Next week, we will begin a year-long endeavor that is at the heart of the vision of Pope Francis for the Church. We will celebrate an Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy.

You may recall that we last celebrated a Jubilee Year in 2000. At that time, Pope St. John Paul II centered that celebration on the 2,000th anniversary of the birth of Jesus. That year was to renew our faith, even after all this time, in the meaning of God having sent His Son to join us in the flesh and to die and rise from the dead to free us from sin.

This time, the Jubilee Year of Mercy seeks to remind the faithful and the world that sin and evil are not all-powerful. They are not the last word. Rather, God’s love for us and for all sinners leads Him to offer forgiveness to all, even for the most terrible, hurtful and destructive of our sins. To quote the Holy Father himself, “We need constantly to contemplate the mystery of mercy. It is a wellspring of joy, serenity, and peace. Our salvation depends on it.” (Misericordiae vultus, n. 2).

Pope Francis will inaugurate the Jubilee Year on Dec. 8 at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. He will do so by the ceremonial opening of the Holy Door that pilgrims may pass through to receive the indulgence of the Year of Mercy.

Here in the Diocese of Rockford, the local celebration will begin on Dec. 13, the Second Sunday of Advent. On that occasion I will open the Holy Door at the Cathedral Parish of St. Peter in Rockford.

Each deanery will have its own Holy Door so that all can receive the Jubilee indulgence conveniently, wherever they reside.

Pope Francis has asked that this year be made a part of our lives in various ways, all highlighting different elements of God’s mercy. In particular, he has urged that we make special efforts to carry out in our lives the Corporal Works of Mercy (feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead).

We must at the same time make the Spiritual Works of Mercy a living part of our practice of the faith (counsel the doubtful, instruct the ignorant, admonish sinners, comfort the afflicted, forgive offenses, bear wrongs patiently, and pray for the living and the dead).

Why does Pope Francis desire such an emphasis on mercy? I think it can be summed up in his continuity with the concerns of Pope St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. Both of these modern popes have expressed grave concern about the loss of a sense of God and His presence in the modern world.

Especially in a western society like ours, the concentration on materialism, pleasure and science has resulted in God being increasingly pushed aside from life, from discussions and from our social policies.

The result is the “throw-away” mentality so highlighted by Pope Francis. Without God we use and discard material goods, each other, the unborn and the elderly and the environment. Without God we sense a growing spiritual desperation because there is no hope beyond the struggle of this world.

At the heart of this problem is the separation of man from God. Some are separated from God because they have abandoned the truth about sin and therefore the need to seek God’s pardon for it.

Others have never been taught the faith and walk in darkness. Still others, in despair, fear that their sins are too great to bring to God. They see themselves as hopelessly beyond God’s mercy.

Even within the Catholic Church, the great lessening of the reception of the sacrament of confession is a sign of spiritual illness. It suggests that the recognition of sin, forgiveness and its relation to eternal life is growing cold.

Pope Francis is convinced that the key to the renewal of our faith lies in understanding and loving God’s mercy. But we must approach that mercy as a whole, not partially. By that I mean we need first to seek mercy. It is not given freely. The cost is our conversion and our acceptance of God’s forgiveness.

We must make every effort to be done with our sins.

At the same time, we must be willing to forgive others as God has forgiven us. To receive and give mercy will change and transform each one of us.

Please plan now how you will make the Jubilee Year of Mercy part of your faith life. Most especially, make regular confession a part of your weekly or monthly practice of faith. You will find other helpful explanations and suggestions on the website of the Diocese of Rockford (http://www.rockforddiocese.org).

Let’s join with Pope Francis in this great and world-wide work of conversion for the coming year!