OFFICE FOR SOCIAL MINISTRY
“Jesus Christ is the face of the Father’s mercy. These words might well sum up the mystery of Christian faith. Mercy has become living and visible in Jesus of Nazareth, reaching its culmination in him. The Father rich in mercy (Eph2:4) … revealed his name to Moses as a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast faithfulness.” (Exod34.6) (Pope Francis “Misericordia Vultus”)
These are the words Pope Francis chose to open the Jubilee Year of Mercy. As we enter the last quarter of this Jubilee year, the Office for Social Ministry has organized “Enrichment Days” where parishioners come together to talk story, using these words to examine and improve our “mercy ministries.”
The logo of the Jubilee Year calls us to imitate the God we believe in, to be “Merciful as the Father.”
Merciful, or “rahimmin,” comes from the world “rahum” meaning womb. This implies an intimate bond between God and humanity. Psalms repeat this focus on God’s intimate connection with us. (e.g. Psalm 139:13: “For you created my inmost being, you wove me in my mother’s womb.”) We are literally linked to God like a child is linked to his mother in the vulnerable yet nourishing connection of the womb. This connection is the essence of the mercy of God, in whose image we are created. We believe in a God intimately connected to us in our vulnerability, a God steadfast in boundless mercy. How can we best imitate this mercy in our parish social ministries with persons who are homeless, hungry, disabled, grieving?
Pope Francis’ words, “Jesus Christ is the face of God’s mercy,” provide a clue. In imitating Jesus, we show the world the face of God’s mercy. Parish social ministry is a way to witness to Jesus, to encounter him and experience God’s mercy. One example expressed during this special year was of parishes on Oahu and Maui working with persons affected by incarceration. Pope Francis shows us how to do this each time he visits prisons on Holy Thursday or in his travels.
Another example is ministry with the disabled such as the Ohana Mass on Oahu and Kauai. Disabled persons help us understand what it means to be human, to be vulnerable. All humans are created in God’s image, and we are intimately connected to God and each other through our vulnerability.
Jean Vanier, a revered Catholic who founded more than 100 L’arche communities of disabled around the world, reminds us, “we are all disabled, vulnerable and sharing these vulnerabilities helps us become a more tender, loving, humble community.” Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, told us “we have forgotten that we all belong to each other.” Pope Francis continually tells us “we need to deepen our conviction that we are all one human family.”
These wise words can help us improve our “mercy ministries” this year and beyond.
We will hear more examples of “mercy ministries” from parishioners at the next “Enrichment Day” for East Hawaii vicariate parishes Aug. 13 at Sacred Heart Parish in Pahoa. For more information, contact Iwie Tamashiro itamashiro@rccchawaii.org.
Mahalo,
Your friends at the Office for Social Ministry
