In fact, we have been called to reach out to others, to become living tiles in a mosaic that creates community...
Mercy is an elastic band. It reaches out to you and you, in turn, reach out to grasp it, but if you get distracted it eludes you. Mercy gazes at you and opens your heart. It is neither relative nor relativistic. It makes the most of new things but at the same time it respects tradition. It is attentive to you and to your relationships. Mercy forgives and converts, strengthens and safeguards. Mercy is God; it is his primary dwelling place.
The Jubilee Year of Mercy helped in many ways to make this virtue immanent among people in today’s world. The Fridays dedicated to mercy were concrete examples of what Pope Francis believes is the most important message of Jesus. Thus, mercy should be recounted with emotion, without suffocating or distorting its very essence, its most concrete translation into practice. Because of this, the Pope has always insisted that contact with others is a revelation of the Mystery of salvation, that is, of the closeness of God to others and his readiness to forgive them.
In fact, we have been called to reach out to others, to become living tiles in a mosaic that creates community and makes it effective and vibrant. Families are increasingly isolated by rampant individualism. Teachers are exhausted by the obstacles they face in daily life. Institutions and associations are being crushed more and more by the weight of our complex contemporary society. It is up to us to restore color and vibrancy to this sad state of affairs, to restore to these intermediaries their dignity as mediators and guides, to break down the walls of non-commitment and sectarianism, which seem to be getting higher and higher.