It

On By Renee Yann, RSMIn spirituality

Mercy Day – Feast of Our Lady of Mercy
September 24, 2023

As Mercy Day approaches, I begin my annual reflections on the indescribable gift of Mercy in my life. A bouquet of Catherine’s quotes, phrases that I treasure, suggests itself for my prayer:

  • My legacy to the Institute is charity…
  • Mercy, the principal path pointed out by Jesus Christ…
  • This is your life, joys and sorrows mingled …
  • It is better to relieve a hundred imposters than to suffer one really distressed person to be sent away empty.

But today I choose a phrase that, when I first read it many years ago, rang like a bell in my heart. It is a phrase Catherine used to describe the  magical beginnings of the Sisters of Mercy:

“It began with two,
Sister Doyle and I …”

It. That’s what Catherine called this indescribable reality we know as “Mercy”, this small beginning that has blossomed into a living, universal energy.

It. That embodiment of God’s Love in human caring and tenderness. That deep awareness of our “being in God” which frees us to be for another.

Though we can never fully describe it, every Sister of Mercy knows how she caught it. We saw someone living it, sharing it, rejoicing in it. And we were captured in its preternatural glow.

Srs. Peggy Musselman, Gail deMacedo, and Theresa Gormley
walking down Aldine St. to St. Hubert’s High School (1963)

For me, it was the unalloyed joy and hospitality of the Sisters of Mercy at my high school. I wanted to be like them, to discover the secret of their generous warmth. I wanted to have enough of that energy in my own heart to dispense it so easily to anyone who needed it.

At my graduation with my beloved sponsor,
Sr. Mary Giovanni

I didn’t have a clue when I asked to join them on my life’s journey. I was young, idealistic, and completely untested by the world. I simply trusted that, with them, I could open myself to the “It” that had inspired them. And that trust has yielded the central gift of my life, as Frances Warde describes it when talking about Catherine McAuley:

“You never knew her.
I knew her better than I have known anybody in my life.
She was a woman of God,
and God made her a woman of vision.
She showed me what it meant to be a Sister of Mercy,
to see the world and its people in terms of God’s love;
to love everyone who needed love;
to care for everyone who needed care.
Now her vision is driving me on.
It is a glorious thing to be a Sister of Mercy!”

Happy Mercy Day to all our Sisters, Companions, Associates, and Co-ministers throughout the world, and to everyone in the Mercy Family who has been touched and changed by “It”. Indeed, what a glorious thing!

Music: O Love – Elaine Hadenberg

18 thoughts on “It”

  5. hbhelenrose's avatar hbhelenrose

    When I see September 24th, I think of Sister Mary Helen for whom I was named Helen. She was a very dear friend of my Mother and Father A friend in the true sense of the word. They would call her on that day always as it was also her Birthday. Loved the picture of you and your sponsor. Enjoy all of the Mercy festivities!

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  6. Carla jansen's avatar Carla jansen

    How blessed we are to be called to Mercy, Renee. And how blessed that you share your gifts with us. A big Mercy hug to you. Celebrate well….A good cup of tea ? Or maybe something a bit stronger! Happy Mercy Day from Melbourne Australia. Carla Jansen

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  8. Lucille Hillerman's avatar Lucille Hillerman

    Happy Mercy Day! ❤️💛 What a lovely reflection! I am so blessed to be a small part of Mercy. It is truly a blessing from our merciful God. Thank you, Renee for sharing Mercy everyday with us.❤️🙏

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  9. John C. Butts's avatar John C. Butts

    Thank you, sweet and loving friend. Thank you for sharing “it” with me and finding “it” in me. And inviting me to use ‘it’s” gift for a world and people in need of “it” I am so blessed to be on the journey with you, Sister Kate and all the Sisters, Associates and Companions in Mercy. I love you dearly and am so very thankful for the gift you are to me. Happy Mercy Day!

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  10. Sue Worthington's avatar Sue Worthington

    Wishing you and all those who are a part of God’s Mercy in our world a Blessed and Happy Mercy Day! So grateful to have been touched by “it” in my life, and blessed to be a very small part of Mercy every day of my life. Sending Love and Prayers to you all!

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