"Silent Night for the Cosmically Inclined", AWESOME Meditation of Cosmos, Instrumental: Silent Night

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtyDxjwd7oU

Bridget Mary Meehan, www.arcwp.org

A Litany of Christian liberation from "Ancestral Grace" by Diarmuid O'Murchu

Killarney, Ireland

A Litany of Christian liberation:
Blessed are we as cherished earthlings of God’s wonderful creation.

Blessed are we whose incarnational humanity has been affirmed from the beginning of our evolutionary story.

Blessed are we who have been graced to embrace the unfolding paradox of creation in the unceasing process of birth-death-rebirth.

Blessed are we with creativity and an enormous capacity for innovation, contributing to the building up of God’s reign on earth.

Blessed are we because we got it right for most of the time throughout our long history of 7 million years.

Blessed are we who are forgiven by our large-hearted God for the times when we got things badly wrong.

Blessed are we because in the fullness of time, Jesus evolves as the one who affirms and confirms all we have achieved in our evolutionary story.

Blessed are we because Jesus illuminates the archetype of humanity radiant in evolutionary maturity, confirming our past achievements and challenging us to future evolutionary growth.

Blessed are we as co-creators, called to build up on earth the New Reign of God, committed to right relating in the name of love and justice.

Blessed are we because amid huge risk and misunderstanding, Jesus dared to heal, forgive, liberate, and empower those trapped in oppression, poverty, and pain.

Blessed are we because Jesus shares our sufferings, affirms our hopes, and liberates our potential for future growth.

Blessed are we who have inherited open-ended parables, stories of a dangerously empowering memory of inclusive liberation.

Blessed are we as custodians of the open table, symbol of creation’s abundant resources, from which no one is ever to be excluded.

Blessed are we because Jesus bridges the way to our next evolutionary leap, illustrated in the empowerment of his resurrected presence.

Blessed are we because Jesus models life as a Spirit-filled being, the evolutionary destiny to which we are all called.

Blessed are we as the body of Christ today, challenged never to betray the great story and to tell it afresh in each successive generation.
From Ancestral Grace -Diarmuid O'Murchu, p.95

"Come Now O Wisdom" An Inspiring Music Video by Jann Aldredge-Clanton

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g"V2fqJeyBmc

Published on May 1, 2013

Rev. Larry E. Schultz conducts the Chancel Choir, orchestra, and congregation of Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, Raleigh, North Carolina, in singing "Come Now, O Wisdom" to a familiar hymn tune, with pictures from various artists.

Wisdom is the central divine symbol in this song. Wisdom is certainly not a new image of divinity, although She may seem new to us. The Hebrew Scriptures record Wisdom's saying, "From everlasting I was firmly set, from the beginning, before earth came into being" (Proverbs8:23). But Divine Wisdom has for the most part been stifled, demeaned, or ignored for centuries. Wisdom is a female name for God in the Bible. Wisdom is "Hokmah" in Hebrew Scripture and "Sophia" in the Greek language of Christian Scripture. Divine Wisdom symbolizes creative, redemptive, and healing power.

Wisdom brings power for change. She leads us on paths of peace. In a world of divisions and brokenness, wars and violence, Wisdom can bring peace and wholeness. In our world today with increasing violence against women and others considered "less than," increasing violence of all kinds, and increasing injustices, we are in deep need of Her peace and healing.

This video invites hope of peace, justice, wholeness, freedom, and new life. The book of Proverbs confirms the blessings of Divine Wisdom: "Happy are those who find wisdom, and those who get understanding, for her income is better than silver, and her revenue better than bold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. . . . Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called happy" (Proverbs 3:13-15, 17-18).

Come now, O Wisdom, we need your clear voice;
speak and awaken our hearts to rejoice.
Gracious Creator of more than we know,
in your own image may we ever grow.

Come now, O Wisdom, abide in our souls;
stir in us visions of life free and whole.
Wisdom, our pathway to justice and peace,
with you our dreams find their fullest release.

Wisdom, more precious than rubies or gold,
with you our graces forever unfold.
No fame or fortune with you can compare;
pour out your blessings so rich and so rare.

Wisdom, your grace joins all heaven and earth,
with you we labor, new life to give birth.
Come now, O Wisdom, our Midwife and Friend,
open our hearts to your world without end.

Words © Jann Aldredge-Clanton, from Inclusive Hymns for Liberating Christians (Eakin Press, 2006. For permissions, contact: www.jannaldredgeclanton.com. For additional inclusive music for all ages, see: http://www.jannaldredgeclanton.com/mu....

Performed by: Chancel Choir of Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, Raleigh, North Carolina (http://www.pullen.org/). Conductor: Rev. Larry E. Schultz

Visual Artists:
Rev. Dr. Angela Yarber: "Sarasvati" © Angela Yarber. Used with permission. http://angelayarber.wordpress.com/art...
Mary Plaster: "Sophia, Divine Wisdom" © 2003 Mary Plaster. Used with permission.
http://www.maryplaster.com/mary.html
Rev. Stacy Boorn: "Dancing after Work at 'Speak I'm Listening,'" "In Praise of Balloon," "Monterey in Pink" © Stacy Boorn. Used with permission.http://stacy.awegallery.com/; http://www.awegallery.com/index.php?p...
Mirta Toledo: "Sophia" © 2003 Mirta Toledo, http://www.afrolatinart.com/#/mirta- toledo/4532396991;http://www.jannaldredgeclanton.com/bo...
David Clanton: photos of Pullen Memorial Baptist Church Chancel Choir, Orchestra, & Congregation; and dancing children © David M. Clanton. Used with permission. http://www.davidclanton.com/; http://david-clanton.artistwebsites.com/

Recorded by: Ward Productions, Pinehurst, North Carolina

For more information, see: http://jannaldredgeclanton.com/blog/.

O Holy Darkness, to tune of "O Little Town of Bethlehem" by Jann Aldredge-Clanton

http://youtu.be/DtdgFRxsIuU

to the tune of “O Little Town of Bethlehem”

"O Holy Darkness, loving Womb,

who nurtures and creates,
sustain us through the longest night

with dreams of open gates.
We move inside to mystery

that in our center dwells,
where streams of richest beauty flow

from sacred, living wells.

Creative Darkness, closest Friend,

you whisper in the night;
you calm our fears as unknown paths

surprise us with new sight.
We marvel at your bounty,

your gifts so full and free,
unfolding as you waken us

to new reality.

O Holy Night of deepest bliss,

we celebrate your power;
infuse us with your energy

that brings our seeds to flower.
The voice out of the darkness

excites our warmest zeal
to bring together dark and light,

true holiness reveal. 

O come to us, Sophia;

your image, black and fair,
stirs us to end injustice and

the wounds of earth repair.
The treasures of your darkness

and riches of your grace
inspire us to fulfill our call,

our sacredness embrace."

 

 

"Our Mother Within Us" to Melody "Away in a Manger" by Jann Aldrege-Clanton

"Come to Our World Oh Christ Sophia"/ to Melody of O Holy Night by Jann Aldredge -Clanton

"Midwife Divine Now Calls Us" by Jann Aldredge-Clanton, Awesome/Invitation to Join with "Divine Midwife to Bring New life to Birth in Ourselves and in our World"

Published on Mar 16, 2013

Rev. Larry E. Schultz conducts the Chancel Choir of Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, Raleigh, North Carolina, in singing "Midwife Divine Now Calls Us" to a familiar hymn tune, with pictures from various artists.

One of the Divine Feminine names and images in the Bible is that of Midwife. "Yet it was you who took me from the womb; you kept me safe on my mother's breast. On you I was cast from my birth, and since my mother bore me, you have been my God" (Psalm 22:9-10). In this psalm, the poet expresses feelings of being forsaken and persecuted, and finds reassurance in this picture of God's tender care beginning at birth. The image of the Divine Midwife joins with the image of the Divine Mother to strengthen the biblical picture of God's intimate involvement with us.

This song invites us to join with the Divine Midwife in bringing new life to birth within ourselves and throughout the world.

Midwife Divine now calls us forth from our safest place,
beckoning always forward out into unknown space.
She sings a birthing song
to calm our fears and help us
through days so hard and long.

Midwife Divine inspires us through holy darkness deep,
moving through realms of mystery to wake all dreams that sleep.
Her loving plan unfolds
as tenderly She guides us
through pathways new and bold.

O may we join Her labor to bring new life to birth;
crowned in Her ancient splendor, we claim our sacred worth.
Our Midwife shows the way
to worlds of love and beauty,
more than our words can say.

Words © Jann Aldredge-Clanton
from Inclusive Hymns for Liberating Christians (Eakin Press, 2006)
for permissions, contact: www.jannaldredgeclanton.com
for additional inclusive music for all ages, see: http://www.jannaldredgeclanton.com/mu...

Performed by: Chancel Choir of Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, Raleigh, North Carolina (http://www.pullen.org/). Conductor: Rev. Larry E. Schultz

Visual Artists:

Stacy Boorn: "Her-Galaxy" © Stacy Boorn. Used with permission. http://stacy.awegallery.com/; http://www.awegallery.com/index.php?p...

Mary Plaster: "Sophia, Divine Wisdom" © 2003 Mary Plaster. Used with permission.
http://www.maryplaster.com/mary.html

Alice Heimsoth: photo of drummers and dancers, Ebenezer/herchurch Lutheran, San Francisco (http://www.herchurch.org/)
© Alice Heimsoth. Used with permission.
http://www.aliceheimsoth.com/Other/Fa...

David Clanton: photo of Pullen Memorial Baptist Church Choir, Orchestra, & Congregation © David M. Clanton. Used with permission.http://www.davidclanton.com/; http://david-clanton.artistwebsites.com/

Recorded by: Ward Productions, Pinehurst, North Carolina

For more information, see: http://jannaldredgeclanton.com/

• Category

  • Music

• License

  • Standard YouTube License

Inspiring Song: "We Sound a Call to Freedom" by Jann Aldredge- Clanton to Melody of" Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory"

(Sophia is the Greek name for Holy Wisdom, who appears in bible in Books of Proverb and Wisdom.)
Bridget Mary's Response:
Thank you  Jann. At this time in our country's history and world crisis, this song is a gift to humankind! Many thanks. Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP, www.arcwp.org

Photos of Roman Catholic Women Priests Published by Award Winning Photo Journalist Giulia Bianchi in National Georgraphic (Italy)

http://www.nationalgeographic.it/wallpaper/2015/04/21/foto/proof_donne_prete_scomunicate-2564553/1/#media

__._,_.___

Homily at Holy Spirit Catholic Community, 3rd Sunday of Advent C, Dec. 13, 2015 by Beverly Bingle, RCWP

John the Baptizer is preaching good news to the people—
the Messiah is coming!
And the people are “filled with expectation.”
They are wondering, is John the one?
the Anointed One, the Messiah?
____________________________________
For over a hundred years before Jesus and over a hundred after,
Judaism saw people step forward to prophesy
and even to take actions that were interpreted as messianic.
The Jewish Messiah could be a king like David or Cyrus the Great.
Isaiah says the Messiah will establish a government in Israel
that will be the center of all world government,
both for Jews and gentiles.
Or the Messiah could be a military leader
who would defeat their enemies
and establish an independent Jewish kingdom,
like Judas Maccabeus who revolted against the Seleucids
to free the Jews from foreign domination,
or like Judas of Galilee, Simon of Peraea, and Athronges,
who fought Rome about the time of Jesus' birth
and were defeated.
Or the Messiah could be a charismatic teacher
who would give the correct interpretation of Mosaic law,
restore Israel, and judge humankind.
Jeremiah prophesies that the Messiah will rebuild the Temple,
re-establish worship in Jerusalem,
restore the religious court system,
and establish Jewish law as the law of the land.
Or the Messiah could mean a holy king
who would deliver the Jews from oppression
and usher in an age of peace and justice
known as an Olam HaBa—
the world to come, the Messianic Age,
the peaceful co-existence of all people
in which hatred, intolerance, and war would cease.
____________________________________
But none of those types of Messiah come,
not a governmental tyrant or a military leader
or a judgmental religious dictator or a magical deliverer.
God sends and anoints Jesus a priest, a prophet, a king...
but he's not priest, prophet, and king like ever before.
____________________________________
Today Luke gives us a snapshot of John the Baptizer
as one of the messianic prophets,
telling the crowds he is not the Messiah
and prophesying the coming
of a very harsh and judgmental Messiah.
The people want to be the wheat gathered into the barn,
not the chaff thrown into the fire.
They ask John, “What are we to do?”
____________________________________
The answer Luke puts in the Baptizer's mouth is startling.
He doesn't tell them to abandon their work
and spend their time in prayer.
He doesn't tell them to go to the synagogue.
He doesn't tell them to put more money in the Temple treasury.
No: Luke has John tell the crowds
the same thing that Jesus will be telling them.
Share your food and your clothes
with people who don't have any.
Put your beliefs into practice in your life.
He doesn't tell tax collectors to quit collecting the taxes.
He tells them to be honest—
not to take more than the going rate.
He doesn't tell soldiers to quit the army.
He tells them to be honest and not take bribes;
he tells them to be fair
and not accuse people of things they haven't done.
____________________________________
Preparing for the coming of the Messiah
is very different from what they expected.
It's not preparing for war against the Romans.
It's not insisting on expensive sacrifices in the Temple.
It's something everyone can do right where they are,
and they are filled with expectation.
Imagine that: business people would be honest and fair!
Police would people with dignity and respect!
Everyone would develop
a sense of fairness and justice and responsibility for others!
____________________________________
Throughout this advent season
we prepare once again to celebrate the first coming,
the birth of the Messiah, the Holy One of God.
We still look forward to the Second Coming,
the time when all creation will reach spiritual maturity
and learn to live in peace with justice.
In this meantime, we experience a Third Coming—
the coming of Jesus in our daily lives.
Jesus comes again
every time we share our bounty with people in need.
He comes among us
every time we treat people with honesty and fairness.
He walks with us along the Way.

--
Holy Spirit Catholic Community
Saturdays at 4:30 p.m.
Sundays at 5:30 p.m.
at 3925 West Central Avenue (Washington Church)

www.holyspirittoledo.org

Rev. Dr. Bev Bingle, Pastor

"Immigration in Troubled Times and Cold Days" by Silvia Brandon-Perez, ARCWP

http://wp.me/p3M5JV-4C
(See beautiful prayer service)

The Public Ministry of Jesus and the New Catholicity by Sister Ilia Delio in Making All Things New"/ Highly Recommended for Inspiring Reading!

http://www.orbisbooks.com/making-all-things-new.html

...."Jesus began his mission by announcing the dawn of a new age, a new humanity unified in the love of God and committed to the reign of God. He challenged the social pattern of exclusivity and sought to replace it with the values of compassion and mercy. His inner oneness with God became manifest on the level of community, where he sought to overcome divisions by giving priority to men and women as coequal in God’s reign and by empowering the poor, lowly, and marginalized...He lived from this wholeness by going “all over Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing people from every kind of disease and sickness” (Mt 4: 23). He constantly challenged others to see, to awaken to the presence of God, and to be part of an undivided whole, the kingdom (or “kin-dom”) of God, where Jew and Gentile, rich and poor, male and female are invited as equals to the divine banquet. Jesus internalized the Torah so that obedience to God was not dutifully following the law but the human heart centered in God. He challenged those who claimed to see but were blinded by their own ambitions and addiction to power, leading them to “bind up heavy loads and put them on the shoulders of men and women” (Mt 23: 4)."

" He chastised those who substituted legalism for charity, looked down on others, or separated themselves from others as if they were superior (see Lk 18: 9–11). Instead, he ate with outcasts and sinners (Mk 2: 15) and accepted those declared untouchable as friends, revealing God’s merciful love. The Gospels consistently show Jesus’s outreach to the economically poor and oppressed; to those who were diseased, disabled, or possessed; and to society’s outcasts, including prostitutes, tax collectors, and other public sinners. Over and over again in the Gospels we see Jesus criticized by those who burdened the poor and defenseless and who wielded power over others: “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you” (Mt 21: 31). He reached out to everyone and invited each person into a new relatedness with God and neighbor, challenging the powerful and raising up the poor. ..."

..." The catholicity of Jesus’s message is this: we are to realize the whole we are part of and to love the whole; to find a conscious voice of praise and glory to God in the whole; and to participate creatively in this unfolding reign of God. His message of “good news” was also a reality check, a wake-up call to the fact that humans can be unnaturally violent to one another, divisive, arrogant, and brutal. Jesus called his disciples to a new future, to create a new, transformed earth, a “kin-dom” of equality and inclusivity, where tax collectors, sinners, women, children, lawyers, housewives, and rabbis are one in justice, mercy, and peace."

" His Jewish renewal program transcended the Greek cosmos and ushered in a new cosmos, a new order of life centered in the wellspring of divine love; a new cosmic family, a new household of relationships where the members are mothers, sisters, and brothers. Interestingly, Edwards notes, “Fathers are not mentioned and the disciples are instructed: ‘Call no one on earth your father’ (Mt 23: 8–12). With a God who was Abba, there was apparently no place in the new community for the role of the patriarchal father.” 6 This radically new community under God is like a new Big Bang, a new whole that requires a new level of consciousness and participation. In Jesus we see not only a new direction but a new catholicity...."

About the Author: Sister Ilia Delio:

The bestselling author of The Unbearable Wholeness of Being introduces a new paradigm for being Catholic:Catholicity, destined to become as familiar in this century as the word Catholic was in the 2nd century. Catholicity is a conscious awareness of how everything —the sun, moon, stars, Kepler, Saturn, maple trees, muddy rivers, amoeba, bacteria and all peoples of the earth — form a whole. It is a dynamic quality of being which burst forth in the life of Jesus with the power to make all things new. It is now beginning to connect all the dimensions of life: religion, spirituality, the sciences, art, culture, and society. Sr. Ilia fully describes this unitive principle which is being expressed by Pope Francis and emerging in the lives of sincere seekers everywhere. Making All Things New is at once an important stand-alone work and the first volume in a new series unveiling the reality of catholicity and wholeness under the guidance of Sr. Ilia Delio.

Ilia Delio, a member of the Franciscan Sisters of Washington, D.C., holds the Josephine C. Connelly Endowed Chair in Theology at Villanova University. She served as Director of the Catholic Studies Program and Visiting Professor at Georgetown University. A native of Newark, NJ, Delio earned doctorates in pharmacology from the New Jersey Medical School/School of Biomedical Sciences and in historical theology from Fordham University, NY. She received a prestigious Templeton Course in Science and Religion award. She lectures widely and is author of 16 books including Christ in Evolution, Care for Creation, The Emergent Christ, and The Unbearable Wholeness of Being all Catholic Press Assocation Book Award Winners. She is also editor of From Teilhard to Omega: Co-creating an Unfinished Universe (Orbis 2014).

__._,_.___

"The Healing Presence of God Within You" Adapted from Affirmations from the Heart of God Part 7 by Bridget Mary Meehan and Regina Madonna Oliver

Begin this prayer time by playing soft, instrumental music.

Take time to be still….

Breathe slowly in through your nose and out through your mouth for a couple of minutes until

you feel calm….

As you inhale, breathe in the healing power of God….

As you breathe out, breathe out any darkness, distraction or blockage that keeps you from experiencing God‘s love in the depths of your being….

Repeat one of the following words to help you center: Jesus, Healer, Friend….Wisdom, Jesus-Sophia or another word of your choice....

I f you become distracted, simply let go of the distraction, and continue to repeat your prayer word….

Simply be in the presence of the Holy One….

Open yourself to amazing grace….

Imagine yourself walking along the ocean. The sky is clear and blue. The wind is blowing gently. Seagulls are flying above the sparkling, dancing waters. You marvel at the beauty of God‘s creation all around you….

You see some tall grass nearby. You can hear the rustle of the grass….

You decide to sit down. You close your eyes and gently drop off to sleep….

Someone is moving toward you. You recognize God/ Jesus/ Spirit. The Holy One sits beside you and embraces you and speaks words of encouragement and affirmation: ―I love you tenderly, boundlessly, completely. You are my beloved,

my heart‘s delight. Let nothing separate you from me ever. I am always with you.

You talk with God about a particular  situation, or relationship, weakness in which you need help. You pour out all your feelings, hurt, frustration and pain….

God listens and looks into your eyes with a love that fills you. 

You feel a power coming from deep within your being filling you with warmth, relief, and release….

You know  healing  is permeating your entire being. ….

You are filled with thanksgiving, joy, love! You put all of this into the words, ―Thank you, Holy One,

You enjoy the presence of God and come gently back to the awareness of the people and situation around

you….

You can repeat this experience whenever you experience the need of Jesus‘ healing touch.

You can become aware that God is always with you, within you, flowing through you every moment of every day.

You can enter deeply into the heart of God within you.

During Advent Season, I will share stories and prayer practices for healing and wholeness from  Affirmations from the Heart of God  with my blog readers. On Nov. 10th, I shared the introduction to the book on this blog as Part 1. 

Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP, sofiabmm@aol.com
http://www.amazon.com/Affirmations-Heart-God-Bridget-Meehan/dp/0764807099

"Spotlight and its Revelations" by Sarah Larson, New Yorker/ Movie About Sexual Abuse Cover-up in Roman Catholic Church

http://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/spotlight-and-its-revelations?mbid=nl_151208_Daily&CNDID=39593595&spMailingID=8328137&spUserID=MTE1NjEzMjMyNjM0S0&spJobID=820913729&spReportId=ODIwOTEzNzI5S0

"The relative isolation of that era helped keep things quiet, made it harder for people to connect the dots. “So in a way, the Church was more protected. The bishops and the cardinals said, ‘Well, this is one aberrant priest.’ And they actually said this—‘We’re no different than the Methodists or the Lutherans or the Boy Scouts.’ ”

“That’s what then-Cardinal Ratzinger said,” Rezendes said. “That the percentage of abusers in the Catholic Church was no greater than the percentage of abusers in the general population.”

Robinson said, “So when we got the assignment, as an investigative unit, to look into the case of one priest who had eighty-four lawsuits against him, and a lot of speculation—how could they not have known what he was up to?—we took that on as ‘Find out about the one priest.’ ”

“Face value,” Pfeiffer said.

“And within days, in different ways, one of which is portrayed in the movie, our meeting with Phil Saviano, all of a sudden we realized that it was some much larger number. And the much larger number we thought of was a tiny fraction of what it ended up being.”

"Pope Francis Opens Jubilee Year With Call For Church That Puts Mercy Before Judgment "by Joshua McElwee, National Catholic Reporter

http://ncronline.org/news/vatican/francis-opens-jubilee-year-call-church-puts-mercy-judgment
VATICAN CITY

Pope Francis has launched his yearlong push for a global Catholic church of mercy and forgiveness, starting the Jubilee year focused on the subject by opening the holy door at St. Peter’s Basilica and calling for a church that always puts mercy before judgment....

"...This Extraordinary Holy Year is itself a gift of grace," Francis said during the homily at the Mass. "To enter through the Holy Door means to rediscover the deepness of the mercy of the Father who welcomes all and goes out to meet everyone personally."..

"It is truly so," he said. "We have to put mercy before judgment, and in every case God’s judgment will always be in the light of his mercy.

While most Jubilees have been focused on calling pilgrims to Rome to receive such pardon, Francis has widely expanded his Jubilee, asking that dioceses throughout the world open their own holy door at a cathedral or other church to expand the practice globally.

A holy door is a door normally designated in special churches -- like the four papal basilicas in Rome -- to be opened only during Jubilee years as a sign of the possibility of re-entering into God’s grace.

Francis opened the holy door in St. Peter's Basilica towards the end of the Mass Tuesday. Standing in front of the door, located at the northeast corner of the Vatican basilica, the pontiff asked God to grant "a year of grace, a favorable time to love you and our brothers and sisters in the joy of the Gospel."

Both Francis’ homily at the Mass and the ceremony itself also paid tribute to the Second Vatican Council, which officially closed its work on Dec. 8, 1965.

",,,In the first place, however, the Council was an encounter," said the pontiff. "A true encounter between the Church and the men and women of our time..."

...Francis has also said he will be making a special sign of mercy one Friday of the month each month during the Jubilee. The first will come Dec. 18, when he is to open a door at a Caritas center in Rome that provides shelter and food for those in need.

The holy year will get a special push Feb. 10, Ash Wednesday next year, when the pontiff will commission some 800 priests from around the world to serve as "Missionaries of Mercy," giving them a special mandate to go among dioceses and forgive even canonical penalties normally reserved to the Holy See.,,

..The closing of the Mass Tuesday emphasized that while the Jubilee year is oriented towards evincing God's immeasurable mercy towards us, it also is meant as a forceful push to show Catholics around the world to be merciful to one another -- and to everyone else.".

[Joshua J. McElwee is NCR Vatican correspondent. His email address is jmcelwee@ncronline.org. Follow him on Twitter: @joshjmac.]​