The official prayer for the Year of Mercy
Lord Jesus Christ,
you have taught us to be merciful
like the heavenly Father,
and have told us that whoever sees you sees Him.
Show us your face and we will be saved.
Your loving gaze freed Zacchaeus and Matthew from being enslaved by money;
the adulteress and Magdalene
from seeking happiness
only in created things;
made Peter weep after his betrayal,
and assured Paradise to the repentant thief.
Let us hear, as if addressed to each one of us, the words that you spoke
to the Samaritan woman:
“If you knew the gift of God!”
You are the visible face of the invisible Father,
of the God who manifests his power
above all by forgiveness and mercy:
let the Church be your visible face in the world, its Lord risen and glorified.
You willed that your ministers
would also be clothed in weakness
in order that they may feel compassion for those in ignorance and error:
let everyone who approaches them
feel sought after, loved,
and forgiven by God.
Send your Spirit and consecrate
every one of us with its anointing,
so that the Jubilee of Mercy
may be a year of grace from the Lord,
and your Church, with renewed enthusiasm,
may bring good news to the poor,
proclaim liberty to captives and the oppressed,
and restore sight to the blind.
We ask this through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy,
you who live and reign with the Father
and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.
Amen.
Pope Francis
Help me, O Lord, that my eyes may be merciful:
Let me not judge others from appearances, but look for what is beautiful
in everyone. Help me, O Lord, that my ears may be merciful: Let me
never be deaf to others when they ask me for help. Help me, O Lord,
that my tongue may be merciful: Let me never speak negatively about
other people. Let all my words be filled with kindness. Help me, O
Lord, that my hands may be merciful: Let me always be willing to do
good for others. Help me, O Lord, that my feet may be merciful:
Let me always be eager to go to those who need help or comfort. Help
me, O Lord, that my heart may be merciful: Let me be compassionate,
feeling for others who are suffering. May Your mercy rest
upon me, O Lord. Help me to be merciful, like you. May I always
act with mercy, speak with mercy, pray with mercy. Even when I feel I
cannot do anything to help, even when I cannot find words to speak,
I can pray, and thus I can always reach out to those in need.
Lord, you can do all things: hear my prayer. Amen.
(From a prayer of St. Faustina Kowalska)
Additional prayers and reflections will be added
throughout the Year of Mercy.
YEAR OF MERCY HOME
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