World Youth Day USA Guides International Pilgrimage Leaders Guide | Page 71

theme (“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall

welcome the stranger, assist the sick, visit

receive mercy.” Mt 5:7), pilgrims are doubly

the imprisoned and bury the dead.

called to be loving and merciful missionaries,

Nor should we overlook the spiritual works

compassionate to those they encounter upon

of mercy: to counsel the doubtful, teach the

their return home and, by so doing, hopefully

ignorant, admonish sinners, comfort the

attracting them to faith in Christ and the

sorrowful, forgive offences, patiently bear

community of the Church.

with troublesome people and pray to God
for the living and the dead.

Furthermore, a mission grounded in mercy
seeks those who feel far from God’s embrace

As you can see, mercy does not just imply

or the affection of others: the disenfranchised,

being a “good person” nor is it mere

the poor and marginalized by society, the

sentimentality. It is the measure of our

rejected, and the lost.

authenticity as disciples of Jesus, and of our
credibility as Christians in today’s world.

Pope Francis spoke on this mission of mercy
during one of his gene &