House of Mercy

One of the last engagements of Pope Francis’s visit to Mongolia was to bless a House of Mercy. This is a three-story building, plus basement; it has private rooms and a hall where guests can live together in fraternity and sharing. It’s been transformed into a temporary shelter for the poor and is equipped with a clinic to meet the needs of homeless people and victims of domestic violence. It’s also designed to be a temporary shelter for migrants who have arrived in the city and need initial support. As he blessed this building, he said that the words of Jesus — I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink — give us the criteria for recognising Jesus’ presence in the world, and give us the condition for entering his Kingdom at the Last Judgement.

From the very beginning the Church took those words seriously, demonstrating in action that charity is a fundamental element of her identity. I think of the accounts in the Acts of the Apostles, and the various ways in which the first Christian community put Jesus’ words into practice in order to build up a Church firmly established on four pillars: communion, liturgy, service and witness.

Now that we are moving into autumn, when some of us are beginning a new school year and some have been on holiday — it is good for us as a parish, and as part of the Church, to reflect on these four pillars as foundations of our parish life:

Communion: In what ways are we building up a sense of ourselves as part of a community united in Christ. Are we a welcoming parish?
Liturgy: The Eucharist is the source and summit of our life as Christians. How well do we celebrate the Mass and the other sacraments?
Service: To what extent do we serve and care for the wider community especially the poor? Are we inward looking or outward looking?
Witness: What importance do each of us give to sharing the Good News with others? Do we see ourselves as missionary disciples and are we a missionary parish?