“There’s a Man Full of Mercy” is an article that appeared in the Newsletter of the Midwest Province of the Congregation of the Mission. Reflecting on the life of Vincent de Paul, the author tells of the necessity of the virtue of mercy for anyone serving the poor. Citing parallels between God’s mercy toward us and the mercy we should then pass on to those needing mercy, he speaks to Vincent’s stressing the need to be merciful in every situation, every day, throughout one’s life.
In the wake of last night’s grand jury decision in Ferguson, Missouri, Mark Laboe, Associate Vice President of Student Affairs, wrote a prayer to share with our community:
Merciful God,
Come! Help us!
We always seem to get it wrong,
and again, today, we need your help.
Over and over it seems that
we fall short
and manage to be blinded and driven
by our fear, our pride, and our self-centeredness
despite our best efforts and good intentions.
And so,
we harm each other
and end up putting further obstacles in the way
of the justice and peace you desire –
and we desire, in the end –
and which you have gifted to us,
if we would only recognize it
and enact it.
Help us to settle for nothing less
than the goodness,
mercy,
generosity
and service
which you help us to imagine
and which you model for us.
Help us, O God,
to remember and to become who we are
and who you created us to be
as a beloved community.