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The Surprise of Mercy
Pope Francis has been called the “Pope of Surprises” for the unexpected ways he often interacts with the world. From paying his own hotel bill to calling people on the phone to respond to their letters, to most recently, showing up unannounced in a pew in St. Peter’s Basilica for daily Mass, we have come to expect the unexpected from this first ever Latin American pope.
But as delightful as these surprises are, Francis would probably prefer we know him by his other moniker, the “Pope of Mercy.” Mercy shows up more frequently in his writing and speeches than any other theme, and has become known as the “spiritual bedrock of his papacy” according to John Allen, Jr. from Crux. “Mercy,” Francis says, “makes the world a little less cold and more just.” And in a world where isolation and injustice are easily identified but difficult to overcome, it’s no wonder that Francis’ call for the Christian community to more readily embrace forgiveness and offer compassion has resonated so powerfully.
Mercy is a fitting theme for this surprising pope because God’s boundless mercy is perhaps the biggest surprise of them all. The great contemplative monk, Thomas Merton, once described God as “mercy within mercy within mercy.” We can always go deeper in the spiritual life; there is always something more for us to discover with God.
This fall the Center for Christian Spirituality offers three events that can help you go deeper in your faith and discover more of God’s delightful surprises. We continue to grow and expand in the ways we can serve the local church on behalf of USD and look forward to ways we can better engage the community. As always, please let us know how we can best serve you.
Peace,
Erin
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The Name of God is Relationship
with Daniel Horan, OFM
Monday, November 9th, 2015, 7 p.m.
Shiley Theatre, Camino Hall,
University of San Diego
Tickets: $10
USD students, faculty and staff are free with USD ID card
While some philosophers claim that the name of God is “pure being” and some theologians claim that the primary name of God is “the good,” Fr. Daniel Horan, OFM suggests that the name of God is best understood as “relationship.” Beginning with the way that God reveals who God is to humanity throughout Scripture and moving to take a deeper look at the wisdom of St. Francis of Assisi, this lecture encourages contemporary women and men to reconsider how they imagine their Creator and renew their understanding of faith in the modern world.
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Awaken to a New Way of Living Your Faith:
A Weekend Retreat
with Peter W. Gyves, SJ, MD
Friday November 6, 7-9pm through Saturday November 7, 9-5pm in collaboration with A Faith that Does Justice, a ministry of Our Lady of Guadalupe parish, San Diego.
COST: $40
Includes light breakfast and lunch on Saturday
(financial assistance is available for young adults)
Ignatian spirituality is as practical as it is profound. Rooted in the conviction that God is active in our lives, this retreat on campus at USD will lead you into a deeper awareness of the presence of God in all things and a deeper commitment of service to others and the transformation of our still suffering world. Peter Gyves, SJ guides the retreat by offering powerful tools of Ignatian discernment to help you discover a faith that does justice.
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Faces of Spirituality:
Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, Evangelical and Hindu Perspectives
Saturday, October 10, 2015, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Hahn University Center, Forum A
University of San Diego
Tickets: $20 General Admission,
$10 members of *SDSDA and USD faculty, Staff and Administrators,
USD students are FREE
*In collaboration with the San Diego Spiritual Directors Association
When do we get the opportunity to listen in on the spiritual journeys of those people different from ourselves? This panel of Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, Buddhist Hindu and Charismatic Protestants will share from their hearts about ways of prayer, meaningful spiritual practices, and what has helped, and hindered, their journeys of faith.
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