Year of Mercy

As you know, the Year of Mercy is officially over.

I am not quite sure why, but when I saw the image of Pope Francis leaning against the door of St. Peter’s Basilica, I felt such sadness…

Perhaps it is owed to his leaning against the door, and my interpretation of how he looks.

Perhaps it is owed to the thought of Mercy coming to an end…which I of course know isn’t. His Mercy is never-ending, His Merciful Heart is open and waiting for us, and we also possess the Love, Mercy, and Forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

“Even if the Holy Door closes, the true door of mercy, which is the heart of Christ, always remains open for us,” Pope Francis said Sunday in a Mass marking the formal close of his jubilee Year of Mercy. “God has no memory of sin, but only of us, of each of us, we who are his beloved children.”

Perhaps it is owed to fear.

Fear that some of the Prophecies are true and coming true.

Which Prophecies?  Fatima, Malachy…

And it’s not the “End” I fear, it is the not being Prepared. I am broken. I am sinful. And though I took advantage of the Holy Doors, I am unworthy. I know the darkness of my soul. I know that I do not love enough. I know that I am not compassionate enough. I know that I am not merciful enough. I know I am prideful and lack humility. I know…

Again, I am not sure why, but this image has touched me.

How do you see it?