The Light Is On for You

Opening Service for the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy

Entrance Hymn Suggestions

If no Exposition:“Mercy, O God”O’Brien (GIA)

“Change Our Hearts”Cooney (OCP)

“Draw Near, O Lord/Attende Devote”Melvin(WLP)

If Exposition:“O Salutaris Hostia/O Saving Victim”traditional

Introduction

Leader:My friends,

as we gather this evening to pray, to reflect,

and to ask the Lord’s mercy in the sacrament of reconciliation,

let us pause from the hectic activities of our day

and ask the Lord to enter deep within our hearts.

May our heartsbe open to his mercy

and may that mercy overflow to everyone we meet.

[Pause]

Leader:Let us pray.

Loving God,

your healing mercy softens the hardest hearts

and welcomes the sinner home.

Change our hearts

and transform usto become more faithful servants.

Relieve our burdens of sin and guilt

that we may rejoice in the light of the Gospel.

May each one of us play a part in becoming a Church of Mercy,

so thatsuffering, injustice and loneliness

may give way to peace, joy and love.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

All:Amen.

ScriptureJames 5: 7-10

A reading from the letter of James

Be patient, therefore, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You too must be patient. Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not complainabout one another, that you may not be judged. Behold the Judge is standing before the gates. Take as an example of hardship and patience the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Indeed we call blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of the perseverance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, because the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

ReflectionMisericordiae Vultus [The Face of Mercy] by Pope Francis

A reading from the Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy

“Patient and merciful.” These words often go together in the Old Testament to describe God’s nature. His being merciful is concretely demonstrated in his many actions throughout the history of salvation where his goodness prevails over punishment and destruction. In a special way the Psalms bring to the fore the grandeur of his merciful action: “He forgives all your iniquity, he heals all your diseases, he redeems your life from the pit, he crowns you with steadfast love and mercy” (Ps 103:3-4). Another psalm, in an even more explicit way, attests to the concrete signs of his mercy: “He executes justice for the oppressed; he gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the sojourners, he upholds the widow and the fatherless; but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin” (Ps 146:7-9). Here are some other expressions of the Psalmist: “He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds… The Lord lifts up the downtrodden, he casts the wicked to the ground” (Ps 147:3, 6). In short, the mercy of God is not an abstract idea, but a concrete reality with which he reveals his love as of that of a father or a mother, moved to the very depths out of love for their child. It is hardly an exaggeration to say that this is a “visceral” love. It gushes forth from the depths naturally, full of tenderness and compassion, indulgence and mercy.

Examination of Conscience

Leader:As we celebrate the gift of God’s mercy this evening in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, prayerfully reflect on the following questions:

  • Although we are redeemed by Christ, each of us is still a “work in progress”. Given our struggles with sin, how has God been patient with you? How has sinfulness kept you from experiencing God’s tender compassion?
  • Even though God has been patient and merciful with us, we often forget to extend that patience to others and to the circumstances of our lives. How have you failed to be patient? How has your lack of patience affected others?
  • Pope Francis tells us that God’s mercy is not an abstract idea but a concrete reality found in our actions. What opportunities to extend God’s mercy have we missed?

The faithful then move to the confessional/reconciliation room for the individual Sacrament of Reconciliation.