1 JUBILEE YEAR OF MERCY QUOTES 1. “The mercy of God is not an abstract idea, but a concrete reality with which he reveals his love as of that of a father or a mother, moved to the very depths out of love for their child” (Pope Francis in Misericordiae Vultus 6) 2. “The great river of mercy never runs dry because it always finds people who give concrete testimony to it in everyday life. It is an amazing sight, which can be observed especially in times of great social and economic difficulties and in the aftermath of natural disasters.” (Rino Fisichella, “The Corporal and spiritual works of mercy” in Pastoral Resources for Living the Jubilee, page 7) 3. “It is my burning desire that, during this jubilee, the Christian people may reflect on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. It will be a way to reawaken our conscience. Let us rediscover these corporal works of mercy: to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, cloth the naked, welcome the stranger, heal the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead. And let us not forget the spiritual works of mercy: to counsel the doubtful, instruct the ignorant, admonish sinners, comfort the afflicted, forgive offenses, bear patiently those who do us ill, and pray for the living and the dead” (Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, 15) 4. “This Holy Year will bring to the fore the richness of Jesus’ mission echoed in the words of the prophet Isaiah (Is.61:1 – 2): A year of the Lord’s favour or mercy: this is what the Lord proclaimed and this is what we wish to live now. to bring a word and gesture of consolation to the poor, to proclaim liberty to those bound by new forms of slavery in modern society, to restore sight to those who can see no more because they are caught up in themselves, to restore dignity to all those from whom it has been robbed” (Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus 16) 5. “With our eyes fixed on Jesus and his merciful gaze, we experience the love of the Most Holy Trinity. Everything in Him speaks of mercy. Nothing in Him is devoid of compassion”. (Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus 8) 6. “Jesus reveals the nature of God as that of a Father who never gives up until he has forgiven the wrong and overcome rejection with compassion and mercy. We know the parables well, three in particular: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the father with two sons (cf. Lk 15: 1-­‐ 32). In these parables, God is always presented as full of joy, especially when he pardons. In them 2 we find the core of the Gospel and of our faith, because mercy is presented as a force that overcomes everything, filling the heart with love and bringing consolation through pardon.” (Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus 9) 7. “Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Like the Good Shepherd pursuing His wayward sheep and the father running to embrace his prodigal son, God our Father mercifully goes out to find His lost children so that none should perish” (Pope Francis, The Holy Year of Mercy: A faith sharing guide, p 7) 8. “In a world that is so filled with turmoil and suffering, we need to experience God’s mercy in our everyday lives and bring that mercy to others. God never stops or goes a halfway in showing Mercy to His children and He calls us to do the same” (Pope Francis, The Holy Year of Mercy: A faith sharing Guide, p 8). 9. “No one can be excluded from the mercy of God; everyone knows the way to access it, and the church is the house where everyone is welcomed and no one is rejected. Her doors remain wide open, so that those who are touched by grace may find the assurance of forgiveness. The greater the sin, the greater the love must be shown by the church to those who repent” (Pope Francis, Homily at the celebration of Penance, St. Peter’s Basilica, March 13, 2015) 10. “The mercy of God is His loving concern for each one of us. He feels responsible; that is, He desires our well-­‐being and he wants to see us happy, full of joy, and peaceful. This is the path which the merciful love of Christians must also travel. As the Father loves, so do His children. Just as He is merciful, so we are called to be merciful to each other” (Pope Francis, Bull of indiction: The face of Mercy, 9) 11. “Jesus reveals the nature of God as that of the Father who never gives up until he has forgiven the wrong and overcome rejection with compassion and mercy” (Pope Francis, Bull of Indiction: The Face of Mercy, 9) 12. “In the Gospel of Luke 15: 1-­‐2, (The three Parables devoted to mercy), mercy is presented as a force that overcomes everything, filling the heart with love and bringing consolation through pardon” (Pope Francis, Bull of Indiction: The face of Mercy, 9) 3 13. “No one has penetrated the profound mystery of the incarnation like Mary. Her entire life was patterned after the presence of Mercy made flesh. The mother of the Crucified and Risen One has entered the sanctuary of Divine Mercy because she participated intimately in the mystery of His love” (Pope Francis, Bull of Indiction: The Face of Mercy, 24) 14. “The mother of the Son of God, Mary, treasured Divine Mercy in her heart in perfect harmony with the Son Jesus. Her hymn of praise, sung at the threshold of the home of Elizabeth, was dedicated to the mercy of God which extends from generation to generation (Luke 1:50)” (Pope Francis, Bull of Indiction: The Face of Mercy, 24) 15. “If we want to be true disciples of Jesus, we are called to become united to him, instrument of His merciful love, overcoming every kind of marginalization” (Pope Francis, Angelus Address, St. Peter’s Square, February 15, 2015) 16. “God’s mercy overcomes every barrier and Jesus’ hand touches the Leper. He does not stand at a safe distance and does not act by delegating, but places himself in direct contact with our contagion” (Pope Francis, Angelus Address, February 15, 2015) 17. “In this Holy Year, we look forward to the experience of opening our hearts to those living on the outermost fringes of society. Let us open our eyes and see the misery of the world, the wounds of our brothers and sisters who are denied their dignity, and let us recognize that we are compelled to heed their cry for help” (Pope Francis, Bull of Indiction: The Face of Mercy, 15) 18. “Our God is patient, who always wait for us and waits with His heart in hand to welcome us, to forgive us. He always forgives us if we go to him” (Pope Francis, Angelus Address, St. Peter’s Square, July 20, 2014) 19. “We will all be judged by the same measure with which we have judged; the mercy we have shown to others will also be shown to us. Let us ask our Lady, our Mother, to help us to grow in patience, in hope, and in mercy with all brothers and sisters” (Pope Francis, Angelus Address, St. Peter’s Square, July 20, 2014) 4 20. “God, our Father, sees clearly every weed in every person’s life, yet He lovingly waits in hope and patience for us to turn to Him” (Pope Francis, The Holy Year of Mercy: A Faith Sharing Guide, p 94) 21. “Whoever sees Jesus sees the Father (Jn. 14: 9). By His words, His actions, and entire person, Jesus of Nazareth reveals the mercy of God” (Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, 1) 22. “Mercy is the bridge that connects God and man, opening our hearts to the hope of being loved forever despite our sinfulness” (Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, 2) 23. “When faced with the gravity of sin, God responds with the fullness of mercy. Mercy will always be greater that any sin, and no one can place limits on the love of God who is ever ready to forgive” (Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, 3) 24. “It is proper to God to exercise mercy, and He manifests His omnipotence particularly in this way” (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, II – II q.30 a.4) 25. “The church sensed a responsibility to be a living sign of the Father’s love in the world. ‘Now the bride of Christ wishes to use the medicine of mercy rather than taking up arms of severity…..The Catholic Church, as she holds high the torch of the Catholic Truth at this Ecumenical Council, wants to show herself a loving mother to all; patient, kind, moved by compassion and goodness toward her separated children” (St. John XXIII, Opening Address of Vatican II Council – Gaudet Mater Ecclesia, 11 October, 1962) 26. “God forgives all your iniquity, He heals all your diseases, He redeems your life from the pit, He crowns you with steadfast love and mercy” (Psalm 103: 3-­‐4) 27. “The mission Jesus received from the Father was that of revealing the mystery of divine love in its fullness. The signs he works, especially in favour of sinners, the poor, the marginalised, the sick , and the suffering, are all meant to teach mercy” (Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, 8) 5 28. “Jesus reveals the nature of God as that of a Father who never gives up until he has forgiven the wrong and overcome rejection with compassion and mercy” (Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, 9) 29. “We are called to show mercy because mercy has first been shown to us. Pardoning offenses becomes the clearest expression of merciful love, and for us Christians it is imperative from which we cannot excuse ourselves” (Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, 9) 30. “Jesus made mercy an ideal of life and a criterion for the credibility of our faith -­‐ Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy (Matthew 5:7) – the beatitude to which we should particularly aspire in this Holy Year” (Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, 9) 31. “The church lives an authentic life when she professes and proclaims mercy – the most stupendous attribute of the creator and redeemer – and when she brings people close to the sources of the savior’s mercy, of which she is the trustee and dispenser” (St. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter, Dives in Misericordia, 15) 32. It is absolutely essential for the church and for the credibility of her message that she herself live and testify to mercy. Her language and gestures must transmit mercy, so as to touch the hearts of all people and inspire them once more to find the road that leads to the Father” (Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, 12) 33. “Wherever the church is present, the mercy of the Father must be evident. In our parishes, communities, associations, and movements, in a word, wherever there are Christians, everyone should find an oasis of mercy” (Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, 12) 34. “We want to live this Jubilee Year in light of the Lord’s words merciful like the Father. The evangelist reminds us of the teaching of Jesus who says ‘be merciful just as the Father is merciful (Luke. 6:36)” (Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, 13) 35. “The practice of pilgrimage has a special place in the Holy Year, because it represents the journey each of us makes in this life. Life itself is a pilgrimage, and the human being is a viator, a 6 pilgrim travelling along the road, making his way to the desired destination” (Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, 14) 36. “In this Holy Year, let us open our eyes and see the misery of the world, the wounds of our brothers and sisters who are denied their dignity, and let us recognise that we are compelled to heed their cry for help. May we reach out to them and support them so they can feel the warmth of our presence, our friendship, and our fraternity. May their cry become our own, and together may we break down the barriers of indifference that too often reign supreme and mask our hypocrisy and egoism” (Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, 15) 37. “It is my burning desire that, during this jubilee, the Christian people may reflect on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. It will be a way to reawaken our conscience, too often grown dull in the face of poverty. Let us enter more deeply into the heart of the Gospel where the poor have special experience of God’s mercy” (Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, 15) 38. “In this jubilee year, let us rediscover these corporal works of mercy: to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, heal the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead. And let us also not forget the spiritual works of mercy: to counsel the doubtful, instruct the ignorant, admonish sinners, comfort the afflicted, forgive offenses, bear patiently those who do us ill, and pray for the living and the dead” (Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, 15) 39. “Jesus was sent to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour (Isaiah 61:1-­‐2). This is what the Lord proclaimed and this is what we wish to live now. This Holy Year will bring to the fore the richness of Jesus’ mission echoed in the words of the prophet: to bring a word and gesture of consolation to the poor, to proclaim liberty to those bound by new forms of slavery in modern society, to restore sight to those who can see no more because they are caught up in themselves, to restore dignity to all those from whom it has been robbed” (Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, 16) 40. “Let us place the Sacrament of Reconciliation at the center once more in such a way that it will enable people to touch the grandeur of God’s mercy with their own hands. For every penitent, it will be a source of true interior peace”. “Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, 17) 7 41. “May the message of mercy reach everyone, and may no one be indifferent to the call to experience mercy. I direct this invitation to conversion even more fervently to those whose behaviour distances them from the grace of God” (Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, 19) 42. “God never tires of reaching out to us. He is always ready to listen……All one needs to do is to accept the invitation to conversion and submit oneself to justice during this special time of mercy offered by the church” (Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, 19) 43. “If God limited Himself to only justice, He would cease to be God, and would instead be like human beings who ask merely that the law be respected. But mere justice is not enough. Experience shows that an appeal to justice alone will result in its destruction. This is why God goes beyond justice with His mercy and forgiveness” (Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, 21) 44. “God’s justice is His mercy given to everyone as a grace that flows from the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Thus, the cross of Christ is God’s judgment on all of us and on the whole world, because through it he offers us the certitude of Love and new life”. (Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, 21) 45. “A Jubilee also entails granting of indulgences. To live the indulgence of the Holy Year means to approach the Father’s mercy with the certainly that his forgiveness extends to the entire life of the believer. To gain an indulgence is to experience the holiness of the church, who bestows upon all the fruits of Christ’s redemption, so that God’s love and forgiveness may extend everywhere” (Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, 22). 46. “I trust that this Jubilee Year celebrating the mercy of God will foster an encounter with Judaism and Islam, and with other noble religious traditions; may it open us to even more fervent dialogue so that we might know and understand one another better; may it eliminate every form of closed mindedness and disrespect, and drive out every form of violence and discrimination”. (Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, 23). 47. “The church feels the urgent need to proclaim God’s mercy. Her life is authentic and credible only when she becomes a convincing herald of mercy” (Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, 25). 8 48. “From the heart of the Trinity, from the depths of the mystery of God, the great river of mercy wells up and overflows unceasingly. It is a spring that will never run dry, no matter how many people draw from it. Every time someone is in need, he or she can approach it, because the mercy of God never ends” (Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, 25) 49. “The motto ‘merciful like the Father (Luke 6:36) serves as an invitation to follow the merciful example of the Father, who asks us not to judge or condemn but to forgive and to give love and forgiveness without measure” (Pope Francis, The Holy Year of Mercy: A Faith Sharing Guide, p. 140) 50. “Indeed, the Word of God pitched His tent among us, sinners who are in need of mercy. And we all must hasten to receive the grace that He offers us” (Pope Francis, Angelus, St. Peter’s Square, Jan 5, 2014) 51. Jesus said to Faustina, “Everything that exists is enclosed in the bowels of my mercy, more deeply than an infant in its mother’s womb. How painfully distrust of my goodness wounds me! Sins of distrust wound me most painfully” (St. Faustina, Diary, 1076). 52. The Lord said to Faustina, “speak of my mercy. Tell souls where they are to look for solace; that is, in the Tribunal of mercy – the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It suffices to come with faith to the feet of my representative and to reveal to him one’s misery, and the miracle of Divine Mercy wilfully demonstrated” (St. Faustina, Diary, 1447 – 48) 53.“God the Creator and Father sees before Him only three kinds of people: the young child who fills him with tenderness; the young child who has fallen and is hurt; the young child whom He prevented from falling in the first place” (St. Therese of Lisieux, Ms. A, 2v – 3r) 54.“God is infinitely just and merciful towards all His children who throw themselves into his arms, because lowering oneself is precisely due to love…..and it is in bending down that the Good Lord shows His infinite greatness” (St. Therese of Lisieux, Ms. A, 2v – 3r) 55. “The Holy Year of Mercy invites all of us to reflect on the relationship between communication and mercy. The Church, in union with Christ, the living incarnation of the Father 9 of Mercies, is called to practise mercy as the distinctive trait of all that she is and does. What we say and how we say it, our every word and gesture, ought to express God’s compassion, tenderness and forgiveness for all. Love, by its nature, is communication; it leads to openness and sharing. If our hearts and actions are inspired by charity, by divine love, then our communication will be touched by God’s own power.”(Pope Francis, Message on the 50th World Day of Communication, 2016) 56. “As sons and daughters of God, we are called to communicate with everyone, without exception. In a particular way, the Church’s words and actions are all meant to convey mercy, to touch people’s hearts and to sustain them on their journey to that fullness of life which Jesus Christ was sent by the Father to bring to all. This means that we ourselves must be willing to accept the warmth of Mother Church and to share that warmth with others, so that Jesus may be known and loved. That warmth is what gives substance to the word of faith; by our preaching and witness, it ignites the “spark” which gives them life.” (Pope Francis, Message on the 50th World Day of Communication, 2016) 57. “It is our task to admonish those who err and to denounce the evil and injustice of certain ways of acting, for the sake of setting victims free and raising up those who have fallen. The Gospel of John tells us that “the truth will make you free” (Jn 8:32). The truth is ultimately Christ himself, whose gentle mercy is the yardstick for measuring the way we proclaim the truth and condemn injustice. Our primary task is to uphold the truth with love (cf. Eph 4:15). Only words spoken with love and accompanied by meekness and mercy can touch our sinful hearts. Harsh and moralistic words and actions risk further alienating those whom we wish to lead to conversion and freedom, reinforcing their sense of rejection and defensiveness.” (Pope Francis, Message on the 50th World Day of Communication, 2016) 58. “In the Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, I asked that “the season of Lent in this Jubilee Year be lived more intensely as a privileged moment to celebrate and experience God’s mercy” (Misericordiae Vultus, 17). By calling for an attentive listening to the word of God and encouraging the initiative “24 Hours for the Lord”, I sought to stress the primacy of prayerful listening to God’s word, especially his prophetic word. The mercy of God is a proclamation made to the world, a proclamation which each Christian is called to experience at first hand.” (Message of Pope Francis, Lent, 2016) 59. “After receiving the Good News told to her by the Archangel Gabriel, Mary, in her Magnificat, prophetically sings of the mercy whereby God chose her. The Virgin of Nazareth, betrothed to Joseph, thus becomes the perfect icon of the Church which evangelizes, for she was, and continues to be, evangelized by the Holy Spirit, who made her virginal womb fruitful. In the prophetic tradition, mercy is strictly related – even on the etymological level – to the maternal womb (rahamim) and to a generous, faithful and compassionate goodness (hesed) shown within marriage and family relationships.” ((Message of Pope Francis, Lent, 2016) 10 60. “The mystery of divine mercy is revealed in the history of the covenant between God and his people Israel. God shows himself ever rich in mercy, ever ready to treat his people with deep tenderness and compassion, especially at those tragic moments when infidelity ruptures the bond of the covenant, which then needs to be ratified more firmly in justice and truth. Here is a true love story, in which God plays the role of the betrayed father and husband, while Israel plays the unfaithful child and bride. These domestic images – as in the case of Hosea (cf. Hos 1-­‐
2) – show to what extent God wishes to bind himself to his people.” (Message of Pope Francis, Lent, 2016) 61. “This love story culminates in the incarnation of God’s Son. In Christ, the Father pours forth his boundless mercy even to making him “mercy incarnate” (Misericordiae Vultus, 8). As a man, Jesus of Nazareth is a true son of Israel; he embodies that perfect hearing required of every Jew by the Shema, which today too is the heart of God’s covenant with Israel: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might” (Dt 6:4-­‐5). As the Son of God, he is the Bridegroom who does everything to win over the love of his bride, to whom he is bound by an unconditional love which becomes visible in the eternal wedding feast”. (Message of Pope Francis, Lent, 2016) 62. “This is the very heart of the apostolic kerygma, in which divine mercy holds a central and fundamental place. It is ‘the beauty of the saving love of God made manifest in Jesus Christ who died and rose from the dead’ (Evangelii Gaudium, 36), that first proclamation which ‘we must hear again and again in different ways, the one which we must announce one way or another throughout the process of catechesis, at every level and moment’ (ibid., 164). Mercy ‘expresses God’s way of reaching out to the sinner, offering him a new chance to look at himself, convert, and believe’ (Misericordiae Vultus, 21), thus restoring his relationship with him. In Jesus crucified, God shows his desire to draw near to sinners, however far they may have strayed from him. In this way he hopes to soften the hardened heart of his Bride”. (Message of Pope Francis, Lent, 2016) 63. “God’s mercy transforms human hearts; it enables us, through the experience of a faithful love, to become merciful in turn. In an ever new miracle, divine mercy shines forth in our lives, inspiring each of us to love our neighbour and to devote ourselves to what the Church’s tradition calls the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. These works remind us that faith finds expression in concrete everyday actions meant to help our neighbours in body and spirit: by feeding, visiting, comforting and instructing them. On such things will we be judged.” (Message of Pope Francis, Lent, 2016) 11 64. “I expressed my hope that “the Christian people may reflect on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy; this will be a way to reawaken our conscience, too often grown dull in the face of poverty, and to enter more deeply into the heart of the Gospel where the poor have a special experience of God’s mercy” (Misericordiae Vultus 15). For in the poor, the flesh of Christ “becomes visible in the flesh of the tortured, the crushed, the scourged, the malnourished, and the exiled… to be acknowledged, touched, and cared for by us” (ibid.). It is the unprecedented and scandalous mystery of the extension in time of the suffering of the Innocent Lamb, the burning bush of gratuitous love. Before this love, we can, like Moses, take off our sandals (cf. Ex 3:5), especially when the poor are our brothers or sisters in Christ who are suffering for their faith.” (Message of Pope Francis, Lent, 2016) 65. “For all of us, then, the season of Lent in this Jubilee Year is a favourable time to overcome our existential alienation by listening to God’s word and by practising the works of mercy. In the corporal works of mercy we touch the flesh of Christ in our brothers and sisters who need to be fed, clothed, sheltered, visited; in the spiritual works of mercy – counsel, instruction, forgiveness, admonishment and prayer – we touch more directly our own sinfulness. The corporal and spiritual works of mercy must never be separated. By touching the flesh of the crucified Jesus in the suffering, sinners can receive the gift of realizing that they too are poor and in need. By taking this path, the ‘proud’, the ‘powerful’ and the ‘wealthy’ spoken of in the Magnificat can also be embraced and undeservedly loved by the crucified Lord who died and rose for them.” (Message of Pope Francis, Lent, 2016). 66. “Let us not waste this season of Lent, so favourable a time for conversion! We ask this through the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary, who, encountering the greatness of God’s mercy freely bestowed upon her, was the first to acknowledge her lowliness (cf. Lk 1:48) and to call herself the Lord’s humble servant (cf. Lk 1:38)”. (Message of Pope Francis, Lent, 2016) 67. “I will love you, O Lord, and thank you, and confess to your name, because you have put away from me such wicked and evil deeds. To your grace I attribute it, and to your mercy, that you have melted away my sin as if it were ice” (St. Augustine, Confessions II, 7). 68. “Our Lord on the earth is like a mother carrying her baby in her arms. This child is badly behaved; he kicks his mother, bites her and scratches her. But the mother pays no mind. She 12 knows that if she lets him go, the child will fall since he cannot walk alone. This is how our Lord is: He bears all our ill-­‐treatments; He bears all our arrogance; He forgives all our foolishness; He has mercy on us despite ourselves”. (St. John Vianney). 69. “We serve Jesus in the poor, and we do all this for him. Everything we do – prayer, work, sacrifice – we do for Jesus. Our life does not have any other meaning, any motivation other than Him who loves us deeply. Jesus is the only meaning of our life”. (Blessed Teresa of Calcutta [1910 – 1997] in “The saints in Mercy: Pastoral Resources for living the Jubilee, 2015 – 2016, page 31). 70. “Chosen to be the Mother of the Son of God, Mary, from the onset, was prepared by the love of God to be the Ark of the Covenant between God and man. She treasured Divine Mercy in her heart in perfect harmony with her Son”. (Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, 24) 71. “Mary is the one who obtained mercy in a particular and exceptional way, as no other person has. At the same time, still in an exceptional way, she made possible with the sacrifice of her heart her own sharing in revealing God’s Mercy”. (St. John Paul II, Dives Misericordia, 9) 72. “God knows us as He intends us to be; His sons, His daughters, His friends. He knows that He has fitted us for Himself and that no other destiny for us will do. When He knows us as sinners and as unable to secure our own deliverance from our sins, He knows us as needing His mercy”. (Fr. John Dominic Corbett, OP, in “Magnificat Year of Mercy Companion”, Page 10) 73. “God is rich in mercy. No matter how bankrupt we may feel because of our sins, He continues to invest mercy into our lives”. (Msgr. Gregory E.S. Malovetz, Magnificat year of Mercy Companion, Page 12). 74. “God is not only Maker and Lord…, but He is also man’s Father and best friend. Therefore, between God and ourselves there exists not only relations that are based on justice, but also those relations which are proper to God’s Fatherhood and friendship towards man. They reach much deeper because they are based on love” (Fr. Hyacinth Woroniecki, OP, in “Magnificat Year of Mercy Companion”, page 39) 13 75. “God’s love and mercy are acts of His Holy will; under the name of mercy come all those manifestations of love which tend to remove any wants, needs, pains, sufferings, in a word, any deficiencies”. (Fr. Hyacinth Woroniecki, OP, in “Magnificat Year of Mercy Companion”, page 39). 76. “The message of Jesus is mercy. For me, and I say this with humility, it is the Lord’s strongest message”. (Pope Francis, Homily, March 17, 2013) 77. “Jesus comes to us when we realise that we are sinners. The first and only step required to experience mercy, the Pope added, is to acknowledge that we are in need of mercy” (Pope Francis, The Name of God is Mercy, 2016) 78. “God forgives not with a decree but with a caress. And with mercy, Jesus too goes beyond the law and forgives by caressing the wounds of our sins” (Pope Francis, The Name of God is Mercy, 2016) 79. “Mercy is in reality the core of the Gospel message; it is the name of God himself, the face with which he reveals himself in the Old Testament and fully in Jesus Christ, incarnation of Creative and Redemptive Love. This Love of mercy also illuminates the face of the church, and is manifested through the sacraments, in particular that of the reconciliation, as well as in works of charity, both of community and individuals. Everything that the church says and does shows that God has mercy for man” (Pope Francis, The Name of God is Mercy, 2016, page 7) 80. “I think of the church as a field hospital, where treatment is given above all to those who are most wounded. A church that warms people’s hearts with its closeness and nearness” (Pope Francis, The Name of God is Mercy, 2016, page 8) 81. “Humanity is so in need of mercy, because it 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. And it is not just a question of social ills or people wounded by poverty, social exclusion, or one of the many 14 slaveries of the third millennium. Relativism wounds people too: all things seem equal, all things appear the same. Humanity needs mercy and compassion” (Pope Francis, The Name of God is Mercy, 2016, page 16) 82. “The love of God exists even for those who are not disposed to receive it -­‐ that man, that woman, that boy, or that girl – they are all loved by God, they are sought out by God, they are in need of blessing. Be tender with these people. Do not push them away. People are suffering. It is a huge responsibility to be a confessor. Confessors have before them the lost sheep that God loves so much: if we don’t show them the love and mercy of God, we push them away and perhaps they will never come back, so embrace them and be compassionate” (Pope Francis, The Name of God is Mercy, 2016, page 17 -­‐ 18) 83. “God does not want anyone to be lost. His mercy is infinitely greater than our sins, His medicine is infinitely greater than our illness that he has to heal” (Pope Francis, The Name of God is Mercy, 2016, page 34) 84. “God, who delivered His son for us, can only reveal Himself as merciful. He is a careful and attentive Father, ready to welcome any person who takes a step or even expresses the desire to take a step that leads home. He is there, staring out at the horizon, expecting us, waiting for us”. (Pope Francis, The Name of God is Mercy, 2016, page 51) 85. “To follow the way of the Lord, the church is called on to pour its mercy over all those who recognize themselves as sinners, who assume responsibility for all the evil they have committed, and who feel in need of forgiveness. The church does not exist to condemn people but to bring about an encounter with the visceral love of God’s mercy” (Pope Francis, The Name of God is Mercy, 2016, page 52). 86. “I hope that the Jubilee will serve to reveal the church’s deeply maternal and merciful side, a church that goes forth toward those who are wounded, who are in need of an attentive ear, understanding, forgiveness, and love”.(Pope Francis, The Name of God is Mercy, 2016, page 53) 15 87. “The more conscious we are of our wretchedness and our sins, the more we experience the love and infinite mercy of God among us, and the more capable we are of looking upon the ‘wounded’ we meet along the way with acceptance and mercy” (Pope Francis, The Name of God is Mercy, 2016, page 67) 88. “There is no justice without forgiveness and that the capacity for forgiveness underlies all plans for a more just and supportive future society. A lack of forgiveness and a return to the law of ‘an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth’ could lead to endless escalation of conflicts” (St. John Paul II, Message for the World Day of Peace, 2002). 89. “A believer should open up to the mercy of God, open up his heart and himself, and allow Jesus to come toward him by approaching the confessional with faith. And he or she should try and be merciful with others” (Pope Francis, The Name of God is Mercy, 2016, page 97). 90. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with mercy and compassion”. (Psalm 103:2 – 4, Revised Standard Version). 91. “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in mercy. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger for ever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward those who fear him.” (Psalm 103:8 – 11a, Revised Standard Version). 92. “The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments”. (Psalm 103:17 – 18, Revised Standard Version). 93. “The greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to my mercy” (Jesus’ words to Faustina, Diary, 94. “The Gospel is the book of God’s mercy, to be read and reread, because everything that Jesus said and did is an expression of the Father’s mercy. Not everything, however, was written down; the Gospel of mercy remains an open book, in which the signs of Christ’s disciples, which are concrete acts of love and the best witness to mercy, continue to be written”. (Pope Francis, Homily for Divine Mercy Sunday, April 3, 2016) 95. “We are all called to become living writers of the Gospel, heralds of the Good News to all men and women today. We do this by practicing the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, which are the hallmarks of the Christian life. By means of these simple yet powerful 16 gestures, even when unseen, we can accompany the needy, bringing God’s tenderness and consolation”. (Pope Francis, Homily for Divine Mercy Sunday, April 3, 2016) 96. “Christ, who for love entered through doors barred by sin, death and the powers of hell, wants to enter into each one of us to break open the locked doors of our hearts. Jesus, who by his resurrection has overcome the fear and dread which imprison us, wishes to throw open our closed doors and send us out”. (Pope Francis, Homily for Divine Mercy Sunday, April 3, 2016) 97. “The path that the Risen Master shows us is a one way street, it goes in only one direction: this means that we must move beyond ourselves to witness to the healing power of love that has conquered us. We see before us a humanity that is often wounded and fearful, a humanity that bears the scars of pain and uncertainty. Before the anguished cry for mercy and peace, Jesus confidently exhorts us: “As the Father has sent me, even so I send you” (Jn 20:21). (Pope Francis, Homily for Divine Mercy Sunday, April 3, 2016) 98. “In God’s mercy, all of our infirmities find healing. His mercy, in fact, does not keep a distance: it seeks to encounter all forms of poverty and to free this world of so many types of slavery. Mercy desires to reach the wounds of all, to heal them”. (Pope Francis, Homily for Divine Mercy Sunday, April 3, 2016) 99. “Being apostles of mercy means touching and soothing the wounds that today afflict the bodies and souls of many of our brothers and sisters. Curing these wounds, we profess Jesus, we make him present and alive; we allow others, who touch his mercy with their own hands, to recognize him as “Lord and God” (Jn 20:28). (Pope Francis, Homily for Divine Mercy Sunday, April 3, 2016) 100. “So many people ask to be listened to and to be understood. The Gospel of mercy, to be proclaimed and written in our daily lives, seeks people with patient and open hearts, “good Samaritans” who understand compassion and silence before the mystery of each brother and sister. The Gospel of mercy requires generous and joyful servants, people who love freely without expecting anything in return”. (Pope Francis, Homily for Divine Mercy Sunday, April 3, 2016) 101. “Peace be with you!” (Jn 20:21) is the greeting of Jesus to his disciples; this same peace awaits men and women of our own day. It is not a negotiated peace, it is not the absence of conflict: it is his peace, the peace that comes from the heart of the Risen Lord, the peace that has defeated sin, fear and death. It is a peace that does not divide but unites; it is a peace that does not abandon us but makes us feel listened to and loved; it is a peace that persists even in pain and enables hope to blossom”. (Pope Francis, Homily for Divine Mercy Sunday, April 3, 2016) 17 102. “In Christ, we are born to be instruments of reconciliation, to bring the Father’s forgiveness to everyone, to reveal his loving face through concrete gestures of mercy”. (Pope Francis, Homily for Divine Mercy Sunday, April 3, 2016) 103. “God’s mercy is forever; it never ends, it never runs out, it never gives up when faced with closed doors, and it never tires. We find strength in moments of trial and weakness because we are sure that God does not abandon us. He remains with us forever”. (Pope Francis, Homily for Divine Mercy Sunday, April 3, 2016) 104. “Let us give thanks for so great a love, which we find impossible to grasp. Let us ask for the grace to never grow tired of drawing from the well of the Father’s mercy and bringing it to the world: let us ask that we too may be merciful, to spread the power of the Gospel everywhere”. (Pope Francis, Homily for Divine Mercy Sunday, April 3, 2016)