Pope proclaims opening of the Year of Mercy, saying it is God “who comes to encounter us!”The Holy Doors are open; the Jubilee Year of Mercy has begun with a message appropriate to the Advent season from Pope Francis:
To pass through the Holy Door means to rediscover the infinite mercy of the Father, who welcomes everyone and goes out personally to encounter each of them. It is he who seeks us! It is he who comes to encounter us! This will be a year in which we grow ever more convinced of God’s mercy. How much wrong we do to God and his grace when we speak of sins being punished by his judgment before we speak of their being forgiven by his mercy. … Wherever there are people, the Church is called to reach out to them and to bring the joy of the Gospel and the mercy and forgiveness of God.
Full homily text is available here.
