(Granada, Spain, 11/21/2016) – This morning, Pope Francis has published the Apostolic Letter “Misericordia et misera”, which concludes the Year of Mercy. Apart from precious ideas and phrases, it contains good news for the thousand Missionaries of Mercy spread throughout the world!
The Pope has arranged for our service not to end this closure, but to prolong it. It is a gift and a pleasure to serve the Lord and the Church by “making the grace of forgiveness fruitful”. Congratulations to my Spanish Redemptorist brothers who were also called to this service (Pedro López, Miguel Castro, Lauri Sevillano, Manuel Cabello, Juan José Ferrero y Arsenio Díez).
Carlos S. de la Cruz C.Ss.R.
9. An experience of grace lived out by the Church with great effectiveness in the Jubilee Year has certainly been the service of the Missionaries of Mercy. Their pastoral activity sought to emphasize that God places no roadblocks in the way of those who seek him with a contrite heart, because he goes out to meet everyone like a father. I have received many testimonies of joy from those who encountered the Lord once more in the sacrament of Confession. Let us not miss the opportunity to live our faith also as an experience of reconciliation. Today too, the Apostle urges us: “Be reconciled to God” (2 Cor 5:20), so that all who believe can discover the power of love which makes us “a new creation” (2 Cor 5:17).
I thank every Missionary of Mercy for this valuable service aimed at rendering effective the grace of forgiveness. This extraordinary ministry does not end with the closing of the Holy Door. I wish it to continue until further notice as a concrete sign that the grace of the Jubilee remains alive and effective the world over. As a direct expression of my concern and proximity to the Missionaries of Mercy in this period, the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization will supervise them and find the most suitable forms for the exercise of this valuable ministry.
(MISERICORDIA ET MISERA n. 9)
