheses — on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy — before the close of the Year of Mercy on November 20. Today he focused on the first corporal work of mercy: feeding the hungry. Speaking to thousands of pilgrims from all over the world, the pope said we are often presented with “ephemeral lifestyles that disappear after a few years, as if our lives were a fad to follow and change with every season,” But “reality needs to be accepted and dealt with for what it is, and life sometimes sets before us situations of urgent need.” “How often the media informs us about peoples who are suffering from a lack of food and water, with serious consequences particularly for children.” “Faced with this news and especially with certain images,” he continued, “public opinion is touched and from time to time campaigns are launched to stimulate solidarity. People donate generously and, in this way, one can contribute to alleviating the suffering of many people.” “This form of charity is important,” Pope Francis said, “but perhaps it doesn’t involve us directly.” Speaking off the cuff, he then said: “Poverty in the abstract doesn’t call us to respond personally. It makes us think, it makes us complain, but when you see poverty in the flesh of a man, a woman, a child — yes — this calls us to respond personally…. We have the habit of running away, the habit of running away from the needy, of not drawing near, or of ‘touching up’ the reality of the needy with fashionable trends, and so we distance ourselves from this reality.”

“In these cases, how do I react?” the pope asked. “Do I turn away my gaze, do I walk on? Or do I stop and talk, and take interest in how he is? … Do I see if I can welcome this person in some way, or do I seek to free myself from him as soon as possible?” We must never forget that this work of mercy calls us to respond personally to concrete situations of need in our own lives, he said. Saint James warns against ignoring the practical needs of our brothers and sisters, for faith without works is dead (James 2:14-17). In the miracle of the loaves and fishes, Jesus tells his disciples to provide food for the crowds, yet he shows them that, in sharing what they have, he will give it increase. Quoting Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical on integral human development, Caritas in veritate, he stated: “Feed the hungry (cf. Mt 25: 35, 37, 42) is an ethical imperative for the universal Church … The right to food, like the right to water, has an important place within the pursuit of other rights, beginning with the fundamental right to life. It is therefore necessary to cultivate a public conscience that considers food and access to water as universal rights of all human beings, without distinction or discrimination.” Jesus himself is the bread of life, and he makes it clear that our relationship with the Father depends on the way we respond to the hunger and thirst of our brothers and sisters, he said.

NEVER TIRE OF BEING MERCIFUL

“Today I ask you in the name of Christ and the Church, never tire of being merciful.” When we ourselves have been blessed by mercy, we have the ability to people capable of showing real love to the world. Living out love in our families, workplaces, Churches, schools and everywhere in between, we can reach out to those who feel rejected by the world. As the Pope has stated, “The Church is a mission hospital” where the lost and rejected can find a home. The Church is for everyone. Mercy has no age limits, it is “colour blind” and it is for people of all backgrounds. Jesus is the answer to all the world’s problems through his sacrifice on the cross for humankind. The Catholic Church is “universal” and now is the time to offer our love to the world in this graced “Year of Mercy”. GOD’S MERCY GOES BEYOND THE DESPERATION OF HUMAN SUFFERING: Vatican City, Sep 28, 2016 On Wednesday Pope Francis said that Jesus’ salvific mission reaches its culmination on the Cross in his conversation with the two thieves crucified with him, showing that God’s mercy goes beyond the desperation of human suffering, responding to it with mercy and forgiveness. When the bad thief cries out to Jesus on the Cross, telling him “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us,” this act “bears witness to the anguish of man in front of the mystery of death and the tragic awareness that only God can be the liberating answer,” the Pope said Sept. 28. As he dies on the Cross alongside two criminals, Jesus confirms God’s salvation “can reach any man in any condition, even the most negative and painful.” Because of this, Francis said the ongoing Jubilee of Mercy is a time of grace and of mercy “for all, good and evil, those who are healthy and those who suffer. The good and the bad…because the Church is mercy!” “Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ!” he said, and directed his words to all who are “nailed to a hospital bed, who live closed in a prison, to those who are trapped in war,” telling them: “look to the Crucifix; God is with you, he remains with you on the Cross and offers himself to all as the Savior.” Pope Francis spoke to the thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his weekly general audience, giving special greetings to the American seminarians in Rome who will be ordained deacons Thursday and their families. He continued his ongoing catechesis on mercy, telling attendees that when Jesus forgives those nailing him to the Cross, saying “Lord forgive them, for they know not what they do,” his words “culminate in forgiveness…Jesus forgives.” When confronted with the opposite attitudes of the two thieves he is crucified with, Jesus hears the first one insult him, the Pope said, but explained that this offense was “driven by desperation” caused by suffering. Jesus’ forgiveness, he said, bears witness to the fact that “he who has done terrible things in life has the ability to be forgiven.” The second criminal, known as the “Good Thief,” provides a model of true repentance and “a catechesis focused on learning to ask Jesus for forgiveness,” Francis said. In telling the second criminal “have you no fear of God?” the good thief reveals “the starting point of repentance: fear of the Lord.” Pope Francis stressed that Fear of the Lord is “not being afraid of God, but that respect that one must give to God because he is God.” “The good thief calls attention to the fundamental attitude which opens to trust in God: the awareness of his omnipotence and of his infinite goodness,” he said, noting that “this is the trusting respect which helps to make space for God and to entrust oneself to his mercy, even in the thickest darkness.” Francis pointed to the “tenderness” and “humanity” of the good thief in asking Jesus to remember him, explaining that it’s necessary for the human being to know they are not abandoned, and that God is always close. Jesus’ response that “today you will be with me in paradise,” shows that even a man condemned to death “becomes a model of Christianity who entrusts himself to Jesus.” It is while Jesus hangs on the Cross that his salvation culminates, the Pope said, noting that his promise to the good thief “reveals the fulfillment of his mission: to save sinners.” “On the cross, the final act confirms the final realization of his saving plan. From the beginning to the end he proved himself to be mercy, the definitive and unrepeatable love of the Father,” he said. “Jesus is truly the face of the mercy of the Father,” Francis said, and, closing his address, noted how the good thief called Jesus by name, and led pilgrims in repeating the name of Jesus three times as a short prayer. After his address, Francis turned his thoughts to the ongoing conflict in “the beloved and martyred Syria.” Upon hearing of continued airstrikes in Aleppo, he voiced his “deep sorrow and lively concern” over the fact that innocent children, elderly, sick and youth continue to lose their lives in the bombings. He assured his spiritual closeness to those suffering, and renewed his appeal for everyone to commit themselves to protecting civilians, “which is a committed and urgent obligation.” Francis also issued an appeal “to the consciences” of those responsible for the bombings, saying “they must answer before God” for their actions.   THE LORD IS MERCIFUL “If we—all of us—accept the grace of Jesus Christ, he changes our heart and from sinners makes us saints. To become holy we do not need to turn our eyes away and look somewhere else, or have as it were the face on a holy card! No, no, that is not necessary. To become saints only one thing is necessary: to accept the grace that the Father gives us in Jesus Christ. There, this grace changes our heart. We continue to be sinners for we are weak, but with this grace which makes us feel that the Lord is good, that the Lord is merciful, that the Lord waits for us, that the Lord pardons us—this immense grace that changes our heart.” Pope Francis, The Church of Mercy MERCY IN MOTION Corporal Works – The Corporal Works of Mercy are found in the teachings of Jesus and give us a model for how we should treat all others, as if they were Christ in disguise.  They “are charitable actions by which we help our neighbors in their bodily needs”.  They respond to the basic needs of humanity as we journey together through this life. To Feed the Hungry To Give Drink to the Thirsty To Shelter the Homeless To Visit the Sick To Visit Prisoners To Clothe the Naked To Bury the Dead   SPIRITUAL WORKS – The Spiritual Works of Mercy have long been a part of the Christian tradition, appearing in the works of theologians and spiritual writers throughout history.  Just as Jesus attended to the spiritual well-being of those he ministered to, these Spiritual Works of Mercy guide us to “help our neighbor in their spiritual needs” To Caution Sinners To Instruct the Ignorant To Counsel the Doubtful To Comfort the Afflicted To Bear Wrongs Patiently To Forgive Willingly To Pray for the Living and Dead

DON’T USE GOD TO DEFEND YOUR OWN INTERESTS Vatican City, Sep 7, 2016 / 08:56 am. On Wednesday, Pope Francis warned against making Jesus into the person we want him to be, and thus creating obstacles to a true relationship with Christ and his mercy. “The admonition of Jesus is always present: even today man constructs images of God that prevent him from enjoying his real presence,” the Pope said during the general audience Sept. 7. “Some carve out a ‘do it yourself’ faith that reduces God in the limited space of their own desires and their own beliefs. But this faith is not conversion to the Lord that is revealed, in fact, it prevents him from arousing our life and our conscience.” In his catechesis, Pope Francis named several different ways in which people create false images of God, such as those who invoke his name in defense of their own interests, or in the interest of hatred and violence, or those who deny Christ’s divinity, considering him just a good ethical teacher and leader. “For still others God is just a psychological refuge,” Francis said, “where he is reassurance in difficult times: it is a faith turned in on itself, impervious to the power of merciful love of Jesus which pushes brothers.” Pope Francis also mentioned those who he said “stifle faith” by making it entirely about their personal, intimate relationship with Jesus while ignoring the missionary aspect of the Church, “capable of transforming the world and history.” Continuing his theme of discussing mercy, Pope Francis spoke about the difference between the justice John the Baptist expected the Messiah to wield and the mercy which Jesus actually practiced, a mercy which was the manifestation of God’s justice. Pointing to the Gospel of Matthew, the Pope said Jesus responded to John the Baptist’s question of whether or not he was the Messiah with, “Go and tell John what you hear and see.” “The blind, the lame, the lepers, the deaf, regain their dignity and are no longer excluded for their disease, the dead return to life, while the poor have the good news,” Francis said. “And this becomes the summary action of Jesus, who in this way makes visible and tangible the act of God.” “The message that the Church receives from this account of the life of Christ is very clear. God did not send his Son into the world to punish sinners, nor to destroy the wicked,” he continued. “They are instead addressed the invitation to conversion so that, seeing the signs of divine goodness, they can find their way back.” The Pope concluded his catechesis by urging those present to not place themselves above the mercy of Christ by believing in a false image of the Messiah. “We Christians believe in the God of Jesus Christ, and our desire is to grow in the living experience of the mystery of love,” he said. “We commit ourselves, therefore, to not place any obstacle in the way of the action of the merciful Father, but we ask the gift of a great faith to become ourselves signs and instruments of mercy.”

JESUS’ MERCY EXTENDS TO EVEN THE GREATEST OF SINNERS

Jesus’ mercy extends to all who seek forgiveness no matter how great or small their sins may be, Pope Francis said in his weekly general audience last week. While many often feel “cast aside” because of their sins, Jesus offers encouragement and “tells us, ‘Courage, come to me,’” the Pope said to a crowd who braved driving rain in St Peter’s Square. “It is the moment of forgiveness, of inclusion in Jesus’ life and the life of the Church. All of us are sinners; whether great or small, we all are. The Lord tells us, ‘Courage, come, you are no longer discarded. I forgive you, I embrace you.’ This is mercy,” he said. Reflecting on the Gospel reading of Jesus’ miraculous healing of a woman suffering from haemorrhages, Pope Francis noted the woman’s persistence in trying to reach out to Jesus despite the fact that she was excluded from society because of her condition. “She was a woman discarded from society. It is important to consider this condition – discarded – to understand her state of mind,” he said. “She senses that Jesus can free her from her sickness and from the state of marginalisation and indignity in which she has found herself for years. In short, she knows and feels that Jesus can save her.” “After touching Jesus’ cloak, the woman tried to hide and expected to be reproached, the pope said. Instead, she was met with his gaze of “mercy and tenderness” that not only welcomes her, but also “acknowledges her dignity.” This gaze and encouragement from Christ, he added, also is experienced by all those who feel discarded and marginalised by their own sins. The woman is not saved by touching Jesus’ cloak but by his words which “consoled her, healed her and restored her to a relationship with God and with her people,” Pope Francis said. “Once again Jesus, with his merciful behavior, shows the church the path it must take to reach out to every person so that each one can be healed in body and spirit and recover his or her dignity as a child of God,” the Pope said.   Trusting God and the power of silence In an article published by Paulo Suess, Pope Francis was asking his fellow Bishops, “How can you fearlessly navigate the streets of the contemporary world if your driver’s licence is expired, your vision limited and your street maps out of date?” For Pope Francis that answer is mercy. “The Church, guided by the Gospel of mercy and by love mankind, hears the cry for justice and intends to respond to it with all her might”.  We just have to respond honestly with tenderness and mercy.  We do not always need words. The patience to listen and to serve is more important than preaching. God’s mercy is infectious and must be shared with others.

The Pontiff told the faithful that Christians must demonstrate to the world how to display acts of mercy towards others

Mercy is “a journey that departs from the heart to arrive at the hands,” the Pope said. In his main audience talk, Pope Francis focused on the Gospel story of Jesus raising from the dead the son of the widow of Nain, giving renewed hope not just to the woman and her son, but to all. “The powerful word of Jesus can make us rise again and takes us, too, from death to life,” the Pope said. “His word revives us, gives hope, refreshes weary hearts and opens us to a vision of the world and of life that goes beyond suffering and death.” Pope Francis ended his main talk by insisting that “Jesus watches you, heals you with his mercy and says, ‘Arise,’ and your heart is new.” “And what do I do now with this new heart healed by Jesus?” he asked. “I do the works of mercy with my hands and I try to help, to heal the many who are in need. Mercy is a journey that departs from the heart and arrives at the hands, at the works of mercy.” Each of us must respond to the gift of mercy in our hearts by getting up and putting mercy into action. THE PARISH – AN OASIS OF MERCY Pope Francis’ vision for a worldwide Holy Year of Mercy, brings inspiration, challenge and encouragement to parishes. Pope Francis reminds us we are called to be disciples and missionaries: “Being a disciple means being constantly ready to bring the love of Jesus to other, and this can happen unexpectedly and in any place: on the street, in a city square, during work, on a journey.”  (EG127). We must have a special care for the poor, the disadvantaged, those on the margins of our communities for whatever reason:  “there is an inseparable bond between our faith and the poor.  May we never abandon them.”  (EG 48)  Every person is worth of our attention and our giving.  They are “God’s handiwork, his creation . . . the object of God’s infi”nite tenderness, and he himself is present in their lives.”  (EG274) Every parish, therefore, is called to be the local Church of welcome and mercy a place where people can come “with all their problems”:   “Everyone can share in some way in the life of the Church; everyone can be part of the community.”  (EG47) POPE FRANCIS URGES YOUTH TO DREAM Pope Francis recently told young people in Poland to look beyond the instant gratification afforded by technology and instead try to change the world. Pope says youth cannot respond to challenges by “texting a few words” and he urged young people to be dreamers that refuse to see borders as barriers. Pope Francis, 79, who has said he is a “disaster” with technology, sprinkled his sermon with social media and technology terms. He urged the young people to “download the best link of all, that of a heart which sees and transmits goodness without growing weary”.   WHY, IN YOUR OPINION, IS HUMANITY SO IN NEED OF MERCY? Pope Francis: Because humanity is wounded, deeply wounded. Either it does not know how to cure its wounds or it believes that it’s not possible to cure them. Mostly, people are looking for someone to listen to them. Someone willing to grant them time, to listen to their dramas and difficulties.  This is what I call the “apostolate of the ear.”  I feel compelled to say to confessors: talk, listen with patience, and above all tell people that God loves them.  Be tender with people.  Do not push them away.  People are suffering. I believe that this is a time for mercy. The Church is showing her maternal side, her motherly face, to a humanity that is wounded.  She does not wait for the wounded to knock on her doors, she looks for them on the streets, she gathers them in, she embraces them, she takes care of them, she makes them feel loved. This is explained well by St Paul: If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.” You can deny God, you can sin against him, but God cannot deny himself he remains faithful.

What are the most important things that a believer should do during the Holy Year of Mercy?

We should open up to the Mercy of God, open up our heart and ourselves, and allow Jesus to come toward us by approaching the confessional with faith.  And we should try and be merciful with others.

Year of Mercy 8th Dec 2015 – 20th Nov 2016

Mission

“An evangelising community gets involved by word and deed in people’s daily lives; it bridges distances, it is willing to abase itself if necessary, and it embraces human life, touching the suffering flesh of Christ in others.  Evangelisers thus take on the “smell of the sheep” and the sheep are willing to hear their voice.” (EG 24)

Where did the inspiration for the Year of Mercy come?

I can say that the centrality of mercy, which for us is Jesus’ most important message, has slowly evolved over the years in my work as a priest, as a consequence of my experience as a confessor, and thanks to the many positive and beautiful stories that I have known. I believe that this is a time for mercy.  The Church is showing her maternal side, her motherly face, to a humanity that is wounded.  She does not wait for the wounded to knock on her doors, she looks for them on the streets, she gathers them in, she embraces them, she makes them feel loved.  Pope Francis

What is mercy for you?

For me this is one of the most important revelations: you will continue to be the chosen people and all your sins will be forgiven.  So mercy is deeply connected to God’s faithfulness.  The Lord is faithful because he cannot deny himself.  This is explained well by St Paul: “If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.”  You can deny God, you can sin against him, but God cannot deny himself.  He remains faithful.

Prayer of Mercy

Pope Francis has composed a special prayer for the Jubilee Year of Mercy which will run from 8 December 2015 to 20 November 2016.   In the prayer, the Holy Father entreats the Lord to make the Jubilee of Mercy a year of grace so that the Church, “with renewed enthusiasm, may bring good news to the poor, proclaim liberty to captives and the oppressed, and restore sight to the blind.” Lord Jesus Christ, you have taught us to be merciful like the heavenly Father, and have told us that whoever sees you sees Him. Show us your face and we will be saved. Your loving gaze freed Zacchaeus and Matthew from being enslaved by money; the adulteress and Magdalene from seeking happiness only in created things; made Peter weep after his betrayal, and assured Paradise to the repentant thief. Let us hear, as if addressed to each one of us, the words that you spoke to the Samaritan woman: “If you knew the gift of God!” You are the visible face of the invisible Father, of the God who manifests his power above all by forgiveness and mercy: let the Church be your visible face in the world, its Lord risen and glorified. You willed that your ministers would also be clothed in weakness in order that they may feel compassion for those in ignorance and error: let everyone who approaches them feel sought after, loved, and forgiven by God. Send your Spirit and consecrate every one of us with its anointing, so that the Jubilee of Mercy may be a year of grace from the Lord, and your Church, with renewed enthusiasm, may bring good news to the poor, proclaim liberty to captives and the oppressed, and restore sight to the blind. We ask this through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy, you who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen. © Copyright Pontifical Council for the Promotion of New Evangelization, Vatican State. All rights reserved.