alcova71611 (83)xThese are troubling times but God is at work in powerful ways.  The Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy begins with Advent and offers us as Catholics a unique invitation and challenge to BE the change we wish to see in the world, starting with Christmas. Just as we prepare for Christmas during Advent, God has been preparing us for quite some time for the Year of Mercy.

It’s clear our culture has become increasingly bankrupt spiritually, embracing every counterfeit for God’s truth and grace. When as a writer I look for ways to offer spiritual solutions, I remember how federal agents are trained to recognize counterfeit money by studying perfect dollars. I repeat to myself, what is our perfect dollarThe Good, the True and the Beautiful are the perfections God gives us as lights to offer others who are blinded or groping in the dark. It is interesting that our last three Popes seem to each have had a particular calling to highlight one of those perfections.

The Beautiful

Pope Saint John Paul II gave us powerful alternatives to modern culture’s use of beauty to sell distortion and depravity. With his words and writings he painted exquisite portraits of the beauty and dignity of all of God’s creations, especially the male and female persons in whom God came to dwell.

“With Loving regard, the divine Artist passes on to the human artist a spark of surpassing wisdom, calling him or her to share in divine creative power.” (Pope Saint John Paul II, “Letter to Artists,” 1999)

The True

When Pope Benedict became our pontiff, he was sometimes described as the Catholic German Shepherd. I actually considered it an appropriate and endearing description. His courageous tenacity in articulating and defending Truth was a tremendous encouragement to me. He was the faithful guardian who heroically protected his flock from truth’s thieving impostor: relativism.

“We must have the courage to dare to say: Yes, man must seek the truth; he is capable of truth.  …Truth also points out to us those constant values which have made mankind great.” (Pope Benedict XVI, “Light of the World – A Conversation with Peter Seewald”)

The Good

Now God has blessed us with Pope Francis, a humble man who demonstrates the beauty of truth in his goodness. He calls us to do the same. He seems to invite us to make the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy a 12-month Christmas Gift of goodness to the world.

I’m continually struck by the way Pope Francis shines light on our sins of omission. We are accountable to God not just for the sins we’ve done but also for the good we fail to do. This is important to note in our profoundly distracted culture. Pope Francis is taking our hand in The Year of Mercy, starting on the Feast of Mary’s Immaculate Conception, and leading us to God by way of goodness and Mercy. He invites us to embrace the Lord’s mercy toward us and to offer holy mercy to others.

“Together let us pray to the Virgin Mary that she helps us … to walk in faith and charity, ever trusting in the Lord’s mercy… Let us trust in His mercy!” (Pope Francis, “Regina Caeli on Divine Mercy Sunday,” April 7, 2013)

This Advent of Mercy can begin a year that transforms us to offer, like our Blessed Mother Mary, all that is Good, True and Beautiful in us to others out of love for Christ.   We are sitting on a pile of perfect dollars. Whether we are authors, parents, teachers or business professionals, let’s spend the treasure that God has so generously given us on the gift of Mercy this Christmas… and every day.

 

 

Catholic Writer’s Guild member Cathy Gilmore is an author, speaker and catechist. Read more from Cathy at www.catherinecgilmore.com. Her award winning children’s book Little Lamb Finds Christmas is the story in which the LOVE of the Good Shepherd, the MIRACLE of the Peaceable Kingdom and the JOY of Christmas are all tucked into one charming holiday parable.  Cathy’s passion is to cultivate each reader’s spiritual imagination with the transforming love of Christ. Follow Cathy @ThePowerOfParable on Twitter.