INDEX
To Accept Mercy Is to Accept Life
Everyday Evangelism
Pro-Life Forgiveness
For Class Discussion
Pro-Life Sacrifice
What You and Your School Can Do
Did You Know ...
Prayer

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TO ACCEPT MERCY IS TO ACCEPT LIFE

By Fr. Jim Whalen

    Pope John Paul II, in his encyclical ‘The Mercy of God’ writes: “The present day mentality, more perhaps than that of people in the past, seems opposed to a God of Mercy, and in fact, tends to exclude from life and to remove from the human heart, the very idea of mercy”. For some reason, many youth are uneasy with the concept and word MERCY. We have to ask is it because of the great advances in science and technology that many understand man as a master and centre of the universe and leave no room for mercy, or for a sense of individual goodness and compassion? Others with a lively sense of faith see God as the “Father of Mercies” (2 Cor 1:3) and turn to Him when they are suffering. To reject God’s mercy is to reject Life, to accept God’s mercy is to accept life.

    Saint Faustina Kowalska, who was recently beatified, has brought to our attention that we live in a time of the ‘Visitation of Mercy’. The basic message is that turning to and imploring God’s mercy is the answer to the troubled world. There is no escaping this answer. She wrote that the Lord made it clear that the only source of peace in the wounded world is the mercy of God: “Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy” (Diary #300). She counsels all believers in the words of Jesus in the Gospel: “Be merciful even as your Father is merciful (Lk 6:36). Our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, has responded recently to Saint Faustina’s request, passed on from Our Lord, to have the Feast of Divine Mercy on the Sunday after Easter. The benefits of this focusing on the covenant of God’s mercy include complete forgiveness and pardon, like the Day of Atonement in the Old Testament (Lv 16). All our sins and the punishment due to them would be atoned for. “On the day, the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon souls who approach the font of My mercy. Those that go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment” (Diary #699).

    Many young people are not receiving the Sacrament of mercy, a ‘Sacrament of New Life’, after eighth grade or senior years. This a grave mistake. Some have stopped out of fear. Others skip because of boring, cold rituals. It is important that youth see reconciliation as a person-to-person meeting with Christ. It is God they are dealing with. God must be put back in first place in their lives. The truth is that we are all sinners. We all need the mercy of God to live a full life. God wants us to admit our sins, the whole truth, face them, repent of them, so we will be will be determined to fight earnestly, lest it happen again.

    Receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation is not a kind of slot-machine deal. It is a time to ask for help and guidance about anything that puzzles us or gives us problems in our relationships with God, our neighbours, and ourselves. The great idea of this sacrament of mercy is surrendering to God’s pardoning love, so we can start ‘a new life’. We begin again. It means putting heart into sorrow, with a firm resolu-tion to sin no more and avoid occasions of sin. It means trusting in God to give the strength needed to stay in His grace. The importance of good and regular reception of the sacrament of mercy comes with practice. It involves praying, reading, thinking out why we do what we do, developing and forming our conscience with the true teaching of the Church. The guidance of a regular confessor is priceless.

    As well as receiving mercy, we are called to be people of mercy: “Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy” (Mt 5:7). This can be translated into’ Blessed are those who protect the lives of their little unborn brothers and sisters in the womb. They shall be protected. Blessed are those who give help to the handicapped. They shall receive help. Blessed are those who care and share with the sick. They shall receive care. Blessed are those who are generous with the poor. They shall receive abundantly. We are to use God's gift of mercy to practice in prayer, word, and action, the ‘spiritual works of a mercy’, and ‘the corporal works of mercy’. Spiri-tual works of mercy are such acts as: instructing, advising, counselling, comforting, forgiving, and bearing wrongs patiently. Corporal works of mercy are such acts as: feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, burying the dead and giving alms to the poor (Mt 25: 35-46).

    We must strive to forgive everyone, every time. Forgiveness demonstrates the presence in the world of a love. A love that is more powerful than sin. The reform of life takes place by the prac-tice of merciful love of our neighbour, which includes our enemy. God’s mercy is always available to us: “The greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to My mercy” (Our Lord's words to Sister Saint Faustina, Diary #723).

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    Tom Eisenman, in “Everyday Evangelism”, tells about his experience one day at a Kentucky Fried Chicken store. There was a long order line, and the young woman behind the counter was obviously distressed. Tom watched the upset customers ahead of him, fidgeting and shaking their heads. Some made critical comments of the girl as they reached the head of the line.

    He felt badly for the young woman as he moved along, and started praying for her. When it was his turn, he smiled and encouraged her about how she was handling the tough job. The girl took his order and when she returned, a strange, unexpected thing happened. She looked at Tom for awhile, her eyes filled with pain. She said quietly, “I’ve just had an abortion”.

    This was the first time Tom ever saw this young woman! “No one should have to go through that alone”, he said, giving his phone number, and left.

    I ask you: How do you respond to long lines? Do you pray and smile and encourage people in distress?

Reflection: What is your usual reaction when you have to wait in line?

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PRO-LIFE FORGIVENESS

by Fr. Gerard Monaghan
Priests for Life, Canada - Member of the Board

    The dictionary defines MERCY as “a disposition to forgive”, and it defines FORGIVENESS as “pardon-ing or releasing from a debt”. Therefore, when we speak of a merciful God, we are expressing our belief that God will forgive or pardon us, if we ask for forgiveness, and resolve not to sin again, for anything we may have done. This is the essence of our relationship with God. He not only relates to us with perfect JUSTICE, but he also relates to us with perfect MERCY.

    We are not perfect, and if we had to be perfect for God to love us, we would be in big trouble. If we are not perfect, then we have to admit that we are sinners. If someone reading this article thinks that he or she is not a sinner, then consider what the Bible says in the letter from John: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves... and... we make Him (God) a liar” (1 Jn 1:8, l0). But we can take great consolation from verse nine in this chapter which says: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn 1:9).

    You might also want to look at the Gospel of Mark (2:17).... And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick do; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners”. Ironically, if you’re not a sinner, then Jesus didn’t come into the world for you and, therefore, you cannot be saved. That’s a rather odd twist of logic - everyone is trying to be holy, but Jesus came for sinners.

    So why do we sin? God has created us with a certain nature, we are human beings. Unfortunately we have a fallen nature, thanks to Adam and Eve. One of the consequences of Original Sin is that we don't only desire what is good for us, we also desire what is sinful, even though we may think it is good at the time. The truth of the matter is that Grace builds on Nature (a basic definition of Grace - it is our relationship with God or the divine life within us). So now, God’s Grace builds on our fallen or weakened nature. The twist is that it is God’s Grace that makes us holy by helping us see the difference between what is good for us and what is harmful and sinful, but appears to be good for us. In order for us to be holy, therefore, we need to take of every means that God has given us to strengthen our relationship with  Him and thereby nurture God’s presence within us.
There are many ways we can strengthen our relationship with God. We can pray, we can attend Mass, we can celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we can do acts of charity, we can fast, etc. We can also get confused about what is taking place when we “do” these things to strengthen our relationship with God. (The wording I have used is a perfect example). By acting we are preparing ourselves to receive God’s Grace, but we are never deserving of His Grace. God is so merciful and loving that He gives us His Grace to strengthen our relationship with Himself and make our nature more like that of Jesus. The only thing that can prevent us from receiving God’s grace is our capacity to do so. Therefore, when we “do” some-thing, it is to prepare us so we can receive the grace that God desires to give us.

    Unfortunately, when we sin we weaken our relationship with God and reduce our capacity to receive His Grace. Fortunately, we can also depend on the above ways of strengthening our relationship with God to express our love for Him and our sorrow for offending Him and our brothers and sisters in Christ. The Scriptures say that an act of charity removes a multitude of sins. This is because the root of every sin is selfishness and true charity is always a selfless expression of love for both God and others.

    Fortunately, there is a way in which we can be absolutely certain that our sins are forgiven and we are perfectly reconciled with God. It is the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession. Jesus gave this sacrament to us when He rose from the dead on Easter Sunday. Scripture says Jesus appeared to his apostles and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20:22-23 (RSV)). In this command, Jesus gave the Apostles and the Church the power to forgive sins.

    The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a beautiful gift from God. It is often referred to as “God’s Throne of Mercy” where we can always experience Our heavenly Father’s love and forgiveness through the priest-hood of Jesus Christ. Many of the saints called this sacrament a second baptism because it restores our relationship with God so perfectly that it is as if we have just been baptized and are once again made clean, and we are once again perfect children of God.

    As we journey, we are called to reflect on our relationship with God. Quite often when we sin, we can convince ourselves that we shouldn’t seek forgiveness because it would be too embarrassing. One of the most difficult virtues to master is humility, and in order to enter into the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we must be humble. No one likes to go to another person (even if they are representing Christ) and reveal those things of which they are not proud. There are many reasons for this. The primary one is that our society conveys the message that we only have value if we are perfect - but no one is perfect. One of the many benefits of going to Confession is that we have the rare encounter with another person (Christ in the person of the priest), in a relationship of total trust and confidence. When we confess our sins, we realize that it doesn’t make us look weak to the priest, but rather, he sees our courage and trust in God. Others fear that the priest will think less of them after they have confessed their sins. In reality the priest sees your love of God and your desire to live your life faithfully. This is the manner in which God looks upon us. Not only seeing the reality of our actions but also seeing out potential and our true desire to do what is right, even when we give in to temptation and sin.

    The other reason that many teenagers won’t seek  the mercy and forgiveness of God in the Sacrament of Reconciliation is that they believe they have done something so wrong that they are unworthy of God’s forgiveness or that God won’t forgive them. This feeling is often experienced in the case of abortion. The reality is the exact opposite. God's love for us is so unconditional that as long as we are sorry for our sins they will be forgiven. When Jesus gave the Church, through the ministry of the priesthood, the power to forgive sins, he made this power unconditional so there would be no sin beyond the power of the mercy of Jesus Christ. He showed us His Love as he hung upon the cross and made the perfect offering to our Heavenly Father for our sins.

    The mercy of God we experience in Reconciliation strengthens us with Sacramental Grace so we can live our lives more perfectly according to God’s will. Most importantly, when we experience God’s mercy through the absolution of our sins at the end of the celebration of Reconciliation, we have an overwhelming sense of joy and freedom. Sin makes us slaves, it makes us uneasy and anxious, it makes us feel unworthy. God’s mercy and grace makes us free, it makes us peaceful, and it makes us feel unconditionally loved by God. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is the greatest expression of God’s mercy because it fills our nature with God’s grace, renewing the divine life within us, and reconciling us to both God and our brothers and sisters in Christ.

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FOR CLASS DISCUSSION

Situation #1:
            Mary Smith, now a mother of two children, had two abortions when she was in her early twenties.
            At that time, she knew abortion was wrong, but decided that her career as a company executive
            could be ruined if she had a child.

             For Class Discussion: Was this a good reason for Mary to have an abortion? Is there
                ever a good reason? Will God have mercy on Mary and forgive her for the abortions?
                Out of over 110,000 abortions in Canada each year, how many do you think are for reasons
                of convenience?

Situation #2:
            A doctor* in the State of New York presided over 60,000 abortions during his career
            and helped make abortion legal in the United States. He purposely presented
            misinformation about the development of the unborn child and the possible harms
            of abortion.

FOR CLASS DISCUSSION: After deceiving this many women into having an abortion,
                                             will God forgive him?

*Dr. Nathanson later renounced his profession and became a pro-life advocate, a conversion that made headlines. He also later converted to the Catholic faith. Dr. Nathanson is now a leader in the defence of life for the unborn.

Search the internet for: Dr. Bernard Nathanson:
http:/!www.catholic.net/rcc/periodicals/crisis/Jun96/
 
 
 

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    The word, sacrifice, is not a very popular one in our world today, either because people do not understand what it means, or they have not given it any thought, or they do not know why it is important. The Oxford Dictionary defines it as “voluntary relinquishing of something valued”. This is true but it only tells us half the story. First of all, it is the giving up of a thing that we value. Secondly we must give it up freely, or as the definition says, our giving must be voluntary". If someone takes it from me, against my will, that is stealing, and not a sacrifice on my part. But what the definition does not tell us is why anyone would want to do this. The reason is 'so that we can achieve something of greater value than the thing we freely gave up'. It is only when we understand the reason for making the sacrifice that sacrificing something we value begins to make sense.

    People do this all the time. If a person wants to become an athlete or learn a trade in order to get a certain job they must make choices about how they are going to spend their time, money and energy in order to achieve their goal. Or to put it another way they must sacrifice these things if they hope to get what they want. They believe that becoming an athlete or getting a job is worth more than what they have to give up.

    We use the word sacrifice in just the same way when we apply it to pro-life work. If I am going to be involved in the Right to Life movement, then it means that I am going to have to make some sacrifices. At the very least I will have to make time to pray that abortion will come to an end. I may also have to sacrifice my time if I feel called to work for a pro-life organization. I also may want to donate some money to such a group to help them in their work. Finally, I may have to risk sacrificing my popularity or some of my friendships with people who think it's all right to kill an unborn child.

    Standing up for the truth and working for the truth will always cost us in some great or small way. However, as I said earlier, we only make such sacrifices if what we hope to achieve is of greater value than what we surrender. In this case what we hope to gain are the lives of unborn children. Because we are trying to save people's lives, our sacrifice is worth it.
In all of this, it is important to look to Jesus as our ultimate source of inspiration as to why we make sacrifices for any reason whatsoever. He is the one who made the biggest sacrifice of all. He gave his life to save us from our sins. By His sacrifice on the cross, he made it possible for us to regain what we lost through the sin of Adam and Eve (Original Sin) and our own personal sins. He laid down His human life so that all of us could be saved. His sacrifice cost him dearly, but it was worth it because He has been able to save countless souls from being lost, which includes you and me. Every time we attend Mass, we should remind ourselves of this because the sacrifice of the cross is made present to us.

    In all of this, it is important to look to Jesus as our ultimate source of inspiration as to why we make sacrifices for any reason whatsoever. He is the one who made the biggest sacrifice of all. He gave his life to save us from our sins. By His sacrifice on the cross, he made it possible for us to regain what we lost through the sin of Adam and Eve (Original Sin) and our own personal sins. He laid down His human life so that all of us could be saved. His sacrifice cost him dearly, but it was worth it because He has been able to save countless souls from being lost, which includes you and me. Every time we attend Mass, we should remind ourselves of this because the sacrifice of the cross is made present to us.

    So our pro-life work will involve some measure of sacrifice on our part: time at least, maybe some money, and possibly some friendships and/or a degree of popularity. However, what we hope to gain, the lives of unborn children, makes our sacrifice worth the effort. If we are tempted to think that our efforts may be too high a price to pay, let us look to Christ on the cross and remember that His sacrifice was much greater than any sacrifice we will ever be asked to make.

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• Thousands of Canadian are waiting to adopt children. Adoption is an excellent alternative to abortion.

• God is Pro-Life.

• At judgement, God will look at your Pro-life efforts and say not, “Did you succeed?” but “Did you try?”

• There has not been a single organization of parents of mentally retarded children that has ever endorsed abortion.

• Unwanted pregnancies do not mean unwanted children.

In many high schools, students are permitted to assist in opening announcements and prayers. We encourage you to say the following prayer at least once a week in your school.
 
 
 
 

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