Movements of mercy

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy,” is the theme of the World Youth Day being celebrated from July 25 to 31, at Krakow, Poland. Youth from all over the world have assembled with Pope Francis to pray and reflect upon this theme. Spiritually renewed, participants will return to their countries as heralds of mercy and compassion. Such spiritual gatherings exemplify our need to enter into the depths of life before organising collaborative ventures with others.

Interestingly, this megaevent pools the resources not only of youth in the mainstream of society, but also of those at the margins. For instance, the vestments that Pope Francis will wear at the “Eucharist” — i.e., the ritual memorial of Christ’s death-resurrection — are sewn by Iraqi refugee women, while the “monstrance” — where the sacred bread is preserved — has been creatively crafted by homeless poor.

Pope Francis ardently aims at uniting peoples beyond narrow manmade confines of culture, class and creed. He insists that one must mindfully move into the depths of one’s being to tap the treasures of love, joy, mercy, peace and harmony. Indeed, no matter what one believes in, a genuine seeker of God or truth soon realises that the inner movements of the Divine Spirit are similar in all human beings and will best fructify in compassionate commitments to all people.

World Youth Day comes close to the feasts of two saints whose spirituality Pope Francis embodies: St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit congregation (July 31) and St. John Mary Vianney (August 4), patron of pastors. Both were “movers” — who sensed the inner stirrings of God’s spirit in themselves and successfully motivated many to move outward in love, service, sacrifice.

In background and lifestyle, Spaniard Ignatius (1491-1556) and Frenchman John Mary Vianney (1786-1859) were strikingly different. However, both were animated by God-experiences that made them keenly sensitive to the stirrings of God’s spirit within human hearts and history. Consequently, Ignatius wrote the classic Spiritual Exercises that have enabled many seekers to see “where” they ought to go and to decide “how” they should get there. Likewise, Vianney had extraordinary spiritual insights that prompted many believers to flock to him for counsel.

Mercy and compassion are virtues proclaimed by all religions. “Splagchnizomai”, the Greek word for “compassion”, literally means “to be moved or churned in one’s inward parts”. Equivalents in the treasury of world religions like daya, karuna, anukampa, rehem, rahim and rahamim imply strong interior sentiments that engender compassionate responses to those in need. Saints like Ignatius and Vianney in their own times, and religionists like Pope Francis in ours, inspire us to be compassionate. May our religions stir our spirits to be messengers of mercy and compassion.

Francis Gonsalves is a professor of theology. He can be contacted at fragons@gmail.com