The universal Church is celebrating an Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. The Jubilee opened on 8 December 2015, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, and closes with the Feast of Christ the King on 20 November 2016. Pope Francis has emphasized God's Mercy over and over in both words and actions during his Pontificate. He has repeatedly stressed that the Gospel is about God's infinite mercy and it is available to any who seek it.
The Pope announced the Jubilee of Mercy in a homily on 13 March 2015. The occasion was a celebration of penance at St. Peter's Basilica. He said, "I have often thought of how the Church may render more clear her mission to be a witness to mercy." He describes this as a journey that begins with spiritual conversion. The Pope's hope is that the Church may bring the Gospel of mercy to each person.
He ended the homily by invoking Mary, the Mother of God. "Let us entrust this Year to the Mother of Mercy, that she turn her gaze upon us and watch over our journey: our penitential journey, our year-long journey with an open heart, to receive the indulgence of God, to receive the mercy of God." The Pope desires that this Holy Year be for all believers "a true moment of encounter with the mercy of God, a living experience of the closeness of the Father."
In a September letter, Francis tells us that God completely forgets our sins once we confess them. That is not an attribute of God that we emphasize a lot. We are more likely to stress God's memory. Regardless of how often we fall short of the ways of God, we are forgiven if we desire. Wouldn't it be something if we could forget the wrongs of others against us, rather than hold on to them and watch for an opportunity to exact revenge! All too often we basically say to someone, I forgive you (but I will never forget this). God forgets! Can we?
One of the tangible means of our entry into the spirit of the Holy Year is by making a brief pilgrimage to the Holy Door, available in dioceses throughout the world. This action is an expression of our deep desire for true conversion and gains for us a Jubilee Indulgence. Ever mindful of inclusivity, Francis makes accommodations for shut ins and prisoners, so that they may receive the Jubilee Indulgence without having to actually make a physical pilgrimage to a Holy Door.
He offers a beautiful image of how the incarcerated may enter into the Jubilee. "May the gesture of directing their thought and prayer to the Father each time they cross the threshold of their cell signify for them their passage through the Holy Door, because the mercy of God is able to transform hearts, and is also able to transform bars into an experience of freedom."
That's a good reminder that whatever physical prisons we experience, there is a deeper freedom that can never be taken from us. Doris Lessing, the novelist, speaks of "prisons we choose to live in." Can our bars – physical limitations, addictions, chronic pain, psychological challenges – be transformed into an experience of freedom?
Francis' essential message is simple: God's mercy is available to any who seek it. It doesn't matter who we are or what we've done. God's mercy knows no boundaries. He invokes the Mother of Mercy. "May the sweetness of her countenance watch over us in this Holy Year." He goes on to remind us, "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."
The Pope offers Mary as a source of comfort and strength to us as we cross the threshold of the Holy Year to experience the fruits of divine mercy.