“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Lk 6:36) is the key point of compassionate love. Being merciful means understanding, accepting, and loving others as they are; being generous and tolerant; forgiving others unconditionally without judging, criticizing, blaming, or talking back.
To be merciful and compassionate is a demanding but worthwhile task to practice in our daily lives. How to forgive, how to forget past wrongdoings, and how to be free from existing pain are enduring homework to do again and again like regular exercises.
Pope Francis began his term by bowing his head down to receive the blessings
of the people. And he proclaimed the extraordinary jubilee of mercy from Dec 8,
2015, to Nov 20, 2016, as a special period for the remission of sins and universal
pardon and mercy.
Opening the holy doors of the major basilicas in Rome and cathedrals and other
major churches around the world, he encouraged us to ask for forgiveness and to
forgive others without condition.
In this extraordinary year of mercy, I was also accepted to participate in the
international charism course of the Pauline Family in Rome from September 2016
to May 2017, and that participation encouraged and inspired me in many ways.
Much more vitality, creativity, solidarity, and longing for the common good came out
of that experience.
Many issues in the church have been underlying deep in the heart of various
projects. And due to the accusations of sexual abuse and harassment in
clericalism around the world over 70 years, the Pope had to kneel down humbly
and ask forgiveness for not being able to witness the truth in society.
In fact, many minors and vulnerable adults have suffered due to sexual abuse, abuse of power, authority, and conscience. Pain still lingers in many
victims.
In a letter addressed to the people of God on Aug. 20, 2018, the Pope, who once
opened the holy doors as a sign of mercy, proclaimed “zero tolerance” to take
responsibility for not being renovated from wrong behaviors.
Zero tolerance is the policy of applying laws or penalties to even minor errors
so as to reinforce moral values and fundamental ethics.
“Looking back to the past, no effort to beg pardon and to seek to repair the
harm done will ever be sufficient. Looking ahead to the future, no effort must
be spared to create a culture able to prevent such situations from happening,
but also to prevent the possibility of their being covered up and perpetuated…”
I was so touched by his gestures of goodwill in solidarity as a spiritual Father
of the whole church. Pope Francis takes responsibility without blaming or
accusing others.
On behalf of all those who made mistakes and errors, he sincerely apologizes
and asks for forgiveness. Feeling shame, he kneels down humbly, saying “If one part
suffers, every part suffers with it” (1Cor 12:26) and invites us to pray
further, fast often, and make penance in solidarity with minors.
I also remember my struggles and wanderings during my adolescent age in high
school. Conversion is a perpetual and constant process of making efforts to be
transformed into another being.
Above all, it’s high time to renovate every bit of life. Then, like a complete
puzzle, each piece can compose the original image of God filled with the glad
tidings of beatitudes.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2018/10/162_256961.html
The Korea Times/ Thoughts of the Times/ Oct 14 (online), Oct 15 (offline), 2018
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