Mercy in catechesis in the context of the Jubilee Year

Abstract

The truth about God’s mercy is the fundamental element of the teaching and education in catechesis. The truth about the merciful God should not only be proclaimed with words, but also shown through the testimony of one’s own life, help offered to other people and prayer. By givingus mercy, God wantsus to proclaimthe truth. Theproclamation ofthe mystery of God’s mercy, most fully revealed in the crucified and resurrected Jesus Christ, should not only show the way to the Christian life on earth, but also serve the work of redemption and sanctification of the world. TheExtraordinaryJubilee of Mercy is the time of showing intensely what God’s mercy is, how we should use this gift of God and what attitude contemporary Christians should take. The merciful love of God to the human being is foundin the Bible and the teaching of the Church, especially in the message given by St. Sister Faustyna Kowalska and St. John Paul II. It is crucial to note that through the baptism and inclusion in the Church, every person becomescommitted not only to proclaim the message about God’s mercy but also to being witness to it with their own life. Pope Francis encourages us to recall the teaching about the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, and then to put it in practice in our everyday life.