Pope Francis says "Evangelization takes place in particular through the proclamation of divine mercy, through multiple ways and expressions." to Missionaries of Mercy

ADDRESS OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS

TO THE MISSIONARIES OF DIVINE MERCY

Paul VI Audience Hall
Monday, 25 April 2022

 Dear Missionaries of Mercy, good morning and welcome!

I wanted to meet you again, because I have entrusted to you the ministry that is closest to my heart: to be an effective instrument of God's mercy. I see that every year the number of Missionaries of Mercy increases: here there are other problems, but it increases. This gives me joy, because it means that your presence in the particular Churches is considered important and qualifying.   

 I thank Archbishop Rino Fisichella for his words and for the information he has provided me with regard to your missionary commitment. And as a matter of fact, he has been faithful to God's inspiration, because this is his invention; but it was he who gave me this idea and encouraged me, because he saw the need in the Church for your presence, your availability and your closeness to forgive: to forgive, without going through so many channels.Praedicate Evangelium : «Evangelization takes place in particular through the proclamation of divine mercy, through multiple ways and expressions. To this end, the specific action of the Missionaries of Mercy contributes in a particular way "( Art 59 § 2 ). I wanted to place you there, in the Apostolic Constitution, because you are a privileged instrument in the Church, today, and you are not a movement that exists today and does not exist tomorrow, no, you are in the structure of the Church. This is why I wanted to put you there. I therefore hope that you will be able to grow even more, and for this I address my hope to the Bishops that they will be able to identify holy, merciful priests, ready to forgive, to become full missionaries of Mercy.

In our first meeting (February 9, 2016) I paused to reflect with you on the figure of Noah, and on the blanket that his children put on him to protect him from the shame of his nakedness. On that occasion I invited you to "cover the sinner with the blanket of mercy, so that he may no longer be ashamed and can recover the joy of his filial dignity". In our second meeting (April 10, 2018), with the words of the prophet Isaiah, I asked you to be a sign of consolation to make those who approach you grasp the right feeling that God never forgets anyone, nor abandons anyone to the point of having wanted to tattoo the name of every creature on his hand (cf. Is 49:16).

Today I wish to offer you another biblical figure who can inspire your ministry. This is Ruth, the Moabite woman who, despite coming from a foreign country, fully enters the history of salvation. Her Book dedicated to her presents her as David's great-grandmother ( Ruth4: 18-22), and the Gospel of Matthew expressly mentions it among the ancestors of Jesus (cf. 1,5). Ruth is a poor girl of modest origin; she becomes a widow still very young and moreover lives in a foreign country that considers her an intruder and not even worthy of solidarity. Her is a condition that in today's culture no one would be able to fully understand. She, Ruth she depended on others in everything: before marriage she depended on her father and after marriage on her husband; she as a widow she should be protected by her children, but she has none; she is marginalized in the village where she lives, because she is a Moabite; she is without support and without any defense. In short, her life is among the worst imaginable and she seems to have no future.

As if all this were not enough, the sacred author adds that the only person Ruth is connected to is the mother-in-law Noemi. Even Noemi's condition, however, is certainly not the best: she is a widow, she has lost her two children and she is too old to have others; she is therefore destined to die without leaving offspring. Noemi, who had emigrated to the land of Moab, decides to return to Bethlehem, her country of origin, and she has to face a long and tiring journey. Naomi believes that God has not been kind to her and affirms it clearly: "The hand of the Lord is turned against me" ( Ruth 1,13). Her sadness is such that she no longer wants to be called by her name Noemi, which means "my sweetness", but Mara, that is, "embittered" (1,20). She was just down, down, this woman.

Despite all this, Ruth decides to tie her life to that of her mother-in-law and with conviction he tells her: "Do not insist with me that you abandon yourself and go back without you, because where you go, I will go too, where you will stop, I will stop; your people will be my people and your God will be my God. Where you die, I too will die and I will be buried there. May the Lord do me this evil and more - it is a way of taking an oath -, if anything other than death will separate me from you "(1,16-17). Really generous words - thinking of a daughter-in-law and a mother-in-law, whose relationships traditionally aren't the best! - because the future that lies ahead of Ruth is certainly not peaceful. And that paints her as a generous woman who truly loved her mother-in-law.

The two women set off for Bethlehem, but every day Ruth has to go looking for food to live; her days pass in uncertainty and precariousness. It comes naturally to wonder: was Ruth right to bond with her mother-in-law? She was still young, she would certainly have found another husband in Moab ... Well, why this decision so risky? The sacred book already provides a first answer: Ruth trusted in God and acted out of her great affection for her elderly mother-in-law, who otherwise would have been left alone and abandoned. Do you think that at that time the widows remained abandoned and no one took care of them, and the Lord was the only one who healed ... The story of Ruth will have a happy ending: while he is gleaning he meets Booz, a rich nobleman who proves to be well disposed to her; she recognizes that her generosity towards her mother-in-law confers on her a dignity such as to no longer have to be considered a foreigner, but a full part of the people of Israel. The foreign and poor woman, forced to look for daily food, is rewarded for her fidelity and goodness with an abundance of gifts. The words of theMagnificat , which Mary pronounces, are anticipated in Ruth's life: "He has lifted up the humble […] he has filled the hungry with good things" ( Lk 1: 52-53).

We can also draw a great lesson for ourselves. Ruth is not a daughter of Abraham according to blood; she still remains a Moabite and so she will always be called, but her fidelity and generosity allow her to enter the people of Israel with all rights. In fact, God does not abandon those who entrust themselves to him, but goes to meet him with a love that repays beyond all desire. Ruth reveals the traits of mercy when she does not leave Naomi alone , but shares her future with her; when she is not satisfied with staying close to her, but with her the faith and experience of being part of a new people share; when she is willing to overcome every obstacle in order to remain faithful. What we get is really the face of mercy that manifests itself with compassionand sharing .

This figure of Ruth is an icon of how we can overcome the many forms of exclusion and marginalization that lurk in our behavior. If we meditate on the four chapters that make up this short book, we discover an incredible richness. Those few pages bring out the trust in the love of God that goes out to everyone. Even more: it is revealed that God knows the inner beauty of people even if they do not yet have the faith of the chosen people; he is attentive to their feelings, especially to the fidelity, loyalty, generosity and hope that dwell in people's hearts when they are put to the test. In its simplicity, this tale reveals a surprising wealth of meanings. Being generous manifests itself as the right and courageous choice that must never fail in our priestly existence.

Dear brothers Missionaries of Mercy, in the Book of Ruth God never speaks, never, there is not a word. He is mentioned many times; the characters often refer to it, but He remains silent. We discover, however, that God communicates precisely through Ruth. His every gesture of kindness towards Noemi, who considers herself "embittered by God", becomes the tangible sign of the closeness and goodness of the Lord. Through this figure, we too are invited to grasp the presence of God in people's lives. The path that is experienced is often arduous, difficult, sometimes even full of sadness; However, God places himself on this path to reveal his love for him. It is up to us, with our ministry, to give a voice to God - this is important: we Missionaries of Mercy give a voice to God - and to show the face of his mercy. It depends on us. A person who meets one of you must change, he must change his feelings, his thoughts about God: "Now, with this missionary, I understand, I have felt who God is". Let us never forget that God does not act in people's daily lives through upsetting acts, but in a silent, discreet, simple way, so much so that he manifests himself through people who become the sacrament of his presence. And you are a sacrament of God's presence. so much so that it manifests itself through people who become the sacrament of his presence. And you are a sacrament of God's presence. so much so that it manifests itself through people who become the sacrament of his presence. And you are a sacrament of God's presence.

Please keep all forms of judgment away from you and always put the desire to understand the person before you before you. Never stop at a single detail, but look at the totality of his life. It is a life that kneels to ask for forgiveness! And who am I, not to forgive? “But this canon says this, so I can't…”. Be quiet. You are faced with a woman or a man who asks for your forgiveness, and you have forgiveness in your pocket. Will it stay in your pocket? Or will your generosity give it? "But we must be precise in forgiveness ...". No, you are not fit to be a missionary of mercy. Go to a charterhouse to pray for your sins. This is not good. God does not stop at appearances, and if he were to judge only by the faults, probably nobody would be saved! Who among us does not have any? This is not how mercy is expressed.Lk 15: 18-20).

Here, then, is the exhortation I make to you: always have the blanket of mercy close at hand - let us think of Noah - to envelop with its warmth those who come to you to be forgiven; offer consolation to those in sadness and loneliness; be generous like Ruth, because only in this way will the Lord recognize you as his faithful ministers. "But, Father, you know that in this modern world, with so many strange things, so many new sins, you never know, because I forgive him, but maybe tomorrow he will come back to ask for another forgiveness". And what amazes you? Peter had asked the Lord the same question, and the answer was: "seventy times seven". All time. Always forgiveness. Don't put it off. "No, I have to consult the moralist ...". Don't put it off. Today. "But I don't know if he's convinced." Look, it's a person who asks you for forgiveness: who are you to ask if he is convinced or not? You take the word, and forgive. Always forgive. Please always forgive. With the forgiveness of Christ we do not play, we do not joke.

And, before ending, I would like - I have said this on other occasions - to remember a great confessor, or rather two, whom I met in my previous diocese. One was a sacramentino, a man of government, he was a provincial, but he never left the confessional. And there was a queue! He was old, and he listened to you, and the only thing he said was: “Bueno, bueno, bueno…”. God is good, and hello. He didn't go poking his nose at circumstances. And I sinned against this man because, when he died, I went and saw the coffin without flowers; I went to the flower shop, bought some flowers and brought them to him. And while I was arranging the flowers, I saw the rosary ... and I stole the cross. And I said to him: "Give me half of your mercy." Thinking of Elisha: “Give me half of your mercy”. And I carry the cross in here, always, with me. A good man. Another still lives: the other day I called him on the phone because he was having his 95th birthday. He confesses all day. A huge queue of people: males, females, children, boys, priests, bishops, nuns, everyone, all the people of God. And he confesses. And one day he came to me, to the episcope and told me: "Listen, I have a little scruple, because I think I forgive too much". A cappuccino, good, this; the other was a Sacramentine, this Capuchin. "And what do you do, when you forgive too much?" - "Eh, I go to the chapel and say: 'Lord, forgive me, because I have forgiven too much', but immediately something comes inside me and I say to Him, to the Lord: 'But be careful, because it was You who gave me the bad example : You have forgiven too much! '”. Think of these two examples, and don't tire of forgiving, because He never tires of forgiving, never. I called him on the phone the other day because he was having his 95th birthday. He confesses all day. A huge queue of people: males, females, children, boys, priests, bishops, nuns, everyone, all the people of God. And he confesses. And one day he came to me, to the episcope and told me: "Listen, I have a little scruple, because I think I forgive too much". A cappuccino, good, this; the other was a Sacramentine, this Capuchin. "And what do you do, when you forgive too much?" - "Eh, I go to the chapel and say: 'Lord, forgive me, because I have forgiven too much', but immediately something comes inside me and I say to Him, to the Lord: 'But be careful, because it was You who gave me the bad example : You have forgiven too much! '”. Think of these two examples, and don't tire of forgiving, because He never tires of forgiving, never. I called him on the phone the other day because he was having his 95th birthday. He confesses all day. A huge queue of people: males, females, children, boys, priests, bishops, nuns, everyone, all the people of God. And he confesses. And one day he came to me, to the episcope and told me: "Listen, I have a little scruple, because I think I forgive too much". A cappuccino, good, this; the other was a Sacramentine, this Capuchin. "And what do you do, when you forgive too much?" - "Eh, I go to the chapel and say: 'Lord, forgive me, because I have forgiven too much', but immediately something comes inside me and I say to Him, to the Lord: 'But be careful, because it was You who gave me the bad example : You have forgiven too much! '”. Think of these two examples, and don't tire of forgiving, because He never tires of forgiving, never.

I bless you all and accompany you with prayer, so that your ministry may be fruitful. And don't forget to pray for me. Thanks!

Source: Vatican.va