Mercy Word of the Week
The Mercy Word of the Week
As we progress through the Jubilee Year of Mercy proclaimed by Pope Francis, University Ministry offers our community a "Mercy Word of the Week" to help us focus on the themes of mercy that are already so closely aligned to our mission and heritage as an institution sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy.
The first Monday of each month will bring a brief reflection on each of the University's Core Values as expressions of our Mercy charism. We hope these focused thoughts will lead to your own considered contemplation on mercy and its role in your life.
Signs: Throughout his ministry, Jesus performed many "signs" that served to get people's attention and demonstrate to them that God was fully present in him and his ministry. Jesus used signs because they work. They catch us off-guard and get us to pay attention! Jesus' signs didn't simply demonstrate his power and divinity; more so, they demonstrated God's enduring and merciful love. But the signs worked in the gospels were just a beginning; they were paradigms that serve as pointers to the signs God sends almost on a daily basis into our own lives. When you look for them, you'll see them cropping up everywhere. When I needed it most, I looked up while driving down the highway and saw a tarpaulin strapped to a semi that bore this message: "Don't worry; God is still in charge." Was it just for me? At that moment, yes – absolutely it was! Looking for God's signs and naming them when they occur is key to developing the ability to see and hear how God is constantly talking to you – teaching and comforting you in so many ways. Trips to the grocery, headlines in the newspaper, signs on the side of the road, all can convey divine messages to us, if our eyes and hearts are open. Never happens to you? Maybe you're not looking hard enough!
Graziano Marcheschi, vice president of University Mission and Ministry