Jubilee Year of Mercy
During this Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis calls us to share with everyone the tender compassion of God that we ourselves have experienced. In the Gospel of Luck, Luke uses a special Greek word conveying just such tenderness. In the other Gospels, Jesus calls the disciples to be fishers, haleis, the same word tha means catching fish with hooks or nets, to be killed and eaten. But Luck uses zogron, from zoe or life, meaning catch or gather people alive, as animal lovers capture without harming, rescue from the wild for a better life, and protect in aquarium or zoo, tenderly cared for by professionals committed to the creatures' well-being. So in Luke's vision -- and Pope Francis' as well -- we who have been caught alive by God's mercy ourselves are to become missionaries of mercy during this Jubilee Year of Mercy, rescuing fellow sinners from dander and gathering them into Jesus' community to enjoy fullness of life.
--Peter Scagnelli, Copyright J.S. Paluch Co.