Denver Catholic

2 NOVEMBER 28-DECEMBER 11, 2015 | DENVER CATHOLIC The Advent of Mercy W e are about to begin the season of Advent, when we prepare to welcome Jesus with the joy of those who have been rescued from their sins. We are also one week away from the opening of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. Together, these two liturgical events remind us that with his birth, Jesus Christ showed us the "face of mercy." Pope Francis in establishing the Holy Year desires it to be "a true moment of encounter with the mercy of God…a living experience of the closeness of the Father, whose tenderness is almost tangi- ble, so that the faith of every believer may be strengthened, and thus, testimony to it be ever more e… ective." It is a time to strengthen our faith in the Father's per- sonal tenderness for each one of us. Before Jesus was born in a stable in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago, no one had seen the face of God directly. But, as Pope St. John Paul II wrote in his 1980 encyclical Dives in Misericordia, "Christ confers on the whole of the Old Testament tradition about God's mercy a defi nitive meaning. Not only does He speak of it and explain it by the use of comparisons and parables, but above all He Himself makes it incarnate and per- sonifi es it." The Holy Trinity, in its three persons, is mercy; and that is why it is so important for every human being to encounter them and have a relationship with them. In that relationship, mercy and truth are inseparable companions. Mercy always presupposes that there is sin and brokenness that needs the healing of the Father's compassion, forgiveness and love. His mercy, while never condemning, never condones sin or leaves a person in sin. The light of the truth reveals sin, and in his mercy, he heals the wounds caused by sin with his tenderness and love. Responding to God's outpouring of mercy is also important as we learn from Jesus' command, "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful" (Lk. 6:36). Jubilees do not happen often. The last jubilee was 15 years ago, and the next ordinary one won't occur until 2025, so this opportunity to receive the mercy of God and to help bring it to others is rare. Do not ignore this grace o… ered by God through his Church. During this jubilee year, there are sev- eral archdiocesan events where you can experience God's mercy, and the truth of what St. John the Evangelist wrote, "God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him" (Jn. 3:17). The Year of Mercy will begin on Dec. 8, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, and will last until Nov. 20, 2016, the Feast of Christ the King. I invite you to attend the 5:30 p.m. Mass at the Cathedral to open the Year of Mercy in the archdiocese. During the year, fi ve penance services will be held in various locations, with confessors who speak both English and Spanish available. There will also be fi ve pilgrimage sites with Holy Doors where an indulgence can be obtained, after satisfying the appropriate conditions. Pilgrims will be able to participate in a special "pilgrimage passport" that will encourage them to visit all fi ve sites. On Jan. 23, Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Northglenn will host an English-language conference on the jubilee, called Mercy Chose Me. Speakers will present on the meaning and importance of the Year of Mercy, the beautiful witness of Julia Greeley – Denver's "Angel of Charity" – and on how to live a spirituality of mercy. Opportunities to participate in the cor- poral and spiritual works of mercy will also be presented. Opportunities for the Hispanic com- munity to participate in the jubilee year will include a special focus on mercy at the annual Youth and Charismatic Congresses, and the designation of Our Lady of Guadalupe parish as one of the pilgrimage sites. Additional events are being planned as well. Although he wrote his encyclical on mercy in 1980, St. John Paul II's words seem like they were written yesterday. The Father of mercies, he said, is par- ticularly close to us, especially when we are su… ering. "And this is why, in the situation of the Church and the world today, many individuals and groups guided by a lively sense of faith are turn- ing, I would say almost spontaneously, to the mercy of God," he added (DM, 2). Pope Francis' decision to declare the Jubilee Year of Mercy shows that he is carefully attuned to this need for mercy. His heart, like the heart of the Good Shepherd, desires that every person experience the mercy of Jesus, fall in love with Jesus and stay in love with him. Lately I have been reading St. Faustina Kowalska's Diary, Divine Mercy in My Soul, and in it she recalls a message that Jesus gave her that speaks to this longing. "I am Love and Mercy itself," Jesus said. "When a soul approaches me with trust, I fi ll it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls" (#1074). I encourage you to read her diary throughout the Year of Mercy, praying with three or four pages a day. May everyone in the archdiocese experience the freedom and joy found in God's infi nite mercy in a new and pro- found way during this year. The latest information on Year of Mercy events can be found at http:// archden.org/mercy. Archbishop's Page Vatican Archbishop's Column Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila Denver Catholic (USPS 557-020) is published bi-weekly. Denver Catholic is printed by Signature O™ set in Denver. Periodical postage paid in Denver, CO. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $35 a year in Colorado; $42 per year out of state. Foreign countries: $42 surface, all countries, 6-8 weeks for delivery; $135 air, all other countries (average). Mexico, $48 air; Canada, $55 air. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Denver Catholic, Circulation Dept., 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 or email circulation@archden.org. EDITORIAL: 303-715-3230 or denvercatholic@archden.org | ADVERTISING: 303-715-3253 or denvercatholicads@archden.org CIRCULATION CUSTOMER SERVICE: 303-715-3230 or circulation@archden.org General Manager KARNA SWANSON Director ANDREW WRIGHT Business Manager MICHAEL O'NEILL Published by the Archdiocese of Denver, 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 ARCHBISHOP'S SCHEDULE Dec. 6: Mass for installation of pastor, Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (10:30 a.m.) Dec. 8: Mass, Opening of Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (5:30 p.m.) Dec. 9: Mass and blessing of new oratory, Centro San Juan Diego, Denver (3:00 p.m.); Year of Mercy Penance Service, Christ the King Parish, Denver (7:00 p.m.) Dec. 10: Lectorate Mass, Redemptoris Mater Seminary, St. JPII Center, Denver (5:30 p.m.) Dec. 12: Mass, Our Lady Mother of the Church, Commerce City (5:00 p.m.) @ArchbishopDen Nov. 13 Join me in pray- ing for Paris and for all victims of terrorism. St Genevieve and St John Vianney, pray for us! #ParisAttacks +sja

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