The Jubilee Year of Mercy
8 December 2015 to 20 November 2016
The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, a year when we will dedicate to live in the light of the word of the Lord begins on 8 December 2015 and concludes on 20 November 2016, the Solemnity of Christ the King. It is a special year to deepen our commitment to Jesus as Lord and witness to our faith with a sense of pride. The Year of Mercy allows us to seek forgiveness and reconciliation between adversaries, an opportunity for personal conversion and receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and as a consequence, build solidarity, hope, justice, commitment to serve God with joy and in peace with our brothers and sisters.
Our parish will celebrate the Feast of Immaculate Conception of Mary on 8 December, which will also mark the start of the Year of Mercy. There will be a blessing of the front door of our church by Archbishop William Goh at the 7.30pm mass. All who come on pilgrimage during this Year of Mercy will receive plenary indulgence as they step through the Holy Door.
Look out for updates here as we commemorate the Year of Mercy with an exciting line-up of events!
On 8 December 2015, Church of Divine Mercy will celebrate the Feast of Immaculate Conception of Mary and also mark the start of the Year of Mercy with Archbishop William Goh blessing the front door of our church at the 7.30pm mass. This Holy Door will be opened for the duration of the Year of Mercy. It is a year to reflect on the many doors God opens for us as we pass through them daily without giving the slightest thought – Christ, the door to the Father, who knocks at the doors of our hearts, our homes and our churches.
The first Jubilee door we are called to open is the door to our hearts. We are called to open our hearts to Christ just as Mary bore him deep within her body; Christ gives us the grace to open our hearts to the conversion, unity and justice of the Kingdom of God.
Unlike in the good ole’ days when “no one locked their doors”, today’s homes are firmly locked, bolted with the state-of-the-art alarm systems. So our second challenge is for us to be generous in opening the doors of our homes to our families, our friends and all who need us.
The third door of our lives is the door to the Church, the i anua ecclesiae . The Church door is the silent witness to the significant moments of our lives from cradle to grave and finally to salvation, the portal of the Kingdom of God.
Christ, himself, told us that he is the door to the Kingdom of Heaven. “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture” (John 10:7 – 10:9).
In the Jubilee Year, we are invited to enter symbolically through one of the holy doors in order to gain indulgence offered by the Church.