The following comes from a December 11 Angelus article by Maria Luisa Torres:
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has created a Year of Mercy website as a resource for parishes participating in the Jubilee Year of Mercy, which began December 8. The website includes videos, a confessions finder, a list of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, and a calendar of events for the Year of Mercy. The site went live December 11.
The website also includes Bishop O’Connell’s “Mercy Challenge,” where he encourages all parishioners to practice one corporal or spiritual work of mercy every day. The website lists 50 practical ideas for carrying out this goal during the upcoming year, such as distributing water bottles and sandwiches to the homeless, volunteering at a hospital or visiting a cemetery to pray for the dead.
In mid-December, the archdiocese will send two Year of Mercy posters to every parish. Other items, such as prayer cards and banners, are available to parishes through the website. All parishes, deaneries and regions are encouraged to add their events to the website.
Fine thing to do, but this assumes people know that they have sinned and are therefore seeking forgiveness being remorseful of what they have admitted to offending God.
With all of the sin in the world and our neighborhoods and the short-lines of communication, people have grown naïve and callused of what is sin i.e. what offends God. If they think everyone is doing “it” it apparently may not be any sin as far as they are concerned, and if they don’t consider their actions to be offending God, then why would one expect them to be sorrowful and seek forgiveness? My point is todays generations need to learn about what they do to offend God in order to save their souls. This is where ministers need to talk about sin from the pulpits…
Now that would be Mercy!
This website is a great idea! And priests must preach both the horrors of sin, and forgiveness and mercy of God, daily! It is a big responsibility! A good starting point, is the story of the “Prodigal Son!” Here is the Prodigal Son, suffering from all of his sins, sure that his father would reject him, if he returns home. But instead, the father warmly embraces him, with love and forgiveness! Now– let’s see the son totally change his life, to being Christ-like, due to the love, forgiveness, and mercy of Our Lord! That is what everyone is called to do! Even worse– a Catholic is supposed to die in a state of grace, (not die in a state of mortal sin, far from God!) with the hope of Heaven, not Hell, as the goal!