During this Advent season, I am listening to Facebook. What, exactly, does this mean? Each
year during Lent, I shut down my Facebook accounts. But during Advent, I keep them open and view their content without
posting, replying to or “liking” anything. During Advent, I simply log in and
listen.
Today, as we light the third candle on the Advent wreath, I am
taking time to reflect on the effect that this practice of "logging in and listening" has had on my life. During Advent last year, I read about what was going on in the world of my friends and
family and found it annoying to be unable to let them know I saw their posts. In fact, I would email or text people to let
them know that I had seen what they had posted, but that I couldn’t reply because
of my Advent practice of not replying. “But,”
some would ask, “Isn’t texting or emailing defeating the purpose of the
practice?” Of course it is! But I am always a work in progress!
However, this year is different. This year I have not only not replied outside of Facebook, but
my online practice of listening has also spilled over to other aspects of my
life. I find myself making the effort to listen to my
Sisters, friends and family in order to hear what they are actually saying rather than
attempting to formulate a quick reply or suggest a potential outcome based on something I only half-heard.
While I have not perfected my listening skills (and probably never
will), this practice has made a world of difference for me this Advent.
So, what made this year different from last year? In a word, mercy! Since October, I have been sharing
reflections and giving retreats about mercy in anticipation of the Jubilee of
Mercy that opened on December 8. My
preparation for these events has been steeped in Scripture, Pope Francis,
Walter Kasper and Pauline von Mallinckrodt.
I have reflected deeply on the Parable of the Lost (or “Prodigal”)
Son and his merciful father (Luke 15:11-32).
I have delved into Misericordia
Vultus, the letter of Pope Francis introducing the Jubilee of Mercy. I have read Walter Kasper’s Mercy: The Essence of the Gospel and the Key
to Christian Life. I have pondered the extensive
writings and letters of Blessed Pauline, the founder of the Sisters of Christian Charity. Indeed, I have
been drinking deeply from the well of mercy – and it has made a difference.
What have I learned and (hopefully) shared as a result?
·
From Luke 15: Be merciful like the father: When someone has done something worthy of punishment,
mercy makes it possible for both the wrongdoer and the wronged to retain their human
dignity.
·
From Pope Francis (via Pope John XXIII): In all
situations attempt to apply the medicine of mercy rather than the medicine of
severity.
·
From Walter Kasper:
Mercy is so very necessary in this world in which violence and terrorism
are increasing. “We must be silent about
God if we do not know how to speak anew the message of God’s mercy to people
who are in so much physical and spiritual distress.”
·
From Blessed Pauline: “[We must have] a merciful heart to
compassionate all, a charitable tongue to excuse all, a meek and patient
disposition to bear with all.”
While my "Facebook learnings" do not seem to figure into any of
these “mercy learnings,” they are, indeed, related: Only when we first suspend our need to reply quickly or to offer swift solutions can we then begin to respond to others from a place of mercy.
Dear friends of the Passaic Neighborhood Center for Women: As we prepare the way of the Lord for the remainder of Advent 2015, let us "log in" to our lives in a way that is steeped in listening deeply and responding mercifully.
Thank you for all you are and all you do for and with us!
Sr. Ann Marie
