Food for Thought

Oct 21, 2015

Starting in December and for the next year, we will hear much about the Holy Year of Mercy. Holy years come and go every 25 years but Popes can and do, as Pope Francis has done, call for "extraordinary" holy years in between.

The last extraordinary holy year was called by St. John Paul II in 1983 (the Holy Year of Redemption) to mark 1,950 years since the death of Jesus. Pope Francis wants to focus on mercy and the holy year will run Dec. 8, 2015, to Nov. 20, 2016.

Mercy has been at the center of Pope Francis' message as pontiff. When he announced the upcoming Holy Year of Mercy, the Pope said:

"I have often thought of how the Church may render more clearly her mission to be a witness to mercy. … It is a journey that begins with spiritual conversion. Therefore, I have decided to announce an extraordinary jubilee that has at its center the mercy of God. It will be a Holy Year of Mercy."