When I was a child on the farm the Norwegian lady living next door saw my father working on the road to the old stone church of St. Donatus.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淛orge, he iss building himself de road to hevin,鈥� she said.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Vision was clearer back then. Mysteries were simpler. Any child could see that.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Pope Francis has declared a Year of Mercy, because 鈥減eople need it and want it and don鈥檛 know where they can go for it,鈥� says our Pope. 鈥淪o much of our culture and public and private life lack mercy.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Fifty years earlier Pope Pius XII said that the tragedy of our age was that it had lost its sense of sin. We consider our sins to be incurable, things that cannot be healed or forgiven, he said. We lack the actual concrete experience of mercy.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 We need mercy. We need to ask ourselves why so many people today go to psychics and fortune tellers and not to church.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 An example of our desperation is illustrated in St. Matthew鈥檚 Catholic Church in Norwalk, CT, where the pastor Monsignor Walter Orlowski invited anyone who was interested to stop by and talk to a priest 鈥� no appointment necessary, no questions asked.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淲ant to talk with a priest?鈥� asked the ads. 鈥淲e鈥檙e here for you. All are welcome.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The result was amazing. Teenagers, adults, seniors and whole families came to talk. People just trying to better their lives came to talk about annulments, reconciliation, relationships, church, etc. Time slots were filled all day.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淗umanity is wounded,鈥� Pope Francis said, 鈥淓ither it does not know how to cure its wounds or it believes that it鈥檚 not possible to cure them. And it鈥檚 not just a question of social ills or people wounded by poverty, social exclusion or one of the many slaveries of the third millennium. Relativism wounds people too: all things seem equal... Humanity needs mercy and compassion.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The name of God is mercy, Pope Francis said. We know we need mercy if we recognize the journey we are on as pilgrims on the road to heaven.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 In John Bunyan鈥檚 Pilgrim鈥檚 Progress the character Christian journeys on the road to Mount Zion. Christian, representing every man, meets Worldly Wise who urges him to lead a practical life, a happy life without religion. Sound familiar?
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Along the way, Christian meets Faith. Passing Christ鈥檚 tomb and cross he finds his burdens temporarily fall to the ground. Later he meets Hopeful. Eventually he kills Giant Despair from Doubting Castle鈥nd well, you get the picture.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 We can be enslaved by relativism, or secularism, or some other 鈥渋sm鈥� on our journey until we forget about faith, hope and love.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 In a homily entitled 鈥淎ll Roads lead to Christ,鈥� Father Brendan McGuire speaks of over 50,000 miles of road throughout England, Europe, Asia and even Africa that all lead straight back to Rome. It was how Rome maintained control of its Empire.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淭he winding roads shall be made straight,
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淎nd the rough ways made smooth,
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淎nd all flesh shall see the salvation of God" 鈥� Luke 3:6.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Laying those paving stones of kindness, gentleness and mercy towards all will let them know we are on the path of Christ, and all who meet us will know that all roads lead to Christ in our lives, McGuire says.
