Jubilee of mercy 자비의 희년

"I dream of journeys repeatedly..."

The poetry of Theodore Roethke is abundant in the metaphorical journey to the "interior" out of the self to become something more. Theodore Roethke in his poems is deeply conscious of the fundamental human problem, which is to "find out what one really is: whether one exists, whether existence is possible."

Prodded by this lifelong problem, his "long journey out of the self" to be "something wholly other" is going on perpetually in his poems. He went "far to find out what he is," and this inward spiritual journey "from I to Otherwise, or maybe even to Thee" is going on in our lives as well.

Like Roethke, I too have dreamed of going beyond myself. I wanted to find my true self and fly freely like a bird and like a butterfly. Freely, freely, I wanted to go beyond the vertical limits. Consciously or unconsciously, we have a dream to be free to love and to live to the fullest.

This is not only an individual dream but a universal dream that each of us has. This dream will go on until the end of the world.

Fr. James Alberione, the founder of the Pauline Family, also had a dream and the vision to reach out to the needs of humanity, and now 10 organizations including The Daughters of St Paul are spread over the world at the moment. At the beginning of its history, it was like a tiny dot but it has built up a network throughout the world. So we are moving and flying around like a butterfly.

All of us have a dream to be free and to go beyond limited situations. When I arrived in Rome last Monday, one of our Pauline sisters led me to the roof of the building and showed me the whole landscape of the main convent of the general government built in the shape of a butterfly. Those who designed and built the convent 40 years ago might have thought of spiritual freedom to see God in all situations beyond human limits and to love others as they are with utmost mercy and compassion.

Like butterflies, we are constantly longing to be truly free to love and serve. That freedom to love others as they are comes from personal experiences of mercy and forgiveness.

The Catholic Church throughout the world is now celebrating the extraordinary jubilee year of mercy (Giubileo straordinario della misericordia) from the feast day of the Immaculate Conception on December 8 this year to the Feast of Christ the King on November 20, 2016. On December 8, the Holy Door is opened as a door of mercy; it is really a special year to experience the love of God who always consoles, pardons, forgives, inspires, and instills hope. We are also invited to forgive, reconcile and love without limits.

Since 700 years ago, the Catholic Church has celebrated the jubilee every 25 years. So far, 26 jubilees have been proclaimed and celebrated throughout the whole of Catholic communities. Among them, only three jubilees have been regarded as "extraordinary." In this special period of experiencing God's mercy, various moments of indulgences are widely expanded to be absolved from sins such as abortion, schism, division, confrontation, hatred, war, terror, and others.

In the jubilee year, we become much more joyful and grateful because our sins have been forgiven and absolved. A new life begins.

"Have mercy on us, Lord. Have mercy on us!" (Psalm 123:3)
The spirit of 'Kyrie Eleison' becomes the constant petition of those who trust in the merciful hands of God.

We pray and ask God to be merciful and gracious to us, and God has always been merciful and compassionate along the way of our lives. Jesus also advises us to "be merciful" just as our Father in Heaven is merciful (Luke 6:36).

The Gospels are filled with stories of mercy. Among them, the stories of the prodigal son who came back to his father and the sinful woman who washed and dried the feet of Jesus are well-known. Experiencing the unconditional love and mercy of God, they lived a new life filled with joy and gratitude. As they are, we are also invited to live a new life with a new vision of mercy and compassion. "Be merciful as your Father has been merciful to you!"

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2022/05/162_192892.html?RD

The Korea Times/ Thoughts of the Times/ Dec (online), 11 (offline), 2015