It is an invitation worthy of consideration and it is why I began this article by sharing the story of my two great aunts. What did not garner as much attention though is an invitation that the Holy Father extended to the Church in his apostolic letter. This permission given even gained the attention of the secular media for at least a day or two. Here the Holy Father grants the authority for every priest to forgive the sin of a procured abortion. The Holy Father reflects on how best to continue the work of mercy and he puts forward some specific thoughts for discernment by the Church вЂ“ mercy should be celebrated and at the heart of every Eucharistic celebration and every homily, every encounter involving the sacrament of anointing should be guided by mercy and certainly mercy should be found in abundance within the sacrament of reconciliation. Everything is revealed in mercy everything is resolved in the merciful love of the Father. Mercy cannot become a mere parenthesis in the life of the Church it constitutes her very existence, through which the profound truths of the Gospel are made manifest and tangible. (The Holy Year) must continue to be celebrated and lived out in our communities. In his Apostolic Letter, Misericordia et Misera given at the conclusion of the Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis brings to summation the Holy Year and puts forward his hope that the work of mercy will continue and be ever-strengthened in the Church. The Bible is GodвЂ™s holy word and within it we encounter our risen Lord. There is a power and a grace to be found in Sacred Scripture. seeing my fatherвЂ™s conversion to Catholicism as a fulfilling of his faith journey and not a loss) I do believe her remark about the family Bible carries an intuition of truth. I, for one, am very grateful for my parentsвЂ™ conversions and acknowledging that my views would differ from my great auntвЂ™s in this regard (i.e. Noticing some dust on the cover of the family bible, one great aunt is said to have remarked, вЂњI guess if this Bible cover was not so dusty Jack would never have converted.вЂќ I am not sure how my grandfather and grandmother replied although I would wager that a bit of a chill went through the room.

There is a story told in my family that once, not long after my fatherвЂ™s conversion, my two great aunts from Mississippi (both spinsters and staunch Presbyterians to boot) visited my grandfather.

My father grew up in the Presbyterian Church and my mother grew up as a Southern Baptist.

Unity of command ii alternate paths