Today, 8th December 2015 , the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, marks the start of Pope Francis’s Year of Mercy which ends on the Feast of Christ the King 2016, “a special time for the Church, a time when the witness of believers might grow strong and more effective”. This is a wonderful opportunity to help the pupils in our school to deepen their understanding of God’s mercy and his great gift to us. It is also an opportunity to explore the meaning of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. We have purchased a booklet, entitled ‘Pilgrimage Companion for the Year of Mercy’ for every family in our school. These will be sent home today and we hope you will use this booklet for your spiritual pilgrimage or on a pilgrimage to Westminster Cathedral or a local Church (school trips will be planned for later in the year).
THE WESTMINSTER SCHOOLS’ YEAR OF MERCY PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, you have taught us to be merciful like the heavenly Father,
And have told us that whoever sees you sees Him
Show us your face and we will be saved
We ask this of you Lord Jesus, through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy;
You who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and even. Amen
OFFICIAL PRAYER FOR THE YEAR OF MERCY FROM POPE FRANCIS
Lord Jesus Christ,
you have taught us to be merciful like the heavenly Father,
and have told us that whoever sees you sees Him.
Show us your face and we will be saved.
Your loving gaze freed Zacchaeus and Matthew from being enslaved by money;
the adulteress and Magdalene from seeking happiness only in created things;
made Peter weep after his betrayal, and assured Paradise to the repentant thief.
Let us hear, as if addressed to each one of us, the words that you spoke to the Samaritan woman:
“If you knew the gift of God!”
You are the visible face of the invisible Father,
of the God who manifests his power above all by forgiveness and mercy:
let the Church be your visible face in the world, its Lord risen and glorified.
You willed that your ministers would also be clothed in weakness
proclaim liberty to captives and the oppressed, and restore sight to the blind.
In order that they may feel compassion for those in ignorance and error:
let everyone who approaches them feel sought after, loved, and forgiven by God.
Send your Spirit and consecrate every one of us with its anointing,
so that the Jubilee of Mercy may be a year of grace from the Lord,
and your Church, with renewed enthusiasm, may bring good news to the poor,
We ask this of you, Lord Jesus, through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy;
you who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.