Misericordia et Misera is the title of the new apostolic letter of Pope Francis, presented on November 21. The letter...
Year of Mercy
How am I Doing Living the Works of Mercy?
A famous New York mayor made this question his trademark... "How am I doing?" It is also the Vincentian Question as we...
Mercy and the Spirit of St. Vincent de Paul
The Church’s Year of Mercy will draw to a close on November 20… about 1 month to go. As Vincentians we are constantly learning how to be vessels of God’s mercy for others.
Oil Painting and Prison Ministry #BeMercy
From the Catholic News Agency: In an effort to promote Pope Francis' desire that Catholics engage in concrete works of mercy during his special jubilee Holy Year, the Vatican is encouraging people to talk about their experience doing works of mercy on social media...
Difficult words about mercy
As religious communities struggle to make sense of violence and killings at home and abroad, clergy members deliver difficult words about mercy and ‘the holiness of all.’ Many famvin visitors, especially among the Ladies of Charity USA, recognize Fr. Richard Gielow,...
Mater Dolorosa: Keeping Company with Mary near the Cross
Many English-speaking Catholics of a certain age, will recall the Stabat Mater hymn (“At the cross her station keeping”) that was so much a part of the praying of the “Stations of the Cross” during the Lenten season: At the Cross her station keeping, stood the...
Singing at the Threshold of Elizabeth’s Home: Mary’s Magnificat
In his reflection on Mary and her role in God’s economy of mercy, Pope Francis pauses with Mary at the threshold of Elizabeth’s home. He writes in MV #24: Chosen to be the Mother of the Son of God, Mary, from the outset, was prepared by the love of God to be the Ark...
Mater Misericordiae: Mary, Mother of Mercy
For multiple and varied reasons the month of May has come to be associated with Mary, the Mother of Jesus. In the United States it is the month in which Mother’s Day, First Communions, many ordinations and weddings are celebrated. It is also associated in the...
The Madness of Mercy: Jacques Derrida on Forgiveness
The Madness of Mercy: Jacques Derrida on Forgiveness In this brief meditation (and, quite frankly, rather “thick” in the best sense of the term) we will focus on one key idea by one writer-philosopher - Jacques Derrida. For those unfamiliar with Derrida (1930-2004),...
Forgive us our Debts as we Forgive our Debtors
Forgive Us Our Debts As We Forgive Our Debtors: Mercy and Justice in the Political and Economic Sphere – Part I We begin with a dream (or perhaps more accurately a fantasy). What, if in the days following what we now refer to as 9.11, people’s minds and hearts turned...
Justice and Mercy on the Way to Love
In the previous meditation, we embarked on an exploration of the somewhat tense if not actually tortured relationship between mercy and justice. We also highlighted the various “station stops” we would make along the way. This first such “station stop” simply seeks...
Prayer To Be Merciful
On this Divine Mercy Sunday, the following two-minute video invites us to reflect on mercy and forgiveness. The images are of St. Vincent de Paul, the words from St. Faustina Kowalska’s diary.
