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“We are called to show mercy, because mercy has first been shown to us.” —Pope Francis
In proclaiming the Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis has called on the entire church to take up the theme of mercy, to “open our hearts to those living on the outermost fringes of society.” This entails “opening our eyes to see the misery of the world, the wounds of our brothers and sisters who are denied their dignity” and “recognize that we are compelled to heed their cry for help.”
Responding to his call, The Way of Mercy features essays and meditations on this gospel theme, beginning with the text of Pope Francis for the Year of Mercy, as well as reflections on mercy by theologians such as Walter Kasper, Jon Sobrino, and Leonardo Boff, and beloved spiritual writers including Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, Jim Forest, Joan Chittister, and Joyce Rupp. Major themes include reflections on Jesus and the ethics of mercy, a “church of mercy,” the spiritual and corporal “works of mercy,” and ways to foster mercy in our lives and in our prayer. The book draws to a close with Pope Francis’s Prayer for the Jubilee Year of Mercy, a good prayer to carry us into this special year and into the years to come.
Christine M. Bochen is professor of religious studies at Nazareth College, Rochester, New York. Particularly well-known for her work as a scholar of Thomas Merton, she is co-author of The Thomas Merton Encyclopedia and has edited The Courage for Truth, one of the volumes of Merton’s collected letters, Learning to Love, the sixth volume of his journals, and Thomas Merton: Essential Writings.
