Sharing the Mercy of God with all.
Inspired by Pope Francis’ call to “be a poor Church for the poor,” to be a “field hospital,” to “take the Church to the frontiers,” to “move beyond our comfort zones” and be where others might not want to be, the ministry began five years ago. Mother of Mercy House had a simple desire to be the presence of Christ and the Church, to discern the needs of the people who live there and to respond as best they could. Lead by Fr Liam Murphy, the entire team at the Mother of Mercy House work each day to meet God’s people where they are in their lives, with the love and mercy of God.
Mother of Mercy House is a 501c(3) charitable organization.
“Fear no one. . . Do not be afraid. . . Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
What comforting words!
Jesus lets us know how intimately we are known and how lovingly we are cared for by our God.
God is indeed our Maker, our Keeper and our Lover.
With everything going on in our world these days:
*the ongoing Pandemic
*Racial reckoning
*societal turbulence
*fierce divisions in politics and in the Church,
And with whatever personal issues each of us may be facing
*a lost job or less income due to the pandemic
*some family or relationship issue
*illness or the death of a loved one
*whatever else one may be going through
In the midst of it all, how good to let these words of Jesus truly sink in.
This Sabbath we can and should literally rest in those words.
And be at peace.
I think of Saint Francis de Sales (how could I not, having been formed by the Oblates!) and his words about anxiety and living without fear.
About anxiety, he says:
“Anxiety is the greatest evil that can befall a soul, except sin.
God commands you to pray, but he forbids you to worry.”
And he counsels this:
“Do not look forward to what might happen tomorrow; the same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day. Either he will shield you from suffering, or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace, then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations, and say continually: ‘The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart has trusted in him and I am helped. He is not only with me but in me and I in Him’.”
And I often like to bring to mind the words of the German liberation theologian Dorothy Soelle:
“I am completely and utterly in God. I cannot fall out of God. I am imperishable.”
When we live knowing that we are literally IN God and can never fall out of God...
When we are aware that God/Love is with us and within us, ever faithful and ever true...
Then we can let go of all anxiety and fear.
And that is truly important because we need to remember that Jesus is addressing his words about being fearless and trusting to his just-appointed Apostles. He is sending them on mission, Kingdom mission, and reminding them that they do not have to spend a second of their time on worry or fear because they are completely known, loved and cared for. So, they are free to dedicate all their time and energy on REIGN OF GOD WORK, KIN-DOM WORK: healing, reconciling, uniting all people in God’s love, no matter what resistance they come up against along the way.
Well, in these turbulent days of pandemic, racial reckoning and social divisions, WE are called, WE are sent on mission, to do REIGN OF GOD WORK, KIN-DOM WORK; to be the healers, reconcilers and uniters—whether it be through marches, protests, dialogue, reaching out to someone who is a different race, skin color, sexual orientation, political persuasion, trying to understand the one suffering from addiction, compassionate concern for the poor and vulnerable. So many ways. So much work!
We are intimately known.
We are deeply and passionately loved.
LOVE is with us and within us, ever faithful, ever true.
Knowing that, and living out of that deepest of all truths, we are truly free!
And so we can give ourselves freely and totally to the work of Love, in us and through us, for the life of the world.
Peace and every good!
Fr. Murphy