BEING CATHOLIC
BRANDI BURGUS, SAN FRANCISCO FOGHORN
Heaping helpings of mercy
by Alice Camille
Alice Camille is the author of Invitation to Catholicism and FEARLESS: Stories of the American Saints, as well as other titles available at alicecamille. com.
EDUCATION is among the spiritual works of mercy, and religious orders have long served in the field of Catholic education. Lionell Daggs III greets Jesuit Father Stephen Privet, S.J. at an event at the University of San Francisco.
When it comes to answering the pain of humanity, there is the only one appropriate response: mercy.
Q
UITE A FEW OF US have noble intentions. Hooray for this! We may have altruistic ideals and deeply felt convictions. A few of us may even harbor a grand plan about how to achieve justice on this planet. All of this is nice to hear! But you want to know the truth? The contents of my heart and yours are of no practical use to anyone. It’s what actually emerges from the heart, and where it takes us, that counts. It catches our attention that, in this Holy Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis never wastes words on the global need for kinder ideas. Compassion isn’t a matter of soft feelings that stir at the sight of human suffering. Rather, it involves active responses to the world’s brokenness. So, when it comes to answering the pain of
160 | VISION 2017 | VocationNetwork.org
