Wednesday 27 January 2016
Monday 25 January 2016
Year of Mercy Mobile Phone App: Mercy-ing
JOIN IN THE YEAR OF MERCY
The 'Mercy-ing' app
Many women and men working in Mercy ministry are interested in developing a daily practice for contemplation and action in their lives. To support them a new app has been developed to assist with daily reflection and prayer on embodying Mercy.
The ‘Mercy-ing’ app assists users to reflect each morning and evening, to frame their day, and to be attentive to the events, interactions, relationships and circumstances of each day within the context of ‘being Mercy’.
Content for the app has been drawn from a wide selection of sources including scripture, contemporary theologians, activists and thinkers. The app also includes the daily repetition of a consistent mercy “mantra”, as well an inbuilt timer to assist with the reflective process.
The title of the app has a direct connection with Pope Francis, who when seeking to translate his motto from Latin to Spanish, coined the word misericordiando which in English translates to the word “Mercy-ing”. By expressing Mercy as a verb, it captures the sense of movement inherent in the heart of Mercy, which includes hearing the cry of creation for mercy and responding.
The app is been funded by the Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea and has been developed by the Institute Mercy Ethos Office with the support of the Sisters of Mercy Parramatta, and Nga Whaea Atawhai o Aotearoa, Sisters of Mercy New Zealand. Fraynework Multimedia provided all production and design work.
Download on the App Store
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mercy-ing/id1052628634?ls=1&mt=8
Get it on Google Play
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fraynework.mercying
ALSO: Resources to support ministry reflection, prayer and ritual during the Year of Mercy
The Mercy Ethos Office has a dedicated section on the website www.mercyethos.org.au for resources to support ministries in developing their understanding, reflection, prayer and ritual during the Year of Mercy. Materials are gathered under the key themes for the Jubilee Year: Doors of Mercy; Works of Mercy; Expressions of Mercy; Jubilee. A range of resource material is provided for each focus area including background articles and teaching notes, prayers, reflections, rituals/activities and an extras section which provides links to other useful sites and material.
Look for the button on the Mercy Ethos website homepage or visit
http://www.mercyethos.org.au/jubilee-year-of-mercy/
Whilst some resources are available immediately, additional pieces will be added in the coming months.
Pope gives catechesis on mercy in the Bible
http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-gives-catechesis-on-mercy-in-the-bible
2016-01-13 Vatican Radio
(Vatican Radio)
During his weekly general audience, Pope Francis spoke on the mercy of God as spoken about in the Bible.
Delivering his catechesis Wednesday in the Vatican’s Paul VI hall, the Pope said in the Old Testament, God reveals he is the God of Mercy.
The Holy Father explained how the Hebrew word for Mercy evokes the sort of tenderness shown by a mother for her child.
In Scripture, the Pope said, the God of mercy is gracious, slow to anger, and abounds in “steadfast love and faithfulness.”
Pope Francis concluded his catechesis by inviting the faithful during the Jubilee of Mercy to “turn to God with all our heart, trusting in his mercy and grace, his infinite faithfulness and love.”
Below find the official English language summary of Pope Francis’ catechesis:
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
In this Jubilee Year, our weekly catechesis will explore the mystery of divine mercy. In the Book of Exodus, God defines himself as the God of mercy. In words which echo throughout the Old Testament, he tells Moses that he is “the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Ex 34:6). The Hebrew word for mercy evokes the tender and visceral love of a mother for her child. The God of mercy is also gracious, ever ready to understand and forgive. He is slow to anger, prepared to wait patiently, like a wise farmer, for the seeds of repentance to grow in our hearts. Likewise, he abounds in steadfast love and faithfulness. God’s love, freely given, precedes any merit on our part; his faithfulness, like that of the father in the parable of the prodigal son, has no limits. He waits for us, ever ready to forgive our sins and to welcome us back to a right relationship with him. In this Year of Mercy, may we turn to God with all our heart, trusting in his mercy and grace, his infinite faithfulness and love.
(from Vatican Radio
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