Pope Francis Lives!

310th Edition – May 2025

Our dear Pope Francis lives in the arms of Mercy. Accepting, for himself, and offering mercy to others was the path Francis traveled throughout his life. As we read articles and see new photos of Francis reaching out to embrace strangers, kissing the feet of prisoners, welcoming refugees, visiting those who are infirmed or shunned by society and sharing a meal with young LGBTQ+ community who have questions about their faith, we see the transformative power of Love and Mercy in Francis’ life. Francis’s compassionate words and just actions developed as he practiced what he had received.

Every day, articles are teasing us with the known and obscure facts concerning the Conclave. This is interesting, even intriguing, but I have another suggestion. One of the best ways to honor and celebrate Pope Francis is to read or reread some of his writings. I recommend The Name of God is Mercy. It is a collection of conversations that Pope Francis had with Andrea Tornielli concerning mercy. Just hearing the titles of the chapters will whet your appetite: “A Time for Mercy,” “Looking for the Smallest Opening,” “Too Much Mercy,” and “Shepherds, not Scholars of the Law” are just a few of the chapter titles.

Pope Francis weaves scriptural insights into everyday life by sharing the folk wisdom of the people he meets and the conversations that have influenced his life. The Name of God is Mercy recounts some of those experiences when Jorge Mario Bergoglio lived in Buenos Aires. He tells the story of a young priest who was worried that he might be too generous with God’s mercy when people came for confession. But the priest eased his conscience by going to the chapel, praying before the Blessed Sacrament and saying to Jesus, “Lord, forgive me if I have forgiven too much. But you are the one who gave me the bad example” (pg. 13). In another conversation an Argentinian “abuela” (a grandmother) stated her confidence in God’s mercy. She boldly stated that without the mercy and forgiveness of God, the world would not exist.

This book, as well as many of his speeches and preachings, focuses on God’s extraordinary mercy: a gift that people of every nation and religious persuasion hunger to hear. Perhaps this hunger draws on what we were taught in our younger years. Often, the image of God the Judge and God the Bookkeeper, who weighs our good and bad deeds can still hold us captive. The belief that we have to earn God’s love, even though this belief is contrary to scripture and the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, can affect our relationship with God and with others. For some of us, these beliefs have made a deep impression and make it difficult for us to imagine a God of mercy and forgiveness.

In The Name of God is Mercy, Francis illustrates how difficult it is to leave these old images behind. Students in northern Italy were told the Parable of the Prodigal Son. When the teacher asked the students to write the story from their memory, the majority of the students ended the story with the father punishing the son severely and ordering the son to live with the hired help for the rest of his life (pg. 49). It’s a frightening story, but true.

I’m sure the Pope remembers and tells this story of the students because it is so heartbreaking. Francis, however, continues to unpack the parable by quoting Bishop Luciano of Vittorio Veneto, Pope John Paul I. In a class with his parish priests, Bishop Luciano helped them, and as we read the story, he helps us imagine what the father is feeling as he waits each day for his son’s return. Standing at the doorframe of his home, the father looks towards the horizon morning and night, hoping to see the silhouette of his son returning home. No matter what day or time of night the son arrives home, it will never be too early in the morning or too late at night.

Love never gives up. Love is always ready to forgive. This ever-faithful father is an image of the God of Mercy, a God who is ready at a moment’s notice to drop everything, run to meet us, embrace and kiss us tenderly, and welcome us home. But the Bishop goes on to say something very unexpected. “Our sin is like a jewel that we present to God to obtain the consolation of forgiveness…Giving a gift of jewels is a noble thing to do, and it is not a defeat but a joyous victory to let God win” (pg.52). Bishop Albino Luciano’s words are close to those of many mystics who live close to the heart and mind of God. St. Ambrose speaks similarly of God’s mercy. “The offense did us more good than harm, because it gave Divine Mercy the opportunity to redeem us” (pg. 87). We understand as we listen to these statements, that those speaking are not encouraging us to become raving sinners. Rather, they speak to the unlimited mercy of God and God’s unconditional love.

Throughout the book, the Pope alludes to a variety of scripture passages. He begins the book with the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee praying in the temple (Luke 18:9-14). The parable not only reminds us that all of us are sinners and in need of healing and forgiveness, but also exposes how a lack of humility can strip us of our sense of awe. The Pope expands his thoughts on this subject when he revisits the parable later in the book. When we begin to think that we are not sinners we become blinded by our own arrogance. Soon we lose our appreciation of what God has done for us. If this arrogance becomes a habit, a way of life, we begin to think of ourselves as better than others. He gives the example of a man who considers himself as a very good Catholic, but uses his maidservant “for his own pleasure.” Arrogance and hypocrisy are two traits that hold God’s mercy at bay. They are not only personally destructive, but they can also lead to systemic corruption. How does all of this happen? Pope Francis gives some very practical warnings.

Toward the end of this small book Pope Francis reminds us that the first “school of mercy” is our family. It is through our family dynamics that we learn to acknowledge our limitations and forgive others. It is in our homes that we learn to forgive ourselves and accept forgiveness from others. He names and encourages us to practice the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. The Name of God is Mercy is not a complicated book. As usual, the Pope has a focus and continues to unravel the knots of misunderstanding carefully so that we will be able to better understand the mind and heart of God, the One we worship and love. The last sentence of the last chapter holds the key to understanding the Pope’s theology and the teachings of Jesus. “In the evening of life, we will be judged on love alone” (St John of the Cross).

Even though this book is easy to read, the underpinnings of my comments concerning The Name of God is Mercy need to be fleshed out. So, my advice to you is the advice that a friend has given me. My friend uses an old exercise tape of Jane Fonda. Often Jane says, “Don’t just sit on the couch and watch this exercise video. Get up and do it.” That is my advice to you. Don’t just read this review! Read the book. Pray, ponder it. Don’t let this special time of grace become an overlooked opportunity.

Footnotes:
All of the quotes come from The Name of God is Mercy: A conversation with Andrea Tornielli, translated from the Italian by Oonnagh Stransky, Random House, New York, 2016.